I love October for quite obvious reasons as a witch, but also all the fabulous new releases!!! Here are a few I love, and hope they get a chance to make it on your shelves too. Just to be clear, these are not paid advertisements. These are books I purchased myself and really enjoy. The authors do not know I am writing this, and might never know… shhhh…. this will be our little secret.

Hickety Pickety: A Witch’s Guide to Folklore

Kelden Mercury

I have read a lot of books on Folklore. Many of them have been anthologies and retellings of sorties. Many of them have been excellent analysis of meanings, themes that provide really thoughtful understandings of the people of the time. Never have I read a book with the goal of allowing the reader to integrate Folklore into their personal practice. This work fills an empty space on your bookshelf you did not know you had.

The structer is that of well researched paper. Kelden sets out to define Folklore, (an incredibly nebulous topic encompassing everything from myth to customary practices) and categorizes it in a nuanced way. They cover verbal Folklore (myths, narratives, verbal charms), material Folklore (amulets, crafts, tools, food), and customary Folklore (calendar dates, rites of passage, superstitions). All of this gets dissected and delivered back to the reader in a way that hopes to guide them for use in their craft. I know this sounds clinical, but what Kellen does is add just the right amount of whit and charm to allow the subject matter to be what it is: an ever evolving language shared by a people.

I am no stranger to allowing Folklore and Fairytales influence my craft. I often pick a piece of lore or tale to help guide my yearly cycle (this year was Thomas the Rhymer and I am, in fact, still serving my Elf Queen). And with the sections on rhymes as charms for various works and the adaptation of Folk Drama into ritual, I am left encouraged to continue my work. I’ll also encourage the reader to pay special attention to Fake-lore, a topic very new to me.

I think you will really enjoy this one!

Ensouling the Effigy: The Witch’s Arte of Enspiriting Objects

Matthew Venus

OK… So… This is tome! I’m pretty sure 160,000 (420) pages. But every last one is so valuable. Matthew included list upon list of materials, associations, history, process (I didn’t know what greenware was), crafting all types of effagies (everything from clay to paper dolls), oils, sigils, smokes, as well as rituals that could be lifted straight out of the book, or just as easily adapted into your existing practice. On top of that, you have definition and categorization of nearly every type of spirit including one I have never heard of: the Maumet. There is so much more here than I can possibly put into a few short paragraphs (something I promised myself I would be limited to… I would literally write pages and bore you, dear reader, to death).

My favorite parts were the smaller and more intimate sections. Matthew proves himself an ethical magician and subject expert with a few paragraphs on payment, boundaries, and caring for these spirits you are calling in, and living close to, on a daily basis. Spiritual hygiene is not something I feel is covered nearly enough, and each section of this work has just enough to remind the reader that the work here is serious and deeply magic.

If you know me, you know I love an herbal reference guide. I especially love an herbal reference guide where the author says this one should “only be one of many in your collection”—no, really Rebecca, you do not have to tell me twice. And just like Hickety Pickety and Ensouling the Effigy: I respond to an author when I feel how passionate and knowledgeable they are about their subject—that is this book.

In its approach the book on its own is medicine: honest, straightforward, clear—a real “how to” and field guide that makes you want to create. There is particular attention paid to the necessity of ethics in harvesting, how to approach rare and endangered plants, our climate crisis, and all things any forager, but especially someone as clearly learned as Rebecca is acutely concerned. Rebecca also holds your hands through the making of Folk remedies (bitters, teas, tinctures, salves) in a way that feels like you are being guided by a healer deeply rooted in the customs of our grandmother’s grandmothers.

As as for magic? What this work provides you with is your own cunning’s ability to run wild. Every herb comes with historical context, modern uses, and properties and energetics. Take Hyssop for example: antiviral, astringent, carminative, vulnerary, cholagogue, stimulating, diaphoretic. You can take any number of those properties and speak into the herb what you wish to achieve, or reference the “traditional uses” section with each herb for further understanding.

Your Friend,

New Releases October 2025

Barmbrack

Wanna Disappear?