#please irish folk wizard man you can do better

[mo0nysaurus]

Hozier dropping an EDM track is my villain origin story

[spiltscribbles]

Any chance you could give us some Arabic speaking Remus headcanons? Loved your latest fic ❤️ 📚

OMFG gorgeous sugarplum! I legit only just was reminded of this while scrolling through my inbox right now! But my heart is finna burst!!! Thank you SO SO much and yes I would love to give some Headcanons about this! Especially since the next long story I’m working on includes this dynamic, and I’m so excited about it!! However, common disclaimer that while I am Arab and culturally Muslim even if I don’t practice like the rest of my family lol, I am Palestinian and not Syrian. So with every identity there are different experiences and customs no matter how closely intertwined. So I apologize for any inconsistency   that a Syrian may read and disagree with, and please feel free to correct me<3 <3

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The FIC this HC is from 

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So first off some background on his mum in the story 

I chose the name Vivian based off a friend of a friend who’s uncle married a woman by that name back in Palestine,  so it’s definitely extremely uncommon, but a fully Arab lady was named it, so like it’s my defense bahaha. But it also means lively, and coupled with Hussein as her maiden name which means beautiful, it just fit her personality to a t!! 

She was born into a pretty secular family in Syria in the late 1920s, so there was a lot going on in that time period. But her dad was pretty influential, working in the government and such. Vivian was also the youngest of four girls and three boys so she was pretty spoiled tbh

She attended a boarding school in France through out her adolescence and decided to go to university there too, so she’s fluent in both Arabic and French, with pretty great English as well. Though she wasn’t exactly white passing, even though like a bunch of Syrians/Palestinians/Lebanese folk she was somewhat fair, she had distinctly Arabian features, like the large almond shaped eyes and thick lashes and thicker brows, and a long, largeish nose, accented by full lips. So she experienced a good amount of jeers and discrimination, especially when folks found out her surname. So I think she’s able to relate to Remus in that sense of being a wolf at least, and later on  when he comes out as gay.

It was 1950  when she and a few of her girlfriends went to Wales for holiday after completing university. The second Lyall first spotted her in the woods while she was trying to make it back to the cabin near the Irish Sea with her mates, it was something like love, because duh. She was a fucking knock out!! A babe and a baddy! Literally so far out of his league its ridiculous! But on Vivian’s side,  she was mostly just amused and a bit enamored by this cocksure Welshman who had the most endearing of crooked smiles that their son would inherit a decade later. So obviously she didn’t make it easy on him, but eventually she let him take her out on the last night of her trip, and was pleased to find out that they had the same sort of humor and the same passion for their careers and even the same love for the outdoors too.

 They had a long distance relationship for two years while she went to grad school so she could teach about classics while Lyall himself was rising the ranks in the Ministry for regulation and control of magical creatures— Unbeknownst to her, the Floo network  was very helpful with the distance. Just thank God Lyall himself is a Muggle born because he really had to fake the hell out of it lol.

So just to speed things up they got married on a lovely June evening in  1955,  subsequent to  Vivian excepting a professorial job in Cardiff after Lyall told her about the Wizarding world. At first Vivian thought e was tripping on some subpar edibles until he proved it by transfiguring her snuff box into a lovely broach that she kept for the rest of her life, So after Vivian was convinced, she became  absolutely enthralled by all of the magic so completely. 

They were trying for a few years when she finally became pregnant with Remus in 1959, and they were both so over the moon (pun unintended).

So like I said above, Vivian’s family are pretty secular, so I see her mostly practicing the cultural aspects of Islam. For example, every Friday— which is the equivalent to Sundays being the holy day  for Christians— she lights up the instance that she always keeps herself stocked up on after her annual trip to Syria, instead of the typical candles she ordinarily prefers.  And Remus swears that for the rest of his life whenever he smells it, he’s back to being a baby, puttering around the house and watching her dusting the shelves while humming quietly an Arabic song that’ played out the gramophone  by a man who’s music would soon become regarded as the song of the people. Or Remus would recall being snuggled into her lap while she read him a novel on the windowsill. Or he’d simply remember listening to his parents laughter fluttering in the air while he fell asleep by the fire, subconsciously making the flower buds closest to him bloom with his untapped magic.

