#grovedaughter witchery

[traegorn]

I have wanted for years to become a witch/wiccan but I haven’t really had any clue how to start. Do you have any recommendations for texts/videos/whatever?

Okay. So you're getting the three books. These are the three books I always recommend for someone interested in Witchcraft and Wicca to start with.

Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler This is a history of the Modern Witchcraft Movement from the beginning. It's an important book to start with since so many witchcraft books are poorly researched, you can use this to help set up a baseline as to whether or not other sources did the work. Pick up the 2006 revision (which was the last update before Adler died)

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham This is still kind of our best guide for starting off with Wicca, even if it's very dated (Cunningham died a few years after this was published). There are a lot of things that need to be read critically here, but I've yet to find a better book for starting out with Wicca specifically. This shouldn't be the last book you read on the subject, but it's a good first.

Grovedaughter Witchery by Bree NicGarran Not all witchcraft is Wiccan, and @breelandwalker (a secular witch) put together a phenomenal book for folks looking to get started in witchcraft. This is definitely one you should read too.

Good luck!

[breelandwalker]

Slowly convincing every witch in my friend group to purchase at least one of your books ✨

Thank you for all the information that you make so accessible!

This gives me so much life. 😊

Thank you for the recommendations and I hope you're all enjoying the books!

[coinandcandle]

Hello, I'm the anon who asked about reading recs! I did respond back right away, but since you just asked for asks, I get the feeling Tumblr ate my ass 😄. In case it did, here it is again:

I'm trying to get my footing into witchcraft in general. I'd really like to start practicing, especially anything nature related, but I truly know nothing more than what you'd get scrolling through the tumblr tag. So I'm supposed I'm looking for a good starting place to learn my history around the practice (I know "the practice" is an incredibly broad way to describe it. But I don't know enough to be specific. I suppose anything that could give me a foundation to build from?) and something(s) that could help me dip my toes in for the first time. I've been watching everyone else swim in the pool for years, but I've never even touched the waters.

To simply put it, I'm trying to figure out the very beginning steps of witchery. I know I described everything broad and vague, but I don't really know enough to be more specific 😅

(if Tumblr didn't eat my ask and you haven't responded to my ask for any other reasons, no worries! I'm certainly in no rush)

Omg hello! No tumblr didn't eat you but I was waiting on some responses from friends who I asked for reading recs and my draft box DID eat your ask lol. Thank you for following up with my ADHD-addled ass!! <3

The good news is to start you just kinda jump in. I'm not saying throw yourself into the deep in but you can get your feet wet pretty easily.

Unfortunately during my beginner years most of the published books available were heavily soaked in Wiccan ideology which is absolutely not my vibe and not something I think people should start out with since there's a twisted history to it that you have to unwind but I see why people are attracted to it--it's structured in a way that solitary practice isn't.

I found my start online, honestly, then followed my gut to see where it took me next. All that said;

Here are some recs from me and my buddies:

Magic in the Middle Ages by Richard Kieckhefer (History)

Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits by Emma Wilby (History)

Popular Magic by Owen Davies (History)

Grimoires: A history of magic books by Owen Davies (History)

Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World by John G. Gager (History)

The Crooked Path by Kelden (Traditional Witchcraft)

13 pathways by Daniel Schulke (Occult Herbalism)

A Deed Without a Name by Lee Morgan (Witchcraft)

Of Witchcraft and Whimsy by Rose Orriculum (Witchcraft)

Grovedaughter Witchery by Bree NicGarran (Witchcraft)

Queering Your Craft by Cassandra Snow* (Witchcraft + queer)

Condensed Chaos by Phil Hine* (Chaos magic)

Outside the Charmed Circle by Misha Magdalene* (Witchcraft)

Sacred Gender by Ariana Serpentine (Witchcraft + queer)

Kitchen Table Magic by Melissa Cynova* (Witchcraft)

*Queering Your Craft and Kitchen Table Magic are that they both feel more basic, Condensed Chaos is more of a "102" type book for chaos magic specifically, and Outside the Charmed Circle is strongly Wiccan in influence but brings up some very interesting topics and ideas. (Note from Jasper)

Make sure to keep an open mind and take no one's word as law when it comes to witchcraft and magic. Take in the information and come up with your own conclusions based on your experiences! :>

Thanks to @windvexer , @stagkingswife, @jasper-pagan-witch, and @rose-colored-tarot for help with the recommendations!

