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Celtic Hedge Witchery—A Modern Approach
“An invaluable tool for anyone wanting to deepen their connection not only to themselves but also to nature and the spirits that are all around. Joey Morris provides practical advice and techniques that offer a diverse and different way of connecting to the three worlds that are associated with Celtic beliefs.” —Jane Matthews, director of the World Divination Association
A revolutionary take on hedge witchery that focuses on what it means to reconnect with the sacred hedge in a modern world, Celtic Hedge Witchery—A Modern Approach teaches the ways, ideas, and methods of the hedgerow, so they become accessible even to those who cannot visit the physical locations themselves. Delving into secret liminal spaces, Morris expands the knowledge and understanding of what it means to truly embody the witchcraft life. She connects readers to the wildcrafting elements of plants and natural remedies, realigning the soul to the vibrations of the spiritual ecosystem to reconnect with the Earth and all her spirits. In a time when modernity, technology, and disconnection from the land has caused so many of us to feel lost and disheartened, Morris helps foster our kinship with the land.
Weaving together Morris’s personal witchcraft gnosis, Celtic Hedge Witchery focuses on embracing the shadows within ourselves as a reflection of sacred spaces. Morris offers a revolutionary take on what it means to be a hedge witch in the modern era and empowers us to “come home” to both the Earth and to ourselves. Spell work, recipes, meditative guides, and evocative poetry help guide us in connecting with Celtic deities of land, sea, and sky and in crossing the hedge into the Otherworld. Learn how to connect to your own natural witchcraft.Find the sacred landscape within yourself. Connect with plant and animal spirit allies within the hedge and benefit from their spiritual power.
A revolutionary take on hedge witchery that focuses on what it means to reconnect with the sacred hedge in a modern world, Celtic Hedge Witchery—A Modern Approach teaches the ways, ideas, and methods of the hedgerow, so they become accessible even to those who cannot visit the physical locations themselves. Delving into secret liminal spaces, Morris expands the knowledge and understanding of what it means to truly embody the witchcraft life. She connects readers to the wildcrafting elements of plants and natural remedies, realigning the soul to the vibrations of the spiritual ecosystem to reconnect with the Earth and all her spirits. In a time when modernity, technology, and disconnection from the land has caused so many of us to feel lost and disheartened, Morris helps foster our kinship with the land.
Weaving together Morris’s personal witchcraft gnosis, Celtic Hedge Witchery focuses on embracing the shadows within ourselves as a reflection of sacred spaces. Morris offers a revolutionary take on what it means to be a hedge witch in the modern era and empowers us to “come home” to both the Earth and to ourselves. Spell work, recipes, meditative guides, and evocative poetry help guide us in connecting with Celtic deities of land, sea, and sky and in crossing the hedge into the Otherworld. Learn how to connect to your own natural witchcraft.Find the sacred landscape within yourself. Connect with plant and animal spirit allies within the hedge and benefit from their spiritual power.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 3, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 28, 2025
joey morris annoyed me a bit at the beginning but in all I think this book has a lot of value in it.
the beginning was rough though. the very first sentence is "if you have ever found yourself walking through a grove of trees and felt your whole world shift, then you just might have the stirrings of a witch within you." I think this goes under the category of things people say just because it sounds good that I really take literally and latch onto and pick apart where most people just skim right over it. but for me, this was a TERRIBLE opening sentence for the book. first of all, what does it mean??? what does "felt your whole world shift" mean in reality? is this something that happens physically? does she mean you felt momentarily off-balance and then everything righted itself but it doesn't quite feel the same? is it some sort of realization that you are connected to the trees spiritually? secondly, this is a very specific and high bar for being a witch. if you've had this profound but vague experience, under the particular circumstance of walking through a grove of trees (sorry, if it happens at the beach or in the desert or in the hills or mountains or at a lake etc. I guess you're out of luck) then you just...might...have the stirrings...of being a witch. I mean, it's ridiculous. so as my first encounter with joey morris, this was not good. having read the whole book I'm imagining she was just having trouble getting started writing and just tossed off any old thing to make the page not be blank.
sometimes she says something and I just don't know what she means. "witchcraft without knowledge is reckless, but witchcraft without heart is vivisection." witchcraft without heart is performing investigative or experimental surgery on a living being? I think what she might have been trying to say is that removing the heart from witchcraft is akin to vivisection, but she makes it sound like if you take the metaphorical heart away from a witch, she starts grabbing up animals and doing unnecessary surgery on them. that was also within the first few pages.
