Witchy, Magical Books and Oracle Decks for October

Lately I've been embracing my witchy nature, learning more about magick, reading, studying, and diving deeper into my daily rituals and healing practices.

I’m lucky and super grateful that I’ve recently had the chance to read a number of beautiful books from Quarto Books’ Leaping Hare Press imprint. Here’s a roundup of all my new favorite books and card decks! I highly recommend everything on this list. If you’re a witch, magician, priestess, and/or you go by another name, do yourself a favor and gift yourself one of these wonderful pieces of art this autumn! They are each insightful, inspiring works that I’ll be referring back to over and over again.

LAZY WITCHCRAFT FOR CRAZY, SH*TTY DAYS: Easy Spells and Rituals for When You’re Stressed Out, Wiped Out, or Just Have No More Spoons to Give by Andrea Samayoa

This is my new favorite go-to book for magick and spellwork. Not only is the content on point, but Andrea’s voice is so real. She’s hilarious, down-to-earth, and relatable— and I felt seen and understood just reading some of the passages about how it’s hard to find the energy some days! Immediately upon opening the cover, I was hooked!

There’s a ton of helpful content in the book, too, including:

• Self-Care: Rituals, spell jars, and enchantments to help you go from feeling blah to feeling like the radiant magickal being you are.

• Focus + Energy: Teas, shaker jars, oils, and mini rituals that give you energy instead of taking it out of you.

• Protection + Warding: Everything from basic protections during spell-casting to full-on warding from a**hole energy vampires.

• Manifestation: Literally the easiest manifestation work you will ever do.

Huge fan. This book is on my must-read list for witches looking for new books in 2024!

WITCHCRAFT: A GRAPHIC HISTORY — Stories of Wise Women, Healers and Magic by Lindsay Squire aka The Witch of the Forest

Witchcraft: A Graphic History is a beautifully told story about Biddy Early, a witch who lived from 1798–1874 in Ireland. I loved the gorgeous illustrations and thoughtful dialogue in this book, which reads like a graphic novel. It touches on themes of self-empowerment, feminism, dealing with stigma and eco-spirituality, as well as plant magic, traditions, and green wisdom. It made me reflect personally on how over the years women and witches have been outcasts and have had to overcome a lot of stigma and judgment from different groups.

This book inspired me to celebrate strong women of our time, and recommit to being one of them!

I also highly recommend giving the author Lindsay Squire’s Instagram account a follow: @thewitchoftheforest. There’s a reason why she has over half a million followers— because of how awesome her content is! Speaking of how awesome her content is, I reviewed another one of Lindsay’s books this month…

THE WITCH'S BOOK OF SPELLS: Simple spells for everyday magick by Lindsay Squire aka The Witch of the Forest

I’m obsessed with this book. It is comprehensive and easy-to-follow, definitely a resource that I’ll be returning to all year. The content includes information about:

• The different moon phases, seasons, zodiac signs, and witches sabbats

• Protection and hex breaking

• Spiritual wellbeing

• Manifestation and abundance, whether for finances, career, or personal wellbeing

• Self-love and self-care

• Love and romance

• Peace and justice

• Success and happiness

One thing I loved about this book is that it blends traditional witchcraft with modern, fresh ideas. It includes folk spells, rituals, recipes and charms. The recipes are delicious, too!

SUNSET GRATITUDE: 365 Hopeful Meditations for Peaceful and Reflective Evenings All Year Long by Emily Silva

As soon as I cracked open the cover to this book, I felt a wave of relaxation and peace wash over me. Each page resonates with gentle encouragement and compassion. Just reading the words brings you into a meditative, calm state and out of any daily stresses or worries. This is a great book to read at the end of each day, as night falls and you are ready to let go and prepare for sleep. I am adding this to my bedtime routine for the foreseeable future!

Do yourself a favor and add Emily on Instagram too @soulsadventures! She posts a ton of inspiring and uplifting content and you can feel the warmth, kindness, and wisdom through each of her posts.

OWL MAGICK: Exploring Our Fascinating Connections with Them Through Folklore and Magickal Traditions by Rieka Moonsong

The ultimate book for owl lovers. If owls are your spirit animal, power animal, or simply creatures you love, don’t miss this book! In this gorgeously illustrated book, Rieka explores the history and folklore of these majestic birds, along with characteristics of different species, ways to understand the deeper meaning behind owl messengers and guides, and how to integrate the wisdom of owls into your spellwork.

What a wonderful and magickal book!

You can find Rieka on social media here: @justamountainwitch

SEA MAGICK: Connect with the Ocean through Folklore and Magickal Traditions by Rieka Moonsong

This is another stunning and incredible book by Rieka. As a Pisces and someone who is drawn to the water, I have to say that this was one of my personal favorites out of all of the books listed in this roundup post. The illustrations are impressive, too.

