This was awesome! I definitely want to buy the first book, I have the second and (sigh) third books you mentioned. I discovered witchcraft during the pandemic and Thr Modern Guide to Witchcraft is one of the first I bought. I read through it once, and occasionally use the spell section for inspiration to write my own spells. It was at the very beginning of my journey, and I didn’t know better. I’m autistic too. I’ve read Psychic Witch from cover to cover, but have yet to start the exercises because of some nebulous fear I haven’t worked through yet. I’ve been inspired by Hex the Patriarchy and Rebel Witch more recently.
I look up to you for reading psychic witch cover to cover! I get stuck on stuff, especially when mat mentions previous exercises needed before trying a new one!!!
Ps: love hex the patriarchy by Ariel gore and of course I'm the #1 fangirl of Kelly Ann 😻 Have you checked out the work of Amy torok and risa dickens? New moon magic and missing witches are amazing!
I have to admit I never do protections during spells and have rarely ever cast a circle, and when I did, I did it without calling any spirits (just "drawing" the circle with my hands) because spirits and psychicness are not part of my practice (even though I'm into some kind of animism). But I like this about today's witchcraft, that different perspectives and practices can go alongside each other (with of course credit being given in books to specific origins and traditions!). Ariana Carrasca's book sounds so good though. It's on my wishlist since you did the review in the other video. 🙂
I am honestly still wondering about what exactly went wrong there because I agree, a circle doesn't always have to be that structured or protected. I have things feeling that even just doing the spell world a circle at all (which I've done afterwards) wouldn't have warranted such unexpected visitor.
I love this Tag! I am going to be adding books to my wish list for sure! I have already picked up Spellcraft and Spellwork from my local store on your recommendation! Thank you for another great video! 🌠
I love this! Big agree about Psychic Witch, a lot of books become "trendy" unjustifiably, but for that one it's deserved. I like his other witchcraft book too, Mastering Magick, and I have been recommending that one for beginners more lately, I feel like it covers more ground. It's awesome to see new and in a way "secular" (I guess, not affiliated with any specific religion) books on witchcraft being so thorough and accessible! I started with Wicca-based books in the 90s/00s, and that was almost all that was available (especially before we could order books online easily). Books that actually go into the origins of the practices they describe are like a leap forward, and I'm so glad they exist! 💖
for 1) reasons I love ari's book: bibliography and sources. for 2) i hear you, i'm the most skeptical witch and you absolutely don't have to believe 💩, every kind of spirituality has things that cannot be proven "enough" and it's just something anyone seeking spirituality lives with. Would I like to have visible concrete very 3d life like confirmation of things? hell yeah, I even speak about it in my fail tales video. you do you babes. this works for me and if anyone else dips their toes into witchcraft they will likely want to read about it, and these were books that helped or hindered me in that.
I think your right. No modern book on Witchcraft should introduce people to pieces and parts of a hodgepodge like that without giving references for where it came from, so a witch can learn more. I don't think that a modern witch choosing to practice like that is problematic though, just the book. A modern witch who practices like that has done a lot of research (hopefully) and knows where things came from, and has learned their craft through a lot of hard work. At least in my experience. But that's not how you are supposed to teach it to the next generation. You're supposed to teach the fundamentals and guide the new witch safely through the learning process. Seems like that "Hex" book of yours is trying to appeal to those "I want everything now, super easy, without a lot of work" new witches. I'm not sure that the book didn't actually do you a favor and teach you a lesson though. 😊 I find it hard to put a book in any of these categories because no book is perfect, and all books are precious. Or at least they are in a society that doesn't rely on oral knowledge. To me everybook has some value, some place. But I am also a book-a-holic. I read books to expand my brain. And even the worst ones will have something of value to give. At the very least my brain might flag something in the book as nonsense that I need to figure out, sending me down a rabbit hole of more books and information until I have tracked down the real dirt I needed to know. That said, I have one that I will warn people about. The book has some value, but the entire thing is based on a founder who was "initiated" (sexually) into his craft when he was a preteen by an older woman he met in the woods. And I just find that a morally repugnant thing to be the basis of a whole Tradition. Also there were a lot of other problematic elements to the book. However there were parts of it that "made me think" as I read. And that's one of the main things I seek in books. Most of it made me think "ew, no this is wrong" lol. But it still did make me think and I feel like I expanded my philosophical knowledge simply by my rejection of the books principles. The book is called "Betwixt and Between" by Storm Faerywolf. And I never finished it. I am now torn. Because destroying a book is an anathema to me. But I also don't want to keep