Wild Witchcraft Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies by Rebecca Beyer weaves a deep love for nature and plants with history and makes it surprisingly entertaining! No textbook vibes here at all. However, I learned so much and know I will likely learn more reading this book.

I have always had a curiosity about the craft, so that and the gorgeous cover of Rebecca Beyer's new book Wild Witchcraft enticed me. This is a good book for the beginner practitioner or just someone like myself who would like to learn more about the subject. I liked that there was a brief history of witchcraft and it's various practices as I did not have much knowledge of it's history. From it's early history in Europe to the connection of Indigenous people, I found it to be informative and fascinating. I think the fact that this book focuses on herbalism makes it very accessible. I enjoyed the practicality of the book as it focuses on the foraging of various plants and they're various uses. It is clear that the author is passionate about the subject and that made me excited as a reader and it also made me eager to learn more.

Writer Rebecca Beyer has spent many years in Appalachia and bring readers her experience with witchcraft and foraging in the new book Wild Witchcraft. Acting as a practical guide for herbalism, Wild Witchcraft helps witches create their own spells and rituals, and includes recipes for teas, salves, and tinctures, while also sharing the history of folk witchcraft in Appalachia.  Beyer encourages readers to explore the wild world around them, but also guides new foragers on how to do this safely and sustainably.  Whether you've been practicing for years, or are looking into green witchcraft and herbalism for the first time, Rebecca Beyer's Wild Witchcraft is an excellent place to start and build from while maintaining a green ethic. 

Wild Witchcraft is available today from Simon Element.

With Beyer's impressive credentials in Plant and Soil Science and Appalachian Ethnobotany, this book is far more than a how-to guide for the modern practitioner. Weaving together a rich history of the craft with modern application, Wild Witchcraft also provides instruction and cautions around foraging and cultivating. Beyer writes with respect and an eye toward inclusivity, sustainability, and cultural context. Personally, my favorite section of the book is Part Four and its journey through the seasons, rituals, and observations along the Wheel of the Year. Beautifully written, carefully researched, and thoughtfully organized, Wild Witchcraft is a timeless treasure for anyone seeking to better understand our natural world, deepen your relationship to it, and create meaningful seasonal, spiritual practices.

Rebecca Beyer is an Appalachian Ethnobotanist and I would have gladly read an entire book just about eco-conscious foraging by her. I would also have read an entire book about Appalachian folk herbalism, having grown up with much of that tradition myself. Her writing is clear and unpretentious. It feels authentic. I am not of her faith so I just skimmed over those bits and got to the good parts: practical planting & cultivating basics, tools, (again) eco-conscious foraging, and seasonal rituals and remedies. My favorite part of the book was the section of herbs most easily grown from seeds (as that's my current hobby). I would have loved more of this book. I would have especially enjoyed a longer section on harvesting and preserving herbs. All in all, I would recommend this book as a brief history and overview of mountain herbalism.

Thank you to NETGalley for sending me a copy for review.

Even thought the author does include disclaimers, as a pharmacy student, I feel as if I have to put this disclaimer: do NOT use any herbal products before talking to your pharmacist/doctor first, especially if you are already on medication.

Cool, now that that’s out of the way, I loved this book! It’s honestly one of my favorite witchcraft books that I’ve ever read. It was so informative, and the author is so knowledgeable and just generally cool. She knows so much and is a natural teacher. She remains culturally sensitive and cognizant throughout the book, which is necessary especially when talking about this subject matter.

Over all, I 100% recommend to any level of practitioner, this book is truly special. I will certainly be purchasing a physical copy to supplement my practice.

This book was a very nice overview of “wild magic”. I appreciate that the author was very conscious about BIPOC and cultural appropriation. This book was basically a memoir with some discussion of herbs and foraging thrown in. I liked her inclusion of the wheel of time and some different uses of the herbs. I am a very literal witch so I get frustrated when the recipes say “you can swap out this” but that’s just me.

Loved this book. So much incredible information. I can't wait to get a copy for my shelf. I recommend this book a lot!

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I requested to read Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer as I am always interested in reading books about both plants and healing. This book is a reference book exploring the healing or deadly qualities of various plants and herbs. The writer explores in detail their uses and how to cultivate your own supplies.

This book has beautiful artwork throughout as well as a stunning cover design. The very detailed historical research is written in a readable and interesting manner that retains the reader’s interest. I would be very keen to obtain a copy of this book for future reference.

In the past couple of years, I've found myself getting more interested in the practicalities of witchcraft. Is it general research? A search for knowledge? A pull towards actually practicing? Who knows! Whatever the reason, this book was a great next step!

Wild Witchcraft is beginner friendly and inviting. It starts with the author's own personal journey and then launches into a history of various practices. I'm definitely in a position where I don't know what I don't know, but the first section of this book felt thorough and well-considered, laying out the information a budding witch needs to find their footing. There are also plenty of nods towards the way that witchcraft contains various - occasionally blended and sometimes appropriated - cultures; it's an idea the book returns to many times and does not shy away from.

