One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
I borrowed Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham from my BFF when I visited Arizona in December and I’ve been slowly reading it ever since.
If you are new to practicing magic, or you are a long time witch, this guide is vital for your library. With instructions for creating magical objects and alters, simple spells and detailed info on many many herbs, this book will help you on your way.
Although this is an instruction manual, filled with very practical information about herbs and how they are used in magical practice, this book can be read by all. The style is very simple and easy to read and digest. If you are a magic practitioner you will find the beginner’s guide here, but if you are not a witch at all, this book is still very interesting. One might not choose to make a magic knife with which to perform spells, but the underlying themes of mindfulness, purposefulness, sustainability, and taking great care to never do harm, should be heeded by all. Besides having instructions for spell and magical objects, this book is mostly a guide to picking and using wild and cultivated herbs, flowers and plants. It has a long and thorough list of herbs and plants, their uses in magic, the element they are associated with, if they are edible or not and more. I felt very inspired each time I picked up this book, not so much to practice magic, but to practice cultivation, foraging, preservation, nature knowledge, mindfulness, and slow living. I also like that this was an instruction book not a narrative, which meant it was easy to read while reading other books as well, or in bits and pieces. I do think that this is a beginners guide, but it may contain items or terms that you have never heard of or used. This is the kind of book that sparks you to investigate further. I would highly recommend this book for those interested in magic, practicing witches, gardeners, and plant lovers.
Have you read any instructive books on obscure subjects? What is your favorite?