it and I don't want to send it out into the world to spread its poison more lol. I will probably eventually put it in my recycling bin tho. I won't put any other books in any other category tho because to me there is a time and place for many different books to enter ones life and there are books that are for some, and not for others. The very first book I ever read about Witchcraft was in the 1980s called "Witchcraft the Old Religion" by Dr Leo Martello. I don't practice Italian Witchcraft and I never did, but it was an amazing read that I needed at the time because I needed to know what Witchcraft was, and the first sentence of the book opened up my entire universe and set me on the path to where I am now. I also really dislike when people bash Silver Ravewolf books. I mean she was never my idol but she wrote books at a time when there really were not a lot of books available. And the mass appeal of her books was one of the only ways to get published back then. I think that anyone who didn't live through the 80s and 90s as a witch struggling to find their path and who they were, has no business bashing Silver Ravewolf and her early books. If you want to recommend other better modern books, fine, but recognize the privilege we have in our current times and appreciate what we have, without bashing someone for doing what they had to before we had the privileges we have today. I am still learning about who you are as a TH-camr/witch. And I hadn't realized until now, how big into Ceremonial Magick you are. I am more of an earthy, nature witch who learns about mesolithic hunter gathered and early Celtic and Slavic customs and art and traditions and just kind of absorbs it all into my brain as I go. I did start in Wicca and have called plenty of guardians in the past, but over the decades I have moved away from that into a more loosey goosey practice of my own creation. I don't cast circles too much any more. Mostly I bless spaces and call upon deities. But I cast so many circles over the emyears, I am not sure that I can say that I am not energetically creating them stilll lol. Anyway I love your channel. Keep making your videos. You make me think. And as I mentit, I love thinking.
@@AmandaJuneHagarty thank you so much for sharing your perspective. I mention in another video recently I reckon (the q&a or the fail tales actually) that I can't read much due to dyslexia so I look up to those like you that can just have such encyclopaedic knowledge. Because my reading energy is limited it's very important for me to know where to get reliable information hence the tag. Also i wouldn't say I am much into ceremonial magic to be fair, the LBRP is the extent of my ceremonial knowledge 😅
@@AmandaJuneHagarty sorry forgot to mention: if we go into books whose principles are immoral then there's a lot of issues with the modern guide to witchcraft still. Check the Goodreads reviews (I linked them in the video desc) to see what I mean by white feminism
@@activistwitch I did watch your fail tales. So I was surprised to see a video about books. I just figured your were trying to challege yourself or be more in the books space to push back on the things you feel you need to improve. I actually think that TH-cam videos can be just as good a way to learn as books and the differences between watching vids and reading books can have extra benefits...for example my Welsh pronunciation is much better watching Welsh speakers talk about stuff. For me, reading was a lifeline. I am terrible socially. I retreated into books as a kid. I avoided the world in favor of books. I am famous for getting in trouble as a kid by marking "c" on every answer in a test so I could get the extra time to read lol. I think it was a little bit of ADHD hyper focus, and the feeling of comfort I got from a 3rd person omniscient observer on novels that gave me my love of reading. I don't think anyone has anything to prove by reading or not reading. My reading itself was probably a little bit on the pathological side lol. You do you and I'm not judging anyone for how many books they read. I just have this complicated relationship with books lol. So I find it hard to ever say one is the best or one is the worst. Personally I think they are all both the best and the worst all at the same time. Because sometimes the best books can have boring bits or say dumb things. But if you want to write a book you have to risk saying dumb things. Nobody is perfect nobody will ever write the perfect book. But I do think tht if your writing a non fiction that relies on older source material, you really must include references to it or you are doing a disservice to the reader. I've only been watching a few of your videos so far. And I love them all. They are deep and thought provoking and you don't find that enough on TH-cam. I look forward to getting to know you more as I see more of your videos come out.
@@activistwitch also I really appreciate that you do the activism thing without the holier than thou attitude some people have. It's very down to earth and I like learning things I need to know more about without feeling judged for not having known them before. Activism is a really hard space for a person with severe rejection sensitive dysphoria.
@@activistwitch also also lol ... As I said I have pretty bad rejection sensitivity dysphoria. So sometimes I may come across badly because I am trying to defend against potential rejection that hasn't even happened yet ..I just pre-assume every kind of possible rejection and plant seeds of defensiveness against it. I know I do it. I know it's a terrible habit. It comes from a place of social anxiety and I'm constantly working on doing better.
