Double Double Toil and Trouble – Halloween or Hallowe’en is now celebrated worldwide on the night of 31st October. The origins of these celebrations however date back thousands of years, to pagan times and can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain.
Until 2,000 years ago, the Celts lived across the lands we now know as Britain, Ireland, and northern France. Essentially a farming and agricultural people, the Pre-Christian Celtic year was determined by the growing seasons and Samhain marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark cold winter. The festival symbolised the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
The Celts believed that on the night of 31st October, ghosts of their dead would revisit the mortal world, so people dressed in costumes and large bonfires were lit in each village to ward off any evil spirits that may also be at large. In this way, popular Halloween tropes such as witches, ghosts, and goblins became associated with the holiday.
While vampires and werewolves certainly make for great characters, for your Halloween celebrations don’t overlook the fascinating traits of wizards and witches.
Early witches were people who practised witchcraft, using magic spells, and called upon the spirits for help or to bring about change. Most witches were thought to be pagans doing the Devil’s work; however, many were simply natural healers or so-called “wise women” whose choice of profession was misunderstood.
For the build-up of Halloween celebrations, Women Talking looks at a selection of witchcraft books for modern witches.
The Thrifty Witch’s Book of Simple Spells Potions, Charms, and Incantations for the Modern Witch by Wren Maple.
A perfect introduction to witchcraft with a variety of spells, tips, and tricks to get the most out of your practice.
Wren Maple dedicated herself to collecting and optimising spells that could work for all witches—no matter where they were on their journey or their personal resources. Now she is sharing her research and bringing her collection to the page for the first time. This easy and affordable guide provides an invaluable resource for unlocking the ability to try new spells and refine casting methods multiple times per week, even daily.
The Thrifty Witch’s Book of Simple Spells includes:
- Getting started/witch basics: Witchcraft as self-care, how to establish a practice, and a handful of super-easy spells to get casting today.
- Key ingredients for spells: Starter stones and herbs, how to source, what to buy first, and more questions answered!
- Simple spells for every witch: Just like the spells Wren is known for online, nearly every spell in the book requires five items or fewer, and all ingredients are easy to source.
- Specific spells: Organized by purpose (e.g., love spells, protection spells), these spells are sure to cover what you’re looking to cast.
- Tips and Tricks for Casting: When to cast for best results, where to cast and why it matters…make your spells count!
The Witch’s Complete Guide to Self-Care. Everyday Healing Rituals and Soothing Spellcraft for Well-Being by Theodosia Corinth.
The Witch’s Book of Self-Care has advice for pampering your body, mind, and spirit with spells, meditations, mantras, and powerful activities to help you to keep healthy, soothe stress, relinquish sadness, channel joy, and embrace your strength.
Blending witchcraft and wellness, the abundance of meditations, manifestations and mantras in this manual will help you unite with your intentions and the natural world around you to live a fully fulfilled life. While this book will not give you a simple spell for how to be happy, its intention is to unseat the complex issues that are the roots of your unhappiness and features over 100 accessible rituals, spells, and mystical practices to help you reconnect to your mind, body, and spirit and guide you through the toughest parts of your craft. Everything you need is already inside you, and this is an essential addition to any self-aware pagan’s library. You will learn:
- How to make homemade tea blends to soothe your mind, and then read your fortune in the leftover leaves
- Cleansing rituals to banish bad energy
- Wellness witchery through goddess baths—complete with recharging herbs and crystals to help channel your light
- How to ward your time to protect your values
- Rituals for letting go of sadness, grief, and anything that is no longer serving you
- Uncrossing spells to help you move past whatever has been blocking you from your true happiness
- Herbal remedies to heal the body
Green Witch Magick by Susan Ilka Tuttle
This book contains essential plants and crafty spellwork for a Witch’s Cupboard
Align with the natural cycles of the earth as you explore the 13 essential plants every green witch must know and have in their garden and cupboard for healing, spellwork, and divination.
Plants are a sacred offering from Mother Earth. And witches have always known and understood their healing and magickal powers. Plants hold sustenance, medicine, and wisdom. They gift us with the essentials we need to live and thrive. In return, they ask to be used for the highest good. This is the path of the green witch. With Green Witch Magick, learn how to reconnect with this sacred knowledge.
At the core of green witchery are the responsible stewarding of Mother Earth and her precious resources. Learn how to:
- Ethically forage and harvest needed plants
- Set up your own green witch garden
- Work with both wild and cultivated plants in concert with natural cycles
- Co-create with plant allies to make natural remedies, recipes and elixirs, and supplies for spellwork
Lilly Light