Remus’s first clear memory— thanks to the endless pictures— is when he was around four years old, before the attack, and they were staying in Vivian’s home town in Damascus. While the men congregated out doors for cigars and cards and the women in the living room chatting while snacking on watermelon seeds, his older cousins— who were all girls— dragged him off to one of the bedrooms and doted on him because he was the baby of that side of the family. And he remembers walking out in a set of one of their heels and a headscarf wrapped around his head which made his Mama and Tata and Aumties laugh out loud and croon over him, and all his uncles and Sido call him Aumty Remus.

The attack by Greyback happened soon after they returned to Wales, and I’m not gonna touch on it becs I’ not finna depress myself. But it was a January morning after his first transformation and he remembers that when he woke up, he saw the cookies stuffed with dates resting on his bedside with a glass of milk that Lyall had put a cooling charm on. And they’re indulgent treats that Vivian makes for both Eids every year even though they don’t celebrate them in any other way lol. But the cookies always reminds him of family and of feeling safe in his mother’s arms, and they still work to make him feel better even after the worst thing he has ever experienced in his short life.

Remus’s love of poetry came from both sides of his parents, but it was listening to his mother recite the story of Majnun Layla in it’s original Arabic that really made him glow for the art form, and brought him to discovering his favorites like Auden and Neruda. 

There’s a ornate, wooden prayer box that has been past down on the Hussein side of the family for five generations, it was originally  meant to hold a Qran but for the past three it’s simply just been a beautiful piece of decoration. So when Vivian gave it to Remus when he was headed off to Hogwarts, little Remus asked McGonagall to help him with locking  charms so it could become a safe place for him to keep his most cherished of nicknacks ant momentos, so obviously,  she silently added a charm to keep the wood nearly unbreakable and the extension charm atop of that, like Hermione with her bag, so that he could keep as many happy memories as possible inside of it, and she prayed that there would be so many that it threatened to burst. 

The last time Remus opened the box was in 1996, when he was putting away the ring Sirius gifted him as a match to his own in some feeble promise of forever only weeks before James and Lily’s own engagement. 

Once during first year, he and the lads were staying up late, trading stories about how they got their most ridiculous scars— after seeing the one that scraped across Remus’s left shoulder blade— But it got to a point where they were all feeling a bit nippish, so they went down to the kitchens for some of the chocolate pudding that was served during dinner that night. And Remus idly asked the house elves if they could make him a batch of Kinafa because he was getting home sick and missed when he and his Mama would dash over to the city whenever they were feeling antsy, and she’d take him to their favorite hooka bar after buying a round of the dessert— which is basically sweetbread stuffed with cheese— from down the block. And they’d stay sitting beneath the starlight, and talking about her job and his lessons from school while she’d let him try a discrete puff or two and they’d laugh about everything and nothing at all.

The next time they stopped by the kitchens one of the younger house elves presented him with the snack gleefully, and it tasted fine, just not like how they do back home. So Remus smiled warmly at Tipsy, the house elf, and thanked her with real sincerity.

But his face must’ve betrayed him because after easter break, Sirius plops down a fresh batch of them on Remus’s bed before leaping into his own, casually mentioning that he saw how grossed out Remus looked when trying the one the house elves made, and it was from a restaurant close to Grimmauld so it’s not that big of a deal, and then he rushed to cursing at James for stealing his favorite pen and swearing that  if he broke it he’s gonna have hell to pay. Remus had only blushed and chuckled  with a small smile on his face when he cut himself a small piece and finished the half sheet off with the rest of their house later that night during an impromptu party that the Marauders would become infamous for in later years.

It was the summer after second year when all the marauders visited Remus back home in Wales and when they heard Vivian call him Qamar practically every other sentence, which of course lead to endless ribbing and eventually  to his nickname of Moony— even though it’s so fucking obvious and Remus loves and hates it in equal parts. God his friends are so fucking stress inducing!

Remus teaches the other marauders funny Arabic curse words and they use them in class so that they can talk shit about particularly disgusting Slytherins without them being any of the wiser. (Yes I did do this with my friends, and I’d do it again! POW! POW! POW!)

