☆☆☆☆
Synopsis
"The Green Witch" by Arin Murphy-Hiscock explores what it means to be a green witch. It tells the journey and values of a green witch. It will teach you how to work with herbs, flowers, and oils. It also contains plenty of common green witchy ingredients and their correspondences. The last third of the book compromises of instructions for spells. The content is as follows:
Part 1: Discovering the Green Witch Path
Chapter 1: What is Green Witchcraft
Chapter 2: Embrace Your Own Power
Chapter 3: Attune Yourself to Nature
Chapter 4: Manifest the Power of the Seasons
Part 2: Walking the Green Path
Chapter 5: Live Closely with the Earth
Chapter 6: Keep a Green Witch Garden
Chapter 7: Create and Craft Green Witch Magic
Chapter 8: Become a Natural Healer
Chapter 9: Green Witch Kitchen Recipes
Appendix: The Magical associations of Natural items
Review
I finished a highly recommended book in the witchy community and I enjoyed it. No wonder everyone recommends this book to me and their mother.
I learned that I am not a green witch, but there were plenty of other things that I resonated with. I'm primarily interested in folk witchcraft and obviously there's a similarity to green witchcraft. I definitely don't feel any strong connection to the earth. Ive always felt a stronger connection with water, but there's plenty of things that I learned and will incorporate into my craft. I love that "The Green Witch" romanticizes the mundane magick in life. Something as simple as drinking tea in the morning is magickal.
I loved the inclusive language throughout the book. She never said anything problematic. There were a few times where I made a note of something, then in the next few pages she clarified what she meant. Then I went ohh, never mind.
One thing, in the beginning, she explicitly stated that witches can be of any gender. Throughout the book, she refers to witches as 'she' out of convenience, stated in the notes on pg. 8. I don't understand why she chose 'she' when 'they' is a perfectly gender neutral pronoun. This is incredibly nitpicky, but that's because the book was so good.
This book is great for beginners. While I'm not interested in the green witch path, I'm thankful I was able to learn more about their craft. The author was super inclusive. It's the first witchy book I read that was completely secular. I liked learning ways to incorporate green witchcraft to modern life. It'll be useful when I move back to the city.
I'd recommend this book if you:
-feel a deep connection to the earth
-interested in green witchcraft
-don't know where to start on your journey and just wants to learn about anything
Buy the book here