I had the same issue I have with a lot of witchcraft books with this one - this sweeping assumption that people are completely disconnected from nature. I'm not into ceremonial magic so the types of magic I do read about tend to be heavily nature-based. but in this book in particular it was quite unnerving to have her one second being like hey, learn the name of some types of birds and animals, try to take a walk outside and commune with nature, and the next second she's talking about riding the hedge. it goes from assuming a sheer beginner who can't even name the kinds of trees in their yard to non-beginner techniques.
she has near the beginning a section that says "the idea that we are a part of nature, not separate from it, is a keystone to many different modalities of witchcraft." yes, agreed. that's exactly why I kind of expect even people picking up a 101 witchcraft book, which I would not class this book as, have some sort of connection to nature. I think witchcraft authors in general get too remedial on this topic. I would prefer an assumption that someone has some sort of affinity with nature if they are picking up a book on hedge witchery - although astral travel is a big component of hedge witchery, there's a plant-based structure right in the name of it. morris goes on to say "in a modern world that has disconnected us from nature, the reclaiming of this idea - and seeing how grounded in human history it is - can be a revelation. you may have already felt this connection as you stood in awe of a beautiful sunset or felt empathetically moved to protect the local wildlife." I just think witchcraft authors exaggerate how much of a cyberworld everyone lives in. yes, there are indoor people who don't like weather or bugs or snakes or things you find outside. but there are also a plethora of non-witches who are deeply engaged with nature - hikers, forest bathers, outdoor sportspeople of all kinds, people who go camping, people who go to national parks, state parks, local parks, who visit waterfalls or beaches on vacation, people who walk their dogs, etc. young children love to be outside, even in this day and age, and parents don't love them to be cooped up inside with all their energy. the cover of the book shows a stag seen through a viney leafy portal. are you even going to pick this book up without an affinity for nature? these witchcraft authors really seem to think it's really unusual to watch a sunset or love the ocean. I don't know, I guess maybe there are people that go to a national park on vacation and then come home and sit in front of the tv and never feel a real connection.
anyway, right after that, she goes on to say "I felt called to environmental issues aged six and felt very cross that there was seemingly little I could do to help at that age. I signed up to the RSPCA magazine with my pocket money and supported the animals there nonetheless." then she immediately drops into "it's a powerful reminder that we're not above nature and but meant to be a part of it", which seems like it connects to the sentence about feeling the connection to nature when you're loving the sunset, not when you're six and giving your allowance to save dogs and cats, which doesn't seem super naturey anyway. that whole bit about when she was six just seems dropped in there as a brag. YOU all are sooooo disconnected from nature - not me! I've been an environmentalist since I was six. due to the way it doesn't quite fit and it seems like she added it in, I guess an editor could have asked her to give an example from her own life of when she first felt this connection to nature (probably thinking they were going to get a story about her walking through a grove of trees and feeling her whole world shift), but it really comes off as just this inserted boast about herself.
so yeah, it was a rough start. then she goes on to talk about the three realms in the celtic worldview and the cauldrons of wisdom, motion, and warming in your body (roughly the head, heart, and stomach) and how these connect to the inner sacred grove and the axis mundi/world tree and how to use these elements for flying the hedge and shapeshifting. it's very much her particular point of view but I did find a lot of value in this whole discussion. she has a lot of visualization exercises that as usual I find too specific as they are - visualize this in the center of your body, with this color light - mat auryn does this too, gets very specific about the color of light you should be seeing. what I think this comes down to is how they in particular see things and they haven't really been able to separate out what is more generally useful and what is very individualized. I was raised atheist and so as far as matters of religion and spirituality, I have a lot of trouble with anything too specific. that goes for the christian story all the way to witchcraft practitioners giving you a certain wording for a spell or telling you to visualize this thing in this color light. I mean, even if they said, I don't know what color this will be for you, for me it's blue because x y and z, that would be an improvement - even if it was just, for me it's blue. and she has a lot of specific visualizations to encounter various spirits - she always says your experience may vary and that's valid, but she does give these very particular visualizations. in the one for nettle, she even has you stepping on a nettle and then apologizing, which seems like a very odd way to proscribe people start a relationship with a plant spirit.
she did have a weird bit in the section where she's giving visualizations for connecting with different plants. she hedges (see what I did there) as to whether this is pathworking or actual astral travel. the set up seems more elaborate than just pathworking, but she provides a specific visualization for what happens, she doesn't just say, yah, go down through your cauldrons out into the otherworld and call on nettle and see what transpires. it's a whole little play she's set out. so she tells you to call on bindweed, then she tells you what nettle says to you, then she says sit with those words and see how they make you feel. then when you're ready, thank the spirit of nettle, "you may wish to give an offering of blood or breath (in the spirit world). you can sing or speak words of gratitude." then she says you may want to drink a "libation" such as tea or water. "see how it makes you feel after doing so and journal that experience too". then she says to bow and go back the way you came, through the hedge, grounding back into our world, and opening your eyes and coming back to yourself. ok....so I was journaling with my eyes closed? in an altered meditative state? make it make sense. she also says "and journal that experience too" despite that being the first point in the exercise where she's mentioned journaling. so I feel like she just messed something up here. maybe she intended for these to be more casual pathworking that you were journaling about then made them into something closer to astral travel. in any case, that doesn't make sense. you're making an offering in the spirit world, then you're drinking a cup of tea? from your kitchen or does spirit of nettle hand you one? it's just misplaced. this would bother me more if I intended to actually use these visualizations the way she has them here, which I don't. in the end, this is not the only book I'm reading about riding the hedge, so I'm not dependent on her in particular.
overall, there was a lot of good information here. I think the title is very accurate. I don't know that I would do things just as she does them, but I feel like this was well worth reading and I'm happy to have it on my shelf.
the beginning was rough though. the very first sentence is "if you have ever found yourself walking through a grove of trees and felt your whole world shift, then you just might have the stirrings of a witch within you." I think this goes under the category of things people say just because it sounds good that I really take literally and latch onto and pick apart where most people just skim right over it. but for me, this was a TERRIBLE opening sentence for the book. first of all, what does it mean??? what does "felt your whole world shift" mean in reality? is this something that happens physically? does she mean you felt momentarily off-balance and then everything righted itself but it doesn't quite feel the same? is it some sort of realization that you are connected to the trees spiritually? secondly, this is a very specific and high bar for being a witch. if you've had this profound but vague experience, under the particular circumstance of walking through a grove of trees (sorry, if it happens at the beach or in the desert or in the hills or mountains or at a lake etc. I guess you're out of luck) then you just...might...have the stirrings...of being a witch. I mean, it's ridiculous. so as my first encounter with joey morris, this was not good. having read the whole book I'm imagining she was just having trouble getting started writing and just tossed off any old thing to make the page not be blank.
sometimes she says something and I just don't know what she means. "witchcraft without knowledge is reckless, but witchcraft without heart is vivisection." witchcraft without heart is performing investigative or experimental surgery on a living being? I think what she might have been trying to say is that removing the heart from witchcraft is akin to vivisection, but she makes it sound like if you take the metaphorical heart away from a witch, she starts grabbing up animals and doing unnecessary surgery on them. that was also within the first few pages.
I had the same issue I have with a lot of witchcraft books with this one - this sweeping assumption that people are completely disconnected from nature. I'm not into ceremonial magic so the types of magic I do read about tend to be heavily nature-based. but in this book in particular it was quite unnerving to have her one second being like hey, learn the name of some types of birds and animals, try to take a walk outside and commune with nature, and the next second she's talking about riding the hedge. it goes from assuming a sheer beginner who can't even name the kinds of trees in their yard to non-beginner techniques.
