Starlight Witch
HedgeWitch (Llewellyn Books, 2008) is one of Silver Ravenwolf’s many fantastic books. In it, she explains that HedgeWitchery is about working with nature to bring ourselves into peace, harmony, and success.
The title of the book struck me the most. I’d been curious about what the term ‘HedgeWitch’ meant ever since I heard it after reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Just as HedgeWitch Julia in The Magicians was outside the magical school of Breakbills, Hedge Witchery is an eclectic witchcraft outside of the established traditions such as Wicca, Druidry, Feri, and other lineages. HedgeWitches don’t have a lineage tradition, but their roots run deep through the magic of folklore, family tradition, and the wise ways of herbalists.
“Deep in the forest glen of your mind, where shadows never quite release the world, sits the ancient establishment of the HedgeWitch Academy… The workings of the HedgeWitch through various cultures and thousands of years have become legend.”
I was impressed by the larger size of this book. It feels more like a paperback college textbook, at a whopping 316 pages. When I opened it and started reading, I fell in love with the myriad witchy images, collages, and designs.
After the revelatory intro, the book is broken into two main parts. The first part includes a two week schedule for working with the elements and herbs, which ends with a self-dedication. The second half of the book is about general everyday witchy crafts such as candle making, tub teas, soap making, stitching, correspondences, moon magic, making cleaning products, tea, herbs, gardening, and so much more.
The opening of Chapter 1 inspired me for days after reading it.
“Whether you are trying to raise a successful business, manifest healing in your life, find a loving partner (or pet), buy a new house, or have a better relationship with a specific person, the starting point of change is always the same: connecting to the source of all things.”
Silver tells the reader to smile quite a bit. She thinks that expressing joy is a great way to help accelerate magical work. I agree that when the gods see we’re happy, they know we appreciate their gifts. However, I also believe that the gods can sense gratitude without us wearing a smile.
This is an excellent beginners book for starting out on a non-traditional path. It also makes for a great summer read and will inspire you to plant and care for a garden.
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