Green Witch Magick - A Review

 Today I'm reviewing Green Witch Magick - Essential Plants and Crafty Spellwork for a Witch's Cupboard by Susan Ilka Tuttle.

• Book Link
• Author Link
• On-sale Date: November 16, 2021

I'll start with a review of the physical book.  This book is a great size. I love that it can fit in a purse or a handbag and be ready to pull out when I'm waiting for an appointment or on the train. There are lots of full color photos in this book including full page photos of botanicals and illustrations of plants and salves and tinctures. For the amount of information that is in this book, I found the index to be a bit lean. I think that there is always room for more reference and helping the reader find exactly what they're looking for is essential in this type of book. The font is a good size and the weight of the book is nice.

The author begins by telling us sage advice on the use of herbs. I highly recommend reading this before getting started in using herbs. There are a great number of herbs that are perfectly safe in moderation. We need to take note when we're using a new herb and make sure we are very familiar with the herbs we use regularly. Mint for example can cause irrigation of mucus membranes and skin while lavender can cause constipation and increased appetite. Learn about your herbs and be sure to work with them in a safe manner.

    

Part I of this book is all about becoming a witch. The author guides us on stereotypes and stories about witches as well as what it really means to be a witch. She talks about Witchcraft and how paganism and the practice of Wicca differ.  When I came upon the section titled, Celebrating Diversity in the Witch community, I expected to read about LGBT or People of Color instead it was about natural born witches vs. solitary witches. She does however discuss cultural appropriation in a previous section and mentions the use of the terms "spirit animal" or "animal totem" specifically. Part 1 wraps up with a bit of history on the Green Witchcraft and gives an overview of the sabbats and other magical practices including, animism, crystal work and working with natural altars.

Part II of this book gives us 13 essential plants for our cupboard. I won't delve into each of these in this review. I do want to give the general overview of what to expect. The author gives us a sort of dating profile for each plant. There is a section on name and family as well as its correspondences. Lavender for example is in the Lamiaceae family and corresponds to Mercury, Gemini and Virgo.  It represents the element of Air and is said to transport you with its aroma to another time and place. We then are given its medicinal, culinary and magickal uses as well as a list of projects that are included in the book to incorporate the use of the plant into our spell work.

Part III of the book teaches us about herbal remedies and provides recipes for creating these remedies as well as steps for our magical workings. Included is a section on gardening, foraging and herbalism. From mint infused oils, to lip balm, the recipes in this book are simple to follow and easy to understand. The author takes the time to explain the different cooking techniques as well as the differences in carrier oils that are essential to understanding and creating a usable final product. 

The chapter on herbs in divination was my favorite. She reviews different divination practices and then provides recipes on oils and sprays to help impower your magical practice. Color magic, cleansing bouquets and simmering potpourri are included, which I found very useful. Filling a room with fragrances can be a wonderful way to represent the element of Air or even to act as an offering to the deities you work with. 

Over all a great introduction to working within the realm of green witchery. I found it to be a well researched and presented book with a good deal of information. I think that this book would be useful for the beginner and seasoned which alike. I do not have a background in hedge witch or kitchen witchery but I found the recipes easy to follow and the sections on each of the plants very easy to follow. I would recommend this book for a house warming or graduation gift. I think that it would be a great addition to your magical library.

I hope you found this review helpful. Be sure to check out these authors and please feel free to provide any feedback or ask your requests in the blog comments or directly to me via the chat button at the bottom of the page or via email.

Namaste

Sosanna

The Thrifty Witch's Book of Simple Spells

 Today I'm reviewing The Thrifty Witch's Book of Simple Spells by Wren Maple. 

• Book Link
• Author Link
• Author Instagram Link
• Release date: Jan 11, 2022

I'll start by reviewing the physical book.  This is a slightly larger size book that would fit well in a backpack or gym bag. It is paper back so be prepared for bent pages. The book has 160 pages with full color illustrations and includes a nice index. My only complaint is that the font is really small. I found that it was easy to ready with reading glasses but would have liked it to be a bit larger.

The book begins with some basic witchery 101. You can find out which witch is which in a section called "Types of Witches".  Its a very generalized overview of the types of witches that seem to be the most popular. I find myself, that there are many "cross-witches" if you will. Not everyone falls into a neat little box for organization. My recommendation here is to learn all you can about all types of magic and don't feel like there is something you can't do just because you're not that "kind" of witch.  As the author points out on page twelve, find your own way. Do what feels right, when it feels right.

The next few sections talk about the witch's "stuff". The author covers, herbs, crystals, and other magical tools and techniques. She does a good job breaking through the hype and giving a very basic overview of the tools of the trade. She moves into chapter two with tips on working the magic. Techniques, tips and tricks for things like personal motives, environmental considerations, including how to create your own witchy space for magic work. 

Chapter three is where the real magical work begins. The author spends the rest of the book sharing over assorted chapters all types of spell work.  From Protection & Deflection to Abundance & Healing, the author provides step by step instructions to complete the spell, potion or talisman in a simple and safe manner.  Even spending some time on self love and the importance of self esteem/protection in today's modern world.

This book is very cis female focused. There are spells for reproductive heal that focus on the vagina and on period cycle support. That's not to say that this book could not be enjoyed by witches of all gender perspectives, I did want to point this out as it could be triggering for some.

One of my favorite sections of this book is the section on Banishing & Binding Magic. Ward spells are some of the most power magic out there and I think that sometimes we think we have to bind someone (control their energy) as a way to project ourselves. But, back to banishing, keep these spells close to you, they do come in handy. I really like the spell on page 111 to banish toxic digital energy.  We could all use a bit of that from time to time. 

The book closes with sections dedicated to Sleep & Relaxation Magic and then Psychic Spells. The falls right in line with the over all message I got from this book which is self care. There are some great pieces in here for combating nightmares and even creating a jar for inner peace as well as to increase psychic ability. I think these are missing in a lot of magic today. 

Overall this is a great beginner's introduction to the world of magical spells and talismans. There isn't a great deal of history related to the source of these but it does offer some spells that you can do right now, with what you have in your house to get into magic immediately. I think this would be a great book for a heredity witchling or perhaps a teen getting started in the craft.

I hope you've enjoyed this review and find it helpful.  Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message if you have questions.

Namaste

Sosanna