WITCHCRAFT: A Graphic History, Stories of wise women, healers and magic, beautiful book to gift the young Wiccan on your list

WITCHCRAFT: A Graphic History, Stories of wise women, healers and magic
LINDSAY SQUIRE (illus. Lisa Salsi)
Leaping Hare Press
$19.99 hardcover, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: Discover the enchanting character and story of Biddy Early, the first known witch in herstory as she guides us on a magickal journey.

'Every witch uses her magic differently. I use mine to heal people, while others ...' 'What do the others do!? Are there many different types of witches!?'
'Oh yes! Many ...'

Join Lindsay, a young and curious 19th-century lady, as she meets Biddy Early, the famous 'wise woman of County Clare', and learns all about the magickal arts—from which plants can be used to make healing poultices and potions, to how people dealt with the social and political stigma of practicing witchcraft.

Biddy Early, who lived from 1798–1874 in Ireland, was by no means the first-ever witch, but she was the first to appear on the historical record. Before her, fears and superstitions surrounding practitioners of 'the nameless art' were too strong. It is said that Biddy took an apprenticeship with the 'good folk', sidhe or faeries, when she was very young, and it was from them that she learned her skill as a healer.

Never one to accept monetary payment for the help she offered, Biddy would often swap home-brewed alcohol for her services, which in turn, made her ramshackle cottage in Feakle a hub for the local community. When her little corner of the county drew the attention of the Catholic Church and the local authorities, things became very difficult for this unusual woman…

Encompassing self-empowerment, feminism, dealing with stigma, and eco-spirituality, as well as plant magic, traditions, and green wisdom, Witchcraft: A Graphic History is a fresh take on an endlessly fascinating subject.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: I cannot imagine anyone reading one of my reviews really needs telling that magic is a way of understanding the world. It is appealing to younger folk because the evidence all around them shows up the manifest, and manifold, failures of their elders' way of comprehending the world.

The appeal of witchcraft to young women is, in my view, down to its offer of a power unshared by the majority (that works overtime to lock them out of possessing and using more conventional forms of power). As the parlous state of affairs in the modern world needs new and different viewpoints and uniquely nature-centered ideas to escape the dual traps of materialism and capitalism, this book suggests itself as a wonderful corrective.

I'm quite enamoured of the art. YMMV on that score, but I hope anyone reading this is already on board with the truth that seeing one's self and one's identity in the mirror of the past is deeply healing and invaluably enriching and validating.

As a #Booksgiving gift, I hope you'll agree that this is a worthy goal. As an object to possess, a book to put on the coffee table, this is a statement of your belief in, and faith offered to, a way of understanding the world through a woman's eyes. Positive gynergy emanates from this book in a glorious nimbus.

Trade some treasure and some time for this peace-spreading book.