What's up, witches?! Today I have a book review for Light Magic for Dark Times by Lisa Marie Basile. I stumbled upon this book while listening to an episode of New World Witchery, a podcast that explores American Traditional Witchcraft, and boy was I happy to be introduced to this word witch!
Genre: Spiritual Nonfiction
Category: Cozy Read
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Rating: 5/5 Stars
Light Magic for Dark Times is beautiful, informative yet digestible, inclusive, loving, healing, well organized, and contains so many useful rituals that you will be coming back to again and again. This book radiates loving rose quartz energy, and I would highly recommend getting your hands on a copy for yourself. Heck, snag a couple extra copies for the beautiful, magical people in your life. I seriously cannot sing its praises enough, so grab your caffeine and let the love fest continue!
I. Love. Organization. Which is why I love that Basile has broken the book into chapters based on what energy you're working with. Within these chapters, you'll find journaling prompts, mini history lessons, and practices ranging from An Earthing Activity to Reduce Stress from Political Chaos to A Spell for Sending Supportive Love to Someone Facing Hardship. There really is something in this book for everyone and every mood. From self-care to shadow work, Basile has a ritual to help you work your magick.
What really strikes me about this book is that it is so obviously written by someone who knows what it's like to be struggling with money and have limited resources, as well as the painstakingness of finding space in the city. All the practices in this book can be as minimalistic and affordable as you need them to be, all customized to your needs. This includes physical needs, as Basile offers modification suggestions for those with disabilities. Not to mention, she states from the beginning you don't have to belong to any particular faith to read this book or use its practices. It truly is all-inclusive, and isn’t that the spirit of magick?
The fact that Basile provides ideas for substitutions and encourages readers to experiment and follow their intuition as to what works for them is another big plus for me. When it comes to your practice, if someone tells you their way is the better—or, worse, only—way, you should be heading away. That’s not to say you shouldn't keep an open mind or listen to facts. But you should listen to your intuition first. You know you can trust the author when they know their material AND encourage you to experiment to find what's right for you.
One of my favorite practices in the book is An Inspirational Zodiac Practice for When You Need Some Celestial Mojo. In it, Basile provides a list of questions for readers to ask themselves, as well as a list of activity suggestions for when the moon is in each sign of the zodiac. These activities range from serious goals like "finish your task list" to fun and uplifting things like "dress vividly."
When COVID-19 left me stuck at home with too much time and no idea what to do, I tried this practice—even though I never really cared for astrology. What started as something to give me ideas for things to do eventually made me feel more in-tune with everything. I saved this list on my laptop, adding to it over the months, and it has become part of my daily routine. I can say without any doubt that it has helped me become more productive and keep better track of time. It also spawned a new appreciation for astrology, and now it’s one of my favorite things to learn about! To make it even better, Basile also co-hosts the informative, hilarious podcast AstroLushes, which I have cackled several quarantine days away to.
TLDR: This is a great book for anyone new to magic, as well as seasoned witches looking for a refresher or new rituals to try. It’s also great for people who aren’t sure what magick is or who have a problematic misconception of magick. At every step, Basile explains the how, what, and why of it all, in addition to illustrating how easy, accessible, and pure magick can be while empowering readers and not conflicting anyone’s faith. I HIGHLY recommend it.
If Light Magic for Dark Times sounds like something you'd enjoy, click below to purchase your own copy! (Seriously, just do it. You won't regret it.) If you want to hear more about this book and Lisa, check out her interview on New World Witchery! Or for all you writers out there, check out her other book The Magical Writing Grimoire. While I've yet to get my hands on a copy, it's very high on my witchy TBR!
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