Most people who use the term "witch" would agree that a large component of their belief system includes their practice, and for most of them this means magic.
Spells!
Most of us start out doing spells exactly as laid out in the books we read; a few get to try ones handed down from our teachers. The latter group hopeful also get training in the foundational aspects of spellwork, but not always. So it's nice to have a newer book that goes back to the basics of how one goes about creating a spell, hence Ariana Carrasca's Spellcraft and Spellwork.
Like all of the books in the Pagan Portals line, this is a slim volume, but packed with solid information.
Carrasca begins by laying out what magic is and how it works. This includes definitions and models of magic as well as a sprinkling of different types of magic found in various allies, such as crystals, plants, numbers, elements, and planets.
The second half gets into the meat of the book: how to design and execute spells. This includes refining your goal-setting, choosing ingredients, using a specific method, charging your magical ingredients, and the actual action of the spell.
I enjoyed the organizational flow of the book, and Carrasca's writing is lucid. There is an extensive bibliography for delving further (as one should) as well as a sprinkling of exercises and good safety practices.
I'd happily recommend this to a newcomer to the Craft!
~review by Lisa McSherry
Author: Ariana Carrasca
Moon Books, 2024
pp. 120, $14.95
