Hi pornies, I hope everything is going well over there. I took many days off because I was really sick, and just now I'm feeling a little better (writing this on Sunday). I've been taking pills, teas, syrups, used gemstone therapy, reiki, and other things, so I'm finally getting back to who I really am. I read a little during this time, and today I want to tell you about a book that made me think a lot about my body as a sacred place: Anatomy of a Witch: A Map to the Magical Body, by Laura Tempest Zakroff. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy trough NetGalley!
- Print Length: 197 pages.
- Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (June 8, 2021)
- Publication Date: June 8, 2021.
- Genres: Magic, Witchcraft.
- Rating: 4 / 5 stars.
Embodied Witchcraft for Wisdom, Connection & PowerThis book is a guide to the most magical tool in your possession—your body. Not just your physical flesh-and-blood body, but also your symbolic Witch body, the conduit for bringing the material and metaphysical worlds together. Within these pages, you will explore hands-on magical practices, exercises, and sigils related to your Witch Lungs, Heart, Bones, Mind, and the spiraling path of your inner Serpent.Magic flows most freely when you are in tune with your intuition and the power of your true self. Through dozens of activities, prompts, spells, and rituals, Anatomy of a Witch helps you connect with the seen and unseen worlds, your ancestors, and your living community. Discover the profound correspondences between your body, the mythos of tarot, and the five elements. Practice rituals and activities for protection, warding, rebalancing your home, and embracing your body, despite the limiting beliefs that society foists upon us. This book teaches you how to tap into your personal power as you make a pilgrimage to the inner workings of your true self.Includes a foreword by Christopher Penczak, bestselling author of The Temple of Witchcraft series.
We are often told that our bodies are our own temples, that we should take care of them, that we should be healthy, that we need to be responsible toward them, but seldom we get told more than that and the usual ideas of diet and exercise. However, Anatomy of a Witch presents this idea in a more spiritual way intended for witches, although spiritual people in general will find it just as fascinating.
Exploring the connections and link between the human body and the craft of the witch, Laura Tempest Zakroff makes you rethink many of the things you may have learned at the beginning of your path as a witch, like the way to cast a circle, how the elements are found in our bodies, how to use gestures in a ritual, how to honor ourselves as a personal Divinity, and so on. Not only that, but she does it with a simple, nice style that's easy to enjoy.
On the not so enjoyable side, I felt Laura was trying too hard to make Anatomy of a Witch unique and different by including poetry, sigils, the witchual term, and references to the Major Arcana in the tarot. She has done all of it before in one way or the other, except for the Arcana, and it's exactly this part the one that looks weird, a bit our of place, as if traying to make the idea as eclectic and original as possible. I would have preferred something simpler in this . People seem to have problems with the Serpent chapter, also, arguing it is just the Kundalini concept with another name. While I didn't find it too bothersome, I was somewhat confused regarding the differences between those two.
That aside, I really enjoyed reading about my body, my own temple, how to treat myself as I deserve, and exploring different approaches to my craft. Anatomy of a Witch: A Map to the Magical Body, by Laura Tempest Zakroff, is easy to follow, presents many interesting ideas in an appealing manner, and challenges us to try doing things differently in order to become better witches.
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| Photo by Carrie Meyer. Source. |
Laura Tempest Zakroff is a professional artist, author, dancer, designer, and Modern Traditional Witch. She holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and her myth-inspired artwork has received awards and honors worldwide. Laura blogs for Patheos as "A Modern Traditional Witch," for Witches & Pagans magazine as "Fine Art Witchery," and contributes to The Witches' Almanac. She is the author of several bestselling books, including Sigil Witchery and Weave the Liminal. She is also the creator of the bestselling Liminal Spirits Oracle. Laura lives in New England. Website.
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