Witchcraft: A Handbook of Magic Spells and Potions

by Anastasia Greywolf, Melissa West (Illustrator)

Tap into the magic all around you with Witchcraft, an illustrated guide to ancient potions, spells, chants, rituals, and incantations from around the world. Learn how to form a spirit circle with coven members, what instruments you need for your craft, special conjurations for each day of the week, and hundreds of crafty spells and potions that will allow you   Banish headaches Keep your home safe Envision your future spouse Win riches Communicate with animals Conceive a child Summon the dead Make it snow Separate lovers Know your future And more! Spells are conveniently organized by purpose: safekeeping spells, healing spells and potions, spells against enemies, counter-spells, luck and fortune spells, love and matchmaking spells, weather and earth spells, spells to cast on animals, power spells, and communing with the dead. With stunning linoleum-cut illustrations by artist Melissa West that bring the magic of the past to life, this comprehensive compendium is also a delightful page-turner that’s full of unexpected treasures. Place it in a sacred place in your home—and make sure no enemies find it to access its inestimable powers!   The Mystical Handbook series from Wellfleet takes you on a magical journey through the wonderful world of spellcraft and spellcasting. Explore a new practice with each volume and learn how to incorporate spells, rituals, blessings, and cleansings into your daily routine. These portable companions feature beautiful foil-detail covers and color-saturated interiors on a premium paper blend. Other books in the series Love Spells, Moon Magic, Moon Magic Journal, Knot Magic, Superstitions, House Magic, Herbal Magic, Book of Shadows, and Goddess Magic.

Genres: Witchcraft, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Magic, Occult, Wicca, Religion

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2016

Reviews

[anastasia sharesky · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a DANGEROUS spellbook and I would not associate with any witch who relies on it. Out of all of the rituals inside I could only find about a dozen that I could use regularly, if even. There are many practices that I would absolutely go as far as to call cultural appropriation. Not to mention the amount of harm the reader is suggested to inflict upon another person, an animal, or themselves.

I and many others found what lies within to be illegal, harmful, and reminiscent of cult-like activity. As a practicing witch for many years now this book feels wrong to have. I will not be using anything inside nor will I be supporting Anastasia Greywolf's other works. She gives witches an even worse name than we already have. I suggest other witches, old and new, do the same, for our safety as well as the safety of others.

[Gabby · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give 0 stars, I would. From the introduction I could tell this book would be decidedly NOT great. She says many spells come from other cultures and belief systems, some of which are closed systems that you can't just freely practice. There are Indigenous "pow wow" spells, "gypsy" spells and charms (why use the word gypsy? Unless I missed clarification, that is not how they refer to themselves AND it has negative/prejudiced connotations). Though I love simple spells and incantations, one is "ancient Macedonian" where you- sorry, THOU- stand naked under a tree, holler that you want a man, walk away naked for 40 paces before you get dressed. Do that 3 days in a row. This isn't a love spell either, it's a pimple removal spell.

If anything, this seems more like a book of old superstitions and remedies, but the remedies are all only verbal spells (though you can cure drunkenness with an owl or stork egg I guess).

Outdated, cultural appropriation of closed practices, and all around useless.

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This work qualifies as a "handbook" only in the sense that it is a book (I guess...) and you can hold it in your hand. To the extent that "handbook" would lead one to expect this to be a comprehensive work of information or education, this is most definitely not a handbook.

Sometimes these books (witchcraft, occult, etc.) can have some value for unintentional comedy or as source material for creative writing. This work isn't even good enough for that, as it's just a hodgepodge of bits and pieces from various magical/occult traditions around the world and over a wide range of history, with no depth, no real coherence, and no value.

[Tori Tucker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wish I hadn't spent money on this. While it's very aesthetically pleasing this book was weirdly religious and I felt not what it's advertised to be.

[sev soreno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these spells are very strange and borderline illegal? I did enjoy this book for entertainment purposes but I did have to skip parts of the book for personal reasons. I do not wish to attempt any of these spells (besides winning the lottery maybe) but I do think its nice to know what they did before science took over. I also loved the illustrations and the way every spell was sectioned off. The book itself is absolutely stunning as well.

