Forest Magic

January 15, 2024
It is “our sacred duty as witches of the woods to serve them in any way we can,” writes Van De Car (Shadow Magic) in this slim and appealing compilation of pagan rituals celebrating trees, plants, bushes, and flowers. Cycling through the “Wheel of the Year,” Van De Car highlights 12 pagan holidays and the plants associated with each. For example, at Ostara, the spring equinox, readers can fashion a wand out of an alder branch to provide protection, while during Yule, or the winter solstice, aspiring witches might hearken the return of daylight by sweeping away negativity with a pine branch broom, or boiling pine needles for “a good energetic and physical cleaning.” The clear instructions and inventive ritual interpretations are suffused with the author’s genuine and infectious wonder at the natural world. Of a twilight ritual, she observes, “All things are possible now, when the world is malleable. And remember—this time of promise and potential comes every single day.” Enriched by Manon’s evocative illustrations, this is an ideal gift for the pagan-curious.