Anatomy of a Witch is one of the best books on the subject I have read in a long time! Laura Tempest Zakroff brings the book to life with her insight. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject

I loved this book and the artwork was perfect. I recommended this to a friend. I went out and got my own copy.

A good read for the spiritually minded who is looking for some self care encouragement. That said this isn't exactly indepth or mind blowing. Its more like I said, encouragement. If you're wanting ideas and a comfort read, this is a great choice. Or if you're looking for a gift for the witchy person in your life who needs perhaps to take things slow right now and take care of themselves.

I loved this book! The artwork is beautiful! This book is the embodiment of body positivity. I felt better about my own body after reading. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Un libro que te pone a pensar en el cuerpo humano como algo sagrado. Es fácil dar nuestro físico por sentado, pero Laura te hace ver las cosas desde otro punto de vista, cómo entender nuestros músculos como nuestro templo personal, nuestro ser como una deidad, y a nosotros como un altar a nuestro espíritu. Es un libro de autoayuda y desarrollo espiritual para brujos, pero personas espirituales en general lo encontrarán igualmente fascinante.

A book that makes you think of the human body as something sacred. It is easy to take our physique for granted, but Laura makes you see things from another point of view, how to understand our muscles as our personal temple, our being as a deity, and us as an altar to our spirit. It is a self-help and spiritual development book for sorcerers, but spiritual people in general will find it equally fascinating.

Not an easy read but fascinating and well thought. I liked the exercises and the information.
I will surely use as reference as it's full of information.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

An interesting book to read. I read it from front to back and enjoyed it immensely. Thank you to the author.

Anatomy of a Witch by Laura Tempest Zakroff

9780738764344

216 Pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
Release Date: June 8, 2021

Nonfiction (Adult), Religion & Spirituality

The book is divided into the following chapters.

Introduction
Chapter 1: Witch Lungs
Chapter 2: Witch Hearth
Chapter 3: Serpent
Chapter 4: Witch Bones
Chapter 5: The Weaver
Chapter 6: Loving the Magical Body
Chapter 7: Touch the Sky, Kiss the Earth
Chapter 8: Tending the Cauldrons
Chapter 9: Home Within the Temple


I absolutely love this book. The way the author describes the different processes for each part of the body is so easy to understand and makes so much sense. She also includes the elements and the Tarot with the connection to body parts. The artwork in the book is beautiful

I was lucky to listen to the author talk about this book and explain the concepts during LlewellynCon. I plan on spending more time with this book and working through all the exercises. If you want to know more about treating your body like the temple it is, you definitely want to read this book.

As to be expected from Zaroff, another interesting and engaging book that focuses on one of a magical practitioners most important tools; their body, both physical and magical.

I found the exercises to be quite fun personally and as I've come to expect from Ms. Zakroff I felt at home like I was having a nice long conversation with a dear friend.

Highly recommended!

Witch and mistress of the sigil, Laura Tempest Zakroff, is back with her new book Anatomy of a Witch. Zakroff attempts to add a new spin on body postitivity by aqcainting magickal correspondences to particular non gender specific body parts. I did enjoy her take on animism. Who doesn’t yell at inanimate objects like laptops -“what are ya, a f**king toaster?”. Some good health and safety advice is given in regards to bodily fluids. Nicely the author acknowledges readers with aphantasia and their frustration with visualisation exercises. As expected from this author excellent sigils are provided with clear use of intent.

I disagree however with the authors sentiment that someone practicing the craft despite which path would have a different body or parts to other humans. I found her chapter entitled ‘The Serpent’ poorly researched, poorly presented and smacked of appropriation. The hand activation exercise “kitten, bunnies, ferrets” is really twee. Annoyingly the referencing by the author of her YouTube channel is an unnecessary distractraction throughout the book. So too the authors made up word “Witchual” instead of ritual. In fact recently I’m finding writers attempting neologisms so “FETCH!” Please stop it.

A bit of love hate with this one. Beginners may find this book useful and those disconnected from their bodies. A Good Kundalini yoga class would provide more.

