Magic and Margin Notes

Liz Ramos, under the supervision of Gaia the cat, shares titles from her home library to help expand your personal practice.

Greetings Witches! As we move into warm breezy days of summer, now is the perfect time to set up a spot under a nice tree or out on the water and crack open a good book. If you’re anything like me (and you must be if you visit my articles weekly), you are always looking for new information and ways to expand your craft. While I have a decently sized magical library (without counting every magic/spiritual book in my house and car, estimating 100-200 books on various subjects), these are some titles I feel should be in every witch’s personal libraries to reference back to.

First  on my list is The Crystal Bible series by Judy Hall. This is a three-book collection that is all about different crystals. These reference guides are great for looking up the crystal you can’t identify, where it comes from, and metaphysical properties of it. If you are someone who works a lot with crystals or crafts with them (I am a hair and jewelry accessory crafter and am working on crystal lined mirrors), I highly recommend this set to help you utilize your crystals to their highest potential.

If you are someone who likes encyclopedias and quick reference books. Judika Illes has a series of encyclopedia styled books. I have been blessed to have been passed the Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and the Encyclopedia of Spirits, but other titles include the Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells, the Encyclopedia of 1000 Spells, and the Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints, and Sages (one I am interested in acquiring). These are behemoth sized books that are great for doing a quick reference check or getting a crash introduction to a deity or topic you are drawn to.

An author I am always happy to collect works from is D. J. Conway. Conway has a massive collection of titles on a multitude of subjects. I have their Norse Magic, Celtic Magic, and Magical Mystical Creatures. Other titles include A Little Book of Altar Magic, Magical Folkhealing, A Little Book of Pendulum Magic, and several more. I loved the Norse and Celtic books because they are written to be beneficial for both beginner practitioners and actively practicing workers who want to advance and expand their knowledge of rituals, deities, symbolism, herbs, foods, and anything else in these paths that are important to know.

As I continue to devour my library contents, I will continue to share the best of my collection. I am also always looking for new topics to explore, so any suggestions are happily encouraged. Happy reading witches!

Elizabeth Ramos is a magic practitioner who specializes in nature focused, healing, protective, and ancestral magics. She is a Reiki Master-Teacher and lives with her husband and their several Feline Leukemia Positive kitties in Upstate New York.

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