TITLE: The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Magickal Herbs: Your Complete Guide to the Hidden Powers of Herbs
AUTHOR: Judy Ann Nock
GENRE: Nonfiction/Spirituality/Witchcraft
AGE RANGE: Any
PAGES: 240pg
SOURCE: Netgalley
From creating potions to using dried herbs in rituals, herbal magic is a natural way to practice witchcraft. Herbs can be used in many different ways to help set the intention through every part of a witch’s process. In The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Magickal Herbs, learn everything you need to use the most powerful herbs and use them as an essential part of your practice. Including information on which herbs are best for what kinds of spells, how to use herbs in divination and rituals, and step-by-step guides to making herbal bundles, potions, and sprays, this guidebook has all the important facts to make your herbal witchcraft a success.
Immediate lessons that we can take from herbs are to put down roots, turn toward the light, create what we need to survive, and to give back to those around us. We are in a symbiotic relationship with the denizens of flora upon the earth. In magick, we work together to bring about change.
This is definitely one of the best and most useful craft-related books I’ve picked up thus far, and I really recommend it to anyone interested in green and/or kitchen witchcraft! It details pretty heavily on both, as herbal magic is incredibly important in both walks of life (and to be fair, many green witches are also hearth/kitchen witches, and vice-versa). The other most notable thing I appreciate is that this isn’t a book for beginners or seasoned witches; it fits both quite easily and I think anyone could find something worth learning or considering here.
The book kicks off with a bit of history into the art of herbal magic and some basic definitions of different types of herbs, the difference between herbs and spices, and so forth. There’s a whole section on gardening and giving back to the earth, including a super informative how-to guide on building your own indoor or outdoor compost! There’s also a healthy amount of information on the history of how different cultures have approached herbal magic, whether it’s the Ayurvedic route, Traditional Chinese Medicine, or even Culpeper (considered by many to be the first general practitioner) and the ways he merged herbs with science.
For the aspects on kitchen craft, there are some great general tips as well as ideas for ways you can make teas, tonics, etc. Part II features an index of 100 herbs with illustrations, correspondences, and uses, before moving on to Part III, which features a long line of spells split into chapters related to their purposes such as divination, luck, etc. (including a chapter on dangerous herbs to avoid).
The only complaint I have about this entire book is that the beginning focuses a fair bit on “the law of three”, which if you’re unfamiliar with it, states that everything we do returns to us threefold, so we must only put positivity and light out into the universe. While that’s a major facet of the Wiccan belief system, this isn’t marketed as a Wiccan book (to my knowledge), and many non-Wiccan witches such as myself don’t necessarily abide by the law of three. I’m not particularly bothered by its inclusion, but I thought it was worth mentioning in this review! Honestly, though, like I said: this is one of my favorite books on witchcraft I’ve ever read, and I’ll definitely be grabbing myself a physical copy to flip through for referencing and spells in the future!
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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positive/appreciative sections on multiple non-Western/white magical cultures such as hoodoo, Ayurvedic healing, traditional Chinese medicine, and more
Whether you’re a baby witch or have been practicing for years, and regardless of the magical route you’re taking, anyone interested in green, kitchen, or hearth witchcraft can find something new and exciting here!
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? Yes!
— destiny ♥
