Review: Witchcraft on a Shoestring by Deborah Blake

Witchcraft on a Shoestring, by Deborah Blake, is a book after my own heart. I've always said you don't have to spend  lots to honour nature, celebrate the turning of the seasons, or do spells. In fact, I've often blogged on the theme, without realising it was already the title of a book. The original came out in 2010 but a new edition has recently been published by Crossed Crow Books.

This is what Crossed Crow says: 

"We’ve always believed that Witchcraft should be accessible to anyone brave enough to answer the call, and fortunately, Deborah Blake has created a wonderful resource for tapping into the powers of the Craft without the need for excessive investing, making the craft once again attainable. Contained herein are instructions for making oils, runes, candles, charms, and more using easy-to-obtain materials while showcasing over fifty methods of working magic that cost little to money."

The book covers all aspects of the Craft and offers all sorts of budget-friendly suggestions for getting or making the right tools, setting up altars, spell components, cheap divination tools, making witchy cloaks and robes, and working with herbs and crystals. A long chapter is devoted to inexpensive recipes for post-ritual feasts around the Wheel of the Year. I should point out this is an American book, so the measurements are in US formats and I some of the ingredients are difficult to find in the UK. Suggested shops to visit are also mainly in the US, but there are UK equivalents - I find charity shops and boot fairs are great!

At the end, Deborah Blake remakes the point that you really don't need anythng at all to be a modern pagan witch. Go for a walk in nature (even your local park), gaze at the stars, commune with the moon, sing or chant, meditate, visualise sending energy to people or causes you care about, tap into your intuition and listen to your inner voice. Sure, buying this book will cost a bit of cash unless you borrow it from the library or read a friend's copy, but it has so many money-saving ideas that it will repay you quickly.

Deborah Blake is also the author of Circle, Coven and Grove, which I featured on my blog with an excerpt showing a ritual. You can find that post here.

You can view Witchcraft on a Shoestring on Amazon. 

(Please note: I earn commission from some links.)

Other previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/03/review-way-of-four-by-deborah-lipp.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2023/04/review-star-magic-wisdom-of.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/05/witchcraft-on-shoestring-banana-skin.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/06/witchcraft-on-shoestring-journals-books.html