she has near the beginning a section that says "the idea that we are a part of nature, not separate from it, is a keystone to many different modalities of witchcraft." yes, agreed. that's exactly why I kind of expect even people picking up a 101 witchcraft book, which I would not class this book as, have some sort of connection to nature. I think witchcraft authors in general get too remedial on this topic. I would prefer an assumption that someone has some sort of affinity with nature if they are picking up a book on hedge witchery - although astral travel is a big component of hedge witchery, there's a plant-based structure right in the name of it. morris goes on to say "in a modern world that has disconnected us from nature, the reclaiming of this idea - and seeing how grounded in human history it is - can be a revelation. you may have already felt this connection as you stood in awe of a beautiful sunset or felt empathetically moved to protect the local wildlife." I just think witchcraft authors exaggerate how much of a cyberworld everyone lives in. yes, there are indoor people who don't like weather or bugs or snakes or things you find outside. but there are also a plethora of non-witches who are deeply engaged with nature - hikers, forest bathers, outdoor sportspeople of all kinds, people who go camping, people who go to national parks, state parks, local parks, who visit waterfalls or beaches on vacation, people who walk their dogs, etc. young children love to be outside, even in this day and age, and parents don't love them to be cooped up inside with all their energy. the cover of the book shows a stag seen through a viney leafy portal. are you even going to pick this book up without an affinity for nature? these witchcraft authors really seem to think it's really unusual to watch a sunset or love the ocean. I don't know, I guess maybe there are people that go to a national park on vacation and then come home and sit in front of the tv and never feel a real connection.
anyway, right after that, she goes on to say "I felt called to environmental issues aged six and felt very cross that there was seemingly little I could do to help at that age. I signed up to the RSPCA magazine with my pocket money and supported the animals there nonetheless." then she immediately drops into "it's a powerful reminder that we're not above nature and but meant to be a part of it", which seems like it connects to the sentence about feeling the connection to nature when you're loving the sunset, not when you're six and giving your allowance to save dogs and cats, which doesn't seem super naturey anyway. that whole bit about when she was six just seems dropped in there as a brag. YOU all are sooooo disconnected from nature - not me! I've been an environmentalist since I was six. due to the way it doesn't quite fit and it seems like she added it in, I guess an editor could have asked her to give an example from her own life of when she first felt this connection to nature (probably thinking they were going to get a story about her walking through a grove of trees and feeling her whole world shift), but it really comes off as just this inserted boast about herself.
so yeah, it was a rough start. then she goes on to talk about the three realms in the celtic worldview and the cauldrons of wisdom, motion, and warming in your body (roughly the head, heart, and stomach) and how these connect to the inner sacred grove and the axis mundi/world tree and how to use these elements for flying the hedge and shapeshifting. it's very much her particular point of view but I did find a lot of value in this whole discussion. she has a lot of visualization exercises that as usual I find too specific as they are - visualize this in the center of your body, with this color light - mat auryn does this too, gets very specific about the color of light you should be seeing. what I think this comes down to is how they in particular see things and they haven't really been able to separate out what is more generally useful and what is very individualized. I was raised atheist and so as far as matters of religion and spirituality, I have a lot of trouble with anything too specific. that goes for the christian story all the way to witchcraft practitioners giving you a certain wording for a spell or telling you to visualize this thing in this color light. I mean, even if they said, I don't know what color this will be for you, for me it's blue because x y and z, that would be an improvement - even if it was just, for me it's blue. and she has a lot of specific visualizations to encounter various spirits - she always says your experience may vary and that's valid, but she does give these very particular visualizations. in the one for nettle, she even has you stepping on a nettle and then apologizing, which seems like a very odd way to proscribe people start a relationship with a plant spirit.
she did have a weird bit in the section where she's giving visualizations for connecting with different plants. she hedges (see what I did there) as to whether this is pathworking or actual astral travel. the set up seems more elaborate than just pathworking, but she provides a specific visualization for what happens, she doesn't just say, yah, go down through your cauldrons out into the otherworld and call on nettle and see what transpires. it's a whole little play she's set out. so she tells you to call on bindweed, then she tells you what nettle says to you, then she says sit with those words and see how they make you feel. then when you're ready, thank the spirit of nettle, "you may wish to give an offering of blood or breath (in the spirit world). you can sing or speak words of gratitude." then she says you may want to drink a "libation" such as tea or water. "see how it makes you feel after doing so and journal that experience too". then she says to bow and go back the way you came, through the hedge, grounding back into our world, and opening your eyes and coming back to yourself. ok....so I was journaling with my eyes closed? in an altered meditative state? make it make sense. she also says "and journal that experience too" despite that being the first point in the exercise where she's mentioned journaling. so I feel like she just messed something up here. maybe she intended for these to be more casual pathworking that you were journaling about then made them into something closer to astral travel. in any case, that doesn't make sense. you're making an offering in the spirit world, then you're drinking a cup of tea? from your kitchen or does spirit of nettle hand you one? it's just misplaced. this would bother me more if I intended to actually use these visualizations the way she has them here, which I don't. in the end, this is not the only book I'm reading about riding the hedge, so I'm not dependent on her in particular.
overall, there was a lot of good information here. I think the title is very accurate. I don't know that I would do things just as she does them, but I feel like this was well worth reading and I'm happy to have it on my shelf.
