I'm really keen to learn more about the power of natural remedies so when I got opportunity to read this book I jumped at the chance. It was well presented and easy to read, I have picked up some great tips to use moving forward. Would definitely recommend for anyone looking to explore the power of nature.

This is the perfect book for anyone interested in practicing herbal magic. Plus, it’s a wonderful directory of a variety of plants in addition to a list of goddesses for anyone interested in connecting with them. I usually see these kinds of directories purely in text form, so I was excited to see all the beautiful artwork that accompanied this information. It’s an extra touch that goes a long way.

I personally found this book to be very informative, especially for beginners. There’s quite a bit of general information in the opening chapters, so it’s perfect for people who are new to spell work as well. I also learned some information in the early chapters that I had no idea about, so you never know what you’ll find in this handbook that’s brand-new information to you! Plus, there’s a variety of spells at the end of the book that I think is great for anyone.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It’s very informative and is aesthetically pleasing. The only drawback is that there is one font used from time to time that’s extremely difficult to read. Otherwise, it’s a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in herbal magic or looking to expand on their knowledge about dabbling with herbal work.

Interesting tidbits of history and information here. I liked the section on the specific plants - what each one is, ideas for how to use, etc. The last section of the book with rituals was a bit thin and could've used more.

This is an informative book, full of information and a great resource if you want to learn something about herbs and magic.
The illustrations are wonderful and I am thinking of buying a copy because I want it in paper.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I found this book easy to read and understand. I knew the basics but learned some new things as I read it. I enjoyed it and will recommend it.

Herbal Magic is a beautifully illustrated book geared to many types of readers with interests in Wiccan, magical lore, herbal, flower and crystal studies, spells and rituals, and moon phases and zodiac information.

This book with its lyrical poetic prose and magical writing leads the reader, experienced or beginner through delightful chapters that do not disappoint.

I loved the theme of how we are connected to the earth and the possibilities that we are not alone in our spiritual journey. This book provides all the insight on where and how to enhance our journey, through various ways.

Thank you #NetGalley and Wellfleet Press for the advanced reader copy

A very cute and good starter for those interested in herbal magic. Visual - lovely watercolour (assuming) illustrations placed throughout. Correspondences and herb profiles as well.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A beautifully illustrated book about Herbal Magic. It covers both the basics of herbal magic. Along with the more practical aspects (tools both physical and mental) along with growing, harvesting and preparing your herbs. It also covers herbal magic lore, which I found one of the most interesting parts of the book! The "Directory of Herbs, Plants, and Flowers" also proved to be a wealth of information. Last, of course, you have your "Spells, Rituals,
and Recipes" A gorgeous and useful book that would make the perfect gift!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Its an interesting book, some great images/ art.
Not exactly what I was hoping for, but still some good features.
I definitely recommend it to those who are refreshing or getting acquainted with magick and herbs.
Thanks #NetGalley

I absolutely love this book as a resource for my craft! I am always looking for new pieces of literature on green witch type of magic and I am so happy that I was approved for this one! I will be going back through and taking notes on all of this wonderful information. While some of this was information I had already gathered from previous research, there was a lot of great and more unknown information in this!

The drawings in this book are so lovely that it could easily work as simply a coffee table book. I love the information both historical and practical on the use of plants and herbs. I would refer to this when choosing essential oils or trying to practice intentional and mindful cooking.

Book Review: Herbal Magic - A Handbook of Natural Spells, Charms, and Potions by Aurora Kane
Genre: Religion and Spirituality / Health, Mind and Body
Publisher: Wellfleet Press - Quarto Publishing Group
Release Date: 29th July, 2021

About the Author
Aurora Kane is a practising Witch from America. She is a founding member of the Coven of the Moonbeam Ravine which is such a beautiful name for a coven. Other books that she has written are part of this collection that are being released by the publisher. She has contributed Moon Magic and House Magic to that series. According to GoodReads she will also be contributing Goddess Magic to the collection next year. If it is anything like this book then I am going to love it!

About the Book
The book is described as a directory of magical herbs along with thirty-six spells related to attraction, enchantment, trust friendship, fortune and success. There is specific guidance on how to create spell jars, make herbal poppets and brew herbal teas.

It’s an introduction to using herbs in your practice; looking at the magical properties of different herbs, how to use them, how to source them, or if you prefer, it talks you through how to harvest and dry your own herbs. Furthermore, it explores how you can blend them into your spells to harness their properties.

As I mentioned, the book is part of a series by the publisher. Other books in this series are: Moon Magic, House Magic, Love Spells, Knot Magic and Superstitions. For me, Herbal Magic is the one that stood out the most as it is part of my own personal practice.

