Anthony Rella

There are many, many "self-help" witchcraft books out there, but this is the only one I can think of that comes from the perspective of a Feri practitioner. The Feri Tradition is, from what I have seen, underrepresented in witchcraft literature, probably due to its small size and obscurity compared to, say, Wicca. Anthony Rella mostly focuses on Feri theology, but also brings a Kemetic perspective from his personal practice. As someone involved in neither Kemeticism nor the Feri Tradition, I show more cannot tell for sure how muddled they are in this book. Arguably, it doesn't really matter, because the point of the book is to present a magical therapeutic framework rather than expound on Feri doctrine.

The political portions of this book were definitely a case of leftists "preaching to the choir." The publisher, Gods & Radicals Press, appeals to the niche audience of left-wing witches and pagans. This is not a bad thing, but those parts of the book often felt like a wasteful distraction from its main purpose.

Spirituality, including magic, can play an important role in the recovery and stability of some individuals. I have no reason to doubt Rella's helpfulness as a therapist, but given his professional background, it would have been nice to see this incorporated with more established evidence-based treatments. For instance, the mindfulness and meditation found in multiple spiritual traditions are incorporated neatly into Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

I would recommend this book to a magically oriented person looking for a culturally relevant supplement to managing their own mental health, or to a mental health professional looking for insights into how to treat this population. show less