Building Your Witch’s Library

As you begin your foray into the witchy world, it may be difficult to find the right guide. For many people who do not live in large cities where mentors and coven abound, learning about spirituality, witchcraft, and the occult can be daunting. There are so many twists and turns through your spiritual journey—how are you to even know where to begin? The great part of being a pagan is that there are so many branches of the Craft, but that can also be the hardest part as well.

Reading books is a wonderful way to start as well as enrich your practice of the Craft. There are so many books out there—how do you know which ones are full of the correct information and practical spells? Being a beginner witch isn’t easy, which is why we have put together a great list of books to help you get started. You can use this list as a starting point for developing your own future library. And from here, you can easily jump into a whole host of topics to round out your magickal library as your practice deepens and your focus narrows.

Many new witches have started out with books by Starhawk when entering the magickal realm. One of the best-known books is The Spiral Dance. It brings goddess worship to the forefront of witchcraft and offers deep, meaningful ideas. The book is full of basic knowledge that will help you when working with any pantheon or deity. Starhawk provides a clear framework for setting

up your altar, circle, and practice, and it includes meditations and spells.

Christopher Penczak, the co-founder of the Temple of Witchcraft tradition, is another must-have for your witchy library. His work is firmly rooted in the traditions of modern witchcraft, but he draws from a variety of cultures to create new techniques and traditions. He has written many books, and you can’t go wrong with any of them, but a great place to start is with the Inner Temple of Witchcraft.

Magical Self-Care for Everyday Life by Leah Vanderveldt explores the different ways you can honor your body, mind, and spirit. It’s about learning to be kinder to yourself, which we could all use more of! This book is more like a guide as it shares rituals, recipes, and exercises to practice self-care. And for those looking to connect to their feminine energy, do shadow work, and connect with their authentic selves, this is the book for them.

If you are looking for basic information about Wicca, check out Wicca by Harmony Nice. It contains all the foundational information you will need in your practice, such as the different Sabbaths, Esbats, tools, rituals, spells, herbs, meditations, and visualizations. You will learn how to cast a circle, create a book of shadows, and look for a coven.

If you are interested in green witchcraft, then grab a copy of The Green Witch:Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More by Arin Murphy-Hiscock. This is a fantastic jump into the world of herbs, plants, the elements, seasons, and crystals to help you draw energy from the natural world. It will teach you how to create potions, spells, and oils for everyday healing and call on nature as your spiritual guide.

Judy Hall wrote a perfect guide focused on how to enhance your life with crystals called Crystal Companion. She explains how to use all sorts of diverse crystals to improve your personal well-being and categorizes the crystals by their intention rather than alphabetically or by color. This book will tell you everything you need to know about a crystal, from its origin on earth to how it is used with the chakras. There’s also an index in case you need to look up something you forgot or cross reference anything. Overall, this is an amazing treasure trove of crystal knowledge and should be on your shelf if you are into crystals.

Tarot reading takes time and practice, but there’s no better place to start than with How to Read Tarot: A Practical Guide by Adams Media. This book will teach you how to interpret and understand the meaning behind Tarot cards. It goes into the symbolism of each card and explains the numbers, colors, and other chosen elements. It is super easy to follow and a great first step into the world of Tarot readings.

To help you build your practice, because building a practice takes time, dedication, and work, pick up a copy of How to Study Magic: A Guide to History, Lore, and Building Your Own Practice by Sarah Lyons. If you are looking for a single book to give you all the information you need, it doesn’t really exist, but this book comes close. Lyons offers a method for diving into the history of witchcraft to help you build a practice that is all your own. And having your own unique practice in witchcraft is what the Craft is all about!

Another great book for discovering your own personal style of magic is Self-Source-ery by Lisa Lister. In this book, you will learn how to tap into your own magick, the kind that is always inside of you that you just have to listen to. If you are looking for something outside the typical magickal box of traditional deity worship, wheel of the year, and how to write a ritual, then this is a great resource for your library.

However, if you are looking for a book about the wheel of the year, then The Ultimate Guide to the Witch’s Wheel of the Year by Anjou Kiernan is a perfect match. This book is a guide to connecting with the seasons and holidays to help you deepen your practice of the Craft. It is full of gorgeous photography, so get ready to be awed by the seasons.

Another fantastic resource for information about the wheel of the year is by Jason Mankey. In his book, Witch’s Wheel of the Year: Rituals for Circles, Solitaries & Covens, he provides a plethora of knowledge about the eight solar holidays of the year. Full of footnotes, Mankey outlines all of the Sabbats, their place as agricultural markers in society, and how they connect witches to the earth’s cycles. Plus, it has rituals for solitaries, small groups, and large groups.

These books are a great place to start building your witchy library!