The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft

This really is the ULTIMATE Guide to Witchcraft! With beautiful pictures and easy to follow explanations, this book is a wonderful introduction to anyone curious about modern day witchcraft - and exactly what that means.

I have read many books on witchcraft/paganism etc. and yet I still loved this one and the modern spin it put on it. I liked that right off the bat it explains what witchcraft and gives a nice history. The step by step guides were particularly helpful in knowing what tools you might need and exactly what you need to do. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this "magickal" book.

This is a brilliant guide to witchcraft in many forms. I love that the language is open, non threatening and positive. The photography is fantastic. It demystifies a lot of the current pagan practice. If anyone was looking to explore the Magick in their lives, this would be the first book of hundreds in my library I would recommend. I plan to buy the hard copy for my altar room. Fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds Press for this free ARC of The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft: A Modern-Day Guide to Making Magick by Anjou Kiernan. The review to follow is based on my own honest opinion.

Straight up I want to say that I will be buying a copy of this book once it’s published, that’s how much I enjoyed it! It comes in under 200 pages and still – in my opinion – is pretty close to an “Ultimate Guide”. This book covers topics such as:- astrology, tarot, candle magick, talismans, elixirs, Gods & Goddesses, Types of witches i.e Kitchen Witches, Green Witches etc, crystals and spells. That’s just naming a few. I should also mention, that although the contents are based on the Northern Hemisphere, the author has included a section towards the back on the Southern Hemisphere. The book is also filled with some of the most beautiful colour photographs.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46731153-the-ultimate-guide-to-witchcraft

Complete, filled with useful details for newcomers and rookie witches. Kiernan has a good, easy-to-follow style that you don't see so often. You will find almost everything you will need to get started in Pagan-oriented witchcraft, or "natural witchcraft" as it is named in the book. I only wish this book had been better edited since there were a lot of empty spaces that could have been used.

I adore this book. I'm a beginner in all things magick and witchcraft despite the fact that I have been studying and practicing it for years. I just feel that I can never read enough about it and I can never practice enough to move on from beginner. There is still and always so much to know.

I still don't know what kind of witch I want to become even though I am very strongly leaning towards the Green Witch variety and the plants I grow seem to agree with me.

This is a book and a guide with amazing pictures that illustrates its point and is perfect for novices like me who want to explore and learn more about the craft.

Each chapter was a special surprise and I absolutely love that it includes Seasonal Magick and how to charge crystals which has always been a challenge for me. This will definitely be a book I personally purchase for myself in the future.

Thanks very much to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of my ARC.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is an amazing guide to a number of topics related to Making Magick!
Beautifully designed and full of beautiful photography, I love it and definitely want a paper copy when it comes out!
This book talks about the different types of witchcraft and gives clear to follow instructions. It covers things such as palmestry, crystals, tarrot, runes and astrology too.
I found this book a fantastic read and an even more fantastic guide!

5 out of 5 stars!

Already going into this I'm biased to like it. Anyone sharing Witchcraft and making it known gets points from me. People need more books like this to become more aware of how amazing magick can be. I love that this guide starts off with origins of witchcraft as most guides I've come across are aimed at already practicing witches.

I'm a sucker for illustrations and this doesn't fall short of them either.

I'm still learning about Witchcraft and furthering my abilities so this guide going into knowing your own brand of magick was really helpful.

A full review will be on my goodreads closer to release date!

Highly recommend this guide!

https://www.goodreads.com/shaanhbxo

A great jump off point and introduction to variety of topics in witchcraft. Great for beginners if unsure where you want to go or what you might be interested in. Some interesting looking rituals placed throughout too.

Having read numerous books on this subject I am always looking to find one that brings something new to the table. This one is a breath of fresh air.

It covers numerous topics and is full of well researched information on them. A great book for anyone wanting to learn more or just to increase your knowledge already. Th ephotography was super as well.

Thansk to Netgalley and Quatro Publishing for the ARC (My review is my own opinion)

An excellent book for anyone who is new to the Craft and a good reference guide for more experienced users.
I loved the beautiful illustrations and how the book is organised.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

It is definitely the Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft. Written in a style that flows easily and easy to understand. It also covers more than the basics. A wonderful, as well as fun, read, it lives up to its name as The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft. I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Anjou Kiernan's The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft is one of the most accessible "Witchcraft 101" books I've come across, helped along by the gorgeous photos in the theme of her popular Instagram account. It covers all the topics you'd associate with witchcraft - crystals, herbs, astrology, cartomancy, spells, how to work with seasons and lunar phases, etc - serving as a good launchpad if you are looking for an overview of the practice.

