Review: Everyday Witchcraft
Witchy Book Review: Everyday Witchcraft by Deborah Blake
[2015, Llewellyn Publishing, Metaphysical, 199 pages]
***PLEASE NOTE! The below post is a re-posting from my 2019 blog***
I want to kick off this post by saying that I’m a huge fan of Deborah Blake’s Witchcraft on a Shoestring: Practicing the Craft Without Breaking Your Budget [Also published by Llewellyn]. I’ve referenced that book many times over the last 8 or so years. At the time that I picked up that tome, I was a new mom and needed some ideas on how to supplement my Craft practice with some low-budget friendly ideas.
Fast forward to this year (2019) and I had a new need – I was looking for ways to deepen my Craft practice. As sometimes happens to Witches practicing for a number of years, I became stagnant with my work. I would find myself making the usual ritual plans for Sabbats and Esbats with the holidays coming and going with little more than a conscious thought from me (never mind actually carrying out my ritual plans). I even found myself missing Coven calls and basically skipping these holidays altogether. The main reason I joined an online Coven was to hold myself accountable to observing the Wheel of the Year! Well, needless to say, I needed a kick in the pants.
Which brings me to picking up Everyday Witchcraft – which did not disappoint. I seem to look up one of Deborah’s books every time I need a practical solution to a Craft problem, as she always come through for me. Everyday Witchcraft is a great book for beginners as well as seasoned practitioners who have become stuck, or just need a reminder of some essential ways to incorporate the magickal in the mundane. Like Witchcraft on a Shoestring, I know this is going to be a book I’ll reference again and again.
In this book, Deborah shares some quick ways that Witches can connect to their spiritual practice on a daily basis. She shares 5-minute rituals, easy ways to connect to the Lunar Cycle, the Elements and the Wheel of the Year, along with suggestions on how we can “walk our talk” as caretakers of this planet. In addition to Deborah’s own suggestions, other authors and Craft practitioners have contributed ideas to the book – one example is “Grounding with a Salt Doll” by Gail Wood (I’ve added this to my to-do list for month!).
Moving through Everyday Witchcraft was a refreshing reminder that small actions like prayer, expressing gratitude, and taking a walk in the trees are incredibly magickal and just as fulfilling as completing an hour-long, complex Sabbat ritual (sometimes it’s even more rewarding when it’s all you can fit in during a crazy-busy week).
If you’re looking for strong yet simple ways to get a daily practice going, or ideas on how to marry your magickal and mundane sides, this book is a great reference.
Side note – the author uses “Wiccan,” “Witch,” and “Pagan” almost interchangeably in Everyday Witchcraft. If you don’t identify with one of those terms, no worries – just know that she is still referring to YOU, dear reader, in whatever capacity the ideas/suggestions can support your practice. If the idea/suggestion isn’t for you (such as the passages on connecting to Deity if you’re an Atheist Witch), just take what you will from the section or skip it altogether. I really feel that just about every Metaphysical practitioner can get something wonderful from this book.
You can pick up Everyday Witchcraft directly from Llewellyn’s website, or on Amazon in e-book or paperback.
Brightest Blessings, -Cory Gunn
