Over the years, many witches have told their tales of awakening in memoir form. While the backgrounds and settings of these narratives are all richly unique, what they share is a theme of reclaiming one's power by embarking on an underworld journey that ultimately releases them to eschew cultural pressures and tap into their own raw, suppressed magic. In this post, we run through the best recent memoirs about witches and magic that can enlighten and inspire your own journey.
In Wild Once, Dr. Vivianne Crowley asks, what secret power is hiding within you? As a High Wiccan Priestess, finding the answer to this question is a vital part of her work off the page. On the page, she shares how she lives a magic-infused life and helps others accomplish the same through modern magic practices, manifestation, spell work, meditation, and creation. As promised by the author herself, “We all have wild magic within us; this book will inspire you to find it.” Praised for its ancient wisdom and powerful insights by critics, Wild Once is a must-read for anyone looking to start a new spiritual adventure.
First published in 1985 and revised in 2021, Luisah Teish’s Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals is, according to the author of The Color Purple, Alice Walker, “A book of startling remembrances, revelations, directives, and imperatives, filled with the mysticism, wisdom, and common sense of the African religion of the Mother.” Blending memoir with the spiritual teachings of Afro-American traditions, Jambalaya is a powerful introduction to the magic that descends from the African diaspora. Teish’s ancient wisdom reconnects readers with our natural world, benefiting us all at the individual, cultural, and spiritual levels.
Initiation (noun): “the rites, ceremonies, ordeals, or instructions with which one is made a member of a sect or society or is invested with a particular function or status” (Merriam-Webster). When 13-year-old Amanda Yates Garcia is initiated into her role as a witch by her mother, a practicing witch herself, she learns that with great initiations comes great responsibility. Garcia’s calling towards the earth-centered magic of Wicca led her to reclaim autonomy over her body and identity as a witch from the throes of the patriarchal world around her--because what witch hasn’t faced a few trials throughout her life? Michelle Tea, author of Against Memoir, called this feminist memoir “gorgeously written, fierce, political, personal, and deeply inspiring.” Initiated is the perfect read not only for the modern day witch, but also for anyone looking to harness their inner magic to create a more liberated world.
How does a psychiatric nurse specialist become a folk medicine healer? How can old medicine survive in the New World? How do we heal from the things we can’t name? According to Elena Avila’s Woman Who Glows In the Dark, these answers lie in the past as much as they do within ourselves. Combining memoir, manual, and folk medicine history, Elena Avila provides readers with the knowledge needed to understand the magic and people that came before us – and how their practices can help us heal in the modern world. The Austin Chronicle said Avila “shatters myths about curanderismo and reminds us that it’s just as important today as it was centuries ago.”
Diana Helmuth's memoir offers an honest look at seeking spirituality outside the confines of Western religion. A provocative seeker's journey, Helmuth's 2023 book straddles the line between memoir and literary documentary as the writer searches for the answer to why witchcraft is such an alluring path for so many young women today. Written from the perspective of a curious skeptic, the memoir sees Helmuth showing up wary of both organized and disorganized religion as she connects with practitioners and guides in the world of witchcraft.
Readers are treated to a 365-day journey of investigating incantations, liturgy, rules, and coven structure. Along the way, we can appreciate and relate to the strange mix of feeling as though one is coming close to touching the divine and wincing through absurd moments of blunders and self-consciousness.
Maria Toll's memoir chronicles an enchanted path of magical awakening that takes readers on a journey from Brooklyn to Ireland in search of fulfillment and the realization of a deep longing to connect with the earth. Practitioners and curious minds who are interested in the medicinal and "potion" sides of magic will enjoy Toll's account of her year-long sabbatical spent studying under an herbalist in Ireland. In addition to chronicling her own spiritual growth and connection with the earth, the writer shares the magical knowledge and rituals she collects along the way.
Elissa Washuta's White Magic is an essay-based memoir that is as much about the American experience as it is about the writer's relationship with magic. While Washuta's early exposure to spirituality as a Native American woman came in the form of tarot cards and sage, she developed a deeper yearning for the occult that could connect her to the spirits and powers that communed with her ancestors. Intertwined with Washuta's spiritual journey is a raw commentary on abuse, addiction, bipolar misdiagnosis, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A comedic, slightly sardonic memoir of witchcraft, complicated family bonds, and self-discovery, Toil & Trouble is an entertaining account of one modern man’s relationship with ancestral magic. Filled with an innate knowledge of being “different” from others, Burroughs confessed his ability to manifest things that should have never happened to his mother, who told him, rather calmly, that he was a witch. After learning he descended from a long line of witches, Burroughs embarked on an expedition to understand what it means to be a witch in the modern world and how to use his gift for the greater good. A Goodreads Choice Award winner, Burroughs’ memoir is a testament to embracing the deepest and darkest parts of yourself, no matter how strange they may be.
A personal memoir steeped in historical research, Allyson Shaw's enchanting prose takes us on a journey across Scotland's witch hunt-riddled past. Shaw's voice is lush and intimate, but smoldering with ire. An absorbing look into the past, this memoir is a rallying cry to reclaim the word "witch" and remember those who were persecuted. It's equal parts absorbing and educational, more focused on landscape and witchcraft trials for those who lean towards history rather than practice.
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Inglenook is always on the lookout for more recommendations of witch memoirs. Please comment below if we missed your favorite!
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