witchpoetdreamer | On Witchcraft Books

I've started reading The Apothecary of Belonging by Alexis J. Cunningfolk, and as much as I appreciate the book's design and drawings, I found out pretty soon that this is more like the author's personal grimoire rather than a book to truly share knowledge with others. On their own, personal grimoires are not a bad medium to take inspiration from, but they are not the kind of books that speak to me the most, especially since the assumption of those is that the readers would either be absolute beginners and know nothing at all, or would follow pretty closely the beliefs of the author already.

I'm very much of the "here are the basics, figure out the details for yourself" kind of approach to magic in general, so when an author is a little too limited in how they do things, it's giving me the impression that their book is not for me, that it is too personal to them.

For example, I really like Weave the Liminal by Laura Tempest Zakroff. In the trend of me having to try something more than once to truly know if it works or not, I've tried to read her book many years ago when I was in a different place in my practice, and it didn't vibe at all, because back then, I was looking for more rules and direction so Wicca was what I was more interested in. Now, I am in a place where magic is what I want it to be, and Zakroff allows for exactly that: a reminder that I hold the power and that I get to choose what correspondences work for which type of spells. I would absolutely recommend that book for anyone who wants to go into witchcraft but are feeling a bit too chaotic to follow spells and correspondences to the T. I also appreciate Zakroff's approach to magic through art rather than strict rituals.

Another creator I appreciate a lot for anything magical through art is Molly Roberts. Her videos on what to put in a grimoire were really informative and inspiring to me. Mine certainly won't look like any of hers, but she helped me make sure it will look like mine.

I really do think that the creation of our own magical practice is an important part of magic itself. What do colours mean to us specifically? What do the days of the week? What do the symbols of our favourite tarot cards? It certainly takes more time to figure these things out, but it makes the practice so much more unique to us as individuals. I know that my days of the week isn't at all what I've read from multiple sources (while most people put Thursday as a day for monetary gain/abundance (probably because it's pay day for a lot of people), mine is for more somber things, banishment and curses. I can't say why exactly, it's just what feels right for me). I think that certain parts of Wicca does have it right a bit when they say someone should study for a year and a day before they can start doing spells. Not because I think nobody should start doing spells before they know enough through study, but because it feels like it would take me that amount of time before I manage to know pretty much what everything means to me, learning as I go. Because it feels like it would take that amount of time before I can officially write it all down in my grimoire (my notebooks are enough for now). Just the wheel of the year, I'm not following the witchy celebrations most people do, I'm taking the time to pay attention to how I'm feeling through the whole year, when I'm having more energy, when I need to commit to being in the cocoon of my home. So far, I know that January is Fallowtide for me (following the idea from

friend_crow on Tumblr). February, I've felt a burst of energy but I need to be careful to keep it balanced so I won't use it all up before March comes around. Chances are, Imbolc might be a celebration I keep, although under another name, something that fits my own needs better. I wonder what March, April, and other months will have in store for me! It feels nice to really take my time and let it all come to me.

All this to say, the discovery is magical by itself.

Current Mood: nerdy

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

wpadmirer

Interesting. I, personally, have not wanted to persue magic, but for those who do, this makes sense.

It's like writing - you find what works for you and then you make up your own rules and regulations for getting it done.

I was doing a zoom chat with a friend in Scotland earlier this month and we were talking about writing plays. She's a poet who became a playwright, and I'm a playwright who became a novelist. When we were talking about writing plays, she sees the lines of text in her head as she's writing dialogue. I, on the other hand, hear the voices of the characters in my head and just transcribe them. Two totally diffwerent ways of working, but accomplishing the same final product - a play.

From:

witchpoetdreamer

You know, it's really interesting because I never considered to treat writing like witchcraft in that aspect?!? Maybe I should get onto it because I tend to be a little bit too much all over the place when I write, trying this and that new technique and all XD. Thanks for the insight!

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>>I've started reading The Apothecary of Belonging by Alexis J. Cunningfolk, and as much as I appreciate the book's design and drawings, I found out pretty soon that this is more like the author's personal grimoire rather than a book to truly share knowledge with others. <<

Yeah, a lot of books are like that. Especially the earlier Llewellyn stuff was often personal rambles.

Some of the really great publishers are long gone, alas. Capall Bann was brilliant.

Inner Traditions has some more serious stuff.

>> I'm very much of the "here are the basics, figure out the details for yourself" kind of approach to magic in general <<

You might like my book Composing Magic. I noticed that everyone else said "Write your own rituals!" but nobody explained HOW. So I did that.