My Thoughts
Firstly, I was slightly dubious about this book. I’ve found that when publishers do books that are part of a collection they tend not to be very good. They might choose a few topics such as: crystals, herbs, astrology etc. and release a book on each one as part of a a bigger collection. This is fine, but usually they seem quite rushed, and I’ve found that sometimes the writers are not actually knowledgeable on the topic they are writing about. For example they may not actually be a practicing Witch, Astrologer or a Green Witch; someone that works with herbs. They might be ghost writers or people who write about lots of topics. It doesn’t mean they are not well research, by any means, but for me it takes away from that personal connection the author would have with their topic.

However, I will say that this is definitely not the case with this book. As I mentioned Aurora Kane is very much a practicing witch and she has a great knowledge of the topic!

The book is really beautifully designed and I imagine a physical copy of the book is super beautiful. The images are stunning and they look like they’ve been done with watercolours as they are soft and gentle on the eye.

It’s also very poetic in the way it is written. The introduction itself is a poem and it gives the book a real magickal quality. Aurora has a lovely lyrical way of writing.

She starts by covering the basics; things like, ‘what is a herb’. You might think that’s obvious, but actually, in magick and Witchcraft the term 'herb' covers a lot of things. Like Aurora says, it’s not just the seasoning you might use when cooking. It’s all things from plants and flowers to trees. If you are a beginner looking to start working with herbal magick then this is a great book for the basics. I love how she discusses what makes herbs magickal. It’s important to know how and why things work before you start working with them.

For me, Aurora really captures why a lot of people, not just Witches, are looking at
using herbs in their daily lives. She talks about, ‘balancing the stress and unease of modern-day living with natural, simple, mindful practices.’ and for me that’s what it’s all about. Taking time out from the fast paced, sometimes chaotic world of modern life and falling back on ancient wisdom to help you navigate life in a more natural way.

I think it’s worth noting that the author takes the stance of ‘do no harm’ when using herbs in your craft. I also follow this Wiccan and Witchcraft law, but I know there are Witches out there that don’t follow the Wiccan Rede or Three Fold Law. It doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy the book, just know that it reflects the author's personal values. Saying that, she also discusses being respectful in terms of using herbs which is something that everyone needs to be aware of when using things from nature in their craft. It's important to make sure your practice is sustainable, especially when it comes to harvesting and using herbs.

One of my favourite thing about the book is the illustrations of the herbs and flowers with their correspondences - they’re so pretty! It’s how I want my book of shadows to look but I have zero artistic talent.

I also learned some new things from this book which always makes me really excited. As well as the correspondences for the herbs; what their magickal properties are, Aurora also explains other things that can enhance or as she says ‘amplify’ the power of the herbs. Things such as a herbs correspondence to an element, masculine or feminine energy, the planets and zodiac signs. In another chapter she also does something similar with colours, candles, crystals and moon phases.

I was aware that these correspondences existed, but now it’s made me excited to really consider them and take advantage of them in my magickal workings. For example, connecting with a particular element when working with a herb that is attuned to it or working with crystals and herbs with similar energies. At this point I was going to say how disappointed I was that there were no specific examples of herbs to use with the different elements, planets, crystals etc. It’s something you can easily find out, but it would have been good to have some specific examples to start with.

But! Oh my days! Later in the book my disappointed was addressed in the best way possible way, because there is a WHOLE chapter called ‘Directory of Herbs, Plants and Flowers.’ For seventy-three different herbs the author has included:
- the common name and latin name
- planetary companion
- daily correspondence
- zodiac sign
- element that connects to the herb
- it’s energy - masculine /feminine
- magickal properties
- suggested use
- AND a sample spell to get started.

The book, for me, is so worth it just for this section alone. I think for a lot of witches who are interested in Green Witchcraft or using herbs in their craft, this is the dream! It's what we hope our Grimoire would look; to have all of the correspondences for the herbs, the key information and a little illustration. Personally, I have started collating something like this for a few herbs, but to have so many done, like this, in such a beautiful way is amazing! It would be so great to have the option to print them or to have them as separate cards to add to your Grimoire.

Something else that stood out to me while reading was a little section about setting intentions. For beginners Aurora explains the basics of spell work and how to set intentions for spells. It was really useful to have a refresher of this because I feel like my intentions are all over the place at the moment, and it’s probably why my spells have not been very effective. I don’t want to give away too much but she emphasised to me just how important the small details are. Things like, being clear, being consistent, being patient and ultimately having that belief. It has some really great advice for beginners and some subtle reminders for more seasoned witches - which we all need now and again.

