Blog Archives

Book Review: Papa Jim’s Herbal Magic Workbook

Papa Jim's Herbal Magic Workbook

This is a very small book but full of wonderful information.  There are no chapters only a brief introduction to Herbal Magic and then alphabetical listings of all sorts of herbs with properties and a few spell suggestions with them.  The third section of the book is a selection of herbal recipes for many different solutions.

From Angelica Root to Valerian Root this book is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in herbal magic and folklore.  Not only are there spells with the various herbs and suggestions on how to work with the herbs.  There were several herbs and items listed in this book I had never heard of before now, and now I want to look for more information on them.

While I feel that this book could be much larger there is still a lot of useful information in this book.  Folklore and folk magic in the Hoodoo, Voodoo, and Rootwork traditions is easily accessible with this slim book.  Not only is the information very easy to read but its presented in simple language letting the true beauty of folk magic shine.

The author does include references to other products and items to be used in the various lore and spells.  The author does not provide recipes for the fast money oils or Hoyt’s cologne when referencing to these items.  It is assumed that the reader will have access to those materials.  The author does include a list of what he carries in his own personal Botanica.  So while the author did not provide recipes for the additional item in the spells and workings, he does provide a resource for obtaining those items.

The book ends with a list and translation from Spanish to English and English to Spanish of the various herbs covered in the book.  This is an important resource as there are many different common names for herbs based not only on location (geographically) but also with language and religious tradition and style.  This translation allows people to break the language barrier and know what herbs the other person is talking about.

The herbs in this book come from many different cultures and many different traditions.  While the author comes from a Hoodoo/Santeria/Voodoo background the variety of herbs covered in this book tells me that the author has experience with cross cultural herbal magic and workings.  For this reason I would highly recommended any magical herbalist add this book to their collection.

%d bloggers like this: