Magical must-reads: my top 10 witchy guidebooks

Welcome to a new week on Bewitch Your Life! We have tons of super intense energy buzzing in the air right now even more so than usual because we are heading towards the SECOND BLUE MOON of this year on Saturday!!!!! It’s a rare and enchanting occurrence and the perfect time to do some inner work. We still have the whole week to prepare, so what better way to hype yourself up than to brush up on some mystical knowledge?

There are SO many beautifully written, uniquely insightful books on woo-woo-ery out there now that it can be hard to choose where to start! That’s why I have compiled for you my ten absolute favorite reads about all things spiritual. Please keep in mind that this is absolutely, by NO means an exhaustive list (and in no particular order either)! These are just my favorite few that I have been lucky to get my hands on, and would highly recommend! (I love them so much  that I sleep with them in a pile right beside my bed. The bookshelf feels too far away! I’m weird, I know.) So, without further ado:

1. Healing Magic, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Green Witch Guidebook to Conscious Living: This is such a comprehensive, well-rounded guide on everything you need to know to be a witch, and just generally a magical loving being of the earth! It’s also a great source of information on how to really live your witchy best life. It covers everything — how to create a soul-nourishing relationship with the earth and yourself, herbal magic, wholesome rituals that would delight absolutely anyone, and all sorts of little lovingly selected tidbits to help you live life as a witchy woman! If you are new to witchery, this is a perfect first choice, but those with more experience will find their practice incredibly enriched by this read as well.

2. Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and stories of the wild woman archetype: I JUST finished reading this today and I cannot even put into words how much it has impacted my life and sense of self in a positive way. While not specifically witchcraft related, it is a book to help you discover yourself through truths passed down through folklore. It’s also jam-packed with the kind of wise woman wisdom you know you need in your life. Reading this book anchored me throughout an incredibly tumultuous time and helped me see depth and meaning where I had formerly only seen stress. I will forever recommend it to every woman. It will help you be at home with your soul.

3. The Modern Witchcraft Spell Book: Your Complete Guide to Crafting and Casting Spells: This is a perfect “my first spell book.” It’s a complete how-to on creating your own spells, which is awesome, because there’s nothing like fresh home cooking! Although I definitely have performed rituals straight off a page, there is something extra powerful about ones you make on your own. They’re unique and they’re always true to you. Once you know how, you can also customize other spells to add a personal touch (and more personal power). It covers everything – ingredients, colors, special days, omens, you name it, it’s probably in there… and they also threw a few of their own spells in to get you started. A lot of information is packed into a cute, easy read!

4. The Goodly Spellbook: Olde Spells for Modern Problems: This is like a beefed up version of #3. All the spells, all the details, and all the reasons why. It definitely does delve into several more categories and also discusses the ethics behind magical workings. It’s a perfect choice to add to your collection if you are looking to get serious about manifesting some seriously gorgeous energy!

5. 1001 Spells: The Complete Book of Spells for Every Purpose: Okay, it’s totally a coffee table spell book. But how awesome is that? Yes, it’s a beautiful book, it’s hefty, and it’s organized into super specific little sections (I guess it’s the perfect bathroom book too). But its greatness is because they literally have a spell in here for EVERYTHING. You’re missing your pet from far away? You’re worn out? You need an upswing in financial luck? You’re covered, and better yet, the concise and easy to follow nature of these spells means that they are delightfully simple and fun to customize and make your own. Total ritual inspiration!

6. A Little Bit of Crystals: An Introduction to Crystal Healing: Another super cute book you’ll just want to own! It really does offer “a little bit” of everything related to crystals, their properties, and how to use them. It’s all laid out in a super adorable and user friendly way, so if you’re curious about crystals and want to know the highlights, this is it.

7. The Little Pocket Book of Crystal Healing: Crystal prescriptions that will change your life forever: Don’t let its size fool you! This teeny tiny guide is jam-packed with information on pretty much every crystal ever, and spills the details on everything about all of them! It goes into detail on how and why to work with them, too. It’s the perfect field guide to crystal discovery and a great companion when shopping for your collection.

8. Living the Tarot: This book explains not just what the tarot means, but what it means to you. It takes you through the story that the cards tell and ties it into your own personal journey of self discovery. It is as if all the wisdom of the tarot bled out of the cards into the pages for you to read clearly and apply to your life. It honestly is one of those life-changing, awareness-shifting books that will take you through your own narrative in ways you never even knew were possible.

9. Jung and Tarot: An Archetypal Journey: Okay so we all know that Carl Jung had a bunch of interesting philosophies on dreams, but did you know his writings tie in closely with tarot cards? The story told by the tarot’s major arcana describes the soul coming home, true self discovery and acceptance, and the process of what Jung described as individuation (to quote Wikipedia, “transformation whereby the personal and collective unconscious are brought into consciousness.. to be assimilated into the whole personality”). Jung also wrote extensively on archetypes (recurring symbols / motifs in mythology that reside in some form in everyone’s minds). The tarot is full of archetypes that trigger epiphanies and realizations within ourselves, so learning how our minds interact with them gives a whole new meaning to your readings. This makes for an interesting crossover between psychology and mysticism.

(Please note that both of these tarot books mentioned only describe the major arcana of the tarot, so while they are perfect for deepening your understanding, you might want to warm up with some more general guides if you are new to tarot. While there are many all-inclusive books out there, I think a perfect first step is reading the guide that came with your deck, and referencing my favorite online guide, Biddy Tarot.)

10. The Hero’s Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell): You decide whether this is a bonus round or cheating, because this is the next book I’m about to read! But I honestly feel like I’m the only person on the planet who hasn’t read it. I hear it referenced everywhere, from witchcraft books and motivational speakers. There is said to be a narrative that runs through all stories and our lives, and I am looking forward to reading more about it to gain a greater perspective on all happenings, magical or otherwise.

To me, being a witch and practicing magic means a dedication to discovering oneself. I read for self discovery, to learn and grow and take the knowledge I have found and use it to bring more love into the world. I take a long time to read books because I am always pausing, re-reading sentences, and letting my mind trail off on how they apply to my life. Sometimes a book is like a really good friend or a therapist or a teacher, and it will make you realize things you never even knew about yourself. I hope wherever your spiritual interests lie, you have found a title or two to add to your reading list! (Magical book club, anyone?)