Title: The House Witch: Your Complete Guide to Creating a Magical Space with Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home
Author: Arin Murphy-Hiscock
Rating: 4/5
Continuing my quest to find decent hearth witchery books, I selected Arin Murphy-Hiscock's The House Witch. AMH is a well-known pagan author with 18 published titles under her belt. Her 20 years in paganism have given her a knowledgeable tone in all her books. Unlike newer authors, AMH rarely fills her books with unnecessary rubbish, so you know you are getting a fully-fledged reference book on any specific topic. The House Witch is available as an audiobook, kindle ebook, or hardcover. I purchased the hardcover with my own money. Therefore, I do not receive any compensation for my reviews, and I do not have any affiliate links.
Firstly, let's examine the book's structure. My hardcover edition is an absolute feast for the eyes. It is 5.5 x 7.5 inches, making it the perfect size for traveling while being comfortable to hold and read. In addition, the pages have a textured quality, similar to parchment paper. The House Witch is divided into 11 chapters with the addition of an introduction, postscript, appendix, bibliography, and Index. Finally, the cover design by Erin Alexander undoubtedly drew me to this book. The wonderful eggplant purples and sage greens give off the cozy feeling of home and green magic.
In the introduction, AMH lays the foundation of her book by describing a hearth witch's purpose. She says it so eloquently that I would not do it justice by paraphrasing. "In essence, the role of the house witch is to serve as a facilitator for the spiritual well-being of herself, her family, and her welcomed guests. Her home is her temple, which she tends in order to keep energy flowing smoothly and freely, as well as to honor the principles she upholds. She seeks to support and nurture her family (and extended community) in both a spiritual and physical fashion." -Page 10
In essence, the hearth witch's home is a place of relaxation and rejuvenation for her and her family in mind and body. The spiritual aspect is so important; otherwise, it would only be a basic house.
I enjoyed how the author connected ancient home tasks to something more modern: i.e., smooring the hearth fire and the new age idea of grounding. Throughout the book, AMH continued to give examples of information from different cultures in a well-thought-out fashion. It never strayed into the appropriation category but as an exciting bit of information that the author urges readers to reflect upon. The only aside note I will mention pertains to the topic of smudging. The House Witch was written in 2018 when the appropriation of smudging was being debated. Unlike other authors who knew better (I'm looking at you, House Magic), I give AMH a pass that she did not. She even points out in the book that smudging is an Indigenous American technique. If the author had written this book in 2020, the vocabulary would be different.
As mentioned above, spirituality is vital in a hearth witch's home. The author lists and describes deities and other house spirits that a witch can call upon to aid and protect their home. I had never heard of some house spirits before, so I was glad to add some additional reading. I am not Wiccan and do not believe in gods; however, I give credence to house spirits of both nature and family. I love the section about the house spirits of lore from Russia, England, Scotland, etc. I wish she could've included more from different places, but that topic could be an entire book.
Overall, this book is a slam dunk on hearth witchery. I will continue to hunt books to broaden my knowledge, but this will continue to be an excellent resource. I highly recommend it to other witches, regardless of their skill level. As long as a reader goes into The House Witch with the knowledge of the smudging issue, this book is an excellent introduction to witchery and expansive enough for a skilled witch to gain further insight into their practice.
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