Book Review – Earth Witch: Finding Magic in the Land by Britton Boyd
Book Review
Earth Witch:
Finding Magic in the Land
by Britton Boyd
Publisher: Hierophant Publishing
184 pages
Release Date: December 15, 2022
Earth Witch is a great book for exploring the area otherwise known as green witchcraft. Earth witch is another name for those who identify as “wild” or “green” witches. It is those practitioners who choose to primarily work in nature with the earth, the moon and life upon the planet including trees, plants and herbs.
In this easy-to-read book, Ms. Boyd shares with her readers the path in which she has been called to. She shares with us her need to get away from the hustle of life and return to nature. Ms. Boyd has had great experiences in nature including having spent time hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and living in a forest yurt. There are eight chapters in this book, with each touching upon a topic related to being an earth witch. Chapter One and Chapter Two provide an introduction to the reader. Chapter Eight talks about how one would go about committing to the Earth Witch path.
Chapter Three introduces the idea of Genius Loci which can be summed up as the presiding atmosphere of a place. Ms. Boyd invites you to connect with the energies of all things living and non-living – the plants, the animals, the spirits of places. There is a practice in which the reader is invited to do a Nature Inventory. Questions to ask yourself about the natural surroundings of the place you call home. Chapter Four focuses on the earth, the trees and the body. The reader will learn how the connection is made between the three with an emphasis on the body. Chapter Five is an overview of some of the cycles of the earth. In this chapter daily cycles, lunar cycles, and seasonal cycles are discussed. Also, in this chapter there is days of the week and listed are the best days for accomplishing different outcomes. Chapter Six discusses connecting with your ancestors including dealing with problematic ancestors. Chapter Seven is about the dreamworld. Ms. Boyd invites you to work with spirit and plant allies to explore your dream world further.
This book is enjoyable overall. It is a pleasant reading experience as if a friend was sharing with me her spiritual journey and all that she discovered along this path. My favorite chapter was Chapter Six as ancestral work is of an interest to me. I particularly enjoyed that she addressed intergenerational trauma and “problematic” ancestors. Both are topics that I as a clinical social worker encounter daily. In my line of work, it is likely to be trauma, our family or a combination of both that brings people to journey into personal recovery from a variety of issues. These are difficult topics to confront either ourselves or for others. My favorite sentence in this chapter as well as the book over all is; “Processing and healing intergenerational trauma requires a lifetime of work.” I believe that this sentence resonated with me because I am a mental health practitioner. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to heal from the past. Unfortunately, many past hurts that people encounter are due to intergenerational trauma. In working with our own traumas and the traumas of and from our ancestors, it is possible to heal from those experiences and prevent their passage to the next generations.
This book is a good introduction to green witchcraft. Since it covers topics in a review fashion, it is likely to be a refresher for those who already practices the nature focused exercises. For someone considering this as their focus or someone exploring the different types of witchcraft, this book is perfect for you.
About the Author
Britton Boyd is an animist, witch, writer, tarot reader, potion maker, and herbalist residing in the high desert mountains of Northeastern Oregon. In 201217, she hiked the entirety of the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2660-mile quest from the border of Mexico to Canada. Her experiences on the trail pushed her body to its limit and made beautifully and agonizingly concrete the wisdom of earth-based, animistic witchcraft.
She can be found at archaichoney on Instagram.
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About the Author:
Tammy Andrews is a beginner in the area of all matters related to Wicca and witchcraft. She is interested in many areas of natural spiritual practice including the use of incense and oils, pendulum divination, oracle cards, and crystals. She is Reiki I certified with plans to obtain further Reiki levels. With her love of learning and reading, she is excited to join PaganPagesOrg as a book reviewer. Tammy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker employed in a community agency that provides counseling and case management services to clients who live with serious mental illnesses and addiction issues. The power of human survival and resilience never ceases to amaze her. She views social work as her passion and life calling. Tammy resides in CT with her husband, who is her greatest supporter, her cat and her dogs. She has enjoyed the opportunity to assist in the nurturing of her step-son to become a prospering young adult.
Tammy and her husband spend many Summer weekends at their cabin in VT where she loves the opportunity to renew her spirit in the peace and solitude of the trees. You can contact Tammy via email at [email protected]