May 14, 2025
Title: Celtic Hedge Witchery: A Modern Approach
Author: Joey Morris
Publisher: Weiser Books
Rating: 5/5
Joey Morris is a hedge witch from Plymouth, England, with over 25 years of practice. She runs a YouTube channel and has an online witch supply store. This was my first time hearing of Morris, so I was unsure what I should expect. With how many hedge witchcraft books have let me down in the past, I didn't enter with high hopes. However, Joey Morris blew me away with this book. Now, I consider it a 'must read' for anyone considering the hedge witch path.
Celtic Hedge Witchery is 201 pages long and includes an extensive bibliography and suggested reading section. You know how much I enjoy a well-researched book. Morris is very open that her particular style of witchcraft is a personal one that was created through academic studies and hands-on practice. That's the best strategy for anyone wanting to learn ancestry-based hedge witchcraft. No one truly knows how people in previous generations practiced their art. There are very few written examples, even in the medieval period, and even that is tainted by Christianity and is skewed. We have no written records of ancient people's practices because many of them didn't have a written language yet. The Celtic and Norse religions have people called reconstructionists who try to live exactly as the old religion would, but it's an educated guess at best. The fact is, we don't know for sure how they worshipped, and never can. So, I agree with the way Joey Morris structures her practice. Learn as much as you can and respect the original teachings, but learn what works and doesn't. Don't ignore science and modern-day advanced knowledge simply because our forefathers didn't do it that way.
I appreciate the author's opinion and openness about the term 'Celtic.' As a person of Scottish and Irish descent, my family would have been Celtic. However, many believe that once a family travels to America, they can no longer claim their ancestors. Why? When did they become any less my family? I am not introducing myself as Irish-American, but that is still where my family came from. I agree that many discussions need to be had about racism and cultural appropriation of marginalized people (you can read my blog post on decolonizing your witchcraft here). However, the Celtic heritage encompasses a wide geographical and social location. They merged and were assimilated into different cultures; what we know of them is only second-hand, at best. I don't feel that every white American needs to pull out their family tree to prove they have a right to study and work with their Celtic ancestors. That's gate-keeping.
One interesting idea I had never considered was plant spirits in our religious histories. Non-magickal people find witches to be 'woo-woo' when respecting the spirit of plants. However, a God or Goddess has taken the form of a plant or animal in every culture. Even the Abrahamic God was said to assume the form of a burning bush to speak with Moses. At first, when the author began discussing an 'All soul' for the plants, I was skeptical. The longer I thought about it, the more I discovered my conditioning to dismiss the idea outright. But the idea has merit. We witches know that each plant has a spirit and life force. Why wouldn't those life forces speak with one another? Modern-day science has proven that trees can communicate. How much longer will it take for modern science to catch up to the rest?
*** To continue reading the full review, please visit my blog: https://www.foxdencurio.com/post/book...
Author: Joey Morris
Publisher: Weiser Books
Rating: 5/5
Joey Morris is a hedge witch from Plymouth, England, with over 25 years of practice. She runs a YouTube channel and has an online witch supply store. This was my first time hearing of Morris, so I was unsure what I should expect. With how many hedge witchcraft books have let me down in the past, I didn't enter with high hopes. However, Joey Morris blew me away with this book. Now, I consider it a 'must read' for anyone considering the hedge witch path.
