I picked up Rise Sister Rise: A Guide to Unleashing the Wise, Wild Woman Within by Rebecca Campbell at a Barnes and Noble about three months ago. I was looking for a book on women’s spirituality from a broader perspective. Something a bit more mulitfaith or from a non religious standpoint. I was attempting to get myself out of my spiritual comfort zone of standard Pagan, Wiccan, witchcraft and magic books and manuals.
What I found was a book that was so much more. Continue reading
I am a sucker for a good almanac. They are such a trove of information and insight and are one of the most valuable resources for newbies and seasoned Pagans alike. This year I obtained a copy of The Witches’ Almanac Issue 35, Air: The Breath of Life.
The actual almanac itself starts at the Spring Equinox, the beginning of the astrological new year. Continue reading
To Walk the Pagan Path: Practical Spirituality for Everyday Life by Alaric Albertsson provides a comprehensive look at the Pagan religion and lifestyle. The topics it explores is extensive: daily devotionals, familiar relationships, sacred gardening, home crafts, and the Wheel of the Year. Along the way Albertsson, who come from an Anglo-Saxon tradition, shares his methodology for living his spirituality deeply and fully. Continue reading
The Everyday series by Dorothy Morrison is an iconic set of grimoires in the Craft canon. While this tome is the most general of the works, the other three deal with solar, lunar, and tarot magic.
When opening this book one of my first impression is how modern it is. Flipping through it casually one comes across spells for computer problems and plane travel. It is refreshing to encounter a wide variety of issues some of which are part of everyday life. Morrison also advocates for the use of modern technology as magical tools. She makes the argument that a mortar and pestle were once the height of advancement, so why shouldn’t witches adapt to current tools?
Another element is the opening chapters, which discuss spellcasting theory, correspondences, and symbols. She discusses the role of the moon, sun, days of the week, colors, common plants, and gemstones in magical work. However Morrison shines when talking about the role of magic and the variety of theories surrounding the art. One poignant point about if witchcraft should be avoided due to its nature to cause a ripple effect comes down to intention. “We need to be absolutely certain of what we want before beginning any magical work and very specific in our requests of the Cosmos when we set a spell in motion” (76 Morrison). She presents a strong consideration of any concerns a witch may have.
Morrison makes the point that she tested the spells in the book, so to give credit to her work I did a few. I won’t tell you which ones, but they were simple to follow and worked exceedingly well. While I don’t think a novice witch should try some of them, there are workings for a wide variety of skills.
Overall this book is essential to a witch’s arsenal. Well done, Ms. Morrison.
© Ariadne Woods
If you will pardon the joke, the word I would use to describe Mrs. B’s Guide to Household Witchery: Everyday Magic, Spells, and Recipes is enchanting. By Kris Bradley, creator of the blog Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom, it is a comprehensive guide that discusses everything from herb lore to simple sabat worship.
Its fifth section, “The Domestic Witch’s Herbal,” is the best I’ve found outside of Cunningham’s famous tome. The focus is on herbs, vegetables, fruits, and other food products that are not just in the witch’s cabinet, but also in every pantry. Every entry gives a little bit of lore spanning Greek mythology (beans) to astronauts (peanuts) as well as all appropriate correspondences and uses. Even if you’re not a house witch yet love to cook or to work with herbs, this book is something worth picking up.
The book also goes through the various rooms of the house and outlines rituals and types of workings for all these spaces. Mind you, not all homes have all these places (for example my landlord would be pissed if I put an altar in my building’s laundry) and some homes have extra rooms not covered in this book. But the basics–kitchen, living room, bedrooms–are all discussed with great ideas on how to incorporate magical elements into everyday tasks.
When it comes to sabats, Ms. Bradley has you covered. She gives an outline for one personal five-minute ritual and one with the family. The one drawback of this book is that this book is geared to family life, yet doesn’t discuss kids and ritual or sabat activities and kids. Of course there are wonderful books (Circle Round by Starhawk et al.) and vlogs (CharmingPixieFlora the early years, 2009-10) that cover this topic, but this is one discussion that is missed from this book.
Overall I would recommend this book to several categories of people. For hedge and house witches, this is a must have. Also, herb people and cooks should pick it up for the herbal. Depending on personal practice, I’d also recommend it for busy Pagan parents.
© Ariadne Woods
Cauldron and Brew: A Witch's Blog 