Feel free to comment or reblog with your own suggestions!

[teawiththegods]

Hello! I wanted to ask if there are any books on working with gods as witch, or any sort of introduction to witchcraft that you would recommend 🙏🏽

Hello, love!

I can't recommend any books on working with gods as a witch because I haven't read any. However, I have plenty I can recommend for beginners to witchcraft!

The one I recommend the most is Rebel Witch by Kelly-Ann Maddox. It's my witchy bible! I absolutely love it! You can also check out her Youtube channel for more amazing witchy content!

Here are some other favs:

The Dabbler's Guide to Witchcraft by Fire Lyte

Witchcraft for Everyone by Sam Wise

The Witch's Path by Thorn Mooney

Weave the Liminal by Laura Tempest Zakroff

Grovedaughter Witchery by Bree NicGarran

Happy Reading, friend! <3

[upthewitchypunx]

Hi Alex! I'm a secular witch and I've been thinking of doing some more serious research about different kind of witchcraft and the history of magical practices- I was wondering if you had some sort of reading list of thing you'd recommend for beginners, or things that helped shape your personal philosophy of your craft? No prob if not of course! Your style of practice really resonates with me and I'd love to learn more :D

Sorry it took me so long to get to this! I don't have a personal list and generally ask people what they are into and recommend a book to suit that, but I hadn't thought of one that helped form my practice. I'd end of telling you to read all the Amber Chronicles to explain how I understand Chaos Magic or an old stack of Cometbus zines or a copy of Art of War by Sun Tzu. I also really enjoyed Ellen Dugan's books at the beginning of my practice (Cottage Witchery, Garden Witchery, etc) because she was the first author that didn't make me feel like I had to follow rules and she included personal anecdotes that really felt like applied magic.

Two of my new favorites for new witches that are more educational are Beginner's Guide to the Occult by Deborah Lipp and How To Study Magic by Sarah Lyons. Both of these books give a layout of the land and give you and idea of what there is to know without telling you what to do. I think a lot of people have an urge but don't know what direction to take, and these books are kind of like signposts.

For a great books for new witches I'll always suggest @breelandwalker Grovedaughter Witchery. I also enjoy Kelly-Ann Maddox's Rebel Witch, Folk Witchcraft by Roger J Horne and Six Ways by Aidan Watcher. From there I explore my neighborhood and notice seasonal changes, books about specific interests whether witchy or not. Then start to see the throughlines in your life and practice and see how they integrate into each other. Your ethics, values, and experiences do not exist in bubbles. I think practices are most satisfying when they celebrate the whole experience.

[jasper-book-stash]

Regarding Spells for Change: A Guide for Modern Witches by Frankie Castanea, aka Chaotic Witch Aunt:

So here's the thing. I don't like broad, sweeping, incorrect generalizations. And I am a naturally combative person. So I'm deducting points for that and for general annoyance.

I will return half a point for talking about shadow work being a Carl Jung concept, but immediately taking it back for misunderstanding what the "shadow" is. The shadow is not "everything negative" - it is "everything unacknowledged". Which, yes, can be negative traits, but it can also be "positive" traits. I found this information in Wikipedia, it's really not that hard to research.

I will, however, fully return a point for talking about the endangerment of white sage and palo santo and the appropriation of "smudging" in the cleansing section. There is also a much, much later part with chapters about decolonizing one's practice and witchcraft as activism. My only complaint is that I wish it were earlier. You know, perhaps in the single-chapter part one that talks about what it means to be a modern witch?

I will also be deducting a point for another petty complaint: I was under the assumption that this book was about how to break down spells into their core components. More emphasis on the "work" than the "spell", see? It always came across to be about that when advertised, yet it's very much a beginner 101 book with some spells sprinkled in that don't have much in the way of deconstruction and analysis. Just steps to follow.

So where does that leave us? Well, it leaves us at 8/10. While not the best book for witches, particularly beginning ones, it's not as strong an offender as other books on witchcraft (even 101 books) that I've read.

I would still recommend Grovedaughter Witchery by Bree NicGarran over this one any day. I think I'll just continue to watch Chaotic Witch Aunt's videos on YouTube rather than put much stake in their publications as a witch author, unless they put out something a lot more personal to their current craft and how they do things.