It’s from Vivian that Remus has an affinity for coffee as strong as shit, but also prefers his tea weak— specifically two sugars and a dash of milk. But seriously, if you’ve ever tried Arabian coffee you’d understand, that shit is so fucking strong it’s literally a hate crime LMFAO. But yeah, this habit is definitely a point of contention between him and Sirius— who’s actually so fucking posh no matter how much he wants to be punk, and he stands by only drinking black tea— like Merlin intended— and saying bugger off to any and all coffees. “Leave that shite to the French and Americans.” And Remus would try to keep himself from making eyes at him from across the table, because God Sirius is hot when he’s all fiery  and impassioned, even when it’s about the dumbest, most inconsequential shit.

Something that’s sort of funny is that Remus was the first among them to become a fucking pot head and could drink them all  under the table even though Sirius himself has got two stone and three inches on him. But Remus still refuses to eat ham, purely because he never grew up eating it and doesn’t care too now. Sirius had to specifically ask Euphemia and Monty to make turkey for Christmas dinner their sixth year just because he knew that Remus’s head would probably implode with the decision between being rude and not eating it or forcing himself to gag down the unfamiliar meat.

When Remus is really, really fucking drunk he definitely spends the night only speaking in Arabic! (Don’t look at me I’m trash just because I stole this from my own life lmfao) But yeah, it’s really fucking hilarious and Sirius swears to God he’s so fucking in love with him while listening to Remus ranting in the unfamiliar language. And he’s like positive that half the time he’s actually just cursing Sirius out but he doesn’t even care because it’s SO! DAMN! CUTE!  And sometimes Sirius decides to speak French at a drunk off his arse Moony, who occasionally replies back in a stiff staccato before returning back to the easy Arabic. And it’s just a mess.

Ok so sadness warning

In my head, Vivian loses her fight against breast cancer the July after the Marauders graduate from Hogwarts, and afterwords Remus gets a tattoo of her name in Arabic on his chest, and the word for soul on the nape of his neck. He locks away that battered copy of Magnun Layla in the wooden box she gave him years ago, along with a woolen  scarf that smelt like her perfume.

 It’s Sirius who buys a set of prayer beads to hang off her photo above the mantel in the flat he and Remus share, and when Remus sees it he literally feels like  he might crack open with tears, but opts to kiss Sirius thank you instead, and they stay tangled on the sofa for the rest of the day in quiet contemplation.

One night, in late 1979, while  the war was only getting worse and worse—  Sirius was hit by a cutting curse to the ribs. And it was really fucking bad, but thankfully James got him to his house in time for Lily to help and heal. He slept for the most part for nearly an entire day, but remembers snippets. Like when Remus had sprinted into the room with fear painted all over his soft features, and when James put a cooling cloth to his head. But most distinctly, Sirius recalls Remus gingerly lying besides him and Sirius talking gibberish at his boyfriend while Remus plunged his entire face against his back, eyes wet with tears and body shuttering as he squeezed him softly, saying something quietly in Arabic. Sirius obviously didn’t understand like 99.9% of it, but he did catch the word “Habibi,” which he instantly remembers as an old pet name Vivian use to call Remus with so much love it made her entire countenance sparkle. It’s an endearment  that means beloved, or darling, and it feels like Remus is begging Sirius to stay with him and Sirius’s throat is still raw from the screaming, so he can only  reply by dragging Remus’s hand up to his mouth and kissing his knuckles tenderly. And he knows that whatever he does for the rest of his days, he loves Remus Lupin with every cell in his body.

Oof this got mad depressing…. Chow anyways, I can add a picture of the container you’re suppose to use for the instance if anyone wants that?

Thank you again dear Nonny!!!

Ask Me For Headcanons About A Story I’ve Written Or For One You Want To See Written

[elpinicerhymeswithmagnifique]

They meet in a pub ten years after the war.

(One) (Two) (On ao3.)

Two

The next day, Harry is gone.

Charlie awakes slowly, blinking into the blurry light of late morning. The bed beside him is empty and cold.

He sits up and yawns widely. With heavy arms, he grabs his cigarettes from the ground and opens the window.

In a cup on the windowsill is a lonely fag end. He imagines Harry standing there beside the bed, leaning outside the window, maybe still naked, absent and inscrutable, maybe watching Charlie sleep.

He had been surprising last night, all grace and sure and silent.  

How his hands had grabbed the sheet in search for hold when Charlie had sucked him. He had been quiet, but so, so delicately responsive under his hands. The curve of his ass had been perfect in Charlie´s palms and his writhing had stolen Charlie´s breath away.

