Scan barcode
A review by carriedbythecosmos
What We Knew in the Night: Reawakening the Heart of Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi
2.0
I read more than half of this but ultimately set it aside for books I wanted to read. This book places itself as one that is retelling history and practices that have long been forgotten to modern witches but the idea of this is just false. The author talks about witchcraft as this one thing, and the lack of power in some modern witches as stemming from forgetting to follow passed down traditions and practices that are 100% necessary to fully embrace your power. By the second chapter, I really understood that this was a book for New England witches and possibly Wiccans.
This book makes the huge mistake of completely ignoring so many practices that alter as time changes because they've had to acclimate to survive. These practices ignore the changing geography and setting of our world, and in a way just makes you feel guilty or less than if you don't do these things exactly like the author's path was. It makes it seem as though you will not reach your full capabilities as a witch without these steps.
But I simply don't buy it. I gave it two stars because I could see some of the practices being empowering but all in all this just isn't a book for my journey. Also, placing yourself as an authority on all witchcraft without stipulating that you mean all New England traditions or Wiccan traditions sets up readers with false expectations.
This book makes the huge mistake of completely ignoring so many practices that alter as time changes because they've had to acclimate to survive. These practices ignore the changing geography and setting of our world, and in a way just makes you feel guilty or less than if you don't do these things exactly like the author's path was. It makes it seem as though you will not reach your full capabilities as a witch without these steps.
But I simply don't buy it. I gave it two stars because I could see some of the practices being empowering but all in all this just isn't a book for my journey. Also, placing yourself as an authority on all witchcraft without stipulating that you mean all New England traditions or Wiccan traditions sets up readers with false expectations.