My favourite chapter was 'Herbal Magic Lore.' Aurora looks at Goddesses, trees and fairies. Obviously, I loved the Goddess section. She looks at a range of Goddesses from different pantheons: Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Celtic, Norse, Indigenous North American, Chinese. As well as a little bit of information about the Goddess, the main thing I liked was the herbs and flowers that link to the goddess. This is really nice to know if, like me, you are quite new to working with Goddesses. It’s a really easy way of inviting them in to your practice.

The last section of the book features a range of different spells and rituals that you can try, and adapt for your own purposes. I won’t say too much about them because there are quite a few. One I think i will try soon is for extinguishing bad habits. There is definitely a bad habit i have at the moment that i need to sort out!

Final Thoughts
I did have a negative point about the book - that there were no example herbs included with the various correspondences, however, that totally went out of the window when there was a whole chapter dedicated to the seventy-three different herbs and their correspondences. So I don’t really feel like I have any negatives.

One quick note. The author does mention ‘smudging’ when she means 'smoke cleansing', and this is something I’ve done myself in a previous YouTube video. Now I am familiar with the idea that ‘smudging’ is a specific practice and has a lot of ritual surrounding it. In most cases when we are cleansing things with herbs it is smoke cleansing. I thought it was worth pointing out so people are aware before they go into the book.

I really enjoyed the book and the author’s style so I definitely want to look at more books by Aurora Kane - particularly the one she has coming out next year! She explains things in a really lovely way and I get along well with her writing style.

I hope you enjoyed this review and found it useful. I will add a link if you want to purchase the book - let me know if you check it out and what your thoughts are.

Ophelia.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wellfleet Press for allowing me to read and review an advanced e-copy of this book.

This book was not what I expected or hoped for. I use herbs extensively and hoped for more detailed information about growing and using herbs (for medicine and magic) with less about non-herb subjects. There was not very thorough information at all about the herbs. The layout is beautiful but I found the text very long and dull, and found myself skimming it.

Beautifully presented with stunning illustrations throughout that bring the pages to life. Information packed, and a witches must-have book on herbs and their properties. This book also includes information on flowers, moon magic, and some bits on astrology too, which was unexpected but appreciated! There are recipes and suggested usages throughout, meaning that this book is great for beginners and those who are experienced with working with herbs.

I do agree with some other reviews that state that this book could have included more in-depth information, and best practice when working with the herbs. Such as plant identification, how/when/where these herbs grow best and how best to harvest them. This point is importnat because the book does mention that some plants are dangerous and should be used with caution, but doesn't really give any further information. Because of this, I would give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.


Thank-you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC for review.

Herbal Magic by Aurora Kane is, I believe, one of a series based on different aspects of contemporary magical practice. I had not heard of this author or the series before receiving this book to review, but as an experienced Witch myself I was intrigued.

First off, the book is very pretty, with an aesthetic which mimics parchment pages and delicate, coloured pencil botanical art, which I can appreciate. It is separated into a series of introductory chapters which cover the basics of herbal magic, such as energies (aka energetic “genders”) and correspondences including colours, crystals, moon phases, and Goddesses from different religious and spiritual pantheons.

The second half of the book includes a brief directory of selected herbs, plants, and flowers, followed by a sampling of spells, rituals and recipes. It doesn’t include good information on how to plant, grow, or harvest any of these herbs — so if you’re wanting this, I’d recommend checking out the work of Jekka McVicar. It does give a little information on drying herbs for magical use, however.

There are some great nods to the historical use of floriography (using flowers to send secret messages), plant intelligence, and old, alternative names for some herbs (e.g. “eye of newt” being mustard seeds). I liked the brief introductions to spell jars, kitchen magic, poppets and worry dolls, brews and teas, and altars. I found the Goddess section to be quite hit and miss; some of the information given was good, whereas in other places it was incorrect — and why just Goddesses? There’s no mention of any Gods.

I found the layout in some of the initial chapters to really confuse me — for instance, in the moon phases section (pp.82-83), the moon phases are given in two columns per page — but these columns are not read left-to-right, but rather vertically, so you’re actually reading top-to-bottom for each column, and this really messed with my head. I found it confusing and counter-intuitive. This layout choice is also found within the zodiac signs section (pp.26-29), where, inconsistently, the first two and final two are all given in the left-to-right orientation, but the eight in the middle are given in the top-to-bottom format! All this goes to say that the layout choices for this book are not the best.

I like the colour correspondences, and that they go beyond the more “basic” or “traditional” intentions of love, beauty, prosperity, et cetera, and include intentions such as truth, comfort, kindness, and stability. The inclusion of “crystal enhancers” is also nice.