>> I really do think that the creation of our own magical practice is an important part of magic itself. What do colours mean to us specifically? What do the days of the week? <<

One way to explore this is by studying correspondences across different cultures. But you might also like the classic Cunningham books that touch on correspondences such as Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs or Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic.

>> What do the symbols of our favourite tarot cards? <<

For that, look at Tarot workbooks. There are lots for the classics like Rider-Waite, but also some artists make a workbook for their own deck. Compare several workbooks to find one that feels right for you.

>> Chances are, Imbolc might be a celebration I keep, although under another name, something that fits my own needs better. <<

Another name for it Candlemas -- the first spark in the darkness.

From:

witchpoetdreamer

Oh you wrote a book! I'm def gonna look into it! I'm not a fan of Cunningham's work, I used to read a lot of him back in the days but it doesn't mesh with my practice anymore. As for tarot, I found books I enjoy (I particularly like Leeza Robertson's Tarot Reversals for Beginners), but I meant more in that it's important to also get a feel for ourselves in what we use in our practice more than follow arbitrary rules (hence a bit more of a chaotic side of witchery). I think I like to figure out the whys of things more than the hows because I'm pretty creative in how to do the things. But knowing why people do the things they do makes it make more sense to me. Like, don't just tell me what herbs are for, tell me why they have been chosen for that particular thing instead! That way, I can follow the line of thought better and see if its something that would work for me, you know? Is something used for protection because it medically also improves the immune system? Or is it just vibes/what others have said before for reason X? That's what I like to dive into the most!

I've looked into candlemas and it's related to christianity to begin with, which I'm not super fond of so I'll still be looking into something of the kind (related to lights or some form of renewal of energy).

Thank you for the suggestions!

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> Oh you wrote a book! I'm def gonna look into it! <<

:D

>> I'm not a fan of Cunningham's work <<

Fair enough.

>> Is something used for protection because it medically also improves the immune system? <<

I think of plants as protective if they have strong defenses, such as thorns or inedibly bitter parts. Dryland plants, too, tend to have thorns or leathery leaves or woolly hairs that defend them against hot sun and drying winds. Plants associated with the Moon typically bloom at night or have parts that resemble the Moon such as the round white seed pods of honesty. And so on.

>> I've looked into candlemas and it's related to christianity to begin with, which I'm not super fond of so I'll still be looking into something of the kind (related to lights or some form of renewal of energy).<<

Bear in mind that Christianity stole most of its holiday from Pagans, including major ones like Christmas (Yule) and Easter (Ostara / spring equinox). So Candlemas or St. Lucia goes back to the late-winter fire festivals with candles -- originally torches or rushlights -- to drive away the cold. Imbolc refers to sheep and goats giving birth, and thus, freshening with milk again: a new food source at a hungry time of year. Especially if you're running a dairy herd and can just eat the 50% of male young that you don't need.

From:

witchpoetdreamer

I think of plants as protective if they have strong defenses, such as thorns or inedibly bitter parts.

That's a good way to think about it! I'll definitely keep that in mind!

And it's also good to know about Candlemas being pre-christian, although I feel the same kind of... ick? I suppose? about Easter/Ostara as well (although I do celebrate the spring equinox). I'm aware I'm the odd one for now though XD Maybe my opinion will change after the year is over or something, I'm certainly not opposed to that, but I do think whatever happen will happen in its own time for sure!

From:

annofowlshire

I find my eyes just glaze over endless correspondance charts and similar content I always feel a bit annoyed when they end up being a lot of the book. I've found a lot of pagan books have autobiographical content; sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't. I think it mostly has to do with whether or not their journey resonates with mine.

Some of my favorite books are John Beckett's. He's more "devotional paganism" than "witchcraft" focused.

I also found The Hearthkeeper's Way from ADF to be helpful.

From:

witchpoetdreamer

I think it mostly has to do with whether or not their journey resonates with mine.

You are absolutely right about that!

Thank you for the recommendations, I'll definitely look into it!

From:

lb_lee

Sneak: A multi we knew did this stuff called autonomancy that seems relevant to your interests! Their tumblr is kinda hard to access now due to account-lock stuff, but

beepbird made a PDF compiling their original "lessons in autonomancy" posts here! (We also made a little print zine of our own for it... I should upload that to archive.org actually...)

From:

witchpoetdreamer

Oh. My god! Thank you SO MUCH for this, this is exactly it!!!!! (And also yes please share your zines as well! I've been collecting those that speak to me and keeping them in my grimoire as well!