She dives into water magic, the legends of Atlantis, the Bermuda Triangle, the Twelve Vile Vortices, merfolk, sharks, microscopic phytoplankton, seaweed, sea glass, sand dollars, and much more. I loved swimming in the mystical, enchanting, and inspiring energy of this book and will be returning to it often.

PRACTICAL SYMBOLS: Runes and Sigils for Holistic Wellbeing by Amy Donnelly

I am learning so much from this book! I love how she has the information organized by topic. Even though I haven’t read this one cover to cover yet, I love that I can flip through and find what I’m looking for easily. The book covers information about using symbols for a number of areas of life:

• Emotional wellness and nurturing mental health

• Physical wellbeing – relaxation, dreaming well, sleeping restfully

• Celebrating the wheel of the year – discovering how ancient symbols and runes have always been used to honor the sabbats

• Connecting with nature – through following the cycles of the moon

• Adding magic to special occasions – celebrating birthdays, marriage, graduations, and more

• Enhancing or starting your career – manifesting your dream job or boosting your career

This book is a wealth of knowledge and definitely one I’m grateful to have on my bookshelf so I can refer back to it year after year.

Amy Donnelly aka @folkwitch_ has a background as a researcher in anthropology and cultural heritage and specializes in the development and transmission of folklore and traditions and their impact on modern society. As an author myself, I was incredibly touched by the video Amy posted when she first opened the proof copy of her book— go have a look at it, you can really tell how she has poured her heart and soul into this book.

COSMIC SELF-CARE: Spiritual rituals for modern mystics by Katie Huang, Founder of Love by Luna

There is a lot going on in this book, in a good way! If you’re new to mystical information this book would be a great starting place. Katie details 60 simple rituals drawing from astrology, tarot and the moon phases, to the seasons, crystals and manifestation. I love how down-to-earth and approachable each specific topic felt as I was reading about it.

THE STORIES BEHIND ASTROLOGY: Discover the mythology of the zodiac & stars by Alison Davies

This is a great astrology book to add to your repertoire if you’re someone who studies the signs, the stars, their meanings, and how it all connects. Alison dives into the wild and sometimes forgotten Greek and Roman myths that inspired our star signs and the names of the planets. It’s a fun way to discover where all these celestial connections come from! I like that she also includes rituals for wellbeing within the book.

GODDESS ORACLE DECK: 52 oracle cards to channel your inner goddess by Katja Perez

I have been obsessed with this deck lately! I use it every day alongside my regular tarot pull and love that I’m learning so much about all the different goddesses. Each drawing gives me exactly the right goddess to work with for that day.

Each card features a beautiful illustration by Katja Perez, an award-winning artist, and comes with an affirmation to help you tap into sacred, divine energy. It’s such a great way to connect with your feminine intuition and explore the beauty of mythology while embracing your inner goddess.

Be sure to follow Katja online too— she posts more amazing art on her Instagram account: @katja.perez

CELESTIAL FLORA AFFIRMATIONS: 52 empowering affirmation cards to connect to nature’s magical wisdom by Viki Lester

I love this deck. The affirmations and card descriptions are eloquent and simple. Using this deck has been a daily reminder to appreciate nature. Every card comes with an affirmation to help boost your life with positive vibes from Mother Nature. Think of it as a way to connect with the universe and tap into powerful forces like the moon for strength, daffodils for growth, and even four-leaf clovers for luck. There’s also a guidebook that breaks down the meanings behind all the flowers and astrological symbols, and it even gives you rituals for manifesting, reflecting, and calming your mind. It’s like a little spiritual toolkit to help you meditate, boost your mental health, and stay grounded.

I love following Viki on Instagram @forensicsandflowers and recently discovered her graphic design and art portfolio, too! So inspiring.

HELD BY THE LAND DECK: 45 Ways to Use Indigenous Plants for Healing & Nourishment - Guidebook + Cards by Leigh Joseph

What a gorgeous deck with so much incredible info in it! The author Leigh Joseph is an ethnobotanist and a member of the Squamish Nation.

He shares insights about how plants are a great source of healing and nourishment and I love that the deck primarily features plants from the Pacific Northwest.

The guidebook also shares:

• Tips to build your own home apothecary

• Notes on how to mindfully harvest and connect to the land you’re on

• Recipes for infused oils and salves

• A botanical glossary to help out with some of the more technical language

• Checklists for safe and sustainable harvesting

• Recipes for food and beauty remedies

Whew! That was a lot of books and decks!

I feel incredibly honored to be able to share about the work of these talented goddesses who created each of these books and Oracle decks and am so grateful that they are on my shelves at home, available as a resource whenever I need them.

I hope you check out these books and decks and enjoy them as much as I do!