Celtic Hedge Witchery is 201 pages long and includes an extensive bibliography and suggested reading section. You know how much I enjoy a well-researched book. Morris is very open that her particular style of witchcraft is a personal one that was created through academic studies and hands-on practice. That's the best strategy for anyone wanting to learn ancestry-based hedge witchcraft. No one truly knows how people in previous generations practiced their art. There are very few written examples, even in the medieval period, and even that is tainted by Christianity and is skewed. We have no written records of ancient people's practices because many of them didn't have a written language yet. The Celtic and Norse religions have people called reconstructionists who try to live exactly as the old religion would, but it's an educated guess at best. The fact is, we don't know for sure how they worshipped, and never can. So, I agree with the way Joey Morris structures her practice. Learn as much as you can and respect the original teachings, but learn what works and doesn't. Don't ignore science and modern-day advanced knowledge simply because our forefathers didn't do it that way.
I appreciate the author's opinion and openness about the term 'Celtic.' As a person of Scottish and Irish descent, my family would have been Celtic. However, many believe that once a family travels to America, they can no longer claim their ancestors. Why? When did they become any less my family? I am not introducing myself as Irish-American, but that is still where my family came from. I agree that many discussions need to be had about racism and cultural appropriation of marginalized people (you can read my blog post on decolonizing your witchcraft here). However, the Celtic heritage encompasses a wide geographical and social location. They merged and were assimilated into different cultures; what we know of them is only second-hand, at best. I don't feel that every white American needs to pull out their family tree to prove they have a right to study and work with their Celtic ancestors. That's gate-keeping.
One interesting idea I had never considered was plant spirits in our religious histories. Non-magickal people find witches to be 'woo-woo' when respecting the spirit of plants. However, a God or Goddess has taken the form of a plant or animal in every culture. Even the Abrahamic God was said to assume the form of a burning bush to speak with Moses. At first, when the author began discussing an 'All soul' for the plants, I was skeptical. The longer I thought about it, the more I discovered my conditioning to dismiss the idea outright. But the idea has merit. We witches know that each plant has a spirit and life force. Why wouldn't those life forces speak with one another? Modern-day science has proven that trees can communicate. How much longer will it take for modern science to catch up to the rest?
*** To continue reading the full review, please visit my blog: https://www.foxdencurio.com/post/book...
July 24, 2025
I am so thankful Weiser reached out asking if I would like to review Celtic Hedge Witchery: A Modern Approach by Joey Morris. I will never turn down a book on hedgecraft as I am always looking for new perspectives. There are so few resources out there for the budding hedge witch as it is, so when one comes along, I know I have to review it.
Celtic Hedge Witchery focuses on Morris's personal gnosis with Celtic influences. Most books on the market on hedge craft focus more on the Celtic side of things, so it's not surprising Morris does as well. However, Morris takes a more academic approach, analyzing the historical literature, similar to what I do here on my own blog. I absolutely loved her approach, but it makes for a denser read than other occult books for sure.
Morris delves into Celtic folklore, including the tale of Taliesin, the Cauldron of Poesy, and more, to establish the foundation of her practice. This includes a hedge witch's connection to the natural world, the three realms of the Otherworld, plant spirits commonly used by hedge witches, and even shapeshifting. Within several chapters are exercises, mostly visualizations, to help you ground, center, and release, connect to the three realms and the cauldrons within you, and even build your sacred grove, which I refer to as my garden. These visualizations are beautiful and will certainly help those of you who need more direction to help you get into hedge riding.
There are also multiple chapters on connecting and working with plant spirits, which I thoroughly enjoyed, especially the inclusion of some of my favorite plants to work with as a hedge witch, such as nettle and dandelion. These chapters use the Ogham along with visualizations to build connections as they relate to hedge riding and spirit work. I can't wait to spend more time with these chapters and start incorporating them into my own practice. While I am leaning further away from Celtic-inspired hedge craft and more towards a Norse-inspired practice, the approach and skills outlined in Celtic Hedge Witchery are easily transferable. That's part of what makes most occult books worth reading, even if you do not share the author's practice. The lessons, skills, perspectives, and general practices are easily transferable to any practice, and can open your mind to more creative pursuits.
Book Review: Celtic Hedge Witchery by Joey Morris
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Morris also covers basic protection, wearing of a mask (loved this chapter), and offers practical hedge riding advice, but I felt there was more theory and less practice in this book. This is an excellent introduction, to be sure, but it needs to be paired with other works and potentially a teacher to help you effectively begin hedge riding. For this reason, I ended up rating the book 4.5 stars instead of 5.