He smiles faintly.

Then he stubs out the smoke next to the other and gets up.

___________________

 He doesn´t expect anything, so he is and isn´t surprised when Harry walks into the bar two evenings later. It´s fuller and louder this time. Charlie and Mort draw beer after beer, fill rounds of shots, silently working with and around each other, years of routine between them.

There hadn´t been a note or a sign from Harry save the cigarette in the cup. Charlie is too old to read too much into a night of sex - even if it had been a night of amazing sex with a ghost of the past – and so he only thought slightly blue about soft skin and wet lips, but didn´t wait for anything. (And didn´t move the cup from the windowsill.)

Harry comes to the counter and orders a cider, his eyes following Charlie, but he says nothing more than two words. He only gives a faint smile and goes to sit in a far corner, pulling a small book out of his jacket. He´s wearing the same dark blue sweater as last time.

Charlie keeps doing his job, aware of Mort and the small knowing smile on the face of the wrinkled bastard.

After two or three hours, it gets quieter and they take a break, leaning against the register.

Mort drinks half of his beer before he says something in his husky voice, earned from a life that´s majority was spent with a smoke between his lips. “You should go talk to him,” he nods in Harry´s direction. “He seems lonely.”

Charlie snorts. “You go talk to him then. You´re far better at consoling the lost.”

The old man squints at him, doubt written over his features. “I´m not the one he´s here for, brat. Or should I snog him and take him home, too?” he scoffs.

“Rima will be delighted.”

(Mort´s wife is the driest, most hard-nosed person Charlie has ever met, reminding him a lot of Professor McGonagall. The first time they´d met, she told him how she captured a ship, full of grown fishermen, and went after her wastrel father, seventeen years old and her crying baby sister on her hips, back when the last century was still shaking in the aftershocks of two world wars. That´s how she met Mort, a nine years older fisherman on said ship, who had fled from his home, because his skin was too dark and his mother too Jewish.)

Mort chuckles quietly and lights their cigarettes. The crowfeet on his face seem to deepen in the light and shadows.

Charlie eyes Harry. He is still reading in the corner, a third cider nearly empty in front of him. He seems tired.

“He doesn´t seem like talking,” Charlie states shrugging.

“Well, then just bite him like last time. He didn´t seem to mind.”

He rolls his eyes. “You don´t know him, Mort.” Not that Charlie knows him either.

“Oh, yeah?” Mort huffs, half annoyed, half-amused, and empties his bottle. “I don´t need to know him to recognize a lonely boy who´s seeking for company. I´ve seen enough of them. Plus,” he sneers down on Charlie, “d´you think, the long-lost hero of the whole British Wizarding World would be long-lost, if he keeps visiting the work place of his old folks?”

The bloody bastard looks smug as Charlie coughs on his cigarette. “Thought I wouldn´t recognize him, hm? I may be an old Irish man with a bar in the States, but I´m not stupid,” he bites, looking rather pleased with himself. “Now get lost.” He puts out his cigarette, turns around without another word and takes the order of two women.

Charlie slowly exhales.

___________________

 Harry looks up from his book when Charlie puts two beers on the table and sits down opposite of him.

They watch each other. Charlie asks himself, not for the first time in the last three days, what has happened to his hands.

They´re calloused and their backs are scarred all over, scar next to scar over more scars, like a map of hurt, faintly painted with white acrylic paint. They remind Charlie of the one nasty torus on his own upper back. He wants to ask him, wants to point at his fingers and say, what happened that you punished yourself like this and refused proper treatment – but he doesn´t.

Because Harry talked near to nothing two nights ago and looks as worn out as back then. Because he´s oddly calm, like he´s seen so much and is tired of that, and Charlie bets his tips of the whole month he wouldn´t be the first person to ask him and get no answer.

But mostly because Harry reminds him of the wild cat he used to feed as a kid, a huge old stray, with ugly scars over the left side of its face and only one ear.

It never let Charlie near it, no matter how often he fed it or waited patiently twenty feet away. One too loud word from his brothers or one step too near, and it disappeared silently into the fields and meadows behind the Burrow. It liked to sleep up in a cherry tree, out of reach and far away from prying eyes, only coming down when it wanted something.

But sometimes, Charlie would find dead mice and small birds outside his window.

