NetGalley ARC

DNF! Again, the author comes off ver condescending, use the I AM, & claimed founder of tradition… red flags right there. In America this mean new age, unstable, and so much more. The tone the author uses is the same tone My Uncle used to manipulate his students in his Pagan practice cult he founded.

Do no recommend- do not allow teen to read as they don’t know enough to separate honest pagan practice and tradition to new made up ones.

This book overwhelmed me. It was written in a way that explained a lot of things in depth but I felt like I needed a prerequisite before diving in. I did not find the advice listed here to be helpful for a clueless beginner

This does have some really good information and things to think about. I think there is some Wicca influence [but can be taken away if not and adjusted]. Does give some things the reader could do themselves which is nice.

I appreciate that this is more of a guide to finding your own way -- as outlined in the title! -- versus a prescriptive fill-in-the-blanks type of book, which so many beginner-level books on witchcraft are. This felt more like an invitation to explore and understand on my own terms than an instruction manual. It's a nice change and I can see that there will be room for a book like this on many shelves.

Being raised Wiccan, reading books like this is always fun for me. I'm reading them less for instruction and more to see what's being put out there for those who aren't yet witches to learn from. This is a great option for beginners. I'm super impressed with the breadth of topic coverage. Enough detail is given to get someone firmly started without being overwhelming. All of the basics are here with clear examples and instructions. I really appreciated that there was time spent distinguishing and talking about the different origins of modern Wicca. As someone who was raised in a more loose version of Gardnerian/Alexandrian Wicca, it was nice to see that conversation being had.

Although...I did feel that the author is not a personal fan of Gardnerian/Alexandrian practices. Some of the key components were talked about negatively or dismissively. To each their own! I just didn't agree with some of her arguments against the traditional practices.

A Witch’s Guide to Crafting Your Practice by Lisa McSherry

4/5 Stars

I don’t often read to review books about the Craft, but I couldn’t pass up this little book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was incredibly gentle, it is perfect for beginners with soft descriptions and a very good but guiding push into information that is hard or overwhelming to accumulate by oneself as a beginner going into a google search for the first time.

Each chapter was it’s own instruction, with definitions, instructions, activities and more to help understand each section. It is incredibly informative without being too much. The book itself starts with the foundations like Magic and the ethics that come with it, the creation of an alter and how they work, and deity work before diving into the actual practice itself.

There is no pressure in this book to do things a certain way, each topic has so many options that it makes it very easy to explore at your own pace while also having the guidance you could possibly need.

The only thing I didn’t really enjoy in this book was the pressure and accentuation on Deity work and working with deities. It’s not something I personally do and I think that if it was to be pursued, there would need to be a lot more information on it than what this book gives you.

Overall, this is a book I would recommend to anyone that is interested in the practice, new, old, or returning.

I really liked how the author broke down some core elements of practice. This book would have been very helpful when I was a young witch and resources in my Bible belt town were scarce. At times it seemed a little dry and verbose...but it was easy to puck out and hone in on relevant elements.

I’ve read a lot of which books and how to books when it comes to the craft and witchcraft and this is by far one of my favorite pieces. The topics in this book are clearly written and easy to read and it’s obvious that the author knows what they’re talking about and knows their stuff. This is like the beginning book that you should read even if you don’t know what you’re doing yet, because this book will help make things very clear to you and help you adjust to your own practice and create what you want out of your practices .

As someone who is trying to get into witchcraft (the Virgo in me demands to know everything all at once, this book was extremely helpful. The focus is on you and your practice, not feeling like you have to do all of the things you see on Instagram and Witchtok. I will definitely be reading it again and taking better note of all of the things I want to remember,.

This is a good introduction to the craft, informative and well explained. There's not a lot if you are more experience but I believe there's always something new you didn't know.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

It is a nice overall introduction to witch craft. I like that it goes into more specifics and details then some others that give you a general idea without any real specific suggestions.

I really like how this book explains things from scratch. Everything is explained well and in beautiful detail. It is certainly something I will reference in future.

This is a great book for those just starting out on the path. Helps you understand how to make the craft uniquely yours.

A Witch's Guide to Crafting Your Practice is a great introduction to the craft. The book is also a good reference material for more experienced practitioners, and provides unique perspectives on how to make the craft your own. Highly recommend.

Basic Spellcrafting

This is a very nicely organized book. Lisa McSherry designed this book using two parts:
1. Part 1 - Foundation
2. Part 2 - Practice

In Part 1, Lisa begins with the Book of Shadows. She provides the history on the Book of Shadows and it's modern day usage. From here, Lisa discusses and suggests the organization of the Book of Shadow's contents and indicates the supplies needed, if one decides to make their own Book of Shadows. She provides a list of materials and instructions for making your own black and brown magical inks.

The second process of Part 1- Foundation is creating your altar. Lisa states there is no particular location that is required for your altar to be placed and that there are many types of altars, whether they are permanent, seasonal, or of any type. This is the section whereas your magic begins.

In Part 2- Practice, the author discusses the things dealing with your mind, such as: relaxation, meditation, and visualization, and emphasizes that these practices should be done daily for at least a month in order to create a habit and a daily practice of mindfulness and stillness.

She discusses various techniques for energy work and techniques for creating, building, and maintaining your shield of protection. Additionally, she discusses quite a number of topics, tools, powers and beings, activities, rituals and spells that will be used your craft work.

I enjoyed the bonus materials provided, such as the Spell and Elemental Worksheets. The glossary of terms provided is well appreciated.

This book has a significant amount of helpful information for a beginner to the craft.

A well put together introduction that I hope to see more in the vein of as the field continues to grow in interest. There is more interest in metaphysical and occult topics than there are responsible people writing for the field, I am glad to soon have this in my arsenal for recommendation.

This is a brilliant introduction to the craft. The books talks to you clearly and allows to to practice to a way that you feel comfortable with, from setting up and alter to preparing for the spell craft. One of the better beginners books I’ve read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for gifting me this ARC! I really enjoyed this book. It is one of the best "beginner" guides to witchcraft I've read in a long long time. It was very detailed and informative, and the activities were a great way to bring the concepts in each chapter to life. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be using it and gifting it.

This book is a great introduction to The Craft. The author takes you through the basics and builds on them so that you can create your own altar, perform rituals and create your own Practice. I really like this book for it’s approach and will be gifting it to a few friends for the holidays. Well written and clearly laid out.

I initially requested A Witch's Guide to Crafting Your Practice because I thought it would be a great research book to read, but while reading I felt welcomed back into the Craft with new, gentle insight into this practice. Lisa McSherry writes with a welcoming, accessible style and comforting voice, and I particularly appreciated the author's care to make their writing gender inclusive. This is a book you could read cover to cover, or chapter by chapter, and work with as a beginner or someone more advanced. The lessons and topics include creating an altar and Book of Shadows; performing rituals; and a helpful glossary. Offering the foundation needed to start and grow your personal path, the author offers decades of study that will doubtless be helpful and strengthening to anyone curious about starting out their journey.

I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of A Witch's Guide to Crafting Your Practice. These opinions are my own.