Tea Addicted Witch
Yes, I’m VERY behind on book reviews. But I promise you that the ones I’m currently reading for review are well worth the wait. The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Magickal Herbs by Judy Ann Nock is one of them.
Need an introduction to magickal herbs that doesn’t break your brain? Here you go
No, seriously. I’ve been reading a bunch of different texts on herbalism and magickal herbs. Some are easier to go through than others. This one in particular was well organized, practical, and contained some very useful information.
There’s a section on all of the different herbs in alphabetical order along with all of their practical and magical uses. If you need a fast reference, this is it.
You’ll also find sections on examples on how to use them both practically and magically. There’s also a very well written chapter on “herbs of darkness”, better known as herbs which are known to be poisonous and some of their modern and historical uses. I have a topical ointment for pain relief, for instance, that contains belladonna.
I learned stuff! Useful stuff!
Henbane is also known as herba apollinaris (literally “herb of Apollo” in Latin) and is sacred to Apollo. I had absolutely no idea! Bay laurel is much more well known in association with Apollo, and you’ll always hear about poisonous herbs in association with both Hekate and Kirke. After reading that section I wound up doing some reading online. According to Pliny, priestesses of Apollo used henbane to obtain visions.
This is a book that will make you do that, give you information that will inspire you to go off and continue research on it. You’ll go online and just keep going down various twists and turns while reading. Reading, reading, and more reading. For me this is a feature, not a bug. If you have a genuine interest in this topic, you’ll love to read a book like this. The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Magickal Herbs is great start to getting involved in a fairly big topic.
Move over, Scott Cunningham
This book belongs on your shelf next to other classics including Cunningham’s Encylopedia of Magical Herbs. Cunningham’s book was one of my first books as a “baby witch” in my teens, so it’s near and dear to my heart. So I say this with love: this book is extremely good. In fact, in some ways I think that this book is even better.
I highly recommend it for anyone attempting to break into learning herbalism, especially if you’re overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin.
Good for both learning how to do love spells AND beauty products
Herbs for hair, face, AND magic. Also there’s a lot of both in there, which means you’ll get to learn how to work with herbs that is practical but also make the practical a part of your magical practice.
There are also sections on using them for divination and psychic work, luck, and protection. Yes, you will be able to use them for oracular work AND get great hair.
I find stuff like this to be extremely useful.
Ebook fans? It’s on Kindle in addition to paperback
I have the hardcover version, but if you’re like me and find ebooks easier for on the go or are just running out of physical space, it’s also available on Kindle. The Kindle version is $10.99, and the paperback is available for $12.49. Honestly, this is a book I may choose to own both on ebook for easy lookup in addition to paperback.
Here are the links to purchase on Amazon:
I will definitely have to look into Judy Ann Nock’s other books after reading this, and I hope you will too.
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