And one time, in his last summer at home, he fell asleep on the grass, hiding behind his father´s old shed – exhausted from chasing the twins and Ginny´s never ending chatter, fleeing his mother´s nagging about his decision to go to Romania after his diploma – and when he woke up, there was dark cat hair all over the left side of his jeans and a tail disappearing between the bushes.

He has a feeling that Harry, too, would leave the second Charlie gets too near.

So, instead, he blows the smoke between them and nods towards the book.

“What´s it `bout?”

Harry gives him a level look, his head tilted. Glancing at the book, he says, “A mysterious hotel in New York City, where people tend to vanish.”

“Ah, crime. Who´s the culprit?

“Angels.”

Charlie raises his eyebrows. “Is it good?”

Harry nods and grabs one of the bottles. Charlie is caught by the way his throat moves as he swallows, a hot wave of lust flushing through his body – wet lips wrapped around his cock, swallowing something entirely different - and when he sees Harry´s smirk, he suspects that that was exactly the intention.

Charlie was right, Harry´s not in the mood for talking. They sit silently across from each other, drinking and smoking, stealing glances at the other. Charlie hears Mort laughing hoarsely at some joke he´s telling two young women who could be his granddaughters. The crowd´s good tonight.

“How long have you been working here?”, Harry asks.

Maybe talking after all. Huh.

Charlie shrugs. “Four years. Actually, I own some parts of it. Mort made me partner couple years ago.” He points his thumb vaguely in Mort´s direction at the bar. Harry follows and smiles flimsily.

Charlie questions tentatively, “You´re working somewhere?”

For a moment, Harry looks like he´s going to withdraw, as if the question already has been too much. Then he shrugs similarly to Charlie before. “Yeah. Small Bookstore.”

Charlie´s not surprised, surprisingly. It somehow fits him now. He can almost see Harry sitting in a dusty old shop, surrounded by shelves, drinking tea and reading. Like a cat dozing in his favorite spot, hidden from the world.

Harry yanks him out of his thoughts.

“When´s your shift over?”

His voice is rough and Charlie feels the hair on his forearms rising. His eyes flicker to Harry´s lips and he wets his own, just to see how Harry tilts his head again and opens his mouth slightly, breathing out.

“How ´bout now.”

“Good.”

Charlie sees Mort grinning smugly when they leave. He flips him off behind his back as he follows Harry through the door.

___________________

 The night is cold, but Charlie lives near the pub, only two corners away in a little flat with two rooms and a kitchen. They walk in silence, their hands deep in their pockets.

When Charlie gets the keys out in front of his apartment building, Harry shuffles into his space and they just stand like this in the doorway, breathing against each other, their faces only an inch apart. Harry looks dark in the faint streetlights, like an unfathomable siren who lures every person unguarded enough into his trap with just one look and one word from his sinful lips, and Charlie is going to be one of the many poor souls that have fallen for him.

Harry´s eyelids drop and he closes the last gap. It´s an almost natural motion, without any hesitation or prolonging, as if there isn´t a past connecting them, no silences and unspoken questions. As if they´re just two men stumbling upon each other on the first nights of a cold autumn, who decide to linger in the same space a little longer.

The kiss is light, a promise for more, but a smouldering heat´s boiling underneath it.

Charlie takes his head in both hands, keys falling to the ground, and deepens the kiss, relishing in the low moan escaping Harry.

It´s so much, so much desperation and loneliness, lust and want. He has the presentiment of never feeling this ever again, if he´s not very cautious.

Harry grabs him by the hips and presses them closer together, his tongue searching for Charlie´s in a way Charlie can´t help but admire.

Caution never came easy to Charlie, only with animals and others, but he never got the hang of it for his own life, for himself. He always jumps straight into opportunities, not even thinking through remotely how he will end up or if he will be getting hurt. It´s his greatest weakness and strength, his boss in the infirmary once told him, after he had fallen for and into the bed of an intern from Alaska, who´d crushed his heart in pieces when she left without so much as a note. (This, and his ability to soothe any living animal on this planet with only his hands.) She warned him, that one day he would fall so deep, not being cautious and not caring for the consequences, he may not stand up again.

And so, fourteen years later, he falls without care as he kisses this beautiful boy, who turned up in his life out of the blue.