The topics are arranged to demystify misconceptions first, followed by the gradual layering-on of various aspects that tend to overlap with or can be incorporated into another aspect. Kiernan also pointed out early on that this is a guide; practitioners are free to pick and choose what works for them ... something that I personally find appealing about this practice.

It's no secret that people are looking into ways to get in touch with their spirituality and that witchcraft is rising in popularity, maybe because it demands us to listen to the natural world around us and to take time out for focusing our minds. This book is timely and will make a lovely addition to a budding witch's library.

This eARC was courtesy of NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds Press.

A lovely book, full of information and tidbits. I would absolutely purchase to have in my reference shelf and refer back too.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley..

The photography in this book is absolutely gorgeous. I'm new to this topic, but this book was absoultely wonderful. I can't wait to read more like ti.

This is a gorgeously presented book which introduces a wide range of witchy concepts and tools for beginners exploring their witchy energy and power. The images are absolutely gorgeous and inspiring, and I love the modern feel which however manages to retain the all important connection to earth. A beautiful book.

Not only was this book beautiful, but provided an in depth look at modern day witchcraft! A must read for anyone looking for an introduction to modernized witchcraft.

~ARC gently provided in exchange for an honest review~

Wooow! This is absolutely "the ultimate guide to witchctaft". It's clearly explained and full of beautiful pictures and illustrations; a wonderful job. This book offers you a modern approach to witchcraft, and you can learn about its origin and how to connect with it. The author offers here a very concise guide and provides very useful tips.

I highly reccomend it to anyone who is interested on this topic or just curious.

What I liked:
This books doesn't spin tales or romanticise when it comes to the history of modern witchcraft. It's a sad truth that in 2019 many people are still telling grand stories about an unbroken cult of witches and taking Gardner as an academic source. The history in this book is brief but honest.

When talking about gender in magick, the author makes sure to address the fact that masculine/feminine energy need not be taken as men and/or those who don't menstruate can't do moon magic and that women and/or those who do menstruate aren't able to work with the Sun. Furthermore, if you happen to be uncomfortable with the binary model as an increasing number of Pagans are, you are welcomed to adapt the words you use to describe these energies to suit you.

What I didn't like:
Any time a book describes itself as an "ultimate" anything I become a bit apprehensive. Everything in this book is something you can find in 5 seconds on Google. It's the same basic information that already exists in hundreds of beginner books and on thousands of websites. As a result, it feels redundant in the genre and I was quickly bored.

The pictures, though gorgeous, take up more than half of an already very short book and feel like filler. The selling point seems to be the aesthetic and not the content. If someone asked me for a good introduction to witchcraft book I wouldn't be handing this one out.

Great high-level encyclopedia on all things witchy: theory, resources, rituals, tools, herbs, crystals, astrology and more. Gives you a good introduction to these topics, for you to choose which ones to delve into deeper with other resources.

I loved the photos and illustrations in this book, but I felt it was more basic and introductory in the text and not so much ultimate guide. It could work as a quick reference book though.

This is a beautiful and all inclusive guide to witchcraft. I learned some very important info from this book. The authors attention to detail is very much appreciated and I would recommend this guide to anyone interested in the craft.

I realized recently that many of the books I’ve been reviewing lately focus on an intermediate or advanced approach to the Craft. I may not be new to witchcraft, but many folks are, so I wanted to provide some resources for them, including book reviews. With that in mind, I requested The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft from Netgalley.

In all honesty, a large part of this book goes into unprecedented detail for a newbie magic book. The author gives us a quick tour of our history, peeks at natal charts and astral projection, and even includes instructions for reading a Lenormand Grand Tableau, in addition to the usual Tarot spreads. Of special note: I found Ms. Kiernan’s briefing on spagyrics very readable and easy to understand.

Ms. Kiernan is explicit when she says that she’s writing from a non-denominational, non-religious perspective in this book. She does, at several points, reference a pseudo-karmic “law of return,” and also describes the notion of a threefold law, as is popular with Wiccans.

