Title: The Witch at the Forest's Edge: Thirteen Keys to Modern Traditional Witchcraft
Author: Christine Grace
Rating: 3/5
While I dislike having to say something negative in a review, I like all of my book reviews to be as honest as I can make them. The same goes for this book. I purchased TWFE (The Witch at the Forest's Edge) with my own money and by my own decision. That being said, I will not hold back my punches on this book; reading it was like going to the dentist. For every part that I enjoyed, there was a part that I equally disliked. Thus, I had to rate this book thoroughly in the middle.
Christine Grace has graduate degrees in theology and mental health counseling from Vanderbilt University. While that lends her book credibility, it also hinders it. Her writing style is so difficult to understand that I had to reread each paragraph multiple times to understand what she was trying to convey. The book reads like a college doctorate thesis, far removed from the average witch reader.
"Witches interested in historical, religious, and anthropological research might enjoy looking more deeply into the complexity, diversity, and details of the often interwoven conceptualizations of the dead, the fae, familiars, nature spirits, angels, and demons in various cultures - especially with regard to those cultures in which you have individual spiritual ancestry." -Page 17, Chapter 2
And that is seriously just one sentence. I consistently found myself pondering, is this really the only way she could have written this sentence? is she trying to sound more intelligent? was she trying to hit a word count? I had a notepad next to me to write notes in because, by the time I reached the end of a chapter, I had forgotten what it was about. Grammer is the foundation of writing, but I truly feel the author went overboard on TWFE.
Once you get past the overly wordy way Grace writes, it's genuinely a comprehensive guide to hedge witchery. However, that in itself is another thorn. Christine Grace claims to have created and founded the "Forest's Edge Tradition" practice, but it is simple hedge witchery. And, I'm sorry, but she didn't invent hedge witches. The only difference between her practice and basic hedge witchery is that she demands initiates to hedge ride and practice ritual possession. As a hedge witch, I believe those are beneficial to my witchcraft practices, but I also know they can be dangerous if one is unsure of what to do or lacks a guide or teacher. They are great, but not necessary. Pressuring people into stressful situations unnecessarily can have dire consequences and may turn people away from the path altogether.
Now that we've cleared the air, let's talk about some good points. Although I believe Mallorie Vaudoise's book (book review here) to be a much more in-depth and readable guide to ancestral worship, Grace does bring some great points into her book. I especially like that she doesn't gloss over hurtful ancestors with a simple forgive-and-forget attitude. The author is very upfront that you can choose to accept or reject any ancestors that you don't want to work with.
Her views on intuition are also different in that she acknowledges that intuition is a reflection of our past experiences, knowledge, biases, feelings, and observations. Most books simply state that our intuitions are signs from higher powers, but there are always nurturing differences from witch to witch. I greatly appreciated her discussion on ritual space and seeing it as a division of ritual space from normal spaces instead of a giant protective bubble. Working with ancestors and other spirits, I don't want to prevent outside forces from aiding me, but I can still make a linear divide between helpful and harmful entities.
Overall, I would not recommend this book to a beginner witch as this book is a laborious read. However, if you have been practicing for a while and are familiar with witchcraft terms and basic ritual ideas, go for it. It can help open your eyes to the art of hedge witchery but don't feel like you have to ascribe to all of Grace's teachings in TWFE. Go at your own pace and only practice what you feel safe doing. You will branch out when you are ready and feel called to do so, not a moment sooner.
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