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City Witchery: Accessible Rituals, Practices & Prompts for Conjuring and Creating in a Magical Metropolis
City Witchery is an accessible and intuitive guide to making and finding magic as a city dweller, traveler, or someone living in a small apartment. In this gorgeous book, author of Light Magic for Dark Times and The Magical Writing Grimoire, Lisa Marie Basile, shows how you can maintain a practical, potent, and poetic practice when nature, time, space, and resources are scarce.City Witchery invites you to step into your own power through poetic writing prompts, reflections, and practical rituals—so that you can find the sacred in your city.In these pages, you
tap into your inner magic—within the context of a city environment or while travelingshadow work with your citytune into city astrologyembrace the enchantment of city streets and the power of wanderinghonor the dead in your city through graveyard ritualmake kitchen witchery and find ways to make your apartment magicaldisconnect from digital and sensory overloadreframe city limitations to reveal potential and inspirationlearn to tap into energieswrite magical poetry inspired by your cityhonor the people and cultures that came before you From constructing portable or permanent altars and working with herbs in apartment magic to performing bibliomancy in your city library and working with nature and the moon in city spaces, City Witchery offers a new, attainable way to live intentionally in a city.
tap into your inner magic—within the context of a city environment or while travelingshadow work with your citytune into city astrologyembrace the enchantment of city streets and the power of wanderinghonor the dead in your city through graveyard ritualmake kitchen witchery and find ways to make your apartment magicaldisconnect from digital and sensory overloadreframe city limitations to reveal potential and inspirationlearn to tap into energieswrite magical poetry inspired by your cityhonor the people and cultures that came before you From constructing portable or permanent altars and working with herbs in apartment magic to performing bibliomancy in your city library and working with nature and the moon in city spaces, City Witchery offers a new, attainable way to live intentionally in a city.
146 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 23, 2021
33 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Marie Basile
26 books209 followersLisa Marie Basile is an author, poet, and journalist based in Jersey City, NJ and NYC. She holds an MFA in writing from The New School in New York City.
She is the author of a few books of poetry, including SAINT OF (White Stag Publishing, 2025), Nympholespy (Inside the Castle, 2019—which was a finalist in the 2017 Tarpaulin Sky Book Awards), Apocryphal (Noctuary Press, 2014), and Andalucia (The Poetry Society of New York, 2012). She’s also written a few non-fiction books, including Light Magic for Dark Times and others. She is the founding editor of Luna Luna Magazine.
Her essays, interviews, poetry, and other works can be found in The New York Times, Catapult, Narratively, Bust, Entropy, Best American Poetry, and more. Portions of her work were also selected for inclusion in Best Small Fictions (selected by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robert Olen Butler) and Best American Experimental Writing 2020 (selected by Carmen Maria Machado and Joyelle McSweeney).
Lisa Marie has presented her work at many literary series, including the Annual NYC Poetry Festival, NYC Writers Circle, Memoir Mondays, the Cornelia Street Reading Series, Weird Girls, Must Love Memoir, Berl's Brooklyn Poetry Shop, McNally Jackson, and the KGB Reading Series, among many others. She has also led workshops or spoken in panel discussions at/for Manhattanville College, Columbia University, Emerson College, Pace University, The Moon Studio, The Author’s Guild, Stanza Books, and more.
She is the author of a few books of poetry, including SAINT OF (White Stag Publishing, 2025), Nympholespy (Inside the Castle, 2019—which was a finalist in the 2017 Tarpaulin Sky Book Awards), Apocryphal (Noctuary Press, 2014), and Andalucia (The Poetry Society of New York, 2012). She’s also written a few non-fiction books, including Light Magic for Dark Times and others. She is the founding editor of Luna Luna Magazine.
Her essays, interviews, poetry, and other works can be found in The New York Times, Catapult, Narratively, Bust, Entropy, Best American Poetry, and more. Portions of her work were also selected for inclusion in Best Small Fictions (selected by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robert Olen Butler) and Best American Experimental Writing 2020 (selected by Carmen Maria Machado and Joyelle McSweeney).