[wandering-free-and-queer]

Went on a huge witch/craft supplies run yesterday, spent a fuck ton of money more than I wanted, but I thing it's worth it. I got refills on a bunch of the stuff I've been sharing with kiddo and coworker, I got a book on mermaid magic that looked hella cool, four more oracle decks including three of the Seasons of the Witch decks (Beltane, Litha, and Mabon!), hubby managed to surprise me by sneaking these gorgeous tree of life notebooks into our cart when I wasn't looking, I got a few more notebooks myself in a different store (those were for a good cause and I can't resist notebooks lol), and there were two copies of Cunninghams Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs so I grabbed them both, one for Kiddo and one for Coworker.

Next step in kiddos present is gonna be Grovedaughter Witchery by @breelandwalker and herbs out the ass lol. They already have the crystals I could share, and I've gotten them a pendulum and a tarot deck.

(Sorry if I get overly emotional about Kiddo this week y'all, they turn 18 on Wednesday and I'm having some very strong emotions about it...)

[jasper-tarot-reader]

Thanks for the reading! It seems that the card wants me to think about why i want to be a magical girl, and become one by contracting with a familiar. However i would also like to know how specifically i will get to he/her (the familiar) like do i do a spell or a subliminal and he/she pulls up or i just need to sit back and chill and wait a familiar to come to me? Idk i do a Lil witchcraft so of this question is too specific you might need to use the pendulum and ask a yes /no question.

Hey, I don't do pendulum readings, and I say in my guidelines that I don't do yes/no questions. That's not what this blog is for.

I can't direct you to anything that may help on this point, because I'm not a magical girl chaote myself. I recommend reaching out to your community (the ones in the tags I mentioned) and seeing how they went about it. It seems like a few of them didn't even need to reach out to a familiar to begin with in order to become magical girls themselves.

If you're looking for more information into witchcraft, I recommend Grovedaughter Witchery by Bree NicGarran as a beginner 101 book. It's really great stuff. For broad pop culture magic/witchcraft/paganism stuff, I have a masterpost on @jasper-pagan-witch. You could also begin looking into how traditional witchcraft deals with initiation, as this seems adjacent to that (unfortunately, I don't practice traditional witchcraft either, so I've got no specific resources to recommend). But like I said, I'm not a practicing magical girl, so I can't give you any resources that are magical girl-specific that I didn't already outline in the post of your first reading.

This seems like a path you'll have to beat in the woods yourself, and I wish you the best of luck!

~Jasper

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Top 5 favorite magic books?

Ask Me My Top 10/Top 5 Anything

This is hilarious given the follow-up ask after this.

1: Grovedaughter Witchery | Bree NicGarran: General magic information.

2: Of Witchcraft And Whimsy | Rose Orriculum: General magic information.

3: Ozark Folk Magic: Plants, Prayers & Healing | Brandon Weston: Folk magic practices for and from my area of the US.

4: Queer Magic | Tomas Prower: Some queer history and occultism, though I'm still digging through the sources.

(4.5: Morbid Magic | Tomas Prower: As above, except with death instead of queer stuff.)

5: Kitchen Table Tarot | Melissa Cynova: Basic tarot information, and I'm talking basic, but I love something that gets straight to the point.

Thanks for sending this in, anon!

~Jasper

[battythewitch]

Hello Batty.

I have been suffering from nightmares recently and I cannot figure out the source. I am not particularly stressed or anxious - in fact, I'm quite happy during my day to day. But at night I'm plagued by mundane horrors - nightmares about healthy friendships deteriorating, computer viruses - silly things like that.

Do you have any advice, as a fellow witch (as a more established witch than I), as to how to deal with nightmares?

I'm so sorry for the delay in answering. This is actually a problem I'm currently trying to solve for myself as well, and I don't really have a solution yet :/ (I thought I had written an anti-nightmare spell, but I haven't found it, so I'm currently experimenting with other people's ideas, mostly.)

Have you done any divination to try to figure out the cause? (I haven't had much luck with this for myself yet, but if you do divination for yourself but haven't tried it for this issue, that would be my first suggestion.)

I used to keep a small pouch under my pillow with a piece of lepidolite for peace, howlite (I have some that's been dyed blue) for emotional regulation and healing, and a black stone (usually obsidian or black tourmaline) for protection and repelling unwanted negativity. Sometimes I would also add some rosemary and yarrow to the pouch for additional protection specifically for dreams.

I'm probably going to recreate something similar this week, but some other ideas from a couple of my books are:

From Judika Illes's Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells, there's the suggestion to grow rosemary near your bed. I think that's a lovely idea, but it's not a viable option for me right now. Sleeping with a horseshoe under your pillow is another, which I might try if I can find my old (iron) horseshoe. Also, hanging vervain over your bed. (I think if I were to do that, I would either incorporate it into a witch's ladder, or maybe in a clear glass ornament, with some other protective components. But i don't have any vervain on hand, so I'll be waiting a while to experiment with it.)

I'm planning to try out a moonstone spell this week, from The Witch's Book of Spellcraft by Jason Mankey, which has suggested timing of the night before the full moon (which means starting the spell the night of the solstice, for me). Because of the solstice, I might do two different spells for similar purposes, so one part utilizes the sun energy (I'll probably write my own for this) while the other utilizes the full moon energy. I'll try to remember to post something about this afterwards, if it works.

Oh! @breelandwalker also has this spell, which I haven't tried yet because I'm an idiot and forgot—until just now—that it existed, after I put a sticky note flag on its page in Grovedaughter Witchery 🤦🏻‍♀️

[traegorn]

Do you have a good rec list of witchcraft books?

I’m so overwhelmed by woo and bs, I never know what’s a good source.

So I don't read a lot of Witchcraft books these days, because I'm fairly established in my craft and kinda like how I do things.

But I'll give you the big three I usually recommend to beginners:

Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler This is a history of the Modern Witchcraft Movement from the beginning. It’s an important book to start with since so many witchcraft books are poorly researched, you can use this to help set up a baseline as to whether or not other sources did the work. Pick up the 2006 revision (which was the last update before Adler died)

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham This is still kind of our best guide for starting off with Wicca, even if it’s very dated (Cunningham died a few years after this was published). There are a lot of things that need to be read critically here, but I’ve yet to find a better book for starting out with Wicca specifically. This shouldn’t be the last book you read on the subject, but it’s a good first.

Grovedaughter Witchery by Bree NicGarran Not all witchcraft is Wiccan, and @breelandwalker (a secular witch) put together a phenomenal book for folks looking to get started in witchcraft. This is definitely one you should read too.

Good luck!

[breelandwalker]

Hi hello! I want to use your "repel unwanted person" charm from Grovedaughter (my favorite book on the subject ever since I found it, by the way!) but I'm at a loss as to where to find thistle leaves this time of year. I'm thinking of substituting it with cayenne or maybe garlic, but I thought I'd ask for your advice first as the one who wrote it. What substitution do you recommend? Something I can find at the grocery store would be ideal since it's not good foraging season. Either way thank you for taking the time to read this and for writing such good books ^^

The lovely thing about the internet is that there are quite a few sites that will carry the herbs we need for our spells year round. It may take some searching to find the right one if you're outside the U.S., but at least a few of them deliver worldwide now.

My go-to's for single ounces are Penn Herb and Mountain Rose Herbs, both of which currently have thistle leaves in stock.

If you wanted to, you could also substitute something spicy or acidic to be your repellent instead of prickly leaves. Cayenne, garlic, chili peppers, and lime peel are all excellent options.

Hope this helps and I'm glad you're enjoying the book! 😊

[fernthewhimsical]

uhhh hi ive been tryna hype myself to for proper ask smth for a bit by scrolling through your blog but uhh... anxiety yknow?

Sooo uhhh basically ive been looking into witchcraft for a lil bit now, mostly just the basics (the books that ive found nearby dont even really tell you how to do the basics sadly, they just tell you a few things and dont explain) and i was wondering if you knew any like.... easy-ish to understand witchcraft books? for beginners who dont really know stuff?

(also i live in australia so vaaastly different things available to most places, + im a teenager so things i can do are limited (except oddly enough my mums fine with me doing witchcraft, despite me not being able to do anything else))

also sorry if i phrased this odd. im realllly bad with words in a conversation context.

Also sorry if im bothering you or smth-

Hi, dearie! And welcome to the path. First off, you will never bother me with questions, so please don't worry. It been quite a while since I, myself, was a beginner and those books I would no longer recommend to anyone because they are very outdated. However, of the newer books I really enjoyed: - Grovedaughter Witchery by Bree NicGarran (a.k.a. @breelandwalker, also has a wonderful podcast HexPositive) - Rebel Witch by Kelly-Ann Maddox (also has a Youtube channel) - Weaving the Liminal by Laura Tempest Zakroff (also has YT)

Also some Youtube channels I enjoy, besides those above: - the Witches' Cookery - Chaotic Witch Aunt - Mintfaery - Molly Roberts - Magical Crafting Aaaand some Podcasts: - Hex Positive by @breelandwalker - BS Free Witchcraft by @traegorn - That Witch Life podcast Hope you will find something to get you started! Have fun, be safe, and follow the things that interest you. You don't have to believe in, or incorporate everything in your craft. Better to go with the things that speak to you, and leave the ones that don't. Good luck!

