Spellcraft and Spellwork [45th Book Club Discussion]

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Hello, friends!

There are a few of us who are reading the book Spellcraft and Spellwork by Ariana Carrasca for the 45th Book Club (Feb. 2025).

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[image from Ariana’s website]

This thread was created to give those readers a space to discuss the book without taking over the main book club post. If you’d like to join in with this read, please feel free!

For those who are reading Spellcraft and Spellwork and would like to discuss the book, this is the place to do so.

Currently, the following people are reading this book this month:

@tracyS
@MeganB
@dan3

→ A continuation of the Spells8 45th Book Club :books: February 2025! ←

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Thanks Megan! Here is some of what I posted elsewhere. Basically, I am intrigued with the book so far but I’m only starting.

I have struggled with the duotheistic ideas of Wicca and others. The first chapter of this book defines several of the most prevalent and popular theories/practices. This is an exciting teaser. It seems to imply that what is coming can help with any of our disciplines. It makes me want to see how comfortable I am with Carrasca’s approach to what spells are and how to use them. The writing is plain and in a modern style that is comfortable to read. It makes me want to read the rest.

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I’ve got several books on the go here, the above, my almanac, my Norse mythology book (yes I’m reading yet another version of the mythos :rofl::sob:, I’ll never learn all this stuff :flushed::crazy_face:) and Spellcraft, so I’ll try not to mix the books up. :face_with_monocle:

My first curiosity is how alot of modern witchcraft stems from British magical history. I have two books on English witchcraft in particular, so now I’m wanting to start those. :person_facepalming: I love how the book talks of Grimoires (chapter one), Wicca, Crowley and basically my country’s magical history! Boy I should know this stuff better but now I want to delve more into my country’s witchy history as this has got me curious, and made me see how much I don’t know.

Off to get more books - Amazon is going to make a fortune out of me from this book, I can feel it. :partying_face:

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If you haven’t seen it yet, look at the Wiki article about Crowly. It also supports how much English authors, benefactors and personalities have influenced us.

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Fascinating article, the man influenced so much.

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It makes sense when you think about the colonization of much of the world. For example, the United States was colonized by Europeans who brought their practices and beliefs with them. Granted they weren’t witches at that point, the folk traditions still existed!

Ari is also a great resource for English folk magic. If I’m not mistaken, her practice centers on Eastern Anglian magic and Brittonic polytheism because that’s where she’s from.

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Wouldn’t that be a project, to strip down our country and find each root practice minus other countries influence. Like here, the practice of the Britons before the Norse, French, German, Romans etc etc came here. I think last time I did a trace on this it led me to Wales, as they have a completely unique magical practice that isn’t Celtic, Norse, or any other influence. Another rabbit hole :face_with_monocle::crazy_face:

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I buzzed through the book, and looked at the notes in the back, saw a link to Ariana’s YouTube channel and started a dive down multiple rabbit holes looking at YouTube reviews of her book (there are several). They tend to say the same things - that it is a short book aimed at explaining how to do spells but in a very understandable way. They mentioned how clear, salient and thorough her foundations for her approach were. I have tons of notes, the task will be to winnow them down.

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So cool i didn’t know we had an actual book club… I will have to join in sometime :blush:

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Hi!

I’ve gotten lots of links to books from the different monthly book clubs. This is a separate page (it’s open for everyone) so we can discuss the book Spellcraft and Spellwork. It’s a cool book that Tracy started and two of us decided to jump in (hence the extra thread). That way we won’t hog the postings on the actual book club page. If you want to look at the others (the current one is open until the end of the month), search for the 45th Book Club. There is an intro at the start that explains it all.

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For real! :joy: I think it would be absolutely impossible because of how synchronous and integrated different faiths become over time.

Yes, we do! :blush: It’s just like @dan3 said! This is just an extra space for more targeted discussion of one book rather than hogging the other post.

The main post is here → Spells8 45th Book Club :books: February 2025!

This post is for those of us who are reading the same book to discuss the book without taking over the main book club post :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: feel free to hop in!

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Thank you so much I will see if i can squeeze in another book :blush:

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Having read a LOT of How-To books, I’m struck with the idea that they are books of lists. How well the lists are put together determines the outcome of the book.

In Ariana’s case, I think she does a great job of it. Her explanations are clear, far from tedious, and helpful. She dissects spell work and stays away from confusing language and prejudices. Her quote about how we use magic was interesting: “The structure in which we employ magic is a spectrum and its down to the individual to decide how they shall utilise it (chapter 3)”. Maybe said in many books but Ariana seems not only to explain it well but also stick to the idea of it.

