Of Blood and Bones: Working with Shadow Magick & the Dark Moon

Another good book if you are wanting to learn the dark side of magick. Good read and learning

For several years now, I have been practicing more seriously my witchcraft. I’ve always come from the place of love and light, but I knew that there was this darker side to me that I somehow felt I needed to embrace. I kept placing this feeling it to the side but the need to dive into something darker has stuck with me.As I’ve gotten older and I’m reaching the part of life where I am the crone, there is a darkness within me that needs to be explored and I can’t deny it anymore.This is not to say that I want to harm anybody or curse anybody but that shadow work that I thought I had fixed is still with me and quite strong. I realized that perhaps embracing the darker side of the craft would be a good way to heal myself and accept this other side within me and stop restraining it.I love this book because it gives a balance between the light and dark. We are all light and dark. Nothing is just black and white. Everything is gray. This book has made me feel safe in exploring the shadow part of me which has been fighting for space. It’s a beautifully written book that in many ways is more enlightening than all the love and light witchcraft books you find. This book is truth, truth of the light and the dark that resides within all of us. If you’re looking to embrace the darker arts and darker part of yourself and start on the path of shadow work, I highly recommend this book!

I originally read this book online on an eBook subscription site, and just finally ordered a copy as I reference the recipes a good bit (the death oil especially). This is definitely NOT an end-all-be-all book, but rather a good starting point to these "darker" aspects of practice. The recipes are great and the spells are well-written. It would be impossible to go as far into depth as some other reviewers would like. This is a great book and a must have to your library. The concepts discussed are well-written and it's a refreshing change from the standard love-and-light book.

Fantastic book filled with so much information. Some subjects might not be for the squeamish but to be honest I thought I would have a hard time reading about cleaning and fixing bones and working with the “creepy Crawlies”. It was written so well and with respect that I wasn’t squeamish at all! Another thing I have to comment in regards to the writing in this book that its not filled with a lot of personal experiences. That is often the theme of many new books on the subject of witchcraft. Many of them often read like autobiographies and not books on said subject. So because of that she is able to fit a lot of information and doesn’t leave you hanging craving more information. It’s just the right amount of info for new folks to the craft and seasoned Witches alike.

I've been eager to be able to leave my review on this book! While I would not recommend to a new practitioner; I do believe this book is a staple for a witch's library. There are many books on what to do with the elements you find in nature; but the darker elements are not often discussed. As someone that works with elements found in nature; I am glad to have a resource to find what to magickally use these pieces for and why they are used this way. The author has enough foresight to list many plant based alternatives in her spell work which is incredibly thoughtful. The writing has a conversational tone which feels akin to learning in a classroom which I find pleasant. I find the subjects that I am familiar with the author has researched well; therefore I feel confident in learning from her in the areas where I lack certain knowledge.

I don't know what it feels like *not* to do shadow work. My work has always been of the dark nature, even those spells I cast in light are always to balance the force of darkness. Of Blood And Bones is a masterful work. I cannot express this enough. It's honest, meaning, Freuler does not sugar coat that some (a lot) dark work is, well, very dark. You invoke deities who deal expressedly in the shadow side of things. You cannot turn these deities into happy and peace loving beings. Dark magic is as necessary as light. This world is by nature of existence a triad: the dark, the light, and the liminal space in between. You cannot eschew all other energies just because you are afraid of them. Indeed, the more afraid you are, the more shadow work you likely need to do. Freuler gives a no-nonsense approach to shadow work. Her writing is both concise and richly articulate. I recently rebuilt my library of magick, and I didn't realize that hers would be the one I pick up most often. It's been a huge relief to know that somewhere in the world I have an ally in my shadow work. I am very cautious about the magick that I do. And this book is the perfect guide that aligns with my philosophies around magick in general. Not to mention giving a few spells to work with and tailor to suit me and my life path. If you are afraid of shadow work but are still curious, I would say avoid Crowley (lol), and the grimoires listed here. Freuler gives a feminine approach to shadow work, inviting you to try your hand without freaking you out. Some of the grimoires here don't have any guardrails. Not that I think they are necessary, after all, if you are inclined to do dark work, you know what you are dealing with, and you should have a manual that helps you get to where you want to go. But if you are new to shadow work, or want something that's not quite as 'intense', start with Of Blood and Bones. Your guides are waiting for you, as are the deities who will help you understand that dark impulses are not all bad (yes, some of them are! But not all.). In fact, when we embrace our shadow side, we begin to balance our lives. We begin to live more honest lives. Thank you Freuler. Your book is a work of art that should grace every witch's shelf of magickal tomes.

A must read.

Extremely well written and interactive. Very informative on info that can be hard to find