"Integration of Shadow Work into Practice: Raven Digitalis’ Shadow Magick Spellbook: Spells, Charms, and Rituals for Positive Change"
Featured Book Review
Integration of Shadow Work into Practice
A Review of Raven Digitalis’s Shadow Magick Spellbook: Spells, Charms, and Rituals for Positive Change
By guest reviewer Melissa Love
“Shadow work” has become one of those buzzwords sneaking around every corner. It seems to peek out from under the yoga mat, work its way into dream journal prompt lists, from behind the monstera pots in professional therapy offices, and in hundreds of articles and short-form videos all over the internet, mostly contradicting themselves in the process. It’s no wonder so many of us are confused, lost, and feel a bit Sisyphic when it comes to this subject; one that we know is vital to personal mental health and, in our case, the vibrational health of the collective consciousness as a whole. It’s frustrating. And once we do figure out how to start, all of a sudden, all the half-truths and sources of contradictory information fade away once the void actually starts staring back. And we are left alone. It’s unfair, really. One of the key concepts of shadow work, the somatic part, is usually left out of the conversation.
This
is one thing witchcraft does so well. Our practices are nothing if not somatic.
We are moving and Doing. It is why we call it a craft. I’m not referring
to “armchair occultism”; the Work is what shifts and integrates. It truly was a
refreshing shift to see a new shadow book in my inbox to review for here that
seemed to contain spells and rituals, including a tremendous variety of shadow
topics and levels written for us crafters. Raven Digitalis, a cultural
anthropologist, empath, and practitioner with decades of experience, has a
unique way of integrating many of our varied practices within shadow work so
most can feel comfortable starting, no matter where they are on their path,
even right at this moment. Shadow Magick Spellbook: Spells, Charms, and Rituals
for Positive Change attempts to fill the gap between the theory of shadow
work and the Doing of it. And it is in that Doing where the journey of
integration is processed.
Raven
seems to hold the restoring view that shadow work should be for everyone, not
only those who have the privilege of access to care. This book reads less like
a grandiose lecturer filled with complex jargon, and more like a meeting with
an experienced practitioner giving you the “down-low”. Simple, quite nicely
organized, effective, and yet varied enough to give inspiration for our own
rituals we could create to best suit individual needs. This isn’t a workbook,
mind you; rather, this is a well-stocked apothecary to peruse and sift through,
to grab what we want when it is needed, the indexes at the back making this
quite quick.
I
can tell this was quite the endeavor to take on. To bridge so many different
cultures and ways of working into one book. To make it accessible and to
include the organized and, I feel, comprehensive list of shadows. However, the
energy of this book is not the sunny digestive Chamomile. It’s Rose. It has its
thorns. Which, as a shadow work book spanning continents and touching themes
some dare not, is a must. It’s passionate, watery, stormy, and full of “the
good stuff” of depth and reality.
This book is for those who already practice and are looking to integrate shadow work. One where you can sit with the author at a table in your living room, ask a question, and get a direct answer. It’s full of experience and wisdom and does a great job of really bridging theory into practice better than most occult books touching on shadow work. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of the guest spells, making this a bit of a community grimoire, something living and breathing, a cross-cultural, rich compost. I do think this book is a cared for and lovingly put together piece of work.
Be sure to check out our exclusive interview with professional hedgewitch and author Melissa Love on the new Modern Occultist Podcast here!
(Every day, Modern Occultist News will present "This Day in Occult History" and your "Daily Occult Review" and will dive into the birthdays, rituals, breakthroughs, and crucial moments that shaped today’s many esoteric traditions. From the Hermetic revival to Witchcraft, from Crowley to cyberspace, we’ll bring the best stories and latest trends to today’s own modern occultists everywhere.)
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