Because Harry is lonely. Because Charlie spent hours and hours sitting twenty feet away from a lonely cat when he was only sixteen. Because he wouldn´t even hesitate for a second to do it again, if it means to give the lonely cat a place to stay and sleep and eat, regardless of whether he gets something in return or just his heart broken. Because Harry is breathtaking and the only thing Charlie is able to see in this moment.

He´ll give him everything Harry allows him to give.

“Inside,” Harry breathes into his skin, “now.”

[tipsycad147]

Beyond Wicca 101: TOP 25 Witchcraft Books to Advance Your Craft

Ready to advance your craft? Maybe you’ve been reading beginner witch books and wiccan books for the past year or more. Maybe you’re ready to further your knowledge and practice. I’m here to tell you there’s more to the craft and the old religion than just the information in the Wicca 101 books. You’ve read the Cunningham and Ravenwolf books, time to move forward. The advanced witchcraft books might not be labelled as “witchcraft books” or “Wiccan books” but they’re waiting for you nonetheless. Here are my top 25 witchcraft books to take your craft to the next level!

DISCLOSURE: I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you information about the paranormal and paganism.

TOP 25 Witchcraft Books to Advance Your Craft

I’m breaking up my book recommendations in sections so that you can easily find what subject you’d like to focus on. I recommend picking a topic and reading all there is to know about it, as well as practising it day in and day out. Once you’ve mastered that topic, move on to the next. The craft is ALL about learning something new, retaining that knowledge, and then weaving it into your practice the rest of your life.

Ancestor Witchcraft Books

1. The Mighty Dead by Christopher Penczak

In my humble opinion, there’s not enough emphasis on ancestors in the craft or in Wicca. And ancestors are incredibly important as Christopher Penczak demonstrates in The Mighty Dead. In this particular book, Penczak puts major emphasis on invoking the ancestors of the craft, specifically, not just our own blood ancestors. The ancestors of the craft are the witches, wizards, and magic people who came before us and paved our way. An excellent read for those wanting to move beyond Wicca 101.

2. The Seven Daughters of Eve

by Bryan Sykes

If you haven’t done your DNA through 23andMe, I recommend it for this one reason – if you’re a woman, you can find out your maternal haplogroup. This information coincides nicely with Bryan Sykes’ DNA research of the Seven Daughters of Eve – seven “clan mothers” proven to have lived 15,000 to 45,000 years ago in Europe. If you have European ancestry, you descend from one of these 7 clan mothers! It really puts primal ancestry into perspective and makes it a tangible part of your witchcraft practice. Get this book and do your DNA.

3. Saxons, Vikings, and Celts

by Bryan Sykes

Are you sensing a theme here? Diving into your ancestral roots will bring your beginner witchcraft practice to a whole new level. If you have European ancestry (again), check out Sykes’ other book on the origins of Saxons, Vikings, and Celts and how they all meld together.

Other Ancestral Recommendations:  If none of these appeal to you, please search out books on the history and beliefs of your ancestors.

Folklore Witchcraft Books

4. The Silver Bullet, and Other American Witch Tales by Hubert J. Davis

Folklore is readily glanced over in the realm of witch books recommendations, and it’s a SAD thing! Folklore offers us and our practice so much. We not only get a sneak peek into the past, into what our ancestors believed before us, but we also get a chance to become inspired by folklore. To weave some of the past into our modern day practices! Want to learn what a real witch ball was in Appalachia in the late 1800s? Read The Silver Bullet, my FAVOURITE witch lore book on the market (compiled in the early 1900s).

5. Encyclopedia of Norse and Germanic Folklore, Mythology, and Magic by Claude Lecouteux

Perhaps one of my favourite folklorists of all time is Claude Lecouteux. A French man with a passion for European folklore of old, Lecouteux’s work is reminiscent of Jacob Grimm’s work, but goes far in depth with each subject at hand. The Encyclopedia of Norse and Germanic Folklore reads like an encyclopedia, but if you have any interest in learning about Norse or Germanic mythologic creatures, gods and goddesses, and traditions, you’ll want to have this book on your shelf for entertainment and reference.

