I picked up a copy of Wild Once: A High Priestess’s Guide to Modern Spirituality during a recent trip to Treadwell’s in London. It was completely by chance—I was casually perusing the books on the table and grabbed this one, opening it up to a random page and reading: 

We pour a small libation on the ground near the entrance to the tomb. “Unknown ancestors, bless us,” I ask. “We do not know your names or gods but we ask you to accept this offering, which we pour on the land to honor you. Help us in our new life here to connect with the energies of the land and to honor its gods.” Then we drink and libate again. “As we drink, we honor you.” These simple acts and ceremonies are the basis of religion, ways of honoring time and place and the beings around us. (p. 151)

I fell in love with the simple, yet serious magic described in this passage. Reading anything by Vivianne Crowley feels very much like having a cup of coffee with an old friend. Her approachable, friendly tone draws you in and is a welcome antidote to the unnecessarily complicated style of other Craft books. 

She isn’t afraid to embrace vulnerability when discussing her more personal experiences, such as her health scare that resulted in hospitalization while traveling abroad. Still, even during these moments she wonderfully teaches you how to weave magic into some of those troubling moments. 

This isn’t a book to turn to for a quick fix spell, but that’s not to say that there aren’t spells scattered throughout the book. Rather than the instructions being provided as an uninspired list of ingredients like most spellbooks do these days, she [unintentionally] teaches you how to fashion magic by sharing her experiences. In one example, she talks about the need for healing magic to be done on herself, so Chris, her husband, starts the process of reaching out to friends all over the world, asking them to start the same working at the same time. As they do this, from all over the world, Vivianne starts to do her own work, opening herself up to receive the magic. “Then,” she says, “ it comes, a tingling-golden light.”

It’s stories like these that are scattered all throughout the book that make Wild Once such a valuable instruction book. You’re not just getting another dime a dozen spellbook here—you’re getting guidance from a well-respected Witch and High Priestess. Something those other spellbooks simply aren’t able to offer. 

Another delightful quality about this book is that it’s written for, well, anyone. Whether you’re a new witch just coming into the Craft, or perhaps you have been practicing for years, or maybe you’re not a Witch at all but decided to give into your curiosity a bit, this book remains approachable.

Book Information

• Wild Once by Vivianne Crowley
• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication Date: January 26, 2023
• Dimensions: 5X8
• Page Count: 336
• Purchase here