[Baroness · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shout out and good vibes to my solitary, local coven and witches around the world.
The book cover was sinfully pleasing to my dark eyes, the spells not so much...
I skimmed through this read, came to a halt when I read animal sacrifice. I was like, oh no she didn’t?! I don’t condone animal cruelty.

[anastasia ♥ hiraeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was out when she mentioned forging a knife YOURSELF and dipping it in MOLE BLOOD.

[Salem ☥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Culturally appropriative and outdated... not to mention disrespectful. For a book published in 2016, there are incredibly derogatory terms and slurs. There's a part of me that wonders if this was written as a joke.

[Donna S Beattie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am really glad that I did not purchase this book; instead I borrowed it from my local library. Is this book suppose to be a joke towards actual Witches? Most of the spells in this book sounds ridiculous and irrelevant. I honestly feel like it’s mocking our spiritual practices. Please read works from authors like Scott Cunningham and Raymond Buckland, if you want to learn what witchcraft actually is.

[Pauline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wouldn’t recommend this if you’re using it for actually practicing witchcraft.
I bought a lot of three books from the book store including this one but I guess I didn’t take a good enough look at it. After sitting down and flipping through it has lots a spells pertaining to God and lots of spells that require you to have animal parts.
I guess it’s cute to have on your shelf and astetically pleasing but the contents are not useful for actually practicing. Wish I didn’t spend $18 on it..

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another book of white witch audacity, stealing rituals from other cultures and encouraging others to follow in their colonizer footsteps. If you know you're playing with forces bigger than you, tread lightly and respectfully or you'll get what's coming to you.

[Devilmaydare · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really regretting not reading these reviews before buying it because I agree with all the one-star reviews here. It's a terrible book, and even any entertainment value it could have is lost due to the racism, violence against animals, stolen content, and constant reference of christian men being credited with witchcraft origins.

I'll probably turn it into a book box, because the covers nice, and the contents are useless.

[Jennifer Barr · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an amusing read, but not really actually useful.

[Riley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Note: My review talks about text in this book and if you find that a spoiler don't read my review. I didn't put a spoiler on it because this book isn't a story nor does it have a plot.


How do I describe this book in one word? BAD! And that is an understatement.

I would like to mention in SMALL fine print it says "For entertainment purposes only. Do not attempt any spell, recipe, procedure, or prescription in this book."
I understand this is for entertainment but this book looks believable and a person trying to get into witchcraft might find it believable as well. Because they never have read or seen an actual book dedicated to witchcraft.

First the spells in this book were horrible. I understand they were meant to look like they were ancient spells but a lot of the spells hurt animals, were weird and gross or insensitive.
Some examples for each one I mentioned are:

Harm to animals: One "spell" claims it will "Make an enemy suffer" and by doing so you need to obtain a toad tie a hair of your victim to the left leg of the toad and put the toad in a pot. "As it suffers the enemy will suffer." There is many things in this book like that example. Like plucking a feather from a goose.

Weird and Gross: So another "spell" claiming "To Keep a wife or husband" on your wedding night, when your new spouse is sleeping, take your saliva and rub it on your spouses breast.
The spell should be more like "How to lose a wife or husband fast"

Insensitive: Okay so I want to mention I am white and this next one I am making this point based on history and what we know.
Throughout this book there claimed to be "spells" from Pow Wow's. I got this next definition off of Destination Indigenous. "Pow Wows are powerful Indigenous gatherings where you’ll find multiple generations coming together to enjoy food, honour traditions, forge a sense of community, and practice spiritual healing."
In this book they had Pow Wow spells reciting words praying to "Lord Jesus Christ"
Last time I checked with history people and countries including Christianity and priests haven't been so kind to Indigenous people.
But maybe I am wrong, maybe it isn't insensitive.

So to end things off, I think you can tell where my views on this book stand, haha.

[Josie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't figure out what this book wants to be. It's presented that everything could still be practiced today, but clearly some of these spells/charms/potions are from antiquity and not modernized for present day. For example, a charm for safe traveling requires your cart to be crafted of a specific wood, so I guess don't go on your journey via car, plane, or boat. Still interesting to look through, and contains a good variety of magic from various cultures and regions (however I question the verbage used to describe some cultures, such as "pow-wow spells"). It's fun to imagine how these came about, such as singing before breakfast would cause bad luck probably originated from a mother's clever way to keep her children quiet during hangovers. The book itself is gorgeous, and probably best serves a coffee table book then an actual handbook to use.

[Jeannie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I've never said these words on Goodreads, but what a total piece of crap! This is not a book about Witchcraft, it's a false depiction of the craft, poorly researched, and a weird, random list of spells that I thought would be cool, coming from many different cultures, but we’re just a bunch of old English, useless words. And what’s up with the random animal killing? So wrong. I knew when the author mentioned turning things over to God Almighty and singing hymns that this was a misrepresentation. Witchcraft does not involve Christianity, so where did that even come from? If you are interested in Wicca or any form of Witchcraft, do NOT read this book. It's a joke.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that the criticism on this book is a bit unfair. This is obviously a book of historical witchcraft and most spells are not intended for use today. It shows an interesting look at how witchcraft has been used in different cultures around the world. If one desires to use any of the spells, all spells can be adapted for personal use. After all, personal compatibility is an important part of spell-work. That being said, I wish the author would have added more of a historical background for the spells.

[teddy dingsdale · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oddly religious and consistently ties back to Christian beliefs and I’d argue the other areas include cultural appropriation. If that wasn’t enough, many of the spells would be illegal and malicious, and even without all of this, the rigid restrictions makes me feel like the majority of this book would be unsuitable in a modern witch’s practice. Even after the simple introduction, I was left wondering who this book was made to benefit. A waste of money and dangerous to baby witches who fall upon it.

[Jessica Reyna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ll be honest. i only really have the book for spooky decoration reasons. Most spells, even if they are real, are quite cruel and barbaric. Bought this at my local Halloween store, it’s really the only place it belongs.

[Rhiley Jade · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please please PLEASE do not read this as a beginner witch.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the book had a variety of spells from different cultures, most seemed to consist of incantations. There were little to no kinds of spells that were related to candle magic or rituals, or anything other than a simple incantation. The 'spells' were in order by topic rather than by origin, and often many different spells were provided for the same or similar outcome. Many of the deities were from a variety of cultures, making some of the incantations risky (according to the beliefs I hold), unless you are familiar with whom you are calling to. Many of the incantations were also in foreign languages, without translations, which is also risky if one does not know what they are saying to a deity.

The 'spells' seemed to serve no practical use as the majority of potions and spells used ingredients such as animal blood or body parts. Historically, old witchcraft spells will call for an ingredient such as "eye of newt", when it is actually a secret code for a specific plant. This kind of language was used to hide spells from people snooping around in their notes. This text on the other hand is actually gory and expects you to use those ingredients. Not only is some of this illegal in the United States, but also isn't inclusive to those who follow the belief of 'Harm None'. If you are of the belief that one shouldn't harm another then this book does not provide many spellwork options, and was even quite sickening at times. This book is only for those that would use the eye of a cat, or would "pierce the right eye of a bat and carry it with" them. This is definitely not a work for the faint of heart.

On a very personal and passionate note: I wouldn't associate with anyone who utilizes the kinds of spells that are described in this book, especially if they're harming creatures or other people. This book doesn't do everyday modern witchcraft justice and will ultimately do more harm against those people who practice witchcraft than any good for those who perform these kinds of potions and spells. I do not recommend this book.

[Ezra V. · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could rate zero stars, I would do so immediately.

