7 Recommended Books on Witchcraft for Modern-Day Witches

Looking to give your witchcraft book collection a bit of a glow-up?

To collect a wealth of magical knowledge to help guide you on your witchcraft journey?

Or, to learn how to attract and manifest abundance into your life using spells and crystals?

Well then, this is the blog post for you!

Below I've curated an enchanting list of books that will help you to expand your knowledge of witchcraft and to help you achieve goals along your witchcraft journey.

One of the top rules when starting out in witchcraft (which also applies to life in general) is to never stop learning!

Even seasoned witches who've been practising for years and years and years never stop learning.

And that is why they remain experts within their fields and continue to grow and evolve in the magical world we live in.

Read on to discover a list of desirable books for beginner and practising witches that explore:

• General witchcraft knowledge on spells/manifestation/rituals/magical ingredients & tools
• Moon phases & lunar cycles
• Crystal healing & gemstone meanings
• Gods, Goddesses, Fae and Spiritual beings
• Tarot reading & divination tools
• Wheel of the year & pagan Sabbats

Witchcraft Book No. 1

The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2022

Author: Lia Leendertz

Key Topics: Connecting to nature, 2022 seasonal cycles, UK monthly celebrations & traditions.

Quick Summary: This is a great and handy little guidebook for people in the UK to see all the natural seasonal changes, events, and pagan celebrations happening in the upcoming year. It has individual chapters devoted to each month in 2022 and lists bank holidays, Sabbats and religious days, lunar cycle dates, tide times, sunrise/sunset times, seasonal plant and gardening tips, wildlife that tends to flourish within that month, folktale stories, seasonal-inspired baking and cocktail recipes... All in one place! The Almanac really helps you to tune back in with nature and the constant changes that the seasonal cycles bring.

If you're reading this blog post towards the end of 2022, a new Almanac is curated and published every year by Lia Leendertz and will be available to buy in most book shops.

Witchcraft Book No. 2

Lunar Living: Working with the Magic of the Moon Cycles

Author: Kirsty Gallagher

Key Topics: Moon cycles, cosmic energy, setting intentions, manifestation, zodiac astrology.

Quick Summary: Call me a lunatic, but it might surprise you to learn how much of the world is controlled by the presence of the moon - the tides, our Earth's axis (hence why there are seasons, and why there are 24-hours in a day), our emotional states and energetic frequencies, our dreams, and even that time of the month. 'Lunar Living' will motivate you to understand and connect with yourself so that you can then go on to use the phases of the moon to find your own inner balance and lead a more productive, successful, and fulfilling life.

It will teach you about tools that you can use within each phase of the lunar cycle to help you focus and align with your inner moonscape such as journaling, affirmations & gratitude practice, creating vision boards, and more. And, if you are familiar with the astrological zodiac signs, this book also sets out what you can specifically expect from each lunar phase throughout the year depending on which zodiac sign it falls in.

This book has some really interesting information, and the bite-sized summaries at the end of each chapter make it easier to remember and refer back to.

Witchcraft Book No. 3

Crystals for Beginners: The Guide to Get Started with the Healing Power of Crystals

Author: Karen Frazier

Key Topics: Crystal healing & intentions, spiritual meanings, crystal grids, raise your vibration (positive energy), manifestation.

Quick Summary: This is a fantastic book to continuously refer back to when you're getting used to all of the different meanings and energetic traits of each crystal. And it's definitely really useful having pictures included showing both the raw and tumbled forms of each gemstone - especially when you've been on a crystal shopping spree, but have forgotten which one is which!

'Crystals for Beginners' is perfect if you're learning how to create crystal grids to send energetic intentions out into the universe. And it goes into detail about how different types of grids can help to alleviate pain points such as stress, grief, envy, anxiety. As well as boost positive energies such as happiness, courage, self-confidence, gratitude - really interesting stuff. The book also teaches you about how to take care of your crystals, and how they in turn can be used to help strengthen your spiritual chakra and overall wellbeing.

Witchcraft Book No. 4

The Spell Book for New Witches: Essential Spells to Change your Life

Author: Ambrosia Hawthorn

Key Topics: General witchcraft knowledge, setting intentions, manifestation, the law of attraction, casting spells & charms.

