Book Review: A Witch Alone by Marian Green

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.

This week and the next, I plan on posting several book reviews, as I have fallen way behind on my reading and review process. I currently have 10+ books to review, with the hopes of knocking out at least 5, if not 6, of those in the next two weeks. I know that's a lot of reviews, but I really need to get them off my TBR shelf so I can breathe and feel like I can produce other content.

The first of these reviews is A Witch Alone: 13 Moons to Master Natural Magic by Marian Green. This is a reprint (with some updates) of the original 1991 version, and boy, oh boy, do I have some thoughts. So buckle up, buttercup! It's going to be a long journey!

First and foremost, A Witch Alone is about Wicca, or at least is heavily Wiccan-influenced. If Wicca is your thing, or your practice is Wiccan-inspired, this book may be for you. If you are not Wiccan, then I would skip this one, as there is very little "new" information you could take away. As I was reading, I kept saying, "I've read this before..." and it's because I have. There is absolutely nothing new here that you can't find in dozens of other books. Several of the exercises were nearly identical to ones I read and did when I was first getting into witchcraft 25 years ago, particularly those found in Silver Ravenwolf's works. And honestly, that sucks. I figured with a re-release with a new introduction and everything that some of the content would also be updated to reflect modern practices, but alas, that was not the case.

There are chapters on the God and Goddess, the Wheel of the Year, casting a circle, and calling quarters—typical beginner Wicca information. However, I appreciate that Green has tried to take a more central pagan approach, saying that you can take what works for you and leave behind what doesn't. This is exactly my approach to witchcraft, which has resulted in the unique path I follow today. Paganism is not a single religion, but a melting pot of traditions, faiths, and practices as unique as the people who practice them.

Green also covers the Otherworld and somewhat how to travel to it, which is not typically found in other introductory books. I greatly appreciated its inclusion and her use of fiction to help one learn to reach an altered state of consciousness. This is certainly a valid approach, but I would warn anyone using this method to be mindful of the differences between an active imagination and hedge riding. Green agrees with me that your intuition should be your guide, and you would be wise to listen to us both. Unfortunately, Green suggests reading Harry Potter as a fictional text to inspire you, and I strongly disagree with giving that IP anymore of your time and energy, considering the author is openly anti-trans and uses her vast fortune to actively harm the trans community. It's time to let HP die, people.

There are several other instances of Green parroting cultural appropriation or misinformation, using inappropriate language and slurs, or supporting problematic behaviors. I feel like these were all things that could easily have been updated and should have been in. The very first of these was the use of karma. Green calls it "an Eastern term" and bastardizes its true meaning. Yikes. Later, she describes the Wheel of the Year as some ancient practice—it isn't, and continues to spread the misinformation that Easter is named after Eostre. No...it isn't. Can we please let this myth die already?! Green suggests taking from nature without asking first, which reeks of privilege and a disconnect from the natural world, supports only white, Eurocentric authors in her recommended further reading, and even uses the word g*psies, which is a slur. Who approved this?! 

Her chapter on "the healing arts" also left a bad taste in my mouth, as it sounded eerily similar to the alt-right wellness pipeline and the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement happening in the United States. At one point, she suggests that if people know you are learning alternative healing methods, they are going to think you can work miracles. Eye roll...

She uses similar rhetoric in the very beginning to say the opposite, suggesting that if you decide to pursue witchcraft, you are going to be violently cast out by friends and family for being different. I'm sorry. It's 2025. Can we stop with this victim mentality? Witchcraft has grown so much in the United States and Britain that it's no longer viewed in a negative light, as it was in the 90s and early 2000s. A lot has changed, and that's a good thing! I wish we would stop telling young people to prepare to be cast out of society at large.

So, did I like anything? Actually, yes. Green says at one point, "I think that if some of the witches of today thought more about the actual workings of Nature and less of book-bound, set knowledge, they would gain more power in their magics, more joy in their celebrations, and a greater sense of unity with their ancestors and the ancient faith they aim to follow." I agree, wholeheartedly. There is nothing wrong with learning from books and reading all the time. However, at some point, you need to actually go outside and practice witchcraft. Connect with nature and the universe. Feel the divine within you and the world around you. Cross over the Otherworld and greet the spirits you meet there with reverence and an open mind.

Finally, Green offers several amazing exercises and suggestions on growing as a witch. She includes exploring history, poetry, and the natural world for information, inspiration, and correspondences. Again, I fully, 100% support this take. It's actually how I have consistently approached my own practice. There is so much information and folklore hidden in everyday things, if only one knows where to look.

Overall, this is not a book I would overwhelmingly recommend to most of my readers. I believe this is a repeat of information we have all read and heard a thousand times before, and in this economy, no one should be wasting money on repeat information. However, if you are new to Wicca or your practice is heavily Wiccan-influenced, this may be the book for you. Just because it didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you. A Witch Alone: 13 Moons to Master Natural Magic by Marian Green is available now, in its updated form, wherever books are sold.

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