Being a practicing Wiccan, this book feels like an insult to the entire practice, made up of stigma, and cultural appropriation, and misrepresents the entire practice.
You cannot fly. You cannot turn invisible, you cannot beat death. Sacrificing animals to do so is morally against everything we stand for and believe in. While the book looks visually appealing, the contents inside are horrendous and even looking at the book makes me feel ill. Most of these spells are illegal and rooted in racism. It uses spells from closed practices, and even uses a slur, "gypsy", to oppress and discriminate against Romani people.
I want to sell this- but even selling this makes me feel sick, knowing I'll be knowingly spreading misinformation on the craft. Otherwise, I have no idea what to use this for. I suppose I can turn it into art, but it feels insulting to my works to even include something so vile in the first place.

[Ana Margarida · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a controversial book, since it has closed practices, and is written by a white witch, so I would get this second hand if you are curious. As research means, it's great to know about different structures, but most of these spells shouldn't be used by certain people, especially white people. The book itself doesn't offer much to fulfill most of the rituals listed, since it only offers the words, so it doesn't bother me as much, but still it should have been written with more care and warning, as other practices, especially closed ones, need to be protected and acknowledged.

I do need to say that the design is beautiful and the cover helped me have a lot of vacant seats during metro trips, during the WYD in Lisbon.

This book is good for you to know what not to do, please don't practice the majority of the spells in here, since it is disrespectful to those practices, and if possible only buy it second hand.

[Shay · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a historical reference, this might be a bit useful, which is the only reason it gets two stars. Frankly, I can’t believe this was published–the author uses at least two slurs to name groups she takes spells from, takes spells from closed religions (ie religions that do not want their beliefs used by those not of that religion), and tries to conflate magic with science. Not to mention a lot of the stuff calls for dead animal bits (or, in at least one case, the head of a dead PERSON). Like I said, useful maybe for those who want to be historically accurate when writing spells for fiction, but otherwise a waste of time... and likely offensive.

[Alexandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously???? I didn't even read more than 15 or 16 pages before I knew this was an awful book. If you want to know and learn about witches and practices don't read anything this person writes! It's is so up its own backside that she is trying to make out it is ancient practice, when what she is doing is taking from every old culture and trying to produce something she reckons is witch craft. Don't do it! Don't take something from a culture and practice you know nothing about. Do proper research and read better authors.
Shocking book!

[Zach · Rating 1 out of 5]

Holy wow is this book ever awful. I have been a witch for 15 years, and rarely have I ever seen such bullsh*t in one place. This is the book equivalent of spellsofmagic.com. It is very clear that this author has absolutely no respect for other cultures, the craft, or really anything. These spells are not only illegal, they're dangerous. DO NOT BUY THIS. If you want good books on witchcraft, get Scott Cunningham or Arin Murphy-Hiscock. Don't waste your money on this garbage.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely not. From the first mention of taking clay from a graveyard or anything from a coffin I just knew this book shouldn’t be trusted in regards to witchcraft. They claim that they will not refer to the spells as white or black magic and something malicious to one can be benevolent to another but then goes on to state spells for breaking up couples, causing others pain and worse. Some spells sure can be useful but for the most part do not read this book if you want to get into the craft.

[Rebecca Fernandez · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this zero stars, I would. As others have said, this is a dangerous book with repeatedly harmful spells within. The constant mention of God of a Christian/catholic origin was discomforting. I spent the whole book drowning and will definitely not be using any of the spells or incantations within. If you are new to witchcraft, steed well clear as this is not what you want. If you are an established witch, you might want to read it for the cringe factor!

[Bode Cauthon · Rating 3 out of 5]

While most of these “spells” are downright illegal in regards to its treatment of animals the book itself wasn’t all bad.
Taking everything with a grain of salt, it’s almost amusing that people thought animal parts would actually bring about the desired change.
That said there is a lot of animal abuse and is not for the faint of heart.

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably got to be the most funniest book I’ve ever read as well a complete waste of money. Most of the spells in the book wouldn’t attract me a man, but instead a prison sentence. I felt utterly disappointed reading this book. It gives witches an even worse reputation than what they already have. Please don’t waste your money on this bunch of bollocks.