34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Take what you need..., September 12, 2009
This review is from: The Way of the Hedge Witch: Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home (Paperback)
I purchased this book last winter near the time of its release. I had no idea what to expect but was intrigued by the title, hedge witchery and ways for making your home more special.
I must say that while I was relatively uninformed when I read this book about hedge craft, I thoroughly enjoyed the authors explanations and emphasis on the elements of hedge craft (which I interpreted as "Trust your gut"). This book helped me to connect with the more divine knowledge that I have (that we ALL have) and helped me to focus less on formula, someone else's script, and more on what feels right to me as a witch. This book is written in every day easy to understand language and is very down to earth. It's abundantly clear to me that the author was divinely inspired to pursue this information!
I think that this is a great place for a beginner to start. However, a more experienced hedge witch may disagree. I think that most people would be able to find something in this book that is useful. Take what you need, leave the rest. Also personally, after several years of moving from sub par apartment to sub par apartment, I really enjoyed this focus on making your home a sacred place and had overlooked the significance of such an act. (I think it helped me to manifest the wonderful apartment that I live in right now!)
Finally, my only bone to pick with the author has to do with a section on hearth deities. This also explains my 4 star rating. I do understand that compiling deities from around the world takes a great deal of time, sleuthing, and effort. Particularly if not of the Western world- so I do acknowledge and applaud her effort in this regard. However, as a witch who also happens to be African American heritage, it seemed incomprehensible and hurtful to me that no deities of the continent of Africa were included. Now of course, I know the old saying- 'you can't please everyone.' (And I would not at all read into her actions or beliefs due to this!!) Africa is a pretty damn big continent to "overlook." IMHO the information included from Egypt really overlooks divide on the continent that exists today. It's hard to read a book that is so personal when you are not reflected in the material. As I stated, it's my only bone with this book. I know that some will choose to ignore, or agree to disagree with me on this point and that's fine.
Otherwise, I heartily recommend it (even if you are of African heritage). There is a great deal that you can take and use TODAY to make your home truly yours and consider adding more hedge witchery into your personal spiritual practices.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for making your house your spiritual home, August 1, 2009
This review is from: The Way of the Hedge Witch: Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home (Paperback)
I am relatively new to the pagan path, but have read many of the beginner books out there. I was looking for a way of making my everyday life feel more significant... rather than washing dishes and thinking "I'm washing this dish for the 100th time". This book pointed out how all of the little things we do can make our house a very energetically different place, how to bring about that change, whether through altars, spells, ritual, or just plain attitude. It was well written, pleasing to browse, and had chants/spells/ideas that really resonated with me. This is the only pagan book I've bought for other people... and both have also loved it. In fact, I gave my copy away, so I'm here to buy myself another!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not necessarily hedgewitchery, March 15, 2011
This review is from: The Way of the Hedge Witch: Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home (Paperback)
This is definitely more a book for a hearth witch than a hedgewitch. Green, kitchen and cottage witches will probably find this book interesting as well and possibly even helpful. However, if you're wanting to learn about hedgewitchery, this is not the book to find the answers. I believe the title is misleading because while a hedgewitch may be doing a lot in her home, every day life is magical, etc. there is a step to the hedgewitch that makes her different than the others and that is because she goes "beyond the hedge" and that is a place very much outside her comforts of home. Like I said, good beginner book on hearth crafts but not if you want to learn hedge craft.
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