Intention Obsession: A Practical and Fun Witchcraft Companion with Self-Care Rituals and DIY Projects, Embrace Your Inner Witch and Manifest Your Dreams

by Erica Feldmann

Conjure an intention-filled life with this practical guidebook of magickal rituals for every season of the zodiac, from Erica Feldmann, owner and founder of the Salem-based store, HausWitch.

Let’s face it, we could all use a bit more magick in our lives. Even if you’re not ready to commit to a black velvet cloak or join a coven (yet), Intention Obsession is a book for all types of seekers, sharing practical magick and self-care rituals for any kind of lifestyle. Think of the magick in this book as an antidote to our world of relentless productivity, oppression, and estrangement.

As the owner of the popular HausWitch store in “Witch City” Salem, Massachusetts, Erica Feldmann knows firsthand that many people are curious about witchcraft, but don’t quite know where to start. This book is her invitation into a new, enchanting realm, where you can learn to create exactly the life you want to live by working with intention.

Organized by the seasons of the zodiac, from Aries to Pisces, this guide will showcase the archetypal powers of each season and teach you how to create a ritual regimen you can honor all year long. Filled with fun spells and DIY projects, like:
- Planting a pleasure garden for indulgent Taurus season
- Creating a DIY Shower Salt Scrub for watery Cancer season
- Mixing up magickal sun tea recipes to celebrate the sun in Leo
- Throwing a super-organized dinner party for type-A Virgo season

This book will empower you to craft a life of intention; defy oppressive structures like capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy; and connect deeply with the energies of the universe. Just let each page awaken your intuition and empower you to manifest your most intentional life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Witchcraft, Magic

304 pages, Hardcover

Published January 14, 2025

About the author

Erica Feldmann is the owner and founder of HausWitch Home + Healing, a modern metaphysical lifestyle brand and shop located in Salem, MA and online anywhere.

Erica has been using intuition to heal spaces from a very young age. A Chicago native, Erica moved to Salem, MA in 2010 to study witches and the sacred feminine in the Gender and Cultural Studies graduate program at Simmons College. The knowledge she gained there, combined with her innate talents with interiors, came together to form HausWitch, a company devoted to helping people heal their spaces and love their homes.

Reviews

[Cailyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Younger me would have eaten this book up at, but it didn’t have what I’m looking for as my spiritual practice has grown and changed. Very readable, almost list-acle in style. But I also know a lot of people are going to find this approachable, and more importantly actionable. The learn by doing approach is something great to see!

While I appreciated the core values that I’m sure the author and I share, the politics felt like they were from the first trump era, when people were wearing pink hats and safety pins. If we’re going to give political advice to meet this moment, we need to ask more of ourselves and each other then what 2016 had to offer.

[Madison Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a mixed bag, so I think a classic “Things I Liked” and “Things I Didn’t Like” list is the best way to explain my thoughts.

Things I Liked:

1. The photography and art design. This is book is simply beautiful. Designer Tai Blanche and photographer Christy Czajkowski did a fantastic job. Skimming through these pages is an exercise in total aesthetic delight.

2. The format. I like how the book is laid out, season by season, and how each chapter follows a pattern — description of the season, followed by rituals, and concluding with community action. It makes it a very easy book to digest and absorb.

3. The overall message of this book. Religion and faith practice is about many things, but the two main things (I think) are finding inner peace and guidance, and using that guidance to make this world a better place. That is also Erica Feldmann’s perspective, and this book does a good job elaborating on this.

Things I Didn’t Like

1. The lingo. I have never enjoyed books that use casual phraseology like “lol” or random all-caps words. It comes off more like a blog post than a published book. I know the author is going for a casual, approachable tone, but I think the “hey, girlfriend!” language serves to make her ideas sound cheap and unintelligent.

2. The broad, sweeping statements. I’m all about critiquing organized religion; I do it very often! But sometimes, Feldmann overgeneralizes, acting as though pre-Christian folk religion is all empowerment all the time and Judeo-Christian influence is all rules and restrictions. There’s truth in this binary, but it’s not so simple, and I found myself rolling my eyes more than a few times when this blunt dichotomy was expressed.

