Healing Magic: A Green Witch
Guidebook
By Robin Rose Bennett
Sterling Publishing Co., Inc, 2004
192 pp., $12.95
When
reading
Healing Magic: A Green Witch Guidebook, you should know
two things: Bennett’s definitions for “green witch” and “guidebook.”
Green witches, she writes, “have a special love for the plants and trees
of the earth, and are often gifted in working with them as gardeners,
herbalists, artists and teachers.” And: “this guidebook is a map made
up of words, stories, songs, rituals, recipes, instructions,
invitations, meditations, trance journeys, warnings worth heeding, and
heart-centered teachings.” Sound like a bold claim? Bennet, however,
does not disappoint in this delightful book filled with…well, all of the
above! And I would even add, then some.
Prefaced by a wonderful foreword
by wise woman Susun S. Weed, the book jumps right into practical
suggestions to reconnect with the earth, including simple ways to draw
in earth energy and communing with plants and trees. As the author
describes living for many years in New York City, and then moving to the
country, she has a balanced viewpoint regarding practicing magic in
urban settings, something missing in many books of the same ilk. As
long as there is a park nearby, there is no reason that one cannot
connect with nature…and Bennett gives many tips for doing so, based on
personal experience with her own group of green witches.
Moon magic and herbal magic are
discussed at length, with the author’s expertise being particularly in
working with herbs and plants. We are given the magical properties of
lavender and mugwort, for example, and even trees as well! The author
then moves on to spells and rituals. Many of the spells incorporate the
herbs, plants and trees we have already learned about earlier in the
book. The author does a fine job of explaining the ethics of
spellcasting – for example, in working with love spells, it is never a
good idea to focus on one specific individual as that would be
manipulative, but to focus on the qualities one would like to find in a
potential lover. I liked the way Bennett set up one love spell so much
that it was Xeroxed and sent to a friend who is currently in the market
and looking, so to speak!
This book is well-written and
full of many personal tales, which I found enjoyable. Ultimately,
Bennett shares a philosophy where magic is meant to enhance life: “You
will never lack for challenges in this world, but by celebrating your
kinship with the living magic of the elements, you will stay in touch
with what is real within and around you. There is great freedom in
this. Being in relationship with what exists beyond this lifetime can
ground and center you so fully that you can create good relationships
with your neighbors, like-minded or not, and engage the life you’re
living with more trust and less fear. Always remember, life isn’t about
practicing magic; practicing magic is about living.”
Healing Magic: A Green Witch Guidebook, by Robin Rose
Bennett, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc, 2004, 192 pp., $12.95
Review by Diane Saarinen
