I do not need another spellbook. I do not need another spellbook. I kept telling myself that over and over again as I looked at the email asking if I wanted a review copy of “The Witch’s Spellbook for Beginners: Enchantments, Incantations, and Rituals from Around the World” by Sarah Bartlett. However, the name Sarah Bartlett rang a bell, and that’s because she’s the author of “Iconic Tarot Decks: The History, Symbolism and Design of over 50 Decks”, a book I enjoyed so much that it made my Favorite Things list in 2021. And then there was the phrase, “from around the world.” I do love seeing how things are done in other countries. Yep, I got the review copy.
And yep, I’m a fan. “The Witch’s Spellbook for Beginners” is a no frills, easy to understand book of spells that features mostly easily accessible ingredients/tools. There’s easily over 100 spells that cover the usual suspects, such as love, money, protection with particular attention to the best times and dates to perform the spells for optimal results.
Yes, there many books of spells are available, but Sarah Bartlett provides a balanced selection of spells from a variety of places that creates an excellent base of knowledge for beginners, and experienced spell casters alike.
You can learn more here.
Get your own copy here. (This is an affiliate link to my Bookshop, which supports independent bookstores throughout the United States. If you use this link to purchase the book, I will make a small commission at no additional cost to you.)
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Cait Johnson’s “Witch Wisdom for Magical Aging” is divided into four parts, reflecting the four seasons. Each season is represented by a witch to offer guidance and regale you with tales of iconic females. “Witch Wisdom for Magical Aging” features spells, rituals, and DIY projects to help the reader.
If this is your first time checking out The Magical Buffet’s Favorite Things list, welcome! I started doing the list as a response to the overwhelming popularity of Oprah’s Favorite Things that she does each year. I started with the argument that I’m far more relatable than Oprah, with the whole me being broke as opposed to a multi-millionaire. That evolved into The List as you see it today, which is 10 things that have been featured on The Magical Buffet website since the previous year’s list was published. So, although many of these items were published this year, you’ll find slightly older ones too.
7. The Bavarian Illuminati: The Rise and Fall of the World’s Most Secret Society by Rene Le Forestier and translated by Jon E. Graham. From my review, “This is 912 pages of pulse pounding intrigue and yawn inducing bureaucracy that was originally published in 1915 and hasn’t been available in English until now.” Yes, it is a pricey spend, but if you’re interested in occult societies, this is an interesting look at the OG of societies. You can read my full review 
It’s happening, the holiday shopping season. Don’t worry, I’ll soon be publishing my Favorite Things list to help you select the best of the best for yourself or others, but today I want to highlight Small Business Saturday. I feel like it’s a tradition that was started by American Express Small Business, but for whatever reason, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is highlighted as a good time to hopefully support smaller businesses in your community. However, what if the small businesses in your area don’t carry that much in the way of witchy magical products? Don’t despair because I happen to spend some time on Etsy, and I have a handful of great Etsy shops for you to consider.
If you follow The Magical Buffet on social media, you might have saw that I attended the event, Celebrate Samhain in Nashua, NH at the end of October. Not only did I attend, I got to moderate a panel discussion about Witchcraft in the Age of Social Media. If you’re a Patron, you got to read about my experience moderating the panel. Due to the event’s change of day of the weekend and covid, it has been far too long since I’ve been able to attend, so I figure I should bring you all up to speed on what the event is like in 2022.
The vendor room and its overflow booths were amazing! I nearly wept from the warm nostalgia of seeing Jeena Greene. Her beautiful harp and voice have been at every Celebrate Samhain that I’ve attended and it did my heart good to see her, and hear her again. I got to meet the owner of The Robin’s Nest who kindly posed next to their display of Cucina Aurora products. Kyri’s Magickal Creations had these adorable poppets! I bought a Marie Laveau one that I’m still trying to decide where it’s going to live. Mystic Arcana’s booth was right across from mine. The owner Gee-Gee sells crystals so yes, your girl bought another crystal. I also got to purchase a signed copy of “New Hampshire Book of the Dead” by Roxie Zwicker (who was on my panel and so much fun) and a signed copy of “Reading the Leaves” by Sandra Mariah Wright and Leanne Marrama. Author Deborah Blake was my booth buddy and road trip companion. It was fun to see so many of her fans. It was also fun to have many attendees ask if I was Deborah Blake (tempting to say yes). When I said no, they would immediately ask if I was Elisabeth Alba (again, tempting to say yes).
There was a full slate of workshop/talks, as usual. There was Sancista Brujo Luis teaching a class on Candle Magick (he also took part in my panel). Danielle Dionne gave a talk on Ancestral Living. Ellen Evert Hopman discussed Working with Baneful Plants for Magick and Healing. Sandra Mariah Wright and Leanne Marrama taught a class on Awakening the Crystals. And finally, booth buddy and panel participant Deborah Blake discussed Everyday Witchcraft.
“Happy Witch” comfortably walks the line with being positive without becoming toxic and being realistic without discouraging aspirations. Em divides the book into six chapters, which breaks down as:
I’m not going to be coy, I’m a huge fan of Dawn Aurora Hunt. Not just as an author, or as 
What does it mean to identify as a woman? In many ways, “Spirit Weaver: Wisdom Teachings from the Feminine Path of Magic” by Seren Bertrand explores that very question. “Spirit Weaver” sets out to inspire you to tap into your feminine energy, even if you identify as male, which is a wonderful change of pace for a book like this. Everything female is celebrated and explored in this book, making it a fast-paced and intriguing read.
“Spirit Weaver” is an oversized paperback with 200 pages and beautiful full color illustrations by Kate Monkman throughout. With its lovely illustrations, inspirational writing, and suggested retail price of $20, “Spirit Weaver” by Seren Bertrand would make a wonderful female family heirloom.
Grace has crafted a magical book that explores what in her opinion are 13 key aspects to explore for those interested in witchcraft: worldview and spirituality, communing with spirits, spiritual ancestry, intuition, cultivating spirit senses, creating ritual, hedgeriding (a means release part of your consciousness from this world and travel, spiritually into the Otherworld to engage with spirits, gather new knowledge, hone magical skills, and create change), divination, theology, a green and local craft, the practical use of magical theory, spellcraft, and magical ethics. Taken as a whole, it creates a rich cosmology for her Forest’s Edge Tradition of Witchcraft. However, what I truly love about the book is Grace’s attitude of taking what you want from “The Witch at Forest’s Edge” and not sweating the stuff that doesn’t resonate with you. 
If you follow me on social media, it’s no secret that I love skincare and cosmetics. So you’ll understand that once I heard about “The Beauty Witch’s Secrets: Recipes & Rituals for the Modern Goddess” by Alise Marie I had to request a copy to review. Marie has created a book with a little bit of something for anyone interested in beauty.