A review by alexiasophii
Besom, Stang & Sword: A Guide to Traditional Witchcraft, the Six-Fold Path & the Hidden Landscape by Tara-Love Maguire, Christopher Orapello
4.75
I have been following the work of Chris Orapello and Tara Maguire for a long time, through their podcast Down at the Crossroads, and I even support them on Patreon. I love their work, and I was thrilled when I heard they were going to release their book. Although I don't practice Traditional Witchcraft, nor is it my focus on my personal practice, I love to read and learn about other paths and practices, especially when this knowledge comes from sources I trust, like these authors.
This is an excellent book for introducing Traditional Witchcraft and addresses many important topics that we rarely see covered in introductory books such as necromancy, herbalism with poisonous herbs, work with spirits, work without resorting to deities, etc. It is a fantastic book, full of clear information, with proper sources where they are needed and with various exercises for those who want to try or adopt these practices for their daily lives. Something I also loved in the explanation and throughout the book, is the way the authors (something I already knew, but I love to see!) defend the need to adapt our practices to the places where we live. It is a constant theme throughout the book that we should not base our practice on natural rhythms that are not present in our daily lives but yes in the place where we live and that the way to develop a better connection with what we do surrounds, with the spirits and energies of the places where we live, this is to ensure that our practice is aligned with the rhythms of these places, through celebrations, ingredients used, among others. Anyone who knows me and accompanies my work knows how many times I refer to the need to be in connection with the place we work and to see this reflected in a book is so comforting and fantastic!
This is one of the main books that I will recommend within the theme of Traditional Witchcraft and I can't wait to buy it in a physical version and have it on my shelf, so I can use it whenever I need it because it is one of those books that we want to read and read and consult several times. In fact, I believe that every time we read it, we will discover or notice something new that had previously gone unnoticed and I love it.
This is an excellent book for introducing Traditional Witchcraft and addresses many important topics that we rarely see covered in introductory books such as necromancy, herbalism with poisonous herbs, work with spirits, work without resorting to deities, etc. It is a fantastic book, full of clear information, with proper sources where they are needed and with various exercises for those who want to try or adopt these practices for their daily lives. Something I also loved in the explanation and throughout the book, is the way the authors (something I already knew, but I love to see!) defend the need to adapt our practices to the places where we live. It is a constant theme throughout the book that we should not base our practice on natural rhythms that are not present in our daily lives but yes in the place where we live and that the way to develop a better connection with what we do surrounds, with the spirits and energies of the places where we live, this is to ensure that our practice is aligned with the rhythms of these places, through celebrations, ingredients used, among others. Anyone who knows me and accompanies my work knows how many times I refer to the need to be in connection with the place we work and to see this reflected in a book is so comforting and fantastic!
This is one of the main books that I will recommend within the theme of Traditional Witchcraft and I can't wait to buy it in a physical version and have it on my shelf, so I can use it whenever I need it because it is one of those books that we want to read and read and consult several times. In fact, I believe that every time we read it, we will discover or notice something new that had previously gone unnoticed and I love it.