Customer Reviews

Witchcraft on a Shoestring: Practicing the Craft Without Breaking Your Budget

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When i saw this book i knew had to get one...

Honestly all these years i never thought practice Witchcraft was that expensive, maybe because i used one of the book's concepts - quoting: "making the most of what we have " for instance i never had to buy any tool. i just found them on my grandma's house. No she was not a Witch but happened to have some witchy stuff, lucky me i guess...
Deborah goes to the core of witchcraft on chapter One and explores three essential tools where you dont have to expend a single penny.
My Favourite part of the book was chapter five - 35 crafty projects to augment your witchery. and for me this is what is really important if you are going to call yourself a Witch.. Know how to practice your craft !

There's also a delicious part of the book you dont want to miss - 45 feast dishes and deborah's corn casserole is totally approved for this years Mabon.. lucky me again !
On chapter seven you'll find 50 gems on how to expand your pagan practice.
If you know Deborah from previous books you already know her humor and in this time of economic constraints, a good laugh will be the best medicine
So.. only five stars ? when the Book totally deserves Six stars!!!
Well...
I'm using the last tip to practice witchcraft for little or no money - Wish Upon a Star.
So i kept a star to myself and right now i'm wishing that Deborah keeps writing books for many years.

p.s. - Sorry my exotic english.
p.s2 - i miss Magic the Cat
p.s.3 - i wish there was a hardcover edition!
p.s4- i know you wrote two this year but when is the release date for a new Book ?
p.s5 - Big hug from Portugal

A lot of this (but definitely not all) seems to be common sense and poor skills, but it's definitely a good thing to have all of those linked with witchcraft and put into a book (not everyone has poor skills or even common sense, especially in the Pagan community). The book comes stocked with everything: from links to websites, to DIY instructions to inexpensive meal recipes that I wouldn't have been able to find on my own. None of the projects or recipes in the text seem unnecessarily complicated or difficult, either, which is more than most can rightly ask for.

I especially commend the author for her honesty mixed with the conversational tone she wrote the book in. It's a very refreshing book, especially compared to the amount of commercialism that other books preach in the effort to sell products. (As a general rule, I don't trust any book that emphasizes objects/tools and where to buy them more than it emphasizes the possibility of someone making their own tools or even forgoing tools altogether. This book emphasizes personal power and knowledge over tools and objects.) In a society that emphasizes the "necessity" to spend money, this is a very good book for any cash-strapped (and otherwise) Pagan/magician/witch/shaman/Wiccan/etc. to have.

I can't wait to try out the DIY projects and the recipes.

Deborah Blake is one of my favorite Witchy authors. Everything she writes is done with a light hearted sense of humor that makes reading enjoyable and relatable.
Witchraft on a Shoestring is not only enjoyable, but practical as well. For many, a lot of the everyday items the ideal Witch may own, may not always be what the common Witch has avaliable. And some items can be pricey. Deborah Blake gives useful tips on how to make your own supplies cheap, or to find them for free! However, she also reminds us, that you don't have to be a well stocked Witch to practice your craft.
This book is a definit must have for any Witches' library.

Review:
Being a broke college student, this book really sparked my interest. Knowing how much a fancy cauldron or an intricate chalice can be scares off a lot of people who are really interested in the craft. This book has some great and very useful advice on how to save money and still be in tune with the goddess/god. The book opens up with a relatively short chapter that sends a message to those worried about being broke all the time and not being able to practice the craft with the elaborate tools you see online; All you need to practice witchcraft is belief, will, and focus. Over the years I have been studying Wicca, I have come to understand how true and meaningful this statement is. The way the author writes and the voice she uses throughout the book is comforting, non-judgmental, and great for new practitioners and vets alike.
The next two chapters focus on how to find information and how to make your home feel more like a sacred space and not just a place for your stuff. The book gives you some great etiquette tips on how to contact other witches and pagan authors and how to use books and the internet to find a ton of free material on the craft. The home section, while very informative, was the only part of the book I felt I could do without. To me, it just seemed like general home improvement tips that didn't really fit in with the rest of the book.
The next two chapters are probably my favorite ones. They cover what inexpensive items you can substitute for the ones you find in craft stores for hundreds of bucks and homemade crafts that cost little money at all. It's very easy to read and understand as the author has created a this-not-that list of things you can use. And the crafts are broken down by materials, so whatever you have laying around the house can easily be turned into something beautiful and altar worthy!
The sixth chapter focus on recipes for each Sabbat that cost under $10 to make (45 dishes in all)! Everything from pies to eggs, from cookies to breads, even a recipe for Moussaka! All have ingredients that correspond to a particular Sabbat or Full Moon (Esbat) and all sound amazingly delicious!
Chapter seven lists 50 simply everyday things you can do to enhance your practice...for FREE! Simple things like going for a walk or helping out someone can be witchy and empowering.
The final chapter reiterates the fact that all you really need to practice the craft is belief, will, and focus. It is again a nice uplifting message that we all should take to our hearts.

Verdict:
Deborah Blake has quickly became one of my favorite pagan authors with her uplifting writing style, her wonderful and easy tips, and her knowledge of the craft. This book is a must have for all following a pagan path and those thinking about following it. It's very well done and I just love it.
9/10

Points of contention:

-Her phrasing can be a little confusing when it comes to witchcraft. She uses witchcraft interchangeably with NeoPaganism (or what you will) at times, which is a mistake I made once and only once due to the verbal whooping it got me. Some people take issue because witchcraft for Neopagans is akin to mass for Christians. It's a religious/metaphysical practice, not the religion itself.

-Cultural appropriation. While I agree as we go through life we should glean inspiration from all we encounter, I think we should also fully appreciate those sources. The book seems to be a primer so I can understand the lack of elaboration on sources, but I find it a little unnerving at the same time. Two examples are the Goddess's Eye and Corn Husk Dolls. While she does mention that the Goddess's Eye is inspired by the God's Eye of the Huichol people, that is the only mention of it's origin (I had to do an internet search to actually learn of its original purpose and significance). Then there was the corn husk doll, which is described as a "traditional Mabon craft" and makes no mention of their South American origin. Corn and corn dolls are not indigenous to Europe and the cultures that inspired Mabon.

-The book seems more inspirational than instructional. There are interesting ideas, but it doesn't go into as much detail as I would have liked when it comes to their execution. I would have thought it nifty if she at least included book references to non-occult books for certain crafts or ideas so one could get a better elaboration from an outside source, but that route isn't explored.

-I also felt a little disappointed that a lot of the recipes involved using prepackaged cake mixes and such. I'm one of those nitty-gritty DIY harpies so my natural inclination is a cake is not a cake if it comes out of a box. Using prepackaged items is certainly more expedient, but it's not more economic in terms in price by very much if at all.

Other than that the material was OK. The tone is friendly and lacks the excesive pomp and theatrics of other texts. I'd recommend this book to a curious individual or a newbie to the modern concept of "occult". Some of the ideas may seem like no brainers to long time practitioners and aforementioned DIY harpies, but I can see this book cutting back on some areas of trial and error for those new to the Craft and those who don't have Wd-40 running through their veins.

"Witchcraft on a Shoestring" is a terrific book for any and all pagans. It reads easily and has many practical suggestions for those who cannot or prefer not to spend a lot of money on their practice.

Very well written and I usually find Deborah Blake's books very easy to understand. Thank you Deborah for being such a wonderful authoress! Witchcraft on a Shoestring: Practicing the Craft Without Breaking Your Budget Blessed be.

this is a good book but unfortunetly nearly all of the things she talks about i have thought of before but still a nice book and i do like it i think ill use it as a todo list.