Quick Summary: Out of all the books on this list, I'd recommend reading this one first. It covers all the general basics of witchcraft which are essential to know when you're sending out your intentions into the universe by casting spells and attracting energy - because you don't want to attract the wrong type of energy.

Ambrosia Hawthorn has done a really fantastic job with laying out all of the information in a really clear and well-thought-out way, kind of like you're reading through her very own Book of Shadows. And the gorgeous illustrations by Travis Stewart make this book an absolute delight to read.

This book will help you to explore what type of witch you want to be, the history behind witchcraft, karma, divination, essential herbs/flowers/crystals, spell casting tools, rules for casting spells, how to create an altar, and much more. The bulk of the book also includes a wealth of different spells to perform on all sorts of occasions, and definitely makes you feel really eager to test out your spell casting skills and attract some abundance into your life.

Witchcraft Book No. 5

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses

Author: Judika Illes

Key Topics: Mythology, folklore, ancient history & religions, magical beings, deities, fae.

Quick Summary: This absolute whopper of a book (1056 pages) might take up some room on your bookshelf, but the cultural wealth of information included makes it so worth it. If you're looking for deities to work with and connect with in your spiritual practices, this book covers them all and teaches you how to respectfully communicate with them (plus what to expect). So you can learn about Ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, Japanese, Celtic, Native American (and more!) deities and spirits all in one place!

Due to how the 'Encyclopedia of Spirits' is already quite a massive book, the information provided on each God/Goddess/Spirit/Fae/Nymph/etc. is obviously not going to be conclusive. But there are some in here that I don't think I would have ever heard of before, such as Sarasvati who is a river spirit in Indian mythology who has dominion over fertility, the creative arts, music and wisdom.

I love how this book is also a reminder of how magical our world is and has always been since ancient times. Going on a walk through a forest won't be the same, as you'll be looking out for Will-o'-the-Wisps or Leshys or Dryad Nymphs. And in thunderstorms you'll wonder if it really is the Japanese Shinto spirit, Raijin, causing the loud sky-cracking noises with the beat of his drums.

Witchcraft Book No. 6

The Ultimate Guide to Tarot: A Beginner's Guide to the Cards, Spreads, and Revealing the Mystery of the Tarot

Author: Liz Dean

Key Topics: Tarot basics, tarot spreads, divination, guidance from the universe/spirit guides, following your intuition.

Quick Summary: If you're looking to familiarise yourself with the meanings behind reading tarot cards, or to learn about different tarot spreads to help read your future, then this is the book for you.

Learning about each individual tarot card will take some time, especially as there are a total of 78 cards in the Rider Waite tarot deck (and there are plenty more tarot deck variations out there too). And this book is a really handy guidebook that you can continuously refer back to when you're doing a reading for yourself or friends/family.

It's quite useful having this information in book form as well, as I personally tend to get distracted if I search for tarot card meanings on the internet which disrupts the intuitive flow you need to have when performing divination. The information on each individual card is really comprehensive too, so I would definitely recommend this book.

Witchcraft Book No. 7

The Ultimate Guide to the Witch's Wheel of the Year: Rituals, Spells & Practices for Magical Sabbats, Holidays & Celebrations

Author: Anjou Kiernan

Key Topics: Witch sabbats, how to celebrate pagan holidays, spiritual altar ideas, casting seasonal spells & charms.

Quick Summary: Much like how the western world celebrates Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, etc. Witches have their own seasonal holidays too. They are Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer/Litha, Lughnasadh/Lammas, Mabon, Samhain, and Yule.

'The Witch's Wheel of the Year' delves into each of the Pagan Holidays and tells you of the history behind them and also shows you how to celebrate them with the guidance of absolutely stunning photography work of altar set-ups, divination tools, energetic crystals/herbs/flowers and accompanying spells and rituals. This is such an interesting and visually beautiful book that you will not regret adding to your collection.

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Currently residing in West Sussex, Maddie is a 26 y/o blogger and illustrator with a passion for mythology, legends, fairytales & folklore. You'll regularly find her escaping into fantasy books, films, TV, and games.