It's Always a Blessing

Hedgewitch: Spells, Crafts & Rituals for Natural Magick by Silver RavenWolf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Hedge witch was always the wise woman who lived on the outskirts of the village in old but homey hut with herbs hanging all over the place and spell book scattered about. The Hedge witch was also able to travel to the realm of the spirits and receive knowledge which would be used on this realm. This book offered something completely different, yet positive none the less.I would hesitate to say that what is offered fit into the definition of Hedge witchery, a a term that bantered about quite regularly.

The first section of the book spoke of connecting to the spirit no matter which way you did it. This could be done via the faeries, your ancestors, wicca or even the Catholic Church. The point is being that you believe in it. The next thing is focusing on what you want. For example "I want a new car" This is an affirmation this is what you ask the universe for. The object is to focus on what you do want not on what you don't want.This is primal language. So it is not a good thing to say "I do not want to get an old car" the universe and the subconscious does not understand that. Later on you can add more adjectives to what you do want. You also have to clear out the old and unwanted stuff before you can receive the new stuff. In a nutshell if you want new clothes then clean out your closet of the old so that you can receive the new clothes. Most of this stuff is pretty basic and has been covered in other new age material. Actually a lot it was somewhat reminiscent of the "Secret" which was published before this book. To be honest I really have no problem with authors restating the obvious because more than not we tend to forget the obvious.

Perhaps the most valuable part of this book is the thirteen part self improvement program. It involves affirmation, herbs, and actions. In this section Silver Ravenwolf give explicit and easy to follow step towards self improvement.This is a program that I myself could use and plan on using in the very near future. After going through the thirteen part self improvement program there is an initiation or self initiation.

Silver Ravenwolf gives and excellent discussion on herbs. Her chapters on how to grow and maintain your herb garden are tops. They are simple and easy to follow. Useful! The recipes given in the book are great as are the various crafts involved. These spellcrafts are easily done and effective. This is Silver Ravenwolf at her best. She brings to play not just elements of Hedge witchery or Wicca but also her extensive background in Pow Wow magic and Hoodoo. I love this stuff and so did my wife.

The appendixes at the end were valuable. I especially like the haggling and the journal keeping. What is wrong with haggling to get the best price? I think it is fine and what a better way to get craft items then at a fair price. Journal keeping helps you keep track of what you learned over the course of the gardening. Did I not mention that I loved the part about the scarecrow.

When it comes to folk magic of old Silver Raven wolf is one of the tops.

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