*eArc provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Anatomy of a Witch was the book I needed at this particular time in my life and witchy journey. It's the kind of companion I didn't know I was looking for, to help me not only understand the power and magic within my physical body, but to allow me to open up and embrace it with the love and acceptance I struggle to achieve. Reading this book at the end of each day was a welcome balm and reminder to take care of myself. A few of my favorite things about Anatomy of a Witch: the framework of your body as a pentagram and the connection to the Elements; the connections to the first 10 cards of the Major Arcana in the tarot, which allowed me to gain a deeper understand of each card AND each aspect of my witch body; the practical exercises, journal prompts, and "witchuals" provided throughout each chapter (not just at the end); the inclusion of specific sigils for each chapter that can help me connect even deeper with each aspect of my witch body. I can't say enough good things about this book, and it is something that I will continue to reference and reread throughout the rest of my life. Yes, I immediately pre-ordered my own physical copy of this book as soon as I finished the advance copy! I'd recommend Anatomy of a Witch to anyone on their own witchcraft journey and/or anyone who would like to approach their relationship with their body from a loving and magical perspective. I am so grateful for this book.

I quite enjoyed this, I found it informative and interesting, and enjoyed the fact that it was so interactive.

This is a very personal path, and many of the things discussed here are only achieved through personalised trial and error, it takes time and hard work put into crafting your own spells and/or sigils to achieve end goals.

But it's a good guide none-the-less, and the illustrations add a lovely touch. I especially liked the addition of sigils. I enjoyed it enough to investigate more by this author.
Thanks to Net Galley, the author and publisher for my ARC.

Not a beginner's book by any means...but a wonderful concept nonetheless. I love that each body part is covered and the author pulls in tarot card meanings and symbolisms. It really broadens the understanding of that metaphysical body part.
This is so full of great information that it really will have to be a resource book in my colelction. Something that I can look to and work on each body part one by one, meditating as I learn. I need the physical book now.

This book is not for beginners AT ALL. It means "anatomy" literally. Each chapter focuses on a part of the anatomy and includes a lot of tarot imagery. Honestly, I couldn't follow it and I'm NOT a beginner and I'm familiar with the tarot. So, I'm unsure who it's written for. Definitely not for me.

Very informative book. Full of a lot of useful information. This book will also be very useful for future reference.

Laura Tempest Zakroff is a multitalented artist, dancer, writer and more who runs her own youtube channel and is already author to two books concerning witchcraft. I have yet to read them but know she is held in high regard for work in modern traditional witchcraft. In Anatomy of a Witch we see her draw on her many skills and knowledge to create a holistic guide for the practice of magic that utilises the body as the main tool and focus, in doing so it also provides a wonderful system for a witch to connect with their body and use as part of a wellness practice.
In a market that has so many witchcraft 101 books its hard to find a book on witchcraft that is not just for beginners. This is that much needed book, its still very accessible in Laura's beautifully poetic writing style, but it expects a grounding on modern witchcraft and for the reader to know what a sigil is, for example. She does explain the meaning behind certain practices, when its required to help create our own ritual or 'wictuals'. I also really liked how she discussed and explained concepts such as sovereignty within the context of the craft. For those aware of the Irish poem Cauldron of Poesy, she draws on it in this book.

I honestly love this book, it is well structured and thought out including an array of activities connected to each chapter and part of the body from journal prompts, tarot cards, breathing or movement exercises to spells etc. Laura is able to show her wide range of knowledge and intricately weave many strands together into a solid system that I believe is truly beneficial to any practice. I cannot recommend it enough; it is a sophisticated text that makes for an empowering read that has made me want to read Laura's other books. Also she must be given props for quoting Terry Prachett!

(I received a copy via Netgalley in exchange for a review however all opinions are my own)

[Actual rating: 3.5/5]
[First Glance]
I’ve used lots of sigils created by this author, pulled from her blog at Patheos called A Modern Traditional Witch. When I saw this book and the premise of connecting to your body as the most magical tool in your possession, I figured it was worth taking a good look. Based on her writings elsewhere, I trusted that she’d consider health and mobility issues with kindness while taking us on this exploration of the physical self.