The Trees section is very sparse; only nine trees are given, and these are very traditional: Ash, Elder, Elm, Hawthorn, Hazel, Holly, Oak, Rowan, and Willow. While there’s encouragement to leave an offering to any tree (or plant!) from which you may harvest, there’s no mention that the traditional, or preferred, offering for the Elder is blood. Other trees do pop up in the herbal directory, however.

Additionally, I have some minor quibbles with some choices made within this book: the Elder tree is not called the “Elderberry”. She’s called “Elder”, that’s it. Equally, Cornflower is more commonly known as “Cornflower”, not “Batchelor’s Button”, and I know “Honesty” as “Honesty”, not “Moonwort” — however, I am reading as a Brit, and I note that the entry for Coriander leads with its American name of Cilantro, so some of these could just be regional differences. The inclusion of plants which could be considered to be weeds (e.g. Dandelion) is a great touch, as is the inclusion of plants which can easily be found in gardens as well as those which would be harder to find in the wild (but not necessarily in the “world foods” section of a large supermarket, for example).

In terms of the herbal directory itself, each herb is given a page to itself, with its Latin name and correspondences (planets, days, zodiac signs, element, and energy) shown at the top of the page alongside an illustration of the plant. There’s a brief paragraph summarising the herb, followed by magical properties, and finally a suggested magical usage and chant. It’s all very pretty but the information given is actually quick sparse — for instance, I would have preferred a much more obvious mentioning of any poisonous or toxic herbs — any warnings are actually in the summary paragraph and easily missed, which I find somewhat dangerous. Given there is space in the title “box”, couldn’t these warnings been included here?! It feels a bit “style over safety”, so, readers: please do be aware.

There are also multiple references to “smudging”, which is a closed practice belonging to some Indigenous peoples of the Americas; this cultural appropriation isn’t something I would expect of an author or publishing house in 2021, so it is a disappointment. Replacing this term with “smoke cleansing” would have been more appropriate.

Overall, this is a good primer, so long as readers read the herbal directory properly and spot the dangerous plant warnings, which are often hidden amongst other text. It would also work brilliantly alongside a book which goes deeper into this subject, a few of which I’ve listed below.

For those wanting more information about the magical properties of plants, then I’d recommend Susan Lavender and Anna Franklin’s Herb Craft; Paul Beyerl’s Master Book of Herbalism or his Compendium of Herbal Magic; or Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs.

If your interest is more towards herbal medicine, then Matthew Wood’s Book of Herbal Wisdom is a great place to start. For herbal kitchen witchery, then The Wild and Weedy Apothecary by Doreen Shababy is excellent. Also excellent is Harold Roth’s The Witching Herbs, which highlights thirteen more traditional (and baneful) herbs in witchcraft, and Amy Blackthorn’s Sacred Smoke, which is a contemporary guide to using herbs in spell craft and smoke clearing. Finally, for more on folk magic, folk herbalism, and plant lore, then the works of Corinne Boyer are a must.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, Wellfleet Press, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Herbal Magic by Aurora Kane has beautiful plant illustrations and bountiful plant and magical inspiration. This book would be a great beginners book to learning about magical plants. The book also has good beginners witchcraft information and magical correspondence to help the reader with their practice. I enjoyed the poems/ spells that accompanied each plants info page. This cute magical book would be a good addition to any witchy collection.

Review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4085851622

This book has some major problems and huge missteps. Unfortunately, it delves into unhelpful and unneeded gender essentialism. The author labels herbs as either having masculine or feminine correspondences with no nuanced discussion on gendered language, queer experiences, or any other significant aspects of gender in magic. This addition of gender correspondences is just simply not warranted. This book is strictly tied to “love and light” new age concepts. The author boils down deities and the fae to only their light or positive aspects while completely ignoring the reality of these spirits and beings. This ignorant perspective on the divine severely harms the book's accuracy. The book also clearly states “do no harm” as a rule, which is extremely lacking the basic awareness of how magic and herbs have been used historically and contemporarily. Even more disappointingly, this book uses culturally significant practices, such as smudging with sage, in an inaccurate and culturally appropriative manner that harms the communities who value those closed practices. The spiritual community is having these important discussions about these significant problems and there really is no excuse for a new book to not be up to speed.

I really enjoyed this book. I love working with herbs and gained some valuable knowledge from this book. Thanks.

Aurora Kane is a prolific writer on the many aspects of magic. Herbal Magic: A Handbook of Natural Spells, Charms, and Potions is her 7th book in her 'Mystical Handbook' series. She highlights many goddesses and the herbs sacred to them with additional information on magickal properties of herbs and how to incorporate them into the practice of a budding or seasoned witch or herbalist.

What a gorgeous book! The artwork in this is absolutely stunning. And the knowledge! What a wealth of knowledge the author provides us. Truly one for all witches and craft workers to have on their shelves!