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Book Review – Psychic Skills for Magic & Witchcraft: Developing Your Spirit, Intuition, & Clairvoyance by Cat Gina Cole
Book Review Psychic Skills for Magic & Witchcraft: Developing Your Spirit, Intuition, & Clairvoyance By Cat Gina Cole Publisher: Llewellyn Publications 232 pages Publication Date: February 8, 2022 “Psychic Skills for Magic & Witchcraft” guides readers to develop intuitive abilities, something many may not realize is possible. The book begins with an introduction to beliefs, a glossary of terms, and exercises to master the fundamental tools required at all levels of psychism. Meditation, imagination, and the effects of social conditioning are explained. Pathworking, remote viewing, psychometry, manifesting, and letting go are among the skills covered. In Chapter 5, readers are given exercises to advance such skills…
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Book Review – Icelandic Plant Magic: Folk Herbalism of the North by Albert Björn
Book Review Icelandic Plant Magic: Folk Herbalism of the North by Albert Björn Publisher: Crossed Crow Books Pages: 306 Rerelease Date: June 27, 2023 There are, without a doubt, plenty of books out there on magical herbalism or green witchery. However, this is the first I have spotted specifically singling out the herbs of Iceland in a magical context. As the author notes, while the mysterious-seeming country of Iceland offers many folk tales and hidden beings, the plants of the island aren’t usually picked out as a point of interest. Albert Björn Shiell has neatly corrected that oversight with this animistic, practical, and beautiful book. This book is laid…
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Book Review – Culpeper’s Complete Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper, Annotated by Dr. J.J. Pursell
Book Review Culpeper’s Complete Herbal By Nicholas Culpeper Annotated by J.J. Pursell Publisher: Andrews McMeel Pages: 384 Rerelease Date: October 2022 Nicholas Culpeper was an extraordinary figure of the 17th century. Frustrated with the lack of medicine and treatment available to those with no money, Culpeper, a fairly well-to-do gentleman, abandoned his studies at Cambridge University and went to become an apprentice at a London-based apothecary. From there, he set up his own pharmacy and went on to publish “The Complete Herbal” in 1652/53. This was despite twice being accused of witchcraft, tried, and acquitted. Culpeper went against the grain and didn’t let the authorities dissuade…
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Book Review – Backyard Witchcraft: The Complete Guide for the Green Witch, the Kitchen Witch, and the Hedge Witch by Cecilia Lattari and Betti Greco
Book Review Backyard Witchcraft: The Complete Guide for The Green Witch, The Kitchen Witch, and the Hedge Witch Written by Cecilia Lattari Illustrated by Betti Greco Publisher: Ixia Press 160 Pages Release Date: September 14, 2022 Backyard Witchcraft is a lavishly illustrated book that focuses on modern homespun witchcraft with an emphasis on herbal cunning tradition. In the Introduction, we learn all about the author’s approach to magic as an expression of plant relationship, and the three types of witchcraft that she will be discussing: green witchcraft, kitchen witchcraft, and hedge witchcraft. A bit like a witchy internet meme in book form, the book includes a…
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Book Review – Wyldwood: A Novel for the Scottish Borders (The Spiral Pathways) by Tava Baird
Book Review Wyldwood: A Novel for the Scottish Borders (The Spiral Pathways) by Tava Baird Publisher: Self-Published 190 Pages Release Date: May 5, 2022 “September 1746, the Scottish Borders. In a country still reeling from the Jacobite uprising, Saorsa Stuart, a practicing Celtic Witch and Bonnie Prince Charlie’s niece, has escaped imprisonment and must find her way west in search of her father and safety. Escorting her on the journey is Alexander Scott, a veteran of the Battle of Culloden who struggles with a dark supernatural secret. Part Faerie Tale, part romance, part adventure novel, and at its core the story of a young woman finding…
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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…
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Book Review – Moon Phases by Cecilia Lattari
Book Review The Green Witch’s Guide to Magical Plants & Flowers by Chris Young and Susan Ottaviano Publisher: Skyhorse 160 Pages Publication date: April 26, 2022 The tagline for this book is “Use the lunar cycle to connect with nature and focus your intentions,” which straight away seems right up my street. I love moon magic, and indeed the science and astronomy surrounding the moon itself. I also focus on keeping my spiritual and magical path as connected to the seasons and nature as possible, so was keen to get a look at this book. There are thirteen chapters for the thirteen moons of the year, many of…
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Book Review – The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature by Cliff Seruntine
Book Review The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature Written by Cliff Seruntine Publisher: Crossed Crow Books 432 Pages Release Date: November 15, 2022 (Previously published in 2015 by Llewellyn Publications) “In the green, there is room for mystery and enchantment, and there are moments when the amazing can and will happen,” Cliff Seruntine wrote in The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature. Part adventure, part instruction manual, part spiritual experiences, and part old tales that get across messages for today, he takes readers on a magical and spiritual journey deep into the forest, imparting knowledge required to venture there safely.…
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Book Review – Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life by Sharon Black
Book Review Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life Written by Sharon Black Illustrated by Natalie Eslick Publisher: New World Library 320 Pages Release Date: November 29, 2022 In our society, old is more likely equated to deterioration and illness than to gifted and wise. By design, elderhood ends in death, making both unpleasant topics for many people. Thankfully, Sharon Blackie is not one of them. Sharing her own life journey in “Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life,” www.hagitude.org, she explores women’s transformation beginning with perimenopause, through the “hot-flashed fury” of menopause, and crossing the threshold to crone. “Our old women are the dark heart…
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Book Review – Spells for Living Well: A Witch’s Guide for Manifesting Change, Well-Being, and Wonder by Phyllis Curott
Book Review Spells for Living Well: A Witch’s Guide for Manifesting Change, Well-Being, and Wonder Written by Phyllis Curott Publisher: Hay House 286 Pages Release Date: October 25, 2022 Phyllis Curott is among my favorite witch authors, and I was happy to add “Spells for Living Well” to my collection. The spells, charms, and conjurations in the book are curated from her personal Grimoires, teachings, and “wisdom gathered over a divinely magical lifetime.” Some are old, some are new; some are very involved, others are simple; some will manifest over time, others will bring results swiftly – sometimes in unexpected ways. Spells include candle magic, mojo…