6. Teutonic Mythology (Volumes 1-4) by Jacob Grimm

Yes, the Grimm Brothers wrote Fairy Tales, but did you know Jacob Grimm was a scholar on Germanic folklore too? People think of fairy tales and they think of Disney, but those fairy tales were once dark, raw bits of folklore that Jacob Grimm and his brother compiled a hundred or more years ago. In addition to the Fairy Tales, Jacob Grimm wrote my favourite work – Teutonic Mythology. In this four volume set, you’ll read about the fairy tale creatures in Germany, the forgotten goddesses like Eostre and Berchta, the Wild Hunt and its leaders Wotan and Berchtold, the Devil in German folklore and more!

Divination Witchcraft Books

7. Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic by Edred Thorsson

Looking to expand your knowledge and use of the elder furthark runes? I highly recommend Edred Thorsson’s book. Not only does he detail the magical associations with each rune, he elaborates on the mythology and origins of each rune which I feel is KEY to fully understanding the sacredness of the runes. He also gives stadhas (power positioning) to help learn each rune and take it into one’s physical being.

8. Palm Reading for Beginners by Richard Webster

One of my favourite forms of divination is palmistry, and Richard Webster does an amazing job of teaching the basics. While we are not beginner witches anymore, we will always be a beginner at something. If you’d like to learn how to read palms, read Webster’s book, take notes, and practice on your friends and family.

Advanced Witchcraft Books

9. Advanced Witchcraft: Go Deeper, Reach Further, Fly Higher by Edain McCoy

Edain McCoy is a wonderful author of books on witchcraft and in 2004 she published this gem on Advanced Witchcraft. If you’ve already learned how to make a BOS, how to celebrate the sabbats and esbats, and how to cast basic spells, this book is for you. Edain goes over how to practice shadow work, how to work with familiars, and discusses how to banish and heal from an advanced level. Definitely a read worth picking up!

10.  Power of the Witch by Laurie Cabot

Some might say this is a book for beginners, but I beg to differ. The information particularly on getting into an “alpha state” of mind for magick and ritual is perfect for anyone who wants to take their rituals to the next level. Maybe you struggle with concentrating during ritual. Maybe you don’t know how to get into the right state of mind to make things happen. Cabot teaches how to get into an alpha state in this book, making it an invaluable read for those advancing their craft.

Shamanism Books

11. Journey to Ixtlan by Carlos Castaneda

Learning to advance in the world of witchcraft means learning how to cross the hedge into the other realms. This is a purely shamanic practice and one that is written about at length in Castaneda’s books. My favourite is Journey to Ixtlan where Carlos Castaneda initially meets the Yacqi shaman Juan Matus. Yes, this book talks of using psychotropic plants to view separate realities than ours. Don’t take that as an invitation from me, just read it and extract the useful information with a grain of salt.

12. Awakening to the Spirit World by Sandra Ingerman and Hank Wesselman

“Awakening to the Spirit World takes you through each step of developing a personal connection with your helping spirits to receive wisdom, insight, and healing energy.” Starting to dive into close relationships with your spirit allies? Want to go deeper into the other realms but be protected at the same time? Want to learn how to heal and work with your creative side in order to achieve goals? This book is for you.

13. Animal Speak by Ted Andrews

No one has a better grasp on animal signs and omens than Ted Andrews. I’ve yet to find a more exhaustive and accurate book on divine animal messages. I constantly get asked about animals signs and omens, but the truth is – this book taught me at least half of what I know. If you want to learn how to accurately read nature signs and omens to convey messages from the other side, get this book.

Witchcraft Fairy Books

14. Meeting the Other Crowd by Carolyn Eve Green and Edmund Lenihan

Why is learning about fairies and elementals important? If you follow any form of European paganism or witchcraft, MUCH of the fairy folklore and beliefs were essential to our ancestors for hundreds of years. Meeting the Other Crowd dives into experiences of people who have seen the “good folk” or fairies and demonstrates the importance of the good folk to the earth and to our lives.

15. A Witch’s Guide to Faery Folk by Edain McCoy

My absolute favourite guide to fairies is written by Edain McCoy. She gives helpful pointers in the beginning of the book about how to invite benevolent fairies to your space and how to protect yourself from the malevolent fairies. The best part of the book is the Encyclopedia of fairies in the second half. I’ve had this book for years and it still sits on my shelf to be used as a reference from time to time. With Edain’s help, I’ve been able to identify numerous elementals I’ve had experience with over my lifetime.

