{"id":1719,"date":"2025-11-20T16:12:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T16:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/?p=1719"},"modified":"2025-11-20T16:12:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T16:12:52","slug":"what-the-witch-is-reading-taking-back-the-magic-november-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/20\/what-the-witch-is-reading-taking-back-the-magic-november-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"What The Witch Is Reading – Taking Back the Magic – November 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This section of my blog is dedicated to spreading the love of reading and books and the people who make them happen. I would not be the Witch I am today without books. I owe an obscene amount of gratitude to all the makers of books out there. This is my way of giving back. I hope that something I pick up and review will guide you to acquire the next tome on your To Be Read stack.\u00a0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The hiatus of my book reviews is over. My deep appreciation for those who have returned to my humble Word Alchemy blog. Maybe you\u2019ll find a new book to read here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just Finished:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Take Back The Magic: Conversations With The Unseen World<\/a><\/em> by Perdita Finn, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n

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This book follows one woman\u2019s journey along her spiritual path\u2014a genre that seems to be showing up more and more in my TBR pile. Finn blends memoir, historical context, earth-centered spirituality, and intimate letters to her deceased father, with whom she shared a complex and deeply human relationship. (Truly\u2014who among us doesn\u2019t have complicated parental ties?) These letters alone make the book worth revisiting; they are raw, honest, and written with a clarity of soul that lingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finn is a natural medium, connected both to ancestral presences and the spirits of the Land, and that resonance came through powerfully. The narrative is personal, but the wisdom within offers readers guidance on cultivating their own relationships with the unseen world\u2014whether with beloved dead, ancestral lineages, or the wider spiritual currents that move through the world. She uses the most vulnerable moments of her own life to illuminate a very real, tangible path toward ancestral reverence and the reclamation of the magic we forget is woven through our lives as souls returning again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For readers already sensing the presence of the otherworld or seeking affirmation of their own intuitive relationship with the dead, this book may feel like a long-awaited validation. One of its strongest messages is that relationships may be healed\u2014even after death. Finn shows how the perspective of the Dead expands beyond ego and limitation, making them ready and willing to assist us. We only need to open the door, rebuild the connection, and ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re exploring how to cultivate a relationship with the Ancestors, understand soul bonds that return across lifetimes, or explore how spirit shows itself with or without the visitation of the Great Mother, this is the kind of book you may devour in a single sitting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talking To The Dead: Kate and Maggie Fox and the Rise of Spiritualism<\/a> <\/em>by Barbara Weisberg, 2004<\/p>\n\n\n

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Part history and part biography, this book traces the rise of American Spiritualism through the lives of two of its most iconic early figures. Weisberg does not shy away from examining how the political, social, and cultural currents of the time shaped both the believers and the skeptics surrounding the famous \u201crapping sisters.\u201d The narrative situates Spiritualism within the broader awakening of the mid-nineteenth century, illustrating its intersections with women\u2019s suffrage, abolition, the Civil War, and the sweeping changes brought on by industrialization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notable figures\u2014Horace Greeley, Mary Todd Lincoln, and others\u2014appear throughout the narrative, grounding the story in historical reality while showcasing the depth of the author\u2019s research. Many details feel newly unearthed, offering modern readers glimpses into a spiritual movement that was once both feared and revered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did the Fox sisters truly speak to the dead? Weisberg leaves room for interpretation, inviting readers to sit with the ambiguity rather than delivering a simple verdict. Contemporary spirit-workers may recognize a familiar pattern: the dominant culture\u2019s need to dismiss or diminish anything belonging to the unseen realms. There are moments where the pacing slows under the weight of historical detail, but this density is also part of the book\u2019s strength\u2014it preserves a record of a time when the veil between worlds seemed thinner, and a nation was listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up Next:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I am doing some research for a client right now, so much of my reading time is going towards that. However, in the To Be Read (TBR) pile I have: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scorpio Witch<\/em> by Ivo Dominguez, Jr. & Zoe Howe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spiritual Cleansing<\/em> by Draja Mickaharic<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See you for the next post on What The Witch Is Reading<\/em>. Thanks for reading and comment if you have any questions, anecdotes, or requests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As you can see, I read a little of everything. I\u2019m always curious about what others are reading. What book are you working through right now? Let\u2019s talk about books! Comment below. If you have a book you think I should read, let me know that, too!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The hiatus of my book reviews is over. My deep appreciation for those who have returned to my humble Word Alchemy blog. Maybe you\u2019ll find a new book to read here. Just Finished: Take Back The Magic: Conversations With The Unseen World by Perdita Finn, 2023 This book follows one woman\u2019s journey along her spiritual…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[421,189],"tags":[530,173,529,532,531],"class_list":["post-1719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-what-the-witch-is-reading","category-witch-library","tag-barbara-weisberg","tag-book-review","tag-perdita-finn","tag-take-back-the-magic","tag-talking-to-the-dead"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1719"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1722,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1719\/revisions\/1722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}