Wild Witchcraft

Starred review from March 7, 2022
Folk herbalist Beyer offers a Wiccan approach to helping readers “feel at home in nature once more” in her spellbinding debut. With an emphasis on “intimacy, deep knowledge, and sustainability,” the author suggests that witchcraft can foster connection with one’s environment, and to that end she outlines how to grow regionally appropriate plants for rituals and home remedies. Beyer covers how to set up a home garden and highlights some easy-to-grow magical herbs—fennel, for example, helps with digestion and has been used in Italian folklore to ward off evil spirits. For those who would rather forage, the author recommends common herbs and details their folk medicinal and magical applications, such as goldenrod, which some Native American traditions used to treat for bladder issues. Beyer also gives instructions for dozens of magical activities, including charms for love and protection, remedies to ease soreness and treat UTI infections, and spells to boost fertility and spiritually cleanse one’s home. Deep background on herbal uses throughout history and across Appalachian, Native American, Anglo-Saxon, and West African folk medicine traditions sets this volume apart, particularly the illuminating opening section on the history of witchcraft and folk healing. Beyer’s accessible guide bewitches and enlightens.