I'm so interested in learning more but not sure I'm ready to buy a whole book. Also I am unsure how much witchcraft would measure against my disillusionment with faith and belief in science.
@@BadPabda hey there 👋🏽 skeptical witch here too. My spouse has a background in physics and myself in biochemistry so I definitely understand were you come from and to this day I am a skeptical witch. Coming from a catholic background I really "itch" at the idea of "faith" which is why when I got into witchcraft it was exactly because I liked the idea of being spiritual but blind faith? Not me. The two things don't need to be mutually exclusive. I think if you see my latest video about how my practice evolved I literally go into it, how I'm still super skeptical 😅 but then things happen. I still recommend Ariana's book cause she approaches it very practically, she is a scholar and you can tell, and the book is only 100 pages, so you can dip your toes, and relish in the bibliography
scott cunningham is very specifically wicca, which is completely fair but not my flavour hence the "witchcraft" beginners books rather than "wicca" for beginners. also yeah, time flies indeed, i think all the books i mentioned were published in the last 10 years :)
@@activistwitch Oh yeah, definitely very Wicca-centred, but his books used to be the introduction to witchcraft for people starting around, and bit before, I began my pagan path. I think it's great that You referenced only the newer, more current, and therefore more accessible titles, but it's also interesting to see the change in the vanguard. :)
I love your channel! Activism? Witchcraft? Made by a queer person? All of this combines into one of my favorite vibes. Thank you!
This right here is why I make videos: to find people that feel like me about this stuff! Welcome in sibling!
This was awesome! I definitely want to buy the first book, I have the second and (sigh) third books you mentioned. I discovered witchcraft during the pandemic and Thr Modern Guide to Witchcraft is one of the first I bought. I read through it once, and occasionally use the spell section for inspiration to write my own spells. It was at the very beginning of my journey, and I didn’t know better. I’m autistic too. I’ve read Psychic Witch from cover to cover, but have yet to start the exercises because of some nebulous fear I haven’t worked through yet. I’ve been inspired by Hex the Patriarchy and Rebel Witch more recently.
I look up to you for reading psychic witch cover to cover! I get stuck on stuff, especially when mat mentions previous exercises needed before trying a new one!!!
Ps: love hex the patriarchy by Ariel gore and of course I'm the #1 fangirl of Kelly Ann 😻 Have you checked out the work of Amy torok and risa dickens? New moon magic and missing witches are amazing!
I love Kelly Ann Maddox’s work. Her Cardslinger series is how I dove deeper into my work with the cards 😊
I have to admit I never do protections during spells and have rarely ever cast a circle, and when I did, I did it without calling any spirits (just "drawing" the circle with my hands) because spirits and psychicness are not part of my practice (even though I'm into some kind of animism). But I like this about today's witchcraft, that different perspectives and practices can go alongside each other (with of course credit being given in books to specific origins and traditions!). Ariana Carrasca's book sounds so good though. It's on my wishlist since you did the review in the other video. 🙂
I am honestly still wondering about what exactly went wrong there because I agree, a circle doesn't always have to be that structured or protected. I have things feeling that even just doing the spell world a circle at all (which I've done afterwards) wouldn't have warranted such unexpected visitor.
@@activistwitch maybe it can also be seen as sometimes exciting, that there was a visit? But it depends on how it felt of course.
I love this Tag! I am going to be adding books to my wish list for sure! I have already picked up Spellcraft and Spellwork from my local store on your recommendation! Thank you for another great video! 🌠
glad to hear you enjoyed it! and please do feel free to add your own suggestions and advice!!!
I love this! Big agree about Psychic Witch, a lot of books become "trendy" unjustifiably, but for that one it's deserved. I like his other witchcraft book too, Mastering Magick, and I have been recommending that one for beginners more lately, I feel like it covers more ground.
It's awesome to see new and in a way "secular" (I guess, not affiliated with any specific religion) books on witchcraft being so thorough and accessible! I started with Wicca-based books in the 90s/00s, and that was almost all that was available (especially before we could order books online easily). Books that actually go into the origins of the practices they describe are like a leap forward, and I'm so glad they exist! 💖
I know right??? Give me connections a d explain me things to the root of where they come from and that's how I learn!!!
@@activistwitch I've just put up my response to your tag 😊 thank you for making it!
Oh yay!!! Let me go check it out!!
This is a fun idea!!
And hopefully useful! 😉
Yes!!!! This is extremely helpful! Great idea!💜🙏🏻🕯️
So agree on Psychic Witch! Definitely a long term marriage that one 😅
always going back to it 🥰
Thank you for another great video - and thank you for the best hashtag for a theme ever 😁
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment 🙏🏽❤️
Thank you for the insight! ❤
You are so welcome! Glad it was helpful!
Questions most witchcraft content never addresses: 1) Where is this information from? 2) What reason do I have to believe any of this?
for 1) reasons I love ari's book: bibliography and sources.
for 2) i hear you, i'm the most skeptical witch and you absolutely don't have to believe 💩, every kind of spirituality has things that cannot be proven "enough" and it's just something anyone seeking spirituality lives with. Would I like to have visible concrete very 3d life like confirmation of things? hell yeah, I even speak about it in my fail tales video. you do you babes. this works for me and if anyone else dips their toes into witchcraft they will likely want to read about it, and these were books that helped or hindered me in that.
I think your right. No modern book on Witchcraft should introduce people to pieces and parts of a hodgepodge like that without giving references for where it came from, so a witch can learn more. I don't think that a modern witch choosing to practice like that is problematic though, just the book. A modern witch who practices like that has done a lot of research (hopefully) and knows where things came from, and has learned their craft through a lot of hard work. At least in my experience. But that's not how you are supposed to teach it to the next generation. You're supposed to teach the fundamentals and guide the new witch safely through the learning process. Seems like that "Hex" book of yours is trying to appeal to those "I want everything now, super easy, without a lot of work" new witches. I'm not sure that the book didn't actually do you a favor and teach you a lesson though. 😊
I find it hard to put a book in any of these categories because no book is perfect, and all books are precious. Or at least they are in a society that doesn't rely on oral knowledge. To me everybook has some value, some place. But I am also a book-a-holic. I read books to expand my brain. And even the worst ones will have something of value to give. At the very least my brain might flag something in the book as nonsense that I need to figure out, sending me down a rabbit hole of more books and information until I have tracked down the real dirt I needed to know.
That said, I have one that I will warn people about. The book has some value, but the entire thing is based on a founder who was "initiated" (sexually) into his craft when he was a preteen by an older woman he met in the woods. And I just find that a morally repugnant thing to be the basis of a whole Tradition. Also there were a lot of other problematic elements to the book. However there were parts of it that "made me think" as I read. And that's one of the main things I seek in books. Most of it made me think "ew, no this is wrong" lol. But it still did make me think and I feel like I expanded my philosophical knowledge simply by my rejection of the books principles. The book is called "Betwixt and Between" by Storm Faerywolf. And I never finished it. I am now torn. Because destroying a book is an anathema to me. But I also don't want to keep it and I don't want to send it out into the world to spread its poison more lol. I will probably eventually put it in my recycling bin tho.
I won't put any other books in any other category tho because to me there is a time and place for many different books to enter ones life and there are books that are for some, and not for others. The very first book I ever read about Witchcraft was in the 1980s called "Witchcraft the Old Religion" by Dr Leo Martello. I don't practice Italian Witchcraft and I never did, but it was an amazing read that I needed at the time because I needed to know what Witchcraft was, and the first sentence of the book opened up my entire universe and set me on the path to where I am now. I also really dislike when people bash Silver Ravewolf books. I mean she was never my idol but she wrote books at a time when there really were not a lot of books available. And the mass appeal of her books was one of the only ways to get published back then. I think that anyone who didn't live through the 80s and 90s as a witch struggling to find their path and who they were, has no business bashing Silver Ravewolf and her early books. If you want to recommend other better modern books, fine, but recognize the privilege we have in our current times and appreciate what we have, without bashing someone for doing what they had to before we had the privileges we have today.
I am still learning about who you are as a TH-camr/witch. And I hadn't realized until now, how big into Ceremonial Magick you are. I am more of an earthy, nature witch who learns about mesolithic hunter gathered and early Celtic and Slavic customs and art and traditions and just kind of absorbs it all into my brain as I go. I did start in Wicca and have called plenty of guardians in the past, but over the decades I have moved away from that into a more loosey goosey practice of my own creation. I don't cast circles too much any more. Mostly I bless spaces and call upon deities. But I cast so many circles over the emyears, I am not sure that I can say that I am not energetically creating them stilll lol.
Anyway I love your channel. Keep making your videos. You make me think. And as I mentit, I love thinking.
@@AmandaJuneHagarty thank you so much for sharing your perspective. I mention in another video recently I reckon (the q&a or the fail tales actually) that I can't read much due to dyslexia so I look up to those like you that can just have such encyclopaedic knowledge. Because my reading energy is limited it's very important for me to know where to get reliable information hence the tag. Also i wouldn't say I am much into ceremonial magic to be fair, the LBRP is the extent of my ceremonial knowledge 😅
@@AmandaJuneHagarty sorry forgot to mention: if we go into books whose principles are immoral then there's a lot of issues with the modern guide to witchcraft still. Check the Goodreads reviews (I linked them in the video desc) to see what I mean by white feminism
@@activistwitch I did watch your fail tales. So I was surprised to see a video about books. I just figured your were trying to challege yourself or be more in the books space to push back on the things you feel you need to improve. I actually think that TH-cam videos can be just as good a way to learn as books and the differences between watching vids and reading books can have extra benefits...for example my Welsh pronunciation is much better watching Welsh speakers talk about stuff.
For me, reading was a lifeline. I am terrible socially. I retreated into books as a kid. I avoided the world in favor of books. I am famous for getting in trouble as a kid by marking "c" on every answer in a test so I could get the extra time to read lol. I think it was a little bit of ADHD hyper focus, and the feeling of comfort I got from a 3rd person omniscient observer on novels that gave me my love of reading. I don't think anyone has anything to prove by reading or not reading. My reading itself was probably a little bit on the pathological side lol. You do you and I'm not judging anyone for how many books they read.
I just have this complicated relationship with books lol. So I find it hard to ever say one is the best or one is the worst. Personally I think they are all both the best and the worst all at the same time. Because sometimes the best books can have boring bits or say dumb things. But if you want to write a book you have to risk saying dumb things. Nobody is perfect nobody will ever write the perfect book.
But I do think tht if your writing a non fiction that relies on older source material, you really must include references to it or you are doing a disservice to the reader.
I've only been watching a few of your videos so far. And I love them all. They are deep and thought provoking and you don't find that enough on TH-cam. I look forward to getting to know you more as I see more of your videos come out.
@@activistwitch also I really appreciate that you do the activism thing without the holier than thou attitude some people have. It's very down to earth and I like learning things I need to know more about without feeling judged for not having known them before. Activism is a really hard space for a person with severe rejection sensitive dysphoria.
@@activistwitch also also lol ... As I said I have pretty bad rejection sensitivity dysphoria. So sometimes I may come across badly because I am trying to defend against potential rejection that hasn't even happened yet ..I just pre-assume every kind of possible rejection and plant seeds of defensiveness against it. I know I do it. I know it's a terrible habit. It comes from a place of social anxiety and I'm constantly working on doing better.
Happy Mabon, Blessed Contents.
I'm late for Mabon but a Blessed Equilux to you! (Today's the actual day that the light is the same as the dark)
I'm so interested in learning more but not sure I'm ready to buy a whole book. Also I am unsure how much witchcraft would measure against my disillusionment with faith and belief in science.
@@BadPabda hey there 👋🏽 skeptical witch here too. My spouse has a background in physics and myself in biochemistry so I definitely understand were you come from and to this day I am a skeptical witch. Coming from a catholic background I really "itch" at the idea of "faith" which is why when I got into witchcraft it was exactly because I liked the idea of being spiritual but blind faith? Not me. The two things don't need to be mutually exclusive. I think if you see my latest video about how my practice evolved I literally go into it, how I'm still super skeptical 😅 but then things happen. I still recommend Ariana's book cause she approaches it very practically, she is a scholar and you can tell, and the book is only 100 pages, so you can dip your toes, and relish in the bibliography
Books for beginner and no mention of Scott Cunningham. Times change, time flies :D
scott cunningham is very specifically wicca, which is completely fair but not my flavour hence the "witchcraft" beginners books rather than "wicca" for beginners. also yeah, time flies indeed, i think all the books i mentioned were published in the last 10 years :)
@@activistwitch Oh yeah, definitely very Wicca-centred, but his books used to be the introduction to witchcraft for people starting around, and bit before, I began my pagan path. I think it's great that You referenced only the newer, more current, and therefore more accessible titles, but it's also interesting to see the change in the vanguard. :)
This is so great, I really hope other people join in!!
I do very much encourage everyone too, if you feel like telling me about tarot books I'm there!!! 😍
@@activistwitch I will definitely have a think, although I’ve been very lucky and am struggling to think of any I would hex!!