Erica Feldmann

My super fun neuro-divergent brain has been acting up lately, and I wandered through my library pulling books off the shelves that looked fun to read, since, ya know, I didn't want to read anything I already have on my stack of thousands. *head desk* And I'm not a witch and the chances of my becoming one aren't actually high, although I admit that mixing up potions in pretty bottles and channeling the energies of the universe into them always sounds like fun to me. But if I could defeat my show more own skeptic, I would probably just embrace the religion I already have. So I'm not coming at this as a practitioner, and normally I wouldn't even rate or review a random read that is not in my home court as it were.

But, as luck would have it, this book has committed sins, my friends, and as a consequence I can't just let it be. Given the circumstances, I should probably write a nice essay about it, but if I had the energy for that I wouldn't be pulling random books off the shelves in the library instead of reading the books I've already assigned myself, now would I? So I'm just going to keep this short(er), make a few points, and go.

1. The crystal thing. As I said, I am not a practitioner, and so I'm going to leave all the business about energy and the quartz battery example alone. HOWEVER, this woman introduced me to the concept of the crystal elixir, which is a thing I did not know people were doing and now that I do know, I am really, really alarmed. The crystal elixir goes like this: You take your pretty rock. (Wow, I love pretty rocks.) You put your pretty rock in water. (Wait - What?) Then once your water is charged up with crystal power, well, I'll let the author explain:

In this liquid form, you can access the healing power of any crystal by using a few drops of its essence. For example, you can ingest it by putting a few drops of the essence directly on your tongue or by diluting them in drinking water. You can also use them topically by dabbing your skin with drops or adding essences to skincare or beauty products. Or you can create some pretty magical room sprays and cleaning products, as I'll be showing you how to do during our journey together.



People. My folks. All you humans out there. No. Do not lick the rocks. Do not steep the rocks in water like tea. Do not drink the rocks. Because you know what happens to many (especially crystalline) rocks when they touch water? It's science, my friends. They dissolve. They crack. They erode. And then, not only have you destroyed or damaged your pretty rock, but you have released the components of that rock, which may include heavy metals (copper! aluminum! arsenic! mercury!) and other great things (asbestos!) into your nice tall glass of water. You will probably not make a solution strong enough to kill you, but really. Don't do this. Or, if you must lick your rock, lick something nicely inert in water. (You do the homework for what rocks that would be; I'm not going to do anything to encourage this horrible, horrible practice.)

2. Cultural theft. The author handwaves at appropriation and notes it's bad, but then she implies that if you respectfully study the cultures you can, I don't know, steal their stuff respectfully? This is not true, and colonialism in the name of spiritual practice is one of the more heinous forms of colonialism, IMHO. Don't do it.

3. Especially don't do it when the pursuit of closed practices puts additional pressure on scarce or endangered resources, like, say, palo santo and white sage, making it more difficult for the people whose tradition you're stealing to obtain and use.

Anyway, that's my spiel. The library is also kicking me out, so I'm wrapping this up. This is not a good book. Find a better one. show less

The perfect book to read after Marie Kondo's books. I borrowed it from my library, but there are so many things I actually want to try/implement that I'm going to buy my own copy. It's a perfect Witchcraft 101 book as well. I've read other witchcraft books, and while they've been helpful it's felt a bit overwhelming. The focus on witchcraft in one particular area (the home) in HausMagick makes it feel far more accessible. Feldmann does a spectacular job of contextualizing the actual how tos, show more making them feel achievable, and providing the flexibility to reach readers regardless of personal design preferences and goals. The sections were great and felt like a comprehensive approach to creating and owning your best home space.

Also I really appreciated Feldmann bringing up the important topic of cultural appropriation and providing additional references. show less

I visited Hauswitch in Salem back in 2018, and so I really enjoyed the author’s first book and learning more. This read isn’t so much based on the home so much as yourself and following the astrological year. I would have enjoyed more info than spells, but that might just be me as I still enjoyed it.

I received this book for free as part of an Instagram tour (TLC Book Tours specifically) I did to promote the book.

I was so excited to read this book because I am super interested in witchcraft and I love interior design and all things homey. I was not disappointed.

First off, this is a beautiful coffee table book. Everything about it is high quality from the pages to the photos. It makes the perfect addition to any coffee table or bookshelf display.

Just a little side note: since this is a show more coffee table book, this book is not meant to give you a large or comprehensive overview of witchcraft. If you’re looking for that, I suggest reading something else.

Secondly, I love love LOVE that the author brings up cultural appropriation in witchcraft. It’s a small little mention but much appreciated. She also includes a recommended reading list at the end for those who are interested in learning more about the original context of some of the practices.

I also loved the self help elements. Even though this is a book about homes, the self-help elements felt very natural. It ultimately boils down to how YOU connect with your space.

Overall, this is the perfect coffee table book for those looking to add a little magick to their home and life. show less