[Positive Bits]
First of all, I was right to trust this author to handle physical issues with a gentle touch. Time after time, we are reminded that our body does its job by holding a space for our spirit to exist. Illness and age come for us all, and that isn’t an inherently bad thing! The tone throughout this book encouraged people of all ability levels to work with their bodies and reconsider the relationship they have with different parts of themselves. I imagine for some, the idea of radial self-acceptance and self-compassion would be mind-blowing.

One section I particularly liked was where we looked at consumption and how it affects our magical body. From what we eat to what we read, the things we consume feed us at some level. This means the meals we eat can be eaten with intention, be they a smoothie bowl full of nutrients or an energy drink to get us through a long work shift. Awareness is key in both food and media consumption. If you know that your diet of media doesn’t include much variety, you can choose to diversify your content sources and pop your own media bubble. Stretch the mind, learn, and grow!

In another chapter, there was a beautiful explanation of why we shouldn’t tie our reproductive organs, gender, or sexuality to our magic. This is something I struggled with earlier in my path, as so much of that time’s magic was binary (or else!). As someone who’s fought infertility for years in hopes of starting a family, it’s always important to remind myself that my body’s ability to carry a child isn’t the start and end of its value. That might seem obvious to some, but it took embracing the idea of nonbinary magic to really internalize not being a failure over infertility struggles.

[Less Enjoyable Bits]
I’ll start with something that bothered me, though I’m having an issue with why. One of the sections of the magical body we look at is the Serpent, and I knew going in that I’d likely find some pause here depending on how it was handled. The Serpent is essentially kundalini energy from Hinduism, but rebranded. There’s nothing actively wrong with it or the chapter describing it, but it felt borderline appropriative in a way I didn’t jive with. Kundalini is mentioned in one sentence of the chapter on the Serpent, and then we continue on to other serpentine representations in mythology and religion. I would’ve liked more acknowledgement of the source code here, I guess?

As a poet, I’m always hesitant to review poetry books the same way you might review fiction or nonfiction. I feel that poetry and poetic prose are highly subjective. That said, I didn’t connect to the charms and poetic chapter introductions. I tried slowing down, reading them out loud, and counting syllables – all to try and figure out why I wasn’t connecting with them. I think they were just a little too wordy for me personally, but your mileage may vary.

I really wanted to find something in this book. A connection between my magic and my body strong enough to help override years of body shaming. A new look at the magical body that approached the topic outside of borrowed systems. A toolkit for some serious magical maintenance on my meat mech? While this book uses some interesting and unfamiliar focuses, it didn’t speak to me. Some references included:

> the Cauldron of Poesy – a medieval Irish poem listing three cauldrons that control the body and spirit in different ways
> Tarot – the first ten cards of the Major Arcana are tied into the chapters
Kundalini energy – while renamed as the Serpent, those familiar with Kundalini will likely understand and enjoy that connection
> dance – as the author is a dancer and artist, she makes many references to joyful movement that may resonate with those similarly inclined

Is it worth the coin? Yes – if none of my “less enjoyable bits” make you reconsider, then this book is for you. It wasn’t for me, but I enjoyed reading it enough to be glad I finished it.

Everyone’s journey is different as are our bodies. This book does a great job in explaining how YOU and your body are part and parcel of YOUR JOURNEY. Because everyone and everything is all connect, just as your body and its systems flow. You need to maintain your body, or as the author says, “tend the cauldrons in your body”.

This is a great read and includes sigils and charms as well as a journal and exercises to follow. While the journey is yours, you should make the most of it and this book will help you maintain the most important part of all…your body!

Do you want to have one more authentic teaching of witchcraft beside those from teachers, books, videos etc...? Where to find it? Imagine, it is there with you, in your body! And this book is all about that, it will show you the light of the stars deeply embedded under your skin. If you don't believe think again! Do you remember how much time is magic associated with human bodies and their parts? Many times, in many traditions. So in the body is witchcraft in theory and practice. This book will show you exactly how is that possible. In addition, little pearls of wisdom and advices are scattered through the text. In some minor places text is little too general and more explanations would be welcomed. So this is an interesting book!