[creatrixcymraes]

get to know you better game!

answer the questions and tag 9 people you want to know better. thanks for tagging me @emeraldastral !

last song listened to: We Are Family by Sister Sledge (just used it as the background music for my reel I posted this morning)

currently reading: Grovedaughter Witchery by Bree NicGarran

currently watching: also Percy Jackson!! I haven't read the books or seen the previous adaptations so I'm a complete noob but I'm enjoying it so far 😁

currently obsessed with: Maia Mitchell (the actress), my new pastel posca markers, and the valentine's chocolate brownies they're selling in Morrisons omg 🤤

Who to tag....

@rowansugar @solinvictus94 @pintoras @glittertomb @fleurdulys @drxgonfly @sarakipin @jacobvanloon @britneyspears 💖

[friend-crow]

Hi Corvid Friend, I was wondering if you have resources for secular witchcraft? my craft is much more focused on ancient greek ideas of magic, so i'd never even looked into modern ideas and my sibling is becoming interested in that direction. i'd just like help for them lol. thanks very much! Here's some Shiny Things for your help [Shiny Things are four bottlecaps and a few sparkly pens)

Resources, resources... hmmm...... This is a bit tricky because secular witchcraft is not any one thing -- it's just witchcraft in the absence of religion (though not necessarily spirituality). Each of us will define our practice a little differently, and have different beliefs about how it works.

I think that as you're trying to figure out a personal practice, it's kind of a two pronged approach: figuring out how you think it works -- what makes magic go -- and learning to work with it. You can start trying out different workings before you've sorted out the first part, and this may help you to figure out your framework. At the very least it'll give you a feel for what you like to do and what seems to get results.

So, research prong one: look into different frameworks for how they think magic might work, experiment with them, and figure out what makes the most sense to them. They also don't have to choose just one, either -- if mixing and matching works for them, that's cool too.

My thoughts are a bit disorganized at the moment, but off the top of my head, your sibling might want to look into animism, chaos magic, and sympathetic magic.

When it comes to just doing some magic without worrying too much about why it works, they might check out @breelandwalker's books -- I know Grovedaughter Witchery goes over the basics of spell crafting in a secular context, then gives you a ton of spells to try out.

@upthewitchypunx also has a couple of zines about secular witchcraft which might be good food for thought.

Personal interests play a huge part in what they'll want to research and experiment with too -- are they interested in herbalism? Divination? Astrology? All of these subjects can be learned in a purely secular way.

I don't really have any one resource that I can cite as my main influence -- I tend to read widely and take everything with a huge grain of salt. There are many pitfalls to watch out for (appropriation, pseudohistory, law of attraction flavored bullshit, etc.) and being part of a community that discusses these topics and encourages critical thinking can be a big help.

Basically I've just spent many years reading, talking to people, and trying stuff out, then synthesized what resonates, what works, and what isn't harmful or appropriative into a cohesive and enjoyable practice.

I'm sorry if this is not the sort of advice you're looking for. It's currently scrambled eggs in my brain, but some of my mutuals might be able to suggest good resources or be able to present ideas in a more coherent or organized fashion than I currently can.

[darkwoodofficial]

Recommended Reading

By Rust of Nail & Prick of Thorn : The Theory & Practice of Effective Home Warding

Grovedaughter Witchery: Practical Spellcraft by Bree NicGarran

Pestlework - A Book of Magical Powders & Oils by Bree NicGarran

Under the Bramble Arch by Corinne Boyer

Under the Witching Tree: A Folk Grimoire of Tree Lore and Practicum

Pharmako/Poeia: Plant Powers, Poisons, and Herbcraft

Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism by Daniel A Schulke

The Book of Oberon : A Sourcebook of Elizabethan Magic

The Sworn Book of Honorius by Honorius of Thebes Consorting with Spirits : Your Guide to Working with Invisible Allies Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits by Emma Wilby

Verdant Gnosis: Cultivating the Green Path, Volume 5