I finally got the chance to read this book, I bought it used. As a person who doesn't know any fellow witches to share her views with, I thought this would be a book to read. Communing With the Spirits: The Magical Practice of Necromancy Simply and Lucidly Explained, With Full Instructions for the Practice (Hardcover) I was delighted to hear from Lucy Wright about her inspirational work as a ‘hedge witch morris dancer’. This is self-initiated solitary morris and is for everyone, particularly those who normally feel excluded from morris ‘on the grounds of gender, race, class or disability.’ She goes on to say, ‘I’m busily trying to invite as many interested people as possible (they can dance wherever in the world they happen to be) and sharing the resources they might need to give it a go.’ Rowan met new friends and the solving bit of the mystery at her aunt's town, makes it just a fun and light read. I definitely finished this in one seating and I just laughed at some of Rowan's antiques with her friends. The fact that Rowan is just this robust character with a brilliant personality makes this a good companion novella for the main series.

Hawthorn is very much the plant of the hedge witch and priest/ess. It can help to bring a union with a familiar spirit and to make communications with many spirits a possibility. But hawthorn brings us challenges that must be met with courage…….This kind of thing is called a petitioning. It works effectively if you have made, through the plant, a connection with Nature that is respectful and of goodwill. (Some other plants that can help with prosperity magic are flax, oats, wheat, pine and oak. But each species has its own particular take on matters such as sufficiency or abundance. Your spells can be framed accordingly.) Samhain/Hallowe’en (October 31st) is the time when we can most easily commune with those among the dead whom we have loved and also honour the ancestors who lived too long ago for us to have known them. Plus, we can bless the unborn – the generations who are yet to come. The illustrations add a very nice touch (though technically not necessary), and a surprising amount of atmosphere. The cover is quite fetching too; I like the simplicity, the muted white, the style of "Hedgewitch". It is very appealing. Leave in a bowl some cake or honey, cream or apple juice or other biodegradable treat. Or sing a song for them.)

Say, ‘As I fill my pot fairly, so may I/we receive sufficient prosperity. May it come from those who can afford it to me/us. May it come as such things as gifts, grants, awards, patronage or fairly paid work opportunities. I need it for such things as……(here list all your expenses, such as ‘paying my bills, food, rent/mortgage, heating, house maintenance, clothes, transport, health, gifts for others, leisure and learning.’) As my cause is just, let me receive all the wealth that I need, without harm to anyone. By root and stem, leaf, fruit and flower, in the names of Mother Earth and the Lord of the World Wood, So May This Be.’ You find great pleasure in being close to nature, having your vegetable garden, and being able to practice natural ways of living in everyday life. THE GREEN HEDGE WITCH goes into detail about the symbolic hedge between the Worlds and how we may start to work with nature spirits, principally trees. The technique of exchanging blessings with the trees and other land spirits is described fully. The main focus of the book is the healing of damaged places and species and the renewal of harmony between human beings and other life forms. (In my opinion, this is the most important work we can do and is a present day version of the hedge witch’s traditional role.)Such work may seem complicated, requiring a lifetime of magical learning and much magical effort. But it is fascinating. And it can also be very simple……. Mitchell, Mandy. Hedgewitch Book of Days: Spells, Rituals, and Recipes for the Magical Year. Weiser Books, 2014. Some people connect the kitchen and hearth witchery closely to hedge witchery. And I must agree that all of these practices are mostly based at home, where you feel the most magically empowered. I do question a great deal of the history and mythology, as she's given no references for it other than scattered bits of Gardnerian and Alexandrian lore.

There are many, many ways to practice hedge magic and hedgerow spirituality now in the present day and to reinterpret the themes and ideas. In my own work, they can be blended with such things as natural magic, Wicca, Green/environmental spirituality and faerie lore. (We may work alone but that does not mean that we are uninfluenced by other approaches and styles.) For me, hedge witchery and hedge priest/esscraft must be creative, aligned with the times that we live in, exploratory, healing and, as far as possible, original. Therefore, dear visitor, if you proceed, your hedge magic and spirituality will not be like exactly like mine because your own individual style will emerge with experience. After all, you are a free spirit. The festival of Imbolg occurs, in the northern hemisphere, at a time of increasing daylight and new life in the natural world. It is a natural time for spells of renewal of good health and inspiration and creativity. Or of magical power……... You use Florida Water or essential oils for cleaning and you just adore the smell of freshness around you.Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies (Hardcover) Will Rowan be able to uncover those responsible for these misdeeds or will the magical world be exposed for all to see?