Now, personally? None of that is part of my Craft, and it would’ve been great if the author had acknowledged in the book that not all modern witches view things that way. Much of what she says about ethics and especially the concept of a return gets presented as universal. This will be controversial, and I would not have included it myself, but it doesn’t really ruin the book or me.

Despite that, though, The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft does mostly read as pretty non-denominational, which is refreshing. Ms. Kiernan actually explains that some witches are secular or just non-Wiccan. That was a very positive part of the book, and I hope it will be illuminating to those just starting out and pondering the connection between magic and religion.

Much of the actual technique the book expresses has a strongly Wiccan flavor. I mean this mostly in terms of correspondences and the style of ritual it portrays.

Nevertheless, Ms. Kiernan is upfront about the Wiccan influence when it appears, and even discusses a bit of the relevant history with regards to Wicca’s influence on the modern Craft. I’m quite pleased to have found a beginner book willing to tackle history like this!

I don’t really mind that so many of the techniques in the book were developed in Wiccan traditions - they work just as well for non-Wiccans. While I’ve never really been a Wiccan myself, my own witchcraft developed alongside a healthy appreciation for Wiccan ritual and techniques.

The author clearly knows the current situation in the Craft community, and thankfully, this book does discuss cultural appropriation and provides thoughtful cautions for the burgeoning witch. This is rare to see in a beginner’s book, though such considerations are becoming more common with occult authors.

Over all, I give this book four out of five stars. It contains a wealth of basic information. It would be a great first book for a beginning witch. It tackles topics in detail that other beginner-friendly books just skim over or ignore. While I didn’t really come across anything new to me in this book, I definitely recommend it to newbies!

This is one of the best witchcraft 101 books I've ever read! The layout was very easy to navigate and the photography was inspiring and beautiful. Anjou Kiernan touches on everything you need to know when starting down a pagan path, while giving insights that will still peak the interest of more experienced practitioners. Even though I'm not a beginner, I would buy this book as a quick reference guide and to get inspiration from the imagery. Many books of this nature are all surface no substance, but not the ultimate guide to witchcraft and I would highly recommend it to beginner and novice witches.
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Chock full of terrific information. Learned a lot I didn't know about already, also learned how to simplify some of what I knew

I found the information in "The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft", by Anjou Kiernan to be both creditable and enlightening. You will find a deep connection to witchcraft through the wonderful writings of this author. I was surprised at how much I learned from this book, as I have been practicing the craft for 20+ years. You will not only want to read through the entire book but use it as a valuable reference. I think I filled eight pages of my grimoire from notes I had taken from this book. As a practitioner of the craft, I highly recommend this book.

Blessings

This would be a great guide for a new witch as well as a seasoned witch. The author made this the "Definitive" guide to astrology, tarot, candle magick, talismans, elixirs and Gods & Goddesses, I love the chapter on creating your own Grimoire. This is all encompassing and very useful to all who are seeking to educate themselves step by step in each area of interest. Topics covered include from learning spells, to a House Witch and Green Witches magic to setting up your alter. i enjoy the spectacular photographs throughout the book. This is definitely a book you want to buy in hard copy to use as a reference for your practice. It would also be a great gift for your witch friends.

Very well done and beautifully presented .I highly recommend this guide for all witches.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

I found some useful stuff within the book to add to my knowledge bank. It was set up good and was enjoyable. While it couldn't be a totally ultimate book on it because it would be the size of the empire state building, it gives some vast knowledge for a seasoned to a beginner

As someone who is new to this subject this book has proven to be invaluable. Not only is it beautiful and clear, it covers many topics in a way which is easy to read and understand. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC to review but will be buying a physical copy for my bookshelf for easy reference.

Awesome and fascinating book on the history of witchcraft. I really enjoyed reading this book and the pictures are fantastic. Really thoroughly done I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about this topic and craft. I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

Well researched and thought out book. I liked the breakdown of different witches...green witch, hedge witch, etc. The breakdown of chapters was easy and not ovewhelming. Called out exactly what you need to perform any rituals, or healings.

I really liked this one. I’ve read a few books on Witchcraft in the past and find this to be one of the ones that gets right to the point of what it means to be a Witch. It covers a little of everything.

