Book Title and Author:: Witchcraft Therapy by Mandi Em
Status? : Still Reading
My overall rating of the book : 9/10
How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: As I mentioned before, I’ve been in a rut/funk/yucky place whatever you want to call it, and I’ve been needing to get out of there as it’s not been good for me. So when I saw this book I said “Let’s give it a go, you’ve been wanting to delve deeper into the craft, so this is a twofer”.
My personal thoughts/opinions: It’s been excellent. She’s good about giving adaptations for those who may not have access to certain materials and there’s flexibility to make the rituals your own. And there’s been so many points that made me really sit and think. And it’s practical and common sense as well, like taking safety seriously, and that sometimes in the morning you don’t feel grateful and are inclined to be thinking “Oh fork”, not “I’m so grateful”. She admits she doesn’t go for the “woo” angle, and for those of us who were raised in the sciences, it’s relatable.
I’ve gotten to try so many different things: I’ve cleansed the house with salt and an herbal spray, I’ve made a poppet, I’m starting to incorporate more morning ritual and meditation (with the realization that I’m not coherent 1st thing in the morning), and there’s a lot more I want to try.
She also talks a lot about the marriage of the magical and mundane, you can do all the spells you want to get a job, but you’ve also got to send out resumes to get a job. She also talks a lot about how magic is empowering, and how sometimes toxic positivity creeps in and we need to soundly reject it.
An interesting quote from the book: Do I have to pick only 1? It’s quite lengthy so I’m going to paraphrase.
"Modern spirituality can quickly turn into a contest of who can be more forgiving/loving/positive when bad things happen. There’s nothing wrong with those goals, but this is undiscerning (aka toxic) positivity and is not effective.
If bad things have happened to you, it had nothing to do with your vibes, worldview, or amount of effort you’ve invested. We all have a tendency to experience the consequences of our actions, but some things are completely and totally beyond our control. No matter what your beliefs are, sometimes bad things just happen.
Much like those bad things, trauma is difficult to define because it’s multi-faceted. It can be from one event or many, it may be concrete or vague.
But it’s entirely subjective. Other people cannot define your experiences or judge the marks that they’ve made upon you. When dealing with trauma, there’s no room for comparisons, judgment, or expectations regarding the “right” way to heal. Despite the current cultural climate that favors toxic positivity and the use of spirituality to bypass negative emotions, the very best thing you can do for your own recovery is to hold space for your trauma rather than invalidating them and pushing through. You can recognize that lingering in pain may not be serving you while still giving yourself the patience to heal from it on your own terms.
Magic can be a wonderful part of the healing process as it’s about empowerment. Many of the things we experience stem from an imbalance of power, and by means of magic we can transmute those things as a way to take power back. But a wise witch knows the critical importance of help and safety, reaching out for support, and engaging professional and legal help if needed."
All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes, and I’m going to continue working through it.
I’m kind of in a re-read some books 
phase before I move on… more as like just refreshing & reinforcing what I know to continue absorbing & building off what I’ve learned so far.
So my goal is to finish the ones I currently own before getting any new ones 
I hope it’s a great read for you (and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it)! 
