Witchy Books

In my last post, I talked about going through all the books that I had on the subject of Paganism, Wicca and my spirituality. I thought it would be a good time to go through what I've actually already got to hand. I will be doing a video on this topic soon.

So let's have a look what's on my shelf, shall we?

 The first book on my shelf is 'The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft' by Judika Illes. This is rather a hefty tome and although I've dipped into it several times, I've certainly not begun to brush the surface with regards to all the information it contains. The blurb on the back of the book states:
"Meet mythic witches, modern witches, sacred goddess witches, even demon witches, male and female witches, witches from all over the globe. Take a journey through witchcraft's history, mythology, and folklore; discover a miscellany of facts including magic spells, rituals, potions, recipes, celebrations, traditions and much more."

I found this book in my local charity shop and paid a whopping £5.99 for it - I think the book normally retails at around £20.00 / 29.50USD / 42.00CAD. You can purchase it from Amazon here.

Scott Cunningham's 'Wicca in the Kitchen' book is a relatively new addition to my collection, but I already love it. It covers the health and magickal benefits of food and is perfect for any kitchen witch. Whenever I'm cooking - for mundane or magickal reasons, I usually dip into this book and have a look at the magickal / folklore properties of the ingredients I'm using. It's really opened my mind to bringing magick into my daily life.
From the back of the book:
"Food Magic: Simple, Sacred, Transformation at Your Table. There's a reason caviar has a reputation as a love food, but a little vanilla or peppermint can work wonders too! You'll savor mushrooms like never before after experiencing their intuitive-raising effects and a munch of celery will resonate with new meaning as it boosts your sexual desire and psychic awareness. [...]"
Check it out on Amazon here.

Another personal favourite, 'Spell Crafts' is perfect for anyone who loves to make things - it gives so many ideas for how to furnish your (already) magickal household. Instructions on how to make spell boxes, gods' eyes, sigils, brooms, magickal potpourri... pretty much everything you've ever wanted to know how to make. This book shows you how to take everyday objects and turn them into vehicles of power. If you're in any way crafty.... get your hands on Spell Crafts.

 Are you seeing a pattern to my books here? This is another excellent book by Scott Cunningham - recipes for incense mixes, oils and general potions and brews. It's easy to read, contains a wealth of information and is fun. This is another book I do need to become more familiar with though, as I have only take a cursory look through its pages.

The book can be bought from Amazon here.

 'The Magical Household' is just the most interesting book I've read by Cunningham so far. Basically, it's an instruction manual for how to bring your spirituality and magic into your home and your daily life. I will be starting out with this book in my babysteps research, as it's been a long while since I read it. I can only recommend this book as an excellent tool for anyone wanting to make the mundane magickal.
Find it on Amazon here.

 Eileen Holland's 'The Wicca Handbook', was the first book about Wicca I ever bought. It has an easy-to-follow introduction, telling you about the tools, beliefs etc., but then also contains a grimoire section with a host of correspondences.
It's available to buy from Amazon here.

Whatever your thoughts about Silver Ravenwolf, her Ultimate Book of Shadows is a useful reference tool, in my humble opinion. Although there are some questionable pieces of information provided, I still think this is a really good book for those starting out and want something that is user-friendly. Plus, it's a massive tome!

You can buy Silver's UBOS from Amazon here.







In addition to the above-mentioned books, I also have a host of reference material on crystals, herbal medicine, alternative healing etc etc. I haven't included these on this list as the books above do tend to focus more on a Wiccan / magickal path. I will do a separate post about my other books at a later date - perhaps.

So, what's on your shelf? What's your favourite Wiccan/faith-centred book? I'm interested to know what our combined Pagan library looks like :)

Blessings <3 <3

Starting from the Beginning

As you know if you follow this blog, I haven't been practising my spirituality for quite some time. In fact, if I think about it, it's probably been six months or more since I actively practised on a regular basis. I can't help but think that I did rush into things a little bit right at the beginning - threw myself right in there - and maybe that's why I crashed and burned? Has anyone else had this experience?

Anyway, the point is, I'm starting afresh. I'm actually going to work through my books, rather than just having them on the shelf - I'm going to start at the beginning and really learn about my faith. I fell off the 'reading for pleasure' bandwagon around the same time, so I thought I could quite happily incorporate the two. Plus, since I'm going to be in Spain, living in a tent, for seven weeks from the end of November, I thought learning about how to incorporate my practise into my daily life even when I'm not at home, is important.

I don't think I'm going to be able to take candles etc with me, so I might have to just locate some items whilst I'm away. Or, maybe I'll just work with Mother Nature and see what She provides for me. We will see.

So this is me, making a pledge, to start at the beginning and really start making babysteps. A promise to get outside more - even when the weather is doing nasty things - and experience the natural world around me.

Bright blessings to you all
xxx

Mother Nature in the New Millennium by Jim Warren