Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I was provided a copy of this book for an honest review.
Hey everyone! I am sorry for the long leave of absence. I needed to take a step back from the blogging world for a little while to get things sorted in my personal life and work on myself. It's been a long month and a half and if I am honest, things are not going very well. Despite this, I have definitely been missing blogging and connecting with my readers and enjoying the world of witchcraft. If I am completely honest, I took a step back from everything witchy the past month, except a little bit of light reading here and there. I'm glad I took the break as I simply couldn't handle another thing on my plate. Hopefully, the rest of the year will go a little bit smoother than they have recently, but I digress. I am back today to share a very short book review on
Elemental Witchcraft: Traditional Practice for Working with the Energies of the Natural World by Nigel Pennick.
Honestly, this book was extremely disappointing. It is Wicca in disguise but doesn't cover anything in great detail. Furthermore, there were several statements that were judgemental or dismissive of those that are trying to perform witchcraft on a budget. For example, he says you can't use tap water because it's magically void, but there is nothing to substantiate this claim. I use tap water all the time for magical workings; it is not magically void and is the only source of affordable water for many witches. We have to recognize the privilege in claims like these and that not everyone has access to the same goods and services. To add insult to injury he misuses several common witchcraft terms, including fetch and familiar. A fetch is NOT an animal guide. A fetch is usually a human spirit, often a doppelganger, that assists in various things. A familiar, on the other hand, is not an animal that works with you such as your pet cat. Familiars are spirits that CAN take the form of an animal but are generally not your pet. This is the most common misconception in witchcraft and its disappointing to see this misinformation spread by such a prolific author. Finally, he calls snakes poisonous....they are not poisonous. They are venomous. This is the section book I have reviewed recently that lacks scientific accuracy. It's extremely disappointing that in this day and age we are still running into people claiming snakes are poisonous.
Despite the many, many issues I had with this book, the section on trees is good. I would have liked to see more herbs covered as it mostly covers mandrake, but it was still enjoyable to read and accurate, both magically and scientifically. I have never heard the year broken up into two halves known as The Flower Year and Harvest Year, but I am intrigued by their roots. Further research will give me a better idea of how accurate this information is.
Overall, I was very disappointed in this book, especially by the title. I was hoping to learn more about the actual elements, not green Wicca. However, I recognize that this book may help others on their path, especially those looking for a brief introduction to the elements of witchcraft, not to be confused with the Elements (earth, air, fire, water, and spirit). Pennick's book,
Elemental Witchcraft: Traditional Practice for Working with the Energies of the Natural World will be available on October 6, 2020, and can be preordered now.
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