5. Beginner witch books

I love books, I love research, I understand that others do not. These are a few books that I have found useful and have a place on my bookshelf. 

1. Witch: Unleashed. Untamed. Unapologetic. By Lisa Lister

 

Description:

Reclaim your inner witch with the magical rituals, divination tools, spells and ancient wisdom in this revolutionary book. 

 

Review: 

In our covern we read this book as part of our book club. Some of the non-cis members commented on how it seemed very female focused. As a Heterosexual Cis woman, I didn’t notice this initially. I enjoyed it, I found it spoke to me specifically as a woman. Lisa has a wonderful informal style that is like having a chat with a knowledgeable friend across the kitchen table. It’s a great place for non witches to start as it doesn’t assume any prior knowledge. It covers a lot of the basics such as setting a sacred space and intentions.

Self Sorcery also by Lisa is a great follow up https://amzn.to/3D374oJ

 

 

2. Witchery: Embrace the Witch Within By Juliet Diaz

 

Description: 

Everywhere, the witches are rising. Are you ready to answer the call and embrace your own inner witch?

 

Filled with Magick, inspiration, and love, Witchery is your guide and companion on a sacred journey to true self-empowerment.

 

Review:

A light touch book that dots around a range of aspects of witchcraft. Great for young adults and absolute beginners. It’s a very modern text written for the tiktok literate. This book is a starting point, it’s easily accessible and well set out. Use this to find out what else you may need to find out. 

 

 

3.  Condensed Chaos: An Introduction to Chaos Magic By Phil Hine

 

Description:

​​​​​​​Condensed Chaos provides a practical introduction to Chaos Magic, one of the fastest growing areas of Western Occultism. 

 

Review: A big step up from the previous recommendations. It’s much easier to access than Libre Null which is a challenging but excellent book on Chaos magic that requires a thorough study. Condensed Chaos is a serious magical text, it takes a sideways look at beliefs and has a very modern feel, without being gimmicky. It takes you through a world of servitors and sigils. I found this easy to read and use as a reference. 

 

 

4. Of Bones and Blood by Kate Freuler

 

Description: 

This book explores misunderstood topics such as the ethical use of animal parts and bones, blood magick, dark moon energy, hexing, scrying, sex magick, dark deities, graveyard dirt, spells to assist the crossing of a dying loved one, and much more. 

 

Review:

I was a little apprehensive about shadow magic initially. This book has become a favourite of mine. Working to understand the shadow nature of myself was a very worthwhile enterprise. I would highly recommend this to a slightly more experienced witch. It has some great practical advice but is easy to access.

 

 

5. The Witch, a history of fear from ancient times to the present by Ronald Hutton 

 

Description: 

Why have societies all across the world feared witchcraft? This book delves deeply into its context, beliefs, and origins in Europe’s history

 

Review: now I may fan-girl out, Ronald Hutton is awesome! Knowledgeable, engaging and relatable. If you are serious about witchcraft, then a knowledge of the background and challenges faced by witches over the centuries was essential. This is not a guide, there are no spells. This is a historical record of witchcraft and how it is perceived.