thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I really liked this book and found it very helpful! I learned a lot of new things

Who does not like a book dedicated to modern witchcraft and specifically Brujeria, that discusses the secret, inner wisdom of these subjects and add in what they can teach us and how to use them in our practice. Burjeria can be an intimidating subject to get into; luckily this book is written so well that it makes it quite easy to understand the practice and why it has continued to exist today. This book was perfect for me, as a very spiritual person and as someone who values the use and properties of herbs in everyday and magical life, and I really enjoyed what this book had to offer. This book would make an excellent gift too!

What a fascinating read! Katrina Rasbold has provided an excellent in depth look at Brujeria both as practice and a cultural phenomenon.

She really took the time to explain the whys and hows of each practice and urges that if you feel called to the practice please find a traditional practitioner to instruct you. This shows a genuine intent to educate, an understanding of the issues surrounding cultural appropriation, and the need to learn from a skilled practitioner.

This book is for any reader interested in the topic.

I knew nothing about Brujeria before I read this book, and I learned quite a bit. I found this book to be well written, very informative, and easy to understand. The book gave me a lot to think about, and even more to research on my own. I am thankful that I was able to read this.

I didn't know anything about Brujeria and this book helped to learn a lot of new things.
It well written, easy to read and the explanations are clear.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This author has provided an excellent look at brujeria both as an magical practice and a cultural phenomenon.

The author took special care to explain the whys and hows of each practice while acknowledging that one should be called to the practice and find a traditional practitioner to instruct them if seriously intending to pursue the art. This shows both a genuine intent to educate combined with an understanding of the issues surrounding cultural appropriation.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how much saints play into the art as that is an enjoyable similarity with my hoodoo roots.

I would recommend this book to any reader interested in the topic as while it is geared towards pagan witches it’s fairly friendly towards the curious academic as well.

For readers who either are looking for a cultural exploration of Brujeria or curious about the importance of the practice, The Sacred Art of Brujeria acts as a welcoming guide. Author Katrina Rasbold is the first person to admit she is not what you'd likely think of; she's a pale red head; Brujeria found her, as it should be. Rasbold actually makes a great mediator for the uninitiated because she is able to explain both the culture context and how it can be misconstrued from folks on the outside. I absolutely love the fact that she is careful to remind people that if you should want to practice, that you need to be called and you need to speak to a professional first. Still, she offers how-tos, and whys. I did really love that her students included their perspectives as well, giving additional insights to the beliefs and practices.

The Sacred Art of Brujeria is very accessible and a great place to start for the curious.

The Sacred Art of Brujeria is author Katrina Rasbold’s latest offering on the subject of modern Mexican witchcraft. As Rasbold clearly states at the start of the book, she is not Mexican but did train under 3 Brujeria’s in Mexico. This is a tradition steeped in Catholicism with petitions to Santa Muerte. Rasbold is also a healer and draws heavily on her knowledge of the Hindu chakra system of the body. It’s an interesting read on an individual’s take meshing different practices to create something that works for them. Those who are in practice with clients or considering will get a lot out of this.

*eARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley

This is a good look into the practice of Brujeria. Brujeria stems from Mexican folk magic. I love how this practice incorporates saints and the Blessed Mother. This was an interesting read. I really enjoyed learning about other spiritual practices.

Thank you to the Llewellyn and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was an outstanding book. Very easy to read and extremely informational. Cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had about brujeria. If you practice or are looking to practice, this book is a must read. I will be looking for more from the author. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest opinion of this book. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

Brujeria is a form of folk magic that is specific to Mexico. Most of the practices sound like many other Shamanic methods, but the modern version the book explains is based firmly in Catholicism and works through patron saints. Presumably Mexico had an earlier version before the invasion of Christianity.

It is a healing magic and I found the ideas behind using the breath as a magical conduit especially interesting. Some of the chapters sounded very familiar, working with auras, and chakras etc., but then something new would come up. The four stage procedure for a healing was of interest, starting with just getting the client to talk about their problem.

A little bit psychology and a little bit woo, things like a sage bath or pendulum use to locate areas of the body that represent psychological blockages but are healed through channelling a divine power separate this tradition from some similar Shamanic practices. Using modern and imported terms is, I suppose, is expected