Basic Witches: How to Summon Success, Banish Drama, and Raise Hell with Your Coven

Heads up witches, pagans, and wiccans alike: THIS BOOK ISN'T INTENDED FOR YOU. Please do not be offended by the contents of this book. In the beginning chapters the authors explicitly state that this book is not intended for witches. Could it provide some lovely inspiration for spells? Absolutely. Though their "spells" read more like meditations which makes sense because it is essentially a self help book formatted through the lense of witchcraft.Could this spark some curiosity and bring about a drive to learn more about witchcraft? Totally. Is this a witchcraft for beginners book? Heck no.It is entertaining and fun. Hell even for actual witches if you are in a slump this might be the pick me up you need. But it is definitely not an educational source for witchcraft, and it was never intended to be so.Pick this up if you want to smile. Not if you want to learn about different forms of witchcraft (not just wicca).

My 13 year old daughter really wanted this. And while I wasn't expecting it to be a serious book about witchery (hint: it isn't), I thought it would have some beneficial self-help aspects for young teens. When I got it I read through it and I couldn't believe how adolescent and ridiculous it was - ways to paint your nails to scare boys? how to cut your hair to look "witchy" I guess (shave your head, shave half your head, etc)?Then half way through the book or so out of no where it starts talking about your g-spot and which methods of masturbation are right for you..."the magic wand", "the devils horns". Then the next section goes into what to say out loud during sex. Like, what? I didn't waste my time anymore after that.I'm returning it.

I don't know how this got published. Great for 12-year-olds I guess. The rituals are ridiculous. If you are looking to learn, and you are just starting out, check out the classics!

I'm a pagan and a feminist but this book is almost useless for me. A lot of the information in this book is entry level liberal feminism (not a bad thing, just not what I was expecting) but it wraps it all in a really unflattering, secular attempt at "witchcraft". There isn't any really good pagan information in this book at all, it's more like it took withcraft and paganism and used it as a marketing tool instead of treating it as the religion it is. That being said, a teenager could probably get a lot of good out of this book. It talks about using traditional feminine things like makeup and hair to cast "spells" for confidence, self-esteem and whatnot but it's very gender role conforming for the most part. Again, it's not bad but it's not great either.

I got this book thinking I would disagree with most of it. But I wanted to give it a chance. I'm so glad that I did. Full disclosure: I've been Wiccan since 1985 and went through a degree-system of study.At once both relevant and irreverent, Basic Witches takes a "bite-sized" approach to magic. This is not a Witch 101 by any means. It is a "take back your power" book. It openly addresses ciswomen as well as those whose feminity takes a different route of expression. It also acknowledges women whose lack of so-called feminity might get them a triple-take at the women's restroom. It has a broad approach to what constitutes female. I really appreciated that. For me, a ciswoman, I want the topic of gender to be broad.The magic in this book is not just in the spells. It is in the words, the topics, the approach. Yes, there are spells. Yes, there is actual practical magical work in this book. But the true treasure is in the empowerment. In the "you can do this and we've got your back" tone from the authors. They create a sense of sisterhood that is global in its approach.The reading is delivered in small pieces. You can tell that there is a magazine writer lurking in the narrators. Sometimes I wished for a longer, meatier section, but I also realize that I am not the target market. At 56, I am about 30'ish years off. And that's fine by me.I would recommend this book to those who aren't wanting to do a deep dive into witchcraft just yet. This is a great "toe-wetting" book that gives hands-on projects anyone can do. Excellent.

Let me start off by saying I love, love, LOVE this book! It has a very practical and realistic approach to being a witch (or a wizard, come on) and doesn't take itself too seriously. It's all about the power of ritual and embracing your individuality and self, as opposed to being some kind of "actual" religious or spiritual text. For those of us fascinated by witches and interested in this kind of culture, but too rooted in the science of the world to be able to get into "actual" Wicca or other religious practices (even if you might like to!), I can't recommend this book enough. As far as I know it's the only one of it's kind, and I strongly hope there will be a second one from these authors!

There are some interesting facts about witchcraft but it's as the title says "basic". It just has spells for things I already do on a regular basis like wear dark lipstick and cut my own hair. It uses pop culture witches like Hermione Granger and Sabrina the Teenage Witch as inspiration. These people are fake !! This is definately a young girls book. Not really what I was expecting. Like there's really a netfilx binge watching ritual in here. Not really on the spiritual side. Talk about low vibes.

I don't like leaving overly negative reviews but in this case it feels very justified. In an attempt to be fair I'll do a list of pros and cons.Pros:. The book is very prettyCons:. The authors have no background in this topic & it shows. Some of the "spells" are beyond lazy. Within the first 12 pages there's misinformation. There is nothing of depth. Some of the spells are very repetitive. Weird layout. Puts too much emphasis on owning stuffI refuse to put any effort to this review because they put none into this book.

Really brought it all into a present context . No fancy paraphernalia needed . Just you and your own personal magic . A celebration of all you could and should be .read at a time when feeling low,just what I needed . Made me laugh out loud often . Superbly written ,insightful,informative.I will definitely be using some of these suggestions ☺😁

This book is delightful. It's a really helpful book that frames mindful practices and self-help through the lens of witchcraft and spell casting, and has a really good grounding and insight into the history of, and various cultural meanings of witchcraft! Unlike so many other books, it highlights the intersectional nature of witchcraft, and a branch of witchcraft that is for EVERYONE. Thoroughly recommend!

Saw this book recommend in a group for atheist witches and I'm glad I picked it up. It is more like a self help book than a guide to Witchcraft so don't buy it if you are looking for info on the craft (however I feel a quick read of the blurb and the chapter headings make this very clear). It's history sections are a bit dubious as I have spotted a few mistakes in them. However the topics it tackles are really good. It covers things like using clothes and makeup to give you confidence, saying no to people, friendships and sex. Although it does add a sentence here and there to say that you can wear what you want and look how you want it is geared towards a certain aesthetic and I feel maybe people who dont want to present themselves that way may not feel as welcomed by this book as others. I think teenage me would have gotten more out of this book but it still gave me some things to think about and some good laughs.

Not what I thought it would be, more of a book for young teens who like the witch aesthetic than the actual practise.