I especially liked how detailed the index is because with a book like this, you may find yourself going back to it but for something specific. Looking for info on the full moon? The index will lead you there.. This may seem like a silly pro for the book, but I have read many a book that didn’t break the index down so completely. It doesn’t just tell you that crystals are on pages x-y. It tell you that rose quartz is on page xx.

I suspect the target audience of this book = those drawn to religions that full under the Witchcraft umbrella but who haven’t actually started practicing (that’d be me). Would I call it the ultimate guide? I mean that’s a bold name. If you want the historical story of Pagan religions? That’s not what this book is. If you want to know about rituals, crystals, phases of the moon, figuring out just what kind of witch you are, etc? Then yes this is the ultimate guide for getting your practice going.

“The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft” is a beautiful and substantial book of full-color (and sometimes full-page) photographs, detailed and thoughtful charts and diagrams, and clearly expressed, well-thought-out explanations of basic witchcraft systems, ritual, and practice. Its focus is to be an introduction to beginner witchcraft, but it’s one which more experienced witches may enjoy enough to use as a reference as some of the diagrams are particularly pleasantly-designed and easy to use.

While none of these craft practices is explored in very great depth, the book offers fairly involved summaries of lunar magick (how to work with the phases of the moon, and special circumstances), elemental magick (the five Western elements of spirit, earth, air, fire, and water), astrology (the planets, houses, and signs of the Zodiac, and reading natal charts, plus how to work with planetary influences), seasonal magick (the named full moons, the solar calendar, the quarter and cross-quarter sabbats of Celtic and Germanic tradition), crystals (shapes, types, uses, correspondences, and substitutions, as well as cleaning methods, and how to work with them), herbs (common herbal allies, associated intentions, harvesting, basic medicine-making, and ritual use), and divination (working with the ether, cartomancy, palm reading, dowsing, rune reading, scrying, tasseomancy, spirit and animal guides, dream work, spirit work, and astral travel). The book wraps up with some suggestions for personalizing practice, sigil and grimoire creation, working with familiars, adapting Northern correspondences to the Southern hemisphere, and a short but mighty set of basic rituals for the solitary witch. The rituals are generally pretty simple, with standard tools and ingredients appropriate to a beginner witch.

I usually don’t like “generic witchcraft” books that much, because they tend to regurgitate the same material (lots of tried-and-true correspondences and associations) while making actual practice seem inaccessible to newcomers by forgoing explanations, putting forward difficult spells without teaching anything about the traditions, systems, or energetic work behind them, or putting too much emphasis on coven and initiation work, even though many new witches are solitary. This is what sets Kiernan’s “Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft” apart from the others: with plenty of photographs, tables, diagrams, and explanations to guide the reader, the mysterious and esoteric world of witchcraft actually opens and blossoms in this lovely guide. It’s the sort of book I’d happily recommend to any new witch looking for a solid introduction to Western modern witchcraft practice, as it contains most of the fundamentals of Western craft without emphasizing a particular path.

While there are a few Western deities mentioned in the book, it predominantly focuses on Western magical systems, drawing especially from Celtic, Germanic, and Wiccan tradition. Religious freedom is happily reconciled with witchcraft in Kiernan’s open-minded introduction, and the rest of the book supports this idea by focusing on craft without delving into much religion. This makes it a good introductory book especially for Atheist and Animistic witches who may wish to study craft but aren’t interested in working with deities.

Anjou Kiernan has been practicing witchcraft since the mid-1990s, working with herbs, divination, and craft. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a minor in Anthropology, and enjoys history, art, ecology, botany, literature, painting, writing, gardening, reading, and antiquing. She can be found on Instagram under @lightofanjou and online at her website, Light of Anjou: https://www.lightofanjou.com/

Reviewed by Sarah McMenomy of PaganPages.org
https://paganpages.org/emagazine/2020/09/01/book-review-the-ultimate-guide-to-witchcraft-by-anjou-kiernan/

The perfect guide for beginners and more experienced witches with in depth knowledge and information.

This is a beautiful,detailed guide to witchcraft.The author #Anjou Kiernan has wonderful photography in this book I recommend the real version.It was a delight to read.
Thank you,
#Netgalley,#Anjou Kiernan and #Quarto