Hedgewitch Book of Days

Hedgewitch Book of Days by Mandy Mitchell is a lovely book written for both beginners and experienced practitioners of witchcraft alike.  Organized into a chapter for each month Mitchell explains ways in which anyone can add easy to do witchcraft into their regular day-to-day life.  The book starts with an introduction in which Mitchell gives the reader a lovely and easy to understand synopsis of what hedgewitchcraft is and ends the book with some basic correspondences for such things as trees, herbs and flowers.

Mitchell begins with Chapter 1 being the month of March.  The chapters are all formatted in a similar fashion beginning with a short, lovely poem on the first page and then going into common fruits and vegetables which are traditionally harvested, then correspondences such as deities, festivals and birthstones and then goes into a lot of the other monthly symbolism such as recipes, spells and rituals and other folklore.  Each chapter then ends with a page on "folklore" which includes sayings and phrases which pertain to each month such as "January brings snow, makes our feet and fingers glow!"

For example, in Chapter 4; June, Mitchell discusses the Summer Solstice and Litha, and then goes into a sun spell.  Mitchell continues the chapter by discussing stress and witchy stress remedies and then has some recipes and other witchy ways to celebrate June.  One of my favorite things is the day to day ideas included in each month.  In August Mitchell includes such things as decorating your home and altar with symbols of harvest, beginning to preserve harvest foods in ways like making jams and pickles, making corn dollies and expanding your practice to include food magic.

One thing that really makes this book enjoyable for me is that it's written from the perspective of someone who works, who has a family, who does not have all of the time to make fancy things and complicated altars and shrines.  Mitchell includes suggestions and ideas anyone can use regardless of financial ability, regardless if you have children, regardless if you have a full time job or work overtime.  I have to say it was a nice and refreshing change; to read something to down to Earth and day-to-day as this.  I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in witchcraft and/or interested in incorporating the changing of the seasons into their life and practice.

~Review by: Jessica Elizabeth

Author: Mandy Mitchenn
263ppg; $18.95
Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC; 2014