Scan barcode
roboxa's review against another edition
1.0
Parts of this book are helpful as a very basic overview of certain aspects of witchcraft. However, she constantly recommends using white sage, and Palo Santo which are both used in indigenous cultures, and shouldn't be used by those outside them. The constant mentioning of chakras is also not great for the same reason.
There's a difference between being an eclectic witch and appropriation and that needs to be made clear in any book on Wicca/witchcraft.
It was also very female centric, which gives the impression that witchcraft isn't for those that don't identify as female, which I'm not about.
Also, the fashion section was obnoxious.
There are much better and helpful books out there for beginning witches that don't appropriate other cultures. Save your money. I wish I did.
There's a difference between being an eclectic witch and appropriation and that needs to be made clear in any book on Wicca/witchcraft.
It was also very female centric, which gives the impression that witchcraft isn't for those that don't identify as female, which I'm not about.
Also, the fashion section was obnoxious.
There are much better and helpful books out there for beginning witches that don't appropriate other cultures. Save your money. I wish I did.
lsparrow's review against another edition
3.0
a good review for a solitary witch - like most books in this genre there are things that I take and things that I choose to leave but overall this book feels very accessable.
heyycass's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
2.0
I did finish it, even if I really just skimmed the last few chapters. It had some good basics but seemed to be lacking some social awareness, between smudging, what felt like intentional exclusion of men who practice, and the fashion chakra??
The organization didn’t make a ton of sense to me. And I’m sure there are other beginner guides that are more helpful.
The organization didn’t make a ton of sense to me. And I’m sure there are other beginner guides that are more helpful.
strsneyes's review against another edition
2.0
Overall a good introduction to your Witch journey, however after telling us to be mindful of other cultural practices, tells us to use things like white sage and Palo Santo without explaining they are sacred to indigenous people and only indigenous people should be using them. So if you want to use this as a reference, make sure you're double checking other sources to avoid cultural appropriation.
stripe_la's review against another edition
2.0
Read this purely because it was gifted to me, its not the kind of book I would pick up and buy because from the very start I got 'instagram witch' vibes. To be honest, by the end of the book there was stuff I hadn't heard of before and that interested me. I do think this book is good and that it is great for some beginners, but it's just not my kind of book. The charts and correspondences are useful, and I think this is almost aimed at a younger, less 'serious' audience. Having said that, I strongly believe there is no 'light' way to practice the Craft. A lot of books seem to be coming out with a whole 'woah magick is fun and sparkles' without talking about the serious notes of the dedication required. In no way a jab at Herstik, I'm speaking about a lot of authors. Along with other problems, Herstik touches on working with the fae, as if this is something you can jump straight into- which is not the case. Fae take a lot of dedication and can be very dangerous if you do not treat them with respect and caution. As a beginners book, if you are going to mention the Fae, you need to at least touch on the dangers and research needed before working with them- something not covered at all. There is a variety of misinformation, most of it harmless, but nevertheless something people may read and trust as solid facts - whereas a lot of this information Herstik states as 'facts' is actually her opinion or personal beliefs stated as truth - slightly problematic. Anyway, not a terrible book, but certainly not the best; and for me personally, I'm not drawn to the more 'instagram witch' feel that the book gave off.
hagcraft's review against another edition
3.0
This book is for basic witches. Decent foundation stuff but gets a little too new age hippy for my taste. If you've been practicing your craft for more than a year, I wouldn't recommend.
betweenpageturns's review against another edition
2.0
This was an easy read and it was informative, from a very basic, don’t know anything going into this space perspective. I did not like that there was an almost disregard for peoples closed practices (i.e. white sage and palo santo). It has good aspects and it has a underlying tone of not being fully aware or acknowledging actual history and easily found information about some cultures.
laurenexploresbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Overall I enjoyed this work. I will say that I read this book as an audiobook and after listening to the content think that my experience would have been more helpful in a printed/ebook format because there was a lot of information that I would want to reflect on and look back on.