“Whether by speaking or writing, words have always been the most popular and significant way to make magic happen.”
This is from the very first page of the introduction to Ember Grant’s The Words of the Witch: Writing and Speaking Your Magic, and from this excellent beginning, Grant takes the reader through a short history of both spoken and written magic, and into a very well organized book that every witch, regardless of where they might be on their path, will find interesting and helpful.
One of the things I especially appreciate about this book is that you can absolutely read it cover-to-cover, but you can also use the table of contents—which is beautifully organized to make everything easy to find, including the exercises which are listed in their own table of contents—to jump to something that catches your eye. This is great for folks who already have their favourite pen, or ink (or other art supplies) and want to jump right in and give something a try.
I also appreciated the mix of exercises and projects that run the gamut of “things you likely have in your house already” and so require no special purchases, to “we could get fancy, if you want to” and then you have the fun of visiting your local craft or art store.
Grant treats words with care and reverence, and if you also like to read or write poetry (it’s me!), you’ll appreciate the entire chapter on “Creative Language and Composition”. Examples of how make your writing really sing, to make it more powerful and succinct, are offered in this chapter, and in a way that is entirely accessible to even those who perhaps feel being creative with words isn’t usually their strong suit.
Chapter 14, “Beyond Paper: Other Surfaces and Substances”, was one of my favourites as I have several books stuffed with pretty leaves I’ve rescued from outside and dried – it was great to find that I could use these leaves for more than just looking at: they can be written on, and then crumbled, or burned, or floated down a creek, while working a little magic. It seems so simple, but it hadn’t occurred to me to do it until I saw it here.
Overall, this book is accessible, has something to suit nearly everyone, and is a wonderful reminder and exercise in choosing your words carefully and well.
—review by Mara McTavish
Author: Ember Grant
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
Pp. 240, Price: $18.99 USD