From there, Wild Witchcraft becomes a how-to. How to forage, how to make use of what you've found, how to celebrate the main holidays throughout the year. Again, all the information is clear and easy to absorb, but also laid out in a way that will make it easy to return to and reference. I can see myself going back through when I want to relearn a bit more about a specific herb or be reminded about how to make an infusion. The information is all there for when you need it.

My qualms with this book are more structural than anything. The writing felt a bit choppy and certain ideas were repeated more than once, as if I might have forgotten something discussed only a paragraph before. While I don't think these things would bother me if I was just referring to a certain section in the book, they did stand out while I was reading from start to finish.

All in all, a fascinating, informative, and respectful reference text that would likely be useful to knowledge seekers and practitioners alike!

3.5/5

This is a great resource for anyone interested in gardening, foraging, and folklore. You don't even have to be interested in witchcraft to find some interesting things to help with your garden. It does have some interesting recipes for teas, tinctures, and salves that DIY/Home remedy enthusiasts may enjoy. It has plenty of advice and warnings for the foraging bits and even more for the section on poison plants, which honestly was fascinating. Overall, a great resource for any reader interested in these topics.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon Element for providing me with an e-ARC of this book, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

First, I’d like to thank Netgalley for my Arc of this book. I can’t wait for it to hit the shelves! Incredibly thorough and respectful, I can tell Beyer put a lot of heart and care into crafting this. I’ve learned so much I can’t wait to put to use and I think this book would be perfect for anyone looking to enhance their gardening/foraging skills, newbies and experts alike. It’ll be getting high praise at my store once it releases.

This is honestly one of the best books I’ve read in the witchcraft sphere in a while. Wild Witchcraft is a rich and well thought out book: It’s a guide, gardening resource, and herbal folklore dictionary in one. In an age of constant beginner books it is refreshing to see a book about a specific topic in such depth. The Rebecca Beyer goes out of her way to provide context and background to modern American folk practices; Making sure to site BIPOC individuals who are often left out of the witchcraft and herbalist dialogue. Beyer is well aware of her privilege and seems to be doing a lot to give back to BIPOC communities. Never did her conversations around land stewardship and honoring Indigenous practices and peoples feel disingenuous or over done. While not everything can be applied to my practice, this is a book I plan on adding to my wish list as a reference resource. (I mean also just look at that cover; Stunning!) My favorite parts were the folk lore added to all the plant guides, it reminded me of my favorite podcast Elder Hour.

I loved how the author emphasized the impacts of indigenous, Asian, and African peoples to the history of witchcraft and folk-healing as well as the western application of it today. The inclusion of plants to grow (as well as some FYA on poisonous ones!) was very informative and gave a lot of information presented in a really nice way. The emphasis on foraging and the sections on the different plants you might find, along with their identification and uses in food and medicine was fantastic! My only wish is that there were images or drawings included rather than only descriptions. I loved the remedies and rituals as they were shown, along with interesting notes about each one. Overall, I really loved this book and learned a lot from it!

Wild witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer is a wonderfully written book on herbal magic. This book goes over how to grow your magical garden and how to use it. I loved how each plant had lore written about them and had both medicinal and magical information as well as how to use it. The sections on spells and rituals was well written with classic spells and rituals that any practitioner should know.
I recommend this book for both beginners and advanced witches because it has some herbs that are not always included in these kinds of guides.

Will enjoy adding this to my resource shelf, and reading over again! Love working with nature and wildcrafting.

Interesting history on witches, herbs and gardening. This book is ideal for a green or kitch witch. Lots of information to absorb and to bring forth any practice.

I learned quite a bit from this book. I found myself taking so many notes that I’ve decided to buy myself a copy for reference. Wild Witchcraft is well-organized, meticulous, and absolutely fascinating. It offers incredible knowledge on plants and recipes. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the following: herbalism and foraging, folklore surrounding plants, homesteading, and/or witchcraft and healers and their history.

Thank you NetGalley and S & S for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading through Wild Witchcraft and it is definitely a book I would like to have a physical copy of.

I have recently developed an interest in growing different herbs, among other things so I decided to check this book out and I’m glad I did. The amount of information included in this book is amazing and I feel like it’s something I could continuously go through and still learn something new every time.

There are certain books I want to see in person and this is one of them. I loved seeing and holding Fire Lyte's book, "The Dabbler's Guide to Witchcraft:Seeking an Intentional Magical Path" because of the paper chosen for the pages. It is gorgeous. And I would expect no less of this book given the beautiful cover.

Now to the guts of the book. It is wonderful!

I love that the author addressed bioregionalism. The fact is some plants are going to do better in certain regions over others. There are some planting and gardening basics, but I appreciated the recipe for potting soil. It was properly attributed and very easy to follow. And that is a real strength to this book-Beyer uses what you might have around the house. The tinctures will requure you to grow or buy some items but they are doable. Each highlighted herb also includes both medicinal and magical use.

This is my first read so I will be going through it again for my blog. At initial glance, I'd be curious about the moon's effects on herbs, planting and magical uses. Also, I would love authors to give pictures of what a healthy plant/herb looks like versus unhealthy. Someday I would also like one of these craft reference to address blood for plants, ritual, menses, etc.

Overall, this is a great addition to anyone's craft or medicinal library and you don't have to be a trained herbalist to benefit from it.