The first book in this series was a treasure hunt plot with hints of magic. The second book in this series was all about the magic with little actual plot. This book, the third in the series, combines the two, with magic AND a plot. The results are... okay. Remember a time when you felt negativity in a space and sought to dispel it. Plants like sage, rosemary, or cedar can be burned or sprinkled to banish unwanted energies and protect an area. Their powerful vibrations cleanse and shield, ensuring your space remains sacred and harmonious. Learn how to cast a protection spell with out tips for newbie casters. Here’s how someone living in a city can maintain a deep connection with nature and practice the craft with authenticity. Let's start with something simple regarding the actual content, then... Not in 20 years of practice have I ever once heard that we "use the phrase 'living the path' instead of simply saying 'practicing green witchcraft'". If they made it up for their own practice, and the author themself wants to say that? Fine with me. Good on them... But literally no one says that. They just don't. That's not a "Green Witch" thing.

All of this emphasis on "being an individual" and "forging your own path", and yet there sure are a lot of "Greencraft is [this]" statements going on here still... And honestly, after practicing for 20 years, I'm desperately curious where the author got all of this "Greencraft is" stuff. Because it's not the Greencraft I was taught; it legitimately sounds to me like they took your run of the mill Greencraft- a practice largely traditionally rooted in plants and herbalism (both medical and magical), and maybe a bit of local ecology if you wanted to get frisky... Made it about global ecology... Threw in some more generic Neopagan shit.... Dialed up the "earth worshiping Pagan" stereotype... And then just went ham with it without actually consulting anyone who practiced Greencraft.While I’ve given up any pretence of trying to catch up with the readalong of the wonderful Dark is Rising sequence hosted by Annabelle at AnnaBookBel, I am of course continuing to read the books, which I am enjoying very much. This will however, be the last of the books I will be able to review this year.

Imagine cozying up with a book on herbalism or attending a workshop on native plants. The world of plants is vast, and there’s always more to learn. By continuously educating yourself, you can make informed decisions, avoid harmful practices, and deepen your connection to the plant kingdom. Gardening: A lot of Green Witches grow their own herbs, plants, and vegetables, seeing gardening as a spiritual practice. They might incorporate moon phases, planetary alignments, and other magical correspondences into their gardening routines. Deborah Martin is a Master Herbalist and teaches us about sixty-nine different herbs in A Green Witch’s Cupboard – herbs that can be used in cooking, medicine, and magic. 5. Craft of the Wild WitchIt’s also, once again, great on human interaction: the pettiness of Barney and Simon toward the intruder, Will, and Jane’s attempts to bridge the two worlds. More out of a sense that that’s the girl’s job, perhaps, than because she has any genuine interest in Will for himself. Jane is the most reluctant of the Six — right now I’m wondering a little if that’s because she’s the only female character. I hope not, but there are so many scenes where she’s timid, more afraid than the boys… But at the same time, she also has a different understanding of the world, and a deeper view on things. She’s the one who can see the Greenwitch for the lonely creature it is, the one who can see Will for the strange being he has become. Which might, again, be rooted in gender, but I don’t think it’s any kind of simple binary. Which is a relief. For covens who prefer meeting outdoors, perhaps in a garden or a deep forest clearing, The Green Witch is a delightful guide to nature magic. It’s filled with practical recipes for herbal blends and potions, the properties of essential oils, and lots of ideas for healing and relaxation.” —Bustle Another of my problems is with capitalizing things to make them more significant---here we have the White Lady, Wild Magic, the Lady of the Sea, the Law, High Magic, and Cold Spells. They're mentioned but nothing is really explained. What exactly is this Law we're hearing about for the first time? Why would using Cold Spells cause the evil painter to be detected? Does that mean there are Hot Spells and Warm Spells and Lukewarm Spells? What's the difference between them? What's the difference between Wild and High Magic? Does that mean there is a Middle or Medium or Intermediary Magic? No answers here. There is a similar sense of second-hand witness to many of the supernatural elements of the story--rather than a straightforward confrontation, we get the children's puzzled perception of events as they peep at them from around a corner. Even the scene which concerns them directly--the scrying--is not narrated as it happens; we, like Barney and the others, must wait for Simon's story to find out what really happened in that caravan. I love how Cooper uses this delayed or relayed satisfaction to increase the mystery and awe. The ghostly ship is so much more chilling when seen incredulously from Jane's bedroom window, rather than impassively from some windswept cliff where horrors are to be expected.

The Green Witch Community on Tumblr: Many users share their personal experiences, spells, and herbal wisdom on this platform. Ritual and Celebration: Green Witches often celebrate the Wheel of the Year, which includes the eight Sabbats that mark the changing seasons. Their rituals might involve giving thanks to the Earth, celebrating the harvest, or honoring the spirits of nature. The writing is, as with the other books, very fine: there are some excellent set-pieces, for example when Will and Merriman travel beneath the sea to meet Tethys, or Jane looking out over the harbour — even the descriptions of the caravan. Imagine shopping at a bustling farmers’ market, choosing fresh, locally grown produce or handmade herbal products. Supporting local growers and artisans not only strengthens your community but also reduces environmental impact. It’s a way of practicing eco-consciousness, a cornerstone of Green Witchcraft, even in a city setting.Robert Macfarlane's introduction to this edition emphasises the spellbinding qualities of the series which he recognised from his youth and which he appreciates even more now. The spellbinding comes of course from words, from archaic rhymes and from the nature writing, as at the start of Chapter Three, and elsewhere: Another of Ann Moura’s green books, Grimoire for the Green Witch provides a full Book of Shadows for readers to use and adapt for their own green traditions. 4. A Green Witch’s Cupboard And, in the interval between Easter and May Eve when spring gives way to summer, this wild child, this scapegoat naturally seethes and is ready to have a tantrum; is there anyone who doesn’t want to use her, who will instead show her kindness and wish for her to be happy? So in essence, to sum: The author repeatedly proves themselves historically incompetent several times throughout the course of just this minuscule portion of the book alone (despite even mentioning the properly respectable historian Owen Davies, even. Though she did arguably misrepresent a conclusion of his research)-- as well as proving themselves simply uneducated about basic facets of Neopagan practice that have frankly been standardized long enough there's no excuse for being so far off the mark. And with the leaps and bounds we've made in our historical knowledge, there's doubly no excuse for how bad this book is.