Light Magic for Dark Times: Book Review

I picked up Light Magic for Dark Times: More than 100 Spells, Rituals, and Practices for Coping in a Crisis on a big city Books-a-Million run because it looked like something different. I don't think I'd ever bought a book of spells before because I don't see magick as something you can package and sell in a one-size-fits all fashion. It's personal and, most of all, it's dependent on what's inside of the practitioner. It's ultimately the buyer of the book, not the writing on the page, that will or won't make magick.

As I flipped through the book, I found rituals for self-exploration and growth. This wasn't a book primarily about getting the guy or the raise, but about using ritual and magick to make real change in yourself and your life. And these rituals clearly weren't thoughtlessly put-together, but rather reminded me of those I write myself after doing deep thinking on what symbolism will best connect me to my purpose and make for a meaningful spell.

"When I began studying magic, I took comfort in the labyrinthine musty aisles at the local library, where I devoured books about philosophy, mysticism, and witchcraft...This sort of inner magic helped save my life."

Light Magic for Dark Times is a book that pushes us to move beyond a shallow kind of witchcraft, showing that magick can be an anchor in the hardest times of our life that should be taken seriously. Author Lisa Marie Basile writes about her experience with witchcrafting during her time as a teen in the foster care system: "When I began studying magic, I took comfort in the labyrinthine musty aisles at the local library, where I devoured books about philosophy, mysticism, and witchcraft. I'd find myself meditating, calling on the elements, mouthing incantations when I was sad or uncertain. This sort of inner magic helped save my life."

The book's chapters are divided into Love, Grief and Trauma, Negativity, Regeneration and Recharge, Identity and Body, Shadow Work, Writing Magic, Last-Minute Light, and Finding Your Craft. Each one contains beautifully-constructed and creative rituals with titles like "A Spell for Turning Feelings of Hate into an Act of Self-Love," "A Practice for Honoring Your Truth After Experiencing Gaslighting," and "A Practice for Building Your Own Underworld." Flip through the pages and you'll absolutely find something that speaks to you, something that can be a part of your personal path and help you to forge a magickal path forward into the deepest, darkest parts of your psyche.

The book also scores points with me on spell ingredients: these are accessible and flexible. One spell calls for a mason jar and a handful of stones, while another requires a white candle, pen, piece of paper and envelope. Even when things like essential oils and herbs are listed, these could be pretty easily swapped out for whatever you have available that feels right. Light Magic for Dark Times is a resource that every witch and aspiring witch needs on their book shelf. You can go back to it again and again, and your spiritual practice will most definitely be the better for it.