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jessdone's review against another edition
4.0
This book is good, but wasn't what I was looking for. I think it tells a great story and sets a good atmosphere or tone for someone to start opening themselves up to practicing witchcraft, but the history section seems to lie by omission.
It's a red flag when historic witch hunts are connected to the practice of witchcraft because it's well known most, possibly all of the victims of witch hunts were not witches. The practices these people claimed witches partake in don't reflect historic or modern practices. Mentioning the popularization of the Malleus Maleficarum and calling the event the European Witch Hunts instead of the burning times would be more historically appropriate and would reflect a better understand of how these events have culturally shaped the term witch as opposed to an event that actually hunted witches.
Mentioning Margaret Murray is necessary, but I think it's irresponsible to speak about her impact on the history of witches without also speaking on how her work was factually rejected by the academic community. For sometime elements of religious Neo-pagan witchcraft and witchcraft as a history were pulled from her academic work even though scholars had debunked her work. Murray created a romantic mythology some forms of witchcraft rest on, but it holds no basis in history.
Since I was primarily looking for history, folklore, and mythic basis and this book lacks transparency in its presentation of history, it wasn't a good fit for me. Still, its well written, has good structure, and offers a nice overview of different techniques witches may use in their practice. I would recommend it a beginner.
It's a red flag when historic witch hunts are connected to the practice of witchcraft because it's well known most, possibly all of the victims of witch hunts were not witches. The practices these people claimed witches partake in don't reflect historic or modern practices. Mentioning the popularization of the Malleus Maleficarum and calling the event the European Witch Hunts instead of the burning times would be more historically appropriate and would reflect a better understand of how these events have culturally shaped the term witch as opposed to an event that actually hunted witches.
Mentioning Margaret Murray is necessary, but I think it's irresponsible to speak about her impact on the history of witches without also speaking on how her work was factually rejected by the academic community. For sometime elements of religious Neo-pagan witchcraft and witchcraft as a history were pulled from her academic work even though scholars had debunked her work. Murray created a romantic mythology some forms of witchcraft rest on, but it holds no basis in history.
Since I was primarily looking for history, folklore, and mythic basis and this book lacks transparency in its presentation of history, it wasn't a good fit for me. Still, its well written, has good structure, and offers a nice overview of different techniques witches may use in their practice. I would recommend it a beginner.
booksaremagickt's review against another edition
5.0
Great introduction to all things witchy
My sister recommended this and it does not disappoint at all! I read it so quickly enough info for a beginner and not too much that it overwhelms you. Five stars would highly recommend
My sister recommended this and it does not disappoint at all! I read it so quickly enough info for a beginner and not too much that it overwhelms you. Five stars would highly recommend
stepasha99's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of the best beginner witchcraft books I've read. Very insightful and has helpful tips on how to improve different skills, definitely recommend!
butzjenna's review against another edition
3.0
A okay introduction to witchcraft but I found that it worked better as a glossary to different methods than an actual intro.
callme_tippy's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book. This will definitely be a staple in my collection. It it full of so much useful information!
sheldynely's review against another edition
2.0
Too surface level without enough focus on considering the effect of spell work on others. Could be dangerous for people starting out with little knowledge. Also, the author did not acknowledge the origins of many practices, encourages the use of sage, and refers to chakras and evil eyes from a very whitewashed lens. I would probably suggest a different book to people starting out—this felt misleading and too broad/generic for such a powerful art.
hannas_heas47's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion.
This is a wonderful guide to Witchcraft, and the author did a great job of fully explaining the history, traditions, and even threw in spells in the second half of the book for those who are curious.
What did I like? The author did a great job of really setting you straight when it comes to what Witchcraft really is and if it's for you. She negated a lot of the myth and just really put the facts out there versus the negative views of Witchcraft when it comes to Christianity. The history was full references if you cant take her word for it, and this book contained a lot of information on what type of witch you might be. Anyone with some curiosity could pick up this book and decide for themselves. There's a wealth of knowledge between these pages about pretty much everything witchy you could name or be curious about. I was highly interested.
Would I buy this book? I'd skip buying a kindle copy and just buy a paper copy. This was so interesting that I doubt that anyone could really get the full gist of it in one reading. I would definitely say that I want a paper copy just to dog ear as I continually go through it. The spells in the last part of the book are a particular interest but some of the ingredients seem like they would be hard to get. I don't live near New Orleans so I'm guessing my nearest opothecary will be an online store.
Thoughts for the author? Excellent job! This book was such a fountain of information that I'm sure any curious person or beginner witch would love to have. Really enjoyed it.
This is a wonderful guide to Witchcraft, and the author did a great job of fully explaining the history, traditions, and even threw in spells in the second half of the book for those who are curious.
What did I like? The author did a great job of really setting you straight when it comes to what Witchcraft really is and if it's for you. She negated a lot of the myth and just really put the facts out there versus the negative views of Witchcraft when it comes to Christianity. The history was full references if you cant take her word for it, and this book contained a lot of information on what type of witch you might be. Anyone with some curiosity could pick up this book and decide for themselves. There's a wealth of knowledge between these pages about pretty much everything witchy you could name or be curious about. I was highly interested.
Would I buy this book? I'd skip buying a kindle copy and just buy a paper copy. This was so interesting that I doubt that anyone could really get the full gist of it in one reading. I would definitely say that I want a paper copy just to dog ear as I continually go through it. The spells in the last part of the book are a particular interest but some of the ingredients seem like they would be hard to get. I don't live near New Orleans so I'm guessing my nearest opothecary will be an online store.
Thoughts for the author? Excellent job! This book was such a fountain of information that I'm sure any curious person or beginner witch would love to have. Really enjoyed it.