Title: Year of the Witch: Connecting with Nature's Seasons through Intuitive Magick
Author: Temperance Alden
Publisher: Weiser Books
Copyright Date: 2020
Rating: 3/5
I am a longtime follower of Temperance Alden on Instagram (@wildwoman_witchcraft), where she shares budget-friendly witchcraft tips. I loved to see her use her creativity to create magic that suited her life and situation. At the beginning of my witchcraft journey, I was so focused on doing things perfectly that I rarely deviated from the suggested ingredient list. So watching Alden for years, I was ecstatic to get a hold of her 2020 book "Year of the Witch: Connecting with Nature's Seasons through Intuitive Magick." As a witch who has moved multiple times, I was intrigued by the concept of creating my own Wheel of the Year or molding the traditional one to fit my current location. For example, winter here in southern Italy means more rain, not snow. So with high expectations, I dove into this book, and it fell flat. I argued with myself over and over about the rating. Even now, I want to move it to four stars, but that would be unethical. I will keep my review honest no matter how much I adore the author.
This book is a comfortable size to fit in hand and travels well. At 200 pages, including appendixes and a bibliography, it's a relatively light read. The biggest disappointment is of those 200 pages, only 93 have anything to do with the Wheel of the Year. And to make it even worse, only 10 pages are about creating your own Wheel. That's right. Only 10 pages have anything to do with the book's actual purpose. Why? It's because Alden falls into a trap that many authors in the occult do; they feel the need to spell out all the basic information that most beginner witches already know. I can't tell you how many books I have opened expecting to learn some information only to realize half the book is rehashed beginner knowledge. The author spent the same time explaining the four elements as she did about creating your own Wheel. I know what the four elements are. Beginner witches learn that by a simple Google search. I paid money for something new and more profound.
One of the points that Alden makes is how modern conveniences have numbed us to the natural world. For example, we are constantly inside with climate control and rarely experience the seasons as our ancestors did. Most modern-day humans can go to the market and buy fresh produce out of season or eat meat without ever associating it with the animal it came from. It was so true, and I was nodding along with her words. But then, she had to go and make me angry. When writing about hormonal cycles, Temperance Alden mentions that she used to take birth control pills but then stopped.
"I was so willing to trade the power and sanctity of my period for the convenience of clear skin that for over a decade, I took pills that stunted my natural magick." -pg 14
No matter how I read that sentence, it sounds as if the author believes that birth control pills stunt a witch's natural magic. So let me be clear: Birth control pills have 0% to do with your magic. Your magic cannot be dimmed by any medication you take. Saying such words are dangerous, especially in these times. There are thousands, if not millions, of women on some form of contraceptive for many different reasons. For Alden to suggest those women are less magical, shame on her. I'm not even going to touch the anti-climate change statements she makes.
Overall, this book is a quick read, but it's not worth the price I paid. A beginner witch could easily google the sabbaths themselves and save money. However, if you're a beginner witch and were given this book as a gift, then read it with a critical eye. This book is only one person's opinion and should be treated as such.
Comments