Reviews

One Witch’s Way

One Witch’s Way
Bronwynn Forest Torgerson
Llewellyn Publications, 2008

“Not just another worn-out Sabbat book,” begins the press release for long-time Craft practitioner Bronwynn Forest Torgerson’s debut book, One Witch’s Way. A solitary Witch with decades of Craft experience, active in her local Interfaith and CUUPS chapters, Torgerson brings her considerable knowledge and intuition to bear in a unique and lively “magickal memoir.”

Unlike typical Sabbat-spell books, Torgerson doesn’t put forth any doctrine regarding the Wheel of the Year or its vast wealth of lore and magick. She doesn’t focus on the Eight Great Sabbats or go deeply into magickal theory. What she does is assign a magickal theme to all twelve months of the Year, and from there lay out a wealth of memoirs, stories, rituals, charms, and thought-provoking questions.

Torgerson candidly discusses caring for an aging and frail parent, as well as the challenges of raising her children as a single parent. She describes becoming aware of her own individual magick and how to use this power for healing and enlightenment. She talks from the heart about opening up to her calling as a Priestess. From this place of openness, her practical suggestions for amulets, charms, incantations, and rituals both small and large provide guidance in traditional forms of sympathetic magick. Her rites of passage rituals resonate with power. Her anecdotes are touching and poignant, and illustrate her points with humility and eloquence. She really uses this book to teach by example, and is honest about both her setbacks and her triumphs.
 

Not content to present the same old magick spells for ancient cultures and time; Torgerson’s spells are eminently applicable to modern times.

She includes spells for house finding, for protecting one’s car, for all manner of modern applications of traditional protective and banishing magick. She even includes the script of a ritual her community enacted to catch a sexual predator in their city. This is not “paleo-paganism” by any means, although Torgerson has a solid grounding in traditional Craft. She has a lot of talent for designing elegant rituals that are resonant with our times. Highly recommended.

LENI HESTER.

RATING: 4 Broomsticks

This review first appeared in newWitch #18



 

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