SOCIAL MEDIA

Friday, April 9, 2021

Book Review: SpellCast Folk Magic for the 21st Century by Luna Hare and Antony Simpson

witch, witchcraft, book review, witchy book review, occult, spells, rituals, spellbook, magic, magick, hedgewitch, greenwitch, wicca, wiccan, pagan, neopagan


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 received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am in contact with several team members at a number of different large publishers. Because of this, I am able to bring you as many book reviews as I do, especially as of late. Lately, I have been getting 2-3 books at a time, which is why there have been so many reviews lately, but I absolutely don't mind doing these sorts of posts. They are some of my most widely read posts, other than the series on hedge riding and my 10 crystals and herbs every witch should have. I believe a lot of this lies in the fact that there are so many occult books on the market, with more being added every single day. How do you decide which books to purchase and which ones to let go of? If you're like me, you don't have a ton of money to blow on witchcraft books, so making sure you are purchasing a book actually worth the money is important. So where am I going with all this today? Well, Hare and Simpson did not come to me from a big publisher. In fact, they self-published their book using Amazon, which makes my review all that more important. Authors, especially those that self-publish, have to advertise their own books, hoping that if they can go viral, their sales will offset the cost of originally writing and publishing the book. So needless to say when they reached out to me about a book review, I was happy to oblige.

SpellCast: Folk Magic for the 21st Century by Luna Hare and Antony Simpson is first and foremost a spellbook. It contains no introductory information, just tried and true spells that have proven effective by the authors. Both Hare and Simpson have been practicing for the better part of their lives, making them experts in the field of spell casting. They include everything from basic spells, charms, talismans, and oils covering a variety of topics including protection, banishment, love, fertility, death, cleansing, and so much more. The spells are easily laid out by type with simple yet easy directions. Most of the spells require little to no ingredients and most of the ingredients are easy to find or cheap. However, they do use a lot of essential oils, which can be easily substituted with an infusion if needed. I personally don't have a bunch of essential oils. The two I have came with my Apothecary At Home subscription box so working some of these spells as they are written is nearly impossible without purchasing expensive essential oils. However, Hare and Simpson encourage their readers to make the spells their own and offer a list of correspondences at the end of each chapter so you can make substitutions as needed. When in doubt, dried versions of the herbs, herb-infused oils, or herbal teas work in place of essential oils.

Each section is introduced by beautiful poetry, which is a spell in and of itself. The printed text font is large and easy to read although there are a couple of errors, likely due to the fact that they did not have a large editorial team like a large publishing company. The format is easy and simple, making it a breeze to skim through and find what you are looking for. The index is a little wonky, likely from the fact that software put it together, but you can still find what you are looking for nonetheless. Some sections are longer than others, such as the section on protection or chants. The Death section only contains one spell, which was disappointing to me, but it's a great spell to have in times of mourning and is more extensive than some of the other spells in the book. Throughout the book, Hare and Simpson offer sound advice, especially in the chapter on finance and money. Their "rules" include only asking for what you need, not using the phrase "harm none" in your spells, and being specific in your requests. This is some of the best advice I've seen in a book about spells in a long time. It was a nice change from the typical Wiccan spellbook. 

However, there were a couple things I did not like about the book, other than how short the section on death was. First, there is a spell that calls for painting a rock and throwing it into a stream to get a job. Be mindful of the type of paint you use as many of them contain toxic chemicals which will anger the river spirits. They do mention chakras in the book and cleansing them, which is a Hindu practice and therefore closed. Finally, there is a very fat-phobic spell for weight loss that simply reads "Eat less, move more. Padlock the fridge and hide the car keys." In this day and age, I expected a little more tact. I crossed out the spell in black Sharpie and sent that negativity right on out the door. I was thrilled with the rest of the book, but that spell left a sour taste in my mouth. It's not a reason not to purchase the book, whether in print or the Kindle version, but I suggest ignoring that spell altogether.

Overall, if you are looking for a non-Wiccan book of spells, Hare and Simpson are here to provide. SpellCast: Folk Magic for the 21st Century is a great little addition to any witch's bookshelf, whether you are new to witchcraft or not. When in doubt, they offer an amazing array of spells you can build your own from. SpellCast is available now on Amazon in both a print and Kindle version or get a signed copy directly from them!


If you liked this post and would like to support future content, please consider leaving a small tip in the jar. 

2 comments :

  1. Your book reviews are always so honest, fair, conscientious, and appealing. It's easy to see why they're amongst the most popular and beloved entries on your wonderful blog.

    Thank you for shining the spotlight on a self-published book. Despite the plethora of titles that hit the market each year (these days) in our realm, there are plenty of others that publishers don't opt to take on for whatever reason(s), but which are thoroughly worthy of being in print. Such books are, far too often, overlooked on blogs and SM, so I was especially happy to see spotlight being shone on one here. Way to go!

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Publishers keep sending me books. In the last week I received 4 more. I feel like I am drowning a bit. Haha! But in a good way. Death by books is certainly on my top ways to die.

      I hope you and your husband are doing well my friend!

      Delete

This witch loves to hear from her readers, so please share your thoughts below!