I am using some of her terms regularly now… her way of charging a spell is my favorite. “I wind, I bind, the spell be mine.” (page 60) A sure sign the book rubbed off on me.

Dan

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Oh… and somewhere in the reviews I’ve read, I picked up the comment that the book was aimed at beginners but also had great information for those with experience. @tracyS , @MeganB - you two have vastly more experience than I… what do you think?

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I don’t think so :rofl: I know Odin doesn’t think so.

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That sounds about right to me. I think I probably mentioned it in my review on my blog :laughing:

Edit: Yeah, I said something like that. :joy:

Though the target audience seems to be new witches, I think every witch can benefit from having a copy of this book.

Book Review: Spellcraft and Spellwork by Ariana Carrasca – 'Round the Cauldron

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Ok, it’s not drawing me in and I’m not sure why :person_shrugging:

It’s a good book with lots of really useful knowledge, and maybe a year ago it would’ve helped but right now, alot of it is too mmm :thinking: formal, yes, I think that’s it. Perhaps because I practice alot in the Nordic tradition as it plays out here, I don’t follow correspondences, candle colours, moon charts, star charts, numerology, circles (although I do practice protection with amulets and charms alot so that point was very relevant :grin:), I just don’t feel it matches my particular practice.

One thing stands out as very nice however is that in her spells at the back, I can easily and within a good price, get the ingredients, that’s something refreshing to see. Alot of spells in books, have lists of ingredients, expensive crystals, fancy herbs and it’s just not practical, so this part of the book I loved. :green_heart:

It’s a great book and I’m going to give it a 10/10 because it’s not the fault of the author that my practice is out of whack with the rest of the world :person_facepalming::laughing:, that’s on Loki. :rofl:

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That’s totally fair! I’m glad you liked it even though it’s not too relevant to your practice.

I am wondering what you think about the models of magic and how those may correlate with your own views of magic in the Nordic tradition. Did you make it that far in the book?

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I think a few things relate to me. Under Models of Magic, spirit model is very relevant to Nordic witchcraft probably most witchcraft whether it be deity, land spirits, Fae, ghosts etc. The Energy model wouldn’t fit as we work with spirit, runes connect to spirit, landvetter, spirit animals it’s all very spirit orientated even if you look at it scientifically (Like Odin Order and Loki Chaos for example), that is a rare view and most Norse practioners would still call on Thor in times of trouble :laughing:

Under Principles of magic: The law of knowledge is crucial to my practice but then I think this is for all really. I suppose the Law of Contagion could apply to runes :thinking:, I’d have to ponder that.

I like the way she explains all the different magical processes, just because I don’t use them, doesn’t invalidate them which is why I gave it a 10. I don’t do alot of spell work like prosperity or justice spells, most of my work is about spirit contact and trying to learn these damn runes :rofl:.

Like I mentioned above the amulet section really related as I use charms alot, I do use candles but more in spirit work as opposed to spell work and colours don’t really matter, well not to me. :crazy_face: I suppose you could plonk bind runes under Sigils. :thinking:

Meditation would fit into Uti-Seta but it’s done different and me and meditation are a working progress, most connection is through dreams which is exhausting, I’d much prefer meditation but I’m too easily distracted :laughing:

Obviously pretty standard practices like grounding, cleansing apply to all.

It is a good book, I just don’t fit into the organised way she does everything. I don’t have set ways to ground, set ways to contact spirit, set ways to set up spells. Each day, each moment is different, which is why I’ve stopped journalling as there’s multiple journal entries for the same thing. There’s definitely principles there but I can see she’s very together and orderly which I admire, and no matter how I try, I just can’t get that organised with my magical practice. :rofl:

Edit: I was pondering this the other day as I was going through my Norse books. Alot of Wicca and New age has gone into alot of my Nordic books, which is not a bad thing but I’ve learnt from other Nordic practioners, that this isn’t authentic to the Nordic witchcraft model. It’s alot more earth energy based, using raw materials found in the moment, using runes alot hence the emphasis on learning the sagas, rune poems, old Norse and the Eddas and that will deepen the experience. So sometimes with the Norse practice I constantly feel I’m at the beginning. One day I’ll get there, in the meantime Odin has a set of earplugs that he puts in everytime I practice my old Norse :rofl::laughing:

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This makes a lot of sense and is what I had expected just based on what I know from what you’ve shared. My practice seems to fall in the middle of the spirit model and the energy model – I don’t know that I’ve ever even considered the psychological model :laughing:

Thanks for sharing all of your thoughts and how they fit in with the concepts in the book! I think you’re right about Wicca and New Age information permeating Nordic practices. Those things are kind of everywhere now lol we can’t really get away from them but they’re not always authentic to what we’re doing.

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