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A review by harpweaving
The House Witch: Your Complete Guide to Creating a Magical Space with Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home by Arin Murphy-Hiscock
3.0
I got a few books on witchy things recently because I’ve been feeling a pull to incorporate some traditions into my life again, and also for research for some stories I want to write. This book appealed to me because I’m mostly interested in making my home a more welcoming and comfortable place right now. Now, for context: this stuff is not new to me. My Mom was Wiccan for awhile when I was a kid, and as a teenager I devoured all the classics: Starhawk, Laurie Cabot, Scott Cunningham, Drawing Down the Moon, whatever I could get my hands on. I love the aesthetics and the lore, but I am leery these days of some of the scammier aspects of witch and witch-adjacent practices.
This book is largely lifted from previous works, and consequently there were parts I honestly skimmed. I wish it had more about the author’s personal experience as a witch: that’s always appealed to me in these books. There’s a fair amount of the sort of pick-and-choose cultural appropriation which I’d hoped had died out in these circles but I guess still hasn’t (so much white sage. Don’t use white sage, guys). Still, I did get some nice ideas out of it, and I will use it as a stepping stone for finding more books (and maybe I’ll reread some of the oldies too).
This book is largely lifted from previous works, and consequently there were parts I honestly skimmed. I wish it had more about the author’s personal experience as a witch: that’s always appealed to me in these books. There’s a fair amount of the sort of pick-and-choose cultural appropriation which I’d hoped had died out in these circles but I guess still hasn’t (so much white sage. Don’t use white sage, guys). Still, I did get some nice ideas out of it, and I will use it as a stepping stone for finding more books (and maybe I’ll reread some of the oldies too).