Lisa Marie has presented her work at many literary series, including the Annual NYC Poetry Festival, NYC Writers Circle, Memoir Mondays, the Cornelia Street Reading Series, Weird Girls, Must Love Memoir, Berl's Brooklyn Poetry Shop, McNally Jackson, and the KGB Reading Series, among many others. She has also led workshops or spoken in panel discussions at/for Manhattanville College, Columbia University, Emerson College, Pace University, The Moon Studio, The Author’s Guild, Stanza Books, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 14, 2022
A quick and accessible guide to making magic from the special and the mundane alike. Whether traveling or at home, a city can conjure unique feelings and energies. Lisa Marie Basile is not prescriptive in this tome; rather, she provides ideas and suggestions for making your rituals. A charming and lovely work.
July 25, 2023
I’ve read so many witch books, but among them I find this one has a unique perspective on what it means to live and practice in the confines of a city.
I’ll keep this book and my City Witchery journal in my car and with me to review and us many times over.
I’ll keep this book and my City Witchery journal in my car and with me to review and us many times over.
February 11, 2025
4.75⭐
so I was at half price books just looking around and this book popped out to me. I thought at the time that this book could be relevant to me and my life seeing as how I live in a suburban area borderline on a being a city. needless to say this book wasn't very relevant to my life. but! I did really enjoy this book and I'm glad I bought it.
chapter/section 5 (Conjure: Creating a Magical Home Environment, Or A Guide For The Apartment Witchy) as a whole, plus a moving ritual found in section 6 are the most relevant to me and my life. I can see myself referencing these two sections.
I would suggest this book to anyone who lives in a proper bustling city, or to those who travel to cities frequently. I do think you'd find the information in here useful.
I did quite like the pictures/imagery in this book, and I appreciated how the book was fairly simple and easy to understand, as well as short, making it a quick and easy read, bc I know for myself if a book is hard to read I will likely DNF it. although it did throw me for a loop reading references to COVID-19 throughout the book, bc I had personally forgotten what a big impact the virus had on big cities and people in general, and seeing as how this book was written during the peak of COVID it gave me a slightly different perspective on the book (it was very minimumally referenced it just threw me for a loop in a good way)
over all I'm glad I bought the book even though it may not relevant to my life in the way I thought it would be. I'm looking forward to checking out her other books.
so I was at half price books just looking around and this book popped out to me. I thought at the time that this book could be relevant to me and my life seeing as how I live in a suburban area borderline on a being a city. needless to say this book wasn't very relevant to my life. but! I did really enjoy this book and I'm glad I bought it.
chapter/section 5 (Conjure: Creating a Magical Home Environment, Or A Guide For The Apartment Witchy) as a whole, plus a moving ritual found in section 6 are the most relevant to me and my life. I can see myself referencing these two sections.
I would suggest this book to anyone who lives in a proper bustling city, or to those who travel to cities frequently. I do think you'd find the information in here useful.
I did quite like the pictures/imagery in this book, and I appreciated how the book was fairly simple and easy to understand, as well as short, making it a quick and easy read, bc I know for myself if a book is hard to read I will likely DNF it. although it did throw me for a loop reading references to COVID-19 throughout the book, bc I had personally forgotten what a big impact the virus had on big cities and people in general, and seeing as how this book was written during the peak of COVID it gave me a slightly different perspective on the book (it was very minimumally referenced it just threw me for a loop in a good way)
over all I'm glad I bought the book even though it may not relevant to my life in the way I thought it would be. I'm looking forward to checking out her other books.
August 26, 2025
A short and simple read, and I really enjoyed it. This book isn’t one to walk you through all the beginner topics of the craft, but instead goes straight into where to find and how to create magic in the city. More philosophy than instruction, this little book gives you space to think on what about your city charges you and your craft.
March 6, 2024
Perfect for witches who reside in cities and wanting to adapt their craft to the hustle and bustle of city living. Very current and aware of social issues and how to approach/nurture such things with respect and true to our craft.
May 16, 2025
What a fun way to look at the space around you and your place in it! It felt less like witchcraft and more about awareness, intention, and wonder.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews