teachers i love

For years, I have been deeply interested in all things spiritual and metaphysical. My first Tarot deck was a key to a whole new realm of exploration. Although my path has meandered over the years, I have encountered some phenomenal people along the way.

free resources

For the past few years, I have had the privilege of orbiting around the phenomenal Leah Garza of Crystals of Altamira. I first opened the Records with Leah a few years ago, and since then I have been in her Living Systems container & her Akashic Mentorship. I can’t emphasize enough how working with Leah has shaped me and my path. You can find Leah on Instagram as @crystalsofaltamira or check out all of her work & resources here.

When it comes to practical magic, I have explored the arcane with the Strategic Sorcerer, Jason Miller. For those who are looking to get deep in working magic, Miller has books and courses aplenty. My personal experience in working with Miller is through his global rites (free to the public) and his in-depth Sorcery of Hekate course. For more information on his courses, you can check out his website here.

I have taken a few more expansive classes on witchcraft (more tailored for beginners), and the one I enjoyed the most was taught by Ylva Mara Radziszewski. While Ylva’s class is not currently active, you can engage with her radical work and beautiful oracle deck here. Her book on witchcraft can also be found below in the recommended books.

One of the most influential modern witches of our time, Amanda Yates Garcia has shaped my understanding of Tarot and spellwork. I have read her beautiful book, Initiated, and participated in an incredibly helpful workshop on creating your own spells. I highly recommend following her work and participating in one of her workshops when you can. Learn more about Yates Garcia here.

If you are looking for a free & wildly comprehensive system for magical work, then look no further than Josephine McCarthy. McCarthy’s system, Quaeria, is incredibly expansive and accessible. All materials related to the program are freely available through her website. McCarthy has influenced my Tarot practice & my magical practice through her generous teaching. You can explore more about Quaeria and other work of McCarthy’s, including her divination decks, here.

When it comes to wrangling my neuro-divergent brain, I have tried maybe one million planners. The only one that has stuck year after year is the Metaphysicians Day Planner from Benebell Wen. Another powerhouse of content, Wen produces her planner + yearly bonus workshops, the Spirit Keeper’s Tarot, and has written extensively on Tarot and the esoteric. I reference her constantly on Tarot-related matters and appreciate many of her insights. To learn more about Wen’s comprehensive work, you can check that out here.

If you are looking for an organization that networks many of the modern practitioners of magic, Tarot, and astrology in one place, look no further than Modern Witches. I have attended the Modern Witches Confluence twice and had an incredible experience both times. Many of my favorite teachers gather at the Witches Confluence to host workshops on diverse topics related to magic and spirituality. Founded by Casey Zabala in 2018, Modern Witches “strives to cultivate a radical, liberatory, diverse, and inclusive magical community of beings who believe in healing futures and in the crucial role witches play in healthy societies.”

A few years ago, when I was still using Facebook as a primary social media platform, I was introduced to the work of Alexis P. Morgan. Alexis was hosting a Facebook group that dealt with many esoteric practices. It was through this group that I was introduced to many new authors and practitioners. I have purchased materia directly from Alexis and am a huge fan of their work. You can learn more about their current offerings here.

For over a decade (okay closer to two decades), I have had the great privilege of knowing, loving, and learning from my greatest friend and love of my life, Ruth Svelmo. From Bible college roommates to witchy co-conspirators to aspiring cult leaders, Ruth has been one of the greatest influences on who I am today. Check out her evocative writing and her incredible Astro and Tarot readings here.

in my library

As an avid reader & someone who tends to throw myself deeply into the interest of the week/month/year, I have accumulated… a few books on spirituality. I am including books that I haven’t read in their entirety, and I cannot say that I agree with or endorse everything in the texts mentioned.

I have a lot of books on magic/esoteric/occult practices. To make this reading list more accessible, I am differentiating between witchcraft (more accessible) & other more in-depth approaches to systems of magic. All of these books are unrelated to the religious tradition “Wicca”, as I do not practice or endorse Wicca.

Please note: My books pertaining to magical practices are not terribly diverse. It is important to me that I work within magical traditions and practices that are relevant to my ancestral (Western European) heritage. My library does include some historical texts on occult traditions that are rooted in the colonization and bastardization of sacred and culturally specific practices, but these are not practices that I engage in. As a white western person, I do strive to work in ways that are anti-racist and decolonial. Included in my recommended reading are books that have helped to expand my understanding of these ideologies, even if they are not explicitly spiritual. Leah Garza has a wealth of free resources about decolonial work.

Texts on Tarot:

  • “Tarot Card Meanings: Fundamentals” by Paul Foster Case

  • “Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom” by Rachel Pollack

  • “A Walk Through the Forest of Souls” by Rachel Pollack

  • “Holistic Tarot” by Benebell Wen

  • “Red Tarot” by Christopher Marmolejo

  • “Advanced Tarot” by Paul Fenton-Smith

  • “The Watkins Tarot Handbook” by Naomi Ozaniec

  • “Tarot for Yourself” by Mary Greer

  • “Tarot Correspondences” by T. Susan Chang

  • “36 Secrets” by T. Susan Chang

  • “Tarot Skills for the 21st Century” by Josephine McCarthy

  • “Radical Tarot” by Charlie Claire Burgess

  • “78 Acts of Liberation” by Lane Smith

  • “Revelations on the Tarot”

Texts on magick:

  • “Alchemy & Mysticism” by Taschen

  • “Secrets of Planetary Magic” by Christopher Warnock

  • “The Beginners Guide to Alchemy” by Sarah Durn

  • “Transcendental Magic” by Eliphas Levi

  • “Clavis Goetica” by Frater Acher & Jose Gabriel Alegria Sabogal

  • “Hekate” by Courtney Weber

  • “The Sworn and Secret Grimoire” by Master Arbatel

  • “The Sorcerer’s Secrets” by Jason Miller

  • “The Morrigan” by Courtney Weber

  • “Rosicrucian Magic” by Frater Acher

  • “Holy Daimon” by Frater Acher

  • “The Goetia” translated by Samuel Liddell & MacGregor Mathers

  • “Goetia Pathworking” by Corwin Hargrove

  • “Consorting with Spirits” by Jason Miller

  • “Weaving Fate” by Aiden Wachter

  • “Six Ways” by Aiden Wachter

  • “The Elements of Spellcrafting” by Jason Miller

  • “Real Sorcery” by Jason Miller

  • “Protection & Reversal Magic” by Jason Miller

  • “Strix Craft” by Hekataios

  • “Magic of the North Gate” by Josephine McCarthy

  • “Magical Healing” by Josephine McCarthy

  • “Three Books of Occult Philosophy” by Henry Cornelius Agrippa

  • “The Magical Knowledge Trilogy” by Josephine McCarthy

  • “The Key of Solomon the King” translated by MacGregor Mathers

  • “Advanced Magick for Beginners” by Alan Chapman

  • “The Book of Lilith” by Barbara Black Koltuv

  • “The Return of the Dead” by Claude Lecouteux

Texts on witchcraft:

  • “Magic for the Resistance” by Michael M. Hughes

  • “Psychic Witch” by Mat Auryn

  • “You Are Intuitive” by Natalie Miles

  • “A Practical Guide for Witches” by Ylva Mara Radziszewski

  • “Changeling” by Aiden Wachter

  • “Of Blood and Bones” by Kate Freuler

  • “Doctoring the Devil” by Jake Richards

  • “How to See Fairies” by Ramsey Dukes

  • “Witches, Sluts, Feminists” by Kristen J. Sollee

  • “Witchery” by Juliet Diaz

  • “The Great Cosmic Mother” by Monica Sjoo & Barbara Mor

  • “Elements of Magic” by Jane Meredith & Gede Parma

  • “The Spirit Almanac” by Emma Loewe & Lindsay Kellner

  • “The Spiral Dance” by Starhawk

  • “Becoming Dangerous” by Katie West & Jasmine Elliot

  • “The Moon Book” by Sarah Faith Gottesdiener

  • “The Great Work” by Tiffany Lazic

  • “The Modern Guide to Witchcraft” by Skye Alexander

  • “Encyclopedia of Spells” by Judika Illes

  • “Encyclopedia of Witchcraft” by Judika Illes

  • “Honoring Your Ancestors” by Mallorie Vaudoise

  • The “His Dark Materials” trilogy by Phillip Pullman

Texts on Celtic traditions:

  • “The Book of Celtic Magic” by Kristoffer Hughes

  • “The Mist-Filled Path” by Frank MacEowen

Texts on inner work:

  • “Boundaries and Protection” by Pixie Lighthorse

  • “Goldmining the Shadows” by Pixie Lighthorse

  • “Deep Liberation” by Langston Kahn

  • “The Secret Country of Yourself” by Jenya Beachy

  • “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” by Joe Dispenza

  • “Existential Kink” by Carolyn Elliot

  • “Waking the Tiger” by Peter Levine

  • “The Four Pivots” by Shawn A. Ginwright

  • “A Course in Miracles”

  • “Women Who Run With the Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Texts on Akashic records:

  • “The Quantum Akashic Field” by Jim Willis

  • “How to Read the Akashic Records” by Linda Howe

  • “The Immutable Laws of the Akasic Field” by Ervin Laszlo

  • “Reconnection to the Source” by Ervin Laszlo

  • “The Akashic Experience” by Ervin Laszlo

  • “A Radical Approach to the Akashic Records” by Melissa Feick

Texts on socio-political/cultural issues:

  • “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer

  • “Borderlands/La Frontera” by Gloria Anzaldua

  • “Entangled Life” by Merlin Sheldrake

  • “Postcolonial Astrology” by Alice Sparkly Kat

  • “Living at the Edge of Chaos” by Helene Schulman

  • “Emergent Strategy” by adrienne maree brown

  • “Fables and Spells” by adrienne maree brown

  • “Becoming Abolitionists” by Derecka Purnell

  • “On Tyranny” by Timothy Snyder

  • “All That is Sacred is Profaned” by Rhyd Wildermuth

  • “Pagan Anarchism” by Christopher Scott Thompson

  • “True to the Earth” by Kadmus

  • “Dub” by Alexis Pauline Gumbs

  • “Liberated to the Bone” by Susan Raffo

  • “These Wilds Beyond Our Fences” by Bayo Akomolafe

Texts on buddhism:

  • “You Are Here” by Thich Nhat Hanh

  • “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching” by Thich Nhat Hanh

  • “The Miracle of Mindfulness” by Thich Nhat Hanh

  • “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chodron

  • “Taking the Leap” by Pema Chodron

other things/practitioners i love

favorite pods & esoteric shops

PODCASTS:

  • Shameless self-promotion here; check out the podcast I host with my magical bestie: Medusa’s Circle

  • This recommendation comes with a huge disclaimer. I have been a Mysterious Universe fan for many years. They cover all things paranormal and metaphysical, but their politics are garbage. If you can tune out their opinions on anything other than the material they are covering, their podcast is fascinating.

  • Between the Worlds is one of the first witchy/Tarot pods I ever listened to, and features many witches I love.

  • Glitch Bottle is great for the heavy-hitting magical deep dives. Episodes featuring Josephine McCarthy or Frater Acher are my favorites.

  • Leah Garza has a delightful podcast called Magical Baddies that she co-hosts with Sophia Hornyak. I am obsessed with everything Leah does so…

merchants:

  • Kaitlin Coppock runs Sphere & Sundry: “Talismanic Offerings of the celestial variety for practical magic and magical practice.” I have several of Kaitlin’s oils; all small batch and intentionally created under specific astrological transits. 10/10, highly recommend.

  • I really try to embrace the philosophy of sourcing what materia you have available to you when doing magical workings, but sometimes you need to add some oomph. If you are going to buy a ritual oil, I highly recommend avoiding big retailers like Amazon, and shop small businesses. One business I like to use for ritual oils is Crescent City Conjure.

  • If you are looking to splurge on a piece of ritual jewelry, I would highly recommend the work of Alison Chicosky at Practical Occult. I have one of her Solomonic pentacles, and I absolutely adore the craftmanship and trust the magic that went into making it.