If you like my approach to analyzing historical texts as a way to explain the theory behind the practice, this is definitely the book for you. I am going to go back and reread Celtic Hedge Witchery simply because I enjoyed Morris's approach so much, and I did not feel I was in the correct headspace to completely process all she had to offer on my first read through. This book is definitely one you need to sit with and process to fully grasp the concepts being taught.
Despite wishing there was a little more in Celtic Hedge Witchery, this is probably one of the best foundational hedgecraft texts currently on the market, especially if you already practice a Celtic-inspired Craft. Morris lays out the historical evidence and adapts them to modern life flawlessly. This book is certain to please all of you hedge witches out there and hopefully adds context to your craft.
Celtic Hedge Witchery focuses on Morris's personal gnosis with Celtic influences. Most books on the market on hedge craft focus more on the Celtic side of things, so it's not surprising Morris does as well. However, Morris takes a more academic approach, analyzing the historical literature, similar to what I do here on my own blog. I absolutely loved her approach, but it makes for a denser read than other occult books for sure.
Morris delves into Celtic folklore, including the tale of Taliesin, the Cauldron of Poesy, and more, to establish the foundation of her practice. This includes a hedge witch's connection to the natural world, the three realms of the Otherworld, plant spirits commonly used by hedge witches, and even shapeshifting. Within several chapters are exercises, mostly visualizations, to help you ground, center, and release, connect to the three realms and the cauldrons within you, and even build your sacred grove, which I refer to as my garden. These visualizations are beautiful and will certainly help those of you who need more direction to help you get into hedge riding.
There are also multiple chapters on connecting and working with plant spirits, which I thoroughly enjoyed, especially the inclusion of some of my favorite plants to work with as a hedge witch, such as nettle and dandelion. These chapters use the Ogham along with visualizations to build connections as they relate to hedge riding and spirit work. I can't wait to spend more time with these chapters and start incorporating them into my own practice. While I am leaning further away from Celtic-inspired hedge craft and more towards a Norse-inspired practice, the approach and skills outlined in Celtic Hedge Witchery are easily transferable. That's part of what makes most occult books worth reading, even if you do not share the author's practice. The lessons, skills, perspectives, and general practices are easily transferable to any practice, and can open your mind to more creative pursuits.
Book Review: Celtic Hedge Witchery by Joey Morris
Pin on Pinterest
Morris also covers basic protection, wearing of a mask (loved this chapter), and offers practical hedge riding advice, but I felt there was more theory and less practice in this book. This is an excellent introduction, to be sure, but it needs to be paired with other works and potentially a teacher to help you effectively begin hedge riding. For this reason, I ended up rating the book 4.5 stars instead of 5.
If you like my approach to analyzing historical texts as a way to explain the theory behind the practice, this is definitely the book for you. I am going to go back and reread Celtic Hedge Witchery simply because I enjoyed Morris's approach so much, and I did not feel I was in the correct headspace to completely process all she had to offer on my first read through. This book is definitely one you need to sit with and process to fully grasp the concepts being taught.
Despite wishing there was a little more in Celtic Hedge Witchery, this is probably one of the best foundational hedgecraft texts currently on the market, especially if you already practice a Celtic-inspired Craft. Morris lays out the historical evidence and adapts them to modern life flawlessly. This book is certain to please all of you hedge witches out there and hopefully adds context to your craft.
March 30, 2025
I could not put this book down, I adored it to be honest I think it's the best book on the subject I have read in years.
It truly is a book for anyone of any part in their journey .the chapters are nice and small so it's an easy read
It covers so many different concepts and has some little activities to so you can really get into the work if you wish to
It truly is a book for anyone of any part in their journey .the chapters are nice and small so it's an easy read
It covers so many different concepts and has some little activities to so you can really get into the work if you wish to
November 8, 2025
A Celtic-inspired system that might be easily integrated into an existing practice. Of note is the idea of using region-specific mindfulness to align oneself with different elemental aspects (Land, Sky, and Sea) for specific intentions (manifestation, grounding, insight, cleansing, etc.). Much thought is contributed to meditating and dreaming while aligning with plants and animals.
August 28, 2025
crazy good. approaches modern witchcraft in a way that is approachable, isn't wicca or "traditional witchcraft" (no shade to either), and constructs a cohesive belief system and way of looking at the world that makes all the practice within feel accessible and real. so good!
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