16.  Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry by WB Yeats

There’s something about the older books on fairies that seem more authentic. Some of the fairy books today convey a sense of “fantasy”, whereas the older books on fairies like those written by Yeats, seem more real. More raw. Is this because people back then had a better understanding of the fay moreso than people today? I don’t know but I do know Yeats’ work should be read by anyone interested in diving deep into fairy lore. In addition to fairies, Yeats also details stories about shapeshifting witches. This book is cheap as an e-book…I think I paid 2 dollars!

17. The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries by WY Evans-Wentz

Another older fairy book, written in the early nineteen-hundreds, and one similar to Yeats’ work. Evans-Wentz goes beyond the Irish tales and details fairy encounters and stories from all over the countrysides of Wales, Brittany, Scotland, Ireland, and Cornwall (among others). He solidifies the theory that fairies weren’t just a mere whim of fantasy to our ancestors – they were a part of their faith. Some tales are frightening – others are happy-go-lucky but ALL are amusing.

God and Goddess Books

18. Feast of the Morrighan by Christopher Penczak

Have you immersed yourself in god and goddess knowledge yet? Whether you have a matron goddess or patron god doesn’t matter. Reading detailed witchcraft books on certain gods and goddesses will help further your spiritual knowledge and craft. The Morrighan is a somewhat popular goddess to modern day witches and pagans. Learn why in Christopher Penczak’s book.

19. Hekate Liminal Rites by David Rankine and Sorita d’Este

Another somewhat popular goddess in the modern Wiccan world is Hekate (Hecate). Sorita d’Este writes alongside David Rankine in this 5-star-rated book honouring the mysterious origins of the pre-Greek goddess Hecate. In addition to learning the origins of this goddess, you’ll also learn how to work with her at the crossroads and how to make charms with her energy.

20. Pagan Portals: Pan - Dark Lord of the Forest by Melusine Draco

For all the forest witches out there – time to learn of the dark lord of the forest, Pan. Melusine Draco takes us on a journey into the dark woods to encounter Pan. If you’ve ever been intrigued by forest spirits and green witchery, now’s your chance to align with one of the most well-known and omnipresent forest gods.

21. Thoth: The History of the Ancient Egyptian God of Wisdom by Lesley Jackson

One of the first patron gods I worked with was Thoth. He taught me much about the ancient wisdom now lost to the modern world. He also provided me with the drive to write about all things occult and prompted me to look into otherworldly origins of human beings. Lesley Jackson’s book is an in-depth look at the ancient Egyptian god of mathematics, writing, wisdom, magic and more.

Hoodoo & Folk Magic Books

22. Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic by Catherine Yronwode

If you’re interested in learning hoodoo, conjure, or root magic, start here with Catherine Yronwode’s book. If you need information on the magical properties of herbs, roots, animal curios, and minerals this book has it all. Keep in mind the magical properties might differ from Wiccan or other traditions because hoodoo is an African-American form of folk magic. In addition, Yronwode gives spells, charms, and other bits of useful magical info.

23. Pow Wows or the Long Lost Friend by John George Hohman and JJ Hitt

Ever heard of pow wow magic? It’s not Native American as it sounds. It’s actually a form of Pennsylvania Dutch folk magic commonly practised in nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Pow Wows is a book of compilated Pennsylvania Dutch remedies to common illnesses and charms to find lost objects, water, etc. If you’re interested in American folk magic, don’t pass up the opportunity to read this intriguing bit of Americana. You can get it cheap on Amazon or free at sacred-texts.com.

24. The Black Folder: Personal Communications on the Mastery of Hoodoo by Catherine Yronwode

If you enjoyed Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic by Yronwode, the black folder ups the ante. This book is actually a compendium of flyers, brochures, and teaching materials that have been compiled over the years by the Lucky Mojo Curio Company. The information is presented by various conjure folk and experts from all over the world including: Sister Robin Petersen, Valentina Burton, Catherine Yronwode, Conjureman Ali, and Deacon Millett.

25. Ozark Magic and Folklore by Vance Randolph

I preach this book in nearly every article I write on books. Vance Randolph collected stories from all over the Ozark Mountain region of the United States back in the early half of the twentieth century. Information includes tales on yarb doctors, granny women and shapeshifting witches. As well as weather, animal, and common household superstitions. I’ve used this book for years as reference for my practice and writing.

https://otherworldlyoracle.com/beyond-wicca-witchcraft-books-to-advance-your-craft/