3. I don’t think paganism is for me. That’s not a critique of this book, but rather something I realized in reading this book. I absolutely love the vision and aesthetics of paganism, especially of the Celtic variety. But in modern times, it tends to lack a central focus, devolving into “just do what feels good and get connected with nature”. Which is a good thing! But it’s not enough for me to want to study it in-depth. I may still pick up texts like these to explore, especially texts as visually beautiful as this one. But as far as I can tell, modern Western paganism does not have any firm center that I can grasp onto and create a worldview from. It’s still fun, though.

This is a good book to pick up and read either very thoroughly and skim through, depending on your needs. Feldmann has a warm personality that shines through the text, and once again I’ll say, it’s just such a pretty book. If you see it on your library shelf, check it out.

[Rachel]

This book seems great but unfortunately, I won’t be able to read the whole thing before I lose access to it. This is the type of book that I would read throughout the year rather than in a few sittings. From what I have read, it seems accessible, fun, and filled with cool info. The photos are nice. Thanks to the publisher and Net Gallery for letting me check it out.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

the spells are fun and cool and all but the author puts way too much stake into thinking that the readers care about their personal life to the point that it actually detracts from what should just be a quirky, out-of-your-realm read.

[Malory Smithson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great. I love the vibes and the aesthetic. I love the politics and how they challenge me to be a better witch and part of society. I love the astrology and the spells. The ideals in this book are very progressive, so if you don’t like that, you won’t like this book. It’s brilliant though. I would say the book is great for the beginner and experienced practitioner alike who are looking to add more astrology and social consciousness into their practice. It may not be for experienced astrologers though. But overall the book is for a wide audience. Also, the full color pages and images make it super pretty

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this book.

The message that I absolutely loved in this book was to call out capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy and how everything can't be love and light. I do appreciate that the Indigenous practices tied to the Earth were mentioned and a bit of time was spent on it.

I really liked that the author said that she made an effort to design rituals "without expending enormous amounts of time, money, or energy if they don't have it to spare." I believe that the author was able to do this when she gave multiple projects, spells, and rituals in each chapter.

When it comes to continuing your research, there's a strong-looking further reading list.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. 3.75/5 rounded up.

Intention Obsession is a great resource for young people interested in exploring their own spirituality, especially if they've come to it via astrology. The book divides each section into astrological signs and focuses on a few aspects of the sign in order to tie it to magick. For example, Taurus is an earth sign, so the book uses this section to talk about magical properties of plants and land back; Leo explores animal rights, etc. This book will appeal to young generations, especially with the calls to action and the gorgeous vibe-y images. I personally also really enjoyed the sections that use [abridged/summarized] Jungian philosophy and the section written by Jessie Susannah (aka The Money Witch).

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This just crossed my desk and I thought, "I wonder if there's a chapter on toppling a government?"
Turns out, a lot of the book is about using charms, spells, and powers to manifest change, both locally and nationally.
But there are also little crafts (ha!) that make you feel good (acorn cap candles!) and potions to help you rest and relax because if you go in all the time, you're going to burn out. There are tips for gathering and feeding community and practices for strengthening your relationships with the spirits of your home.

So if you're witchy and you're also an activist and you haven't yet married the two, this is probably a good book for you.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this title. This time I read it through completely, but really the best way to use this book is to refer to chapters throughout the year that correspond to the time you are in. I liked many of the ideas in each chapter (some new to me, some not) and the quality of the photographs and print was excellent.

[Ashley Mumaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book by an even more wonderful person. I loved Erica's first book, and as a fan of her store, I can tell you how ingenious her rituals are. They are fun, fresh, and most importantly, WORK. I've been a huge fan for a few years now, and this book only cements it even further. A great read if you're new or already familiar with intention setting and astrology.

[Royal Montgomery · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looks good but not very substantial. Might be ok for a preteen

[Sarah Rombough · Rating 5 out of 5]

deeply loved these rituals for each season