The Book Report by Rebecca Traver - Our Online Bookshop Curator
It’s that time of year when the veils between and betwixt the worlds are thinning and ready access to all things magical is at hand. I have gathered a selection of books and oracle and tarot decks on modern witchcraft with just this potential in mind.
“Being a witch means living in this world consciously, powerfully, and unapologetically.”
~Gabriela Herstik
It’s that time of year when the veils between and betwixt the worlds are thinning and ready access to all things magical is at hand. I have gathered a selection of books and oracle and tarot decks on modern witchcraft with just this potential in mind. Let’s dust off our brooms, rinse out our cauldrons, dust off our pointy hats, and stock up on our familiar’s favorite treats as we lean into all things elemental and positively transformative. Which includes reading, of course!
“Witches do not need to fix problems. Witches fix the energy around problems.
Then the problems fix themselves.”
~Dacha Avelin
Here are some terrific books for the modern witch’s personal library - to be appreciated by beginners and practiced hands alike:
Brujas: The Magic and Power of Witches of Color by Lorraine Monteagut explores the emergence of younger witches with a primary focus on Afro-Latinx culture and practices. Here we learn about how personal rituals can expand beautifully into the world of activism and social justice.
Inner Witch: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Craft by Gabriela Herstik helps readers restore their own power while connecting to something positive and larger than themselves. Included are practical self-care and mindfulness routines offered in the spirit of celebrating life and restoring balance.
Positive Magic: A Toolkit for the Modern Witch and Personal Magic: A Modern-Day Book of Shadows for Positive Witches by Marion Weinstein are wonderful resources for learning how to incorporate ancient magical techniques into our modern world. Weinstein provides well-researched historical background on astrology, witchcraft, tarot, the I Ching, channeling, spirit contact, and more.
Mat Auryn’s Psychic Witch: A Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick & Manifestation guides us through the process of unlocking our psychic abilities and elevating our crafting skills by tapping into subtle energy whenever and wherever we may happen find ourselves.
Revolutionary Witchcraft: A Guide to Magical Activism by Sarah Lyons is an impassioned guide for activists and witches alike - exploring social justice, environmental, and political activism, this is a bright catalyst of a book…the perfect inspiration for engaging in positive magical action.
Queering Your Craft: Witchcraft from the Margins by Cassandra Snow understands that witchcraft has always found a home with the outsiders and outcasts of society. To that point, Snow turns the conventional magickal paradigm inside out by approaching the work through the lens of a queer mindset - to the betterment of everyone.
In a return to the earliest roots of witchcraft, Witchcraft for Healing: Radical Self-Care for Your Mind, Body, and Spirit by Patti Wigington brings us much practical information and guidance for growing and deepening our approaches to spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. Here we discover ways to use crystals, candles, herbs, and essential oils to their optimal benefit.
Betwixt & Between: Exploring the Faery Tradition of Witchcraft by Storm Faerywolf provides us with the tools we need to work with the ways of the Faery realms with rituals, recipes, exercises, and lore to help us access the support of this most subtle of magickal energies.
If you’re in the mood for something more tangible, look no further than Year of the Witch: Connecting with Nature's Seasons Through Intuitive Magick by Temperance Alden as a celebration of the seasonal expression of Earth’s cycles through time. This is especially relevant for those of us who feel called to deepen our commitments to being wise stewards of the land.
Crystals for Witches: Rituals, Spells, and Practices for Stone Spirit Magic by Eliza Mabelle presents us with everything we need to know about how to select and incorporate just the right crystal and stone allies into our lives and work.
For the full list, click here.
This is a perfect time to explore new tarot and oracle decks. Here are a few of my favorites with particularly witchy orientations:
Seasons of the Witch: Samhain Oracle: Harness the Intuitive Power of the Year's Most Magical Night by Juliet Diaz and Lorriane Anderson
Witches Tarot by Ellen Dugan with illustrations by Mark Evans
The Green Witch Tarot by Ann Moura, illustrated by Kiri Østergaard Leonard
The Witches' Wisdom Tarot by Phyllis Curott with illustrations by Danielle Barlow
The Practical Witch's Spell Deck: 100 Spells for Love, Happiness, and Success by Cerridwen Greenleaf
“Opening up to perceive and interact with subtle energies can drastically change your life; it can help you find clarity, bring peace into your life, empower yourself and others, and create effective change within our world.”
~Mat Auryn
And a few novels for when you just want to curl up with a magical story:
The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith is a Young Adult historical fantasy set in 1911 New York City featuring Frances, a young woman just discovering her magical powers, who is unexpectedly thrown into an epic battle between witches and wizards.]
The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman is the fourth and final novel in the Practical Magic series focusing on the magical and cursed Owens family. This is a celebration of mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and anyone who has ever been in love.
Zoraida Córdova has written another series worth exploring; Labyrinth Lost, Bruja Born, and Wayward Witch. Her latest novel, gaining rave reviews is The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina which weaves together a complex tale of what we knowingly and unknowingly inherit from our ancestors, the ties that bind, and the importance of reclaiming our power.
The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin rounds out this selection with the story of young witch named Clara whose magical gifts are tied to every season and to whom the world turns to heal the out-of-balance climate issues at play around the planet.
Stories for children of all ages
If you’ve been following these Book Reports, you may have noticed that I have a particular fondness for children’s picture books and young adult fiction. I like to include a selection of them for several reasons…there are so many great ones around that I cannot seem to help myself, the illustrations these days are stunning, and I believe that it’s important to look for the essence within any complex situation - especially those found in relationships, social issues, and emotional struggles. The best children’s books accomplish just that!
With that in mind, may I suggest:
The First Blade of Sweetgrass by Suzanne Greenlaw and Gabriel Frey, illustrated by Nancy Baker tells the tale of a young Wabanaki girl who discovers a connection to ancestral wisdom as she learns how to properly gather sweetgrass while ensuring that there will be enough for future generations to come.
Egg Marks the Spot is the latest in the wonderful series by Amy Timberlake with illustrations by Jon Klassen in which roommates Skunk and Badger embark on a rock-finding expedition, discovering one surprise after the next behind every boulder. This is a lovely way to illustrate how often, when we go in search of one thing, we end up finding something else…something even more meaningful. Friends, this is as golden a tale as they come.
The Longest Storm by Dan Yaccarino brings us into the hearts of a family facing an enormous shift in their lives and how they learn to love and support one another along the way. If you’re looking for a way to touch on themes of loss and recovery with the children in your life, this will help.
“Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off,
and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.
But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t
be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
~Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
Please visit our online Bookshop to see our full selection of lists and titles.
Thank you for supporting local, independent bookstores!
We love connecting with you in the shop and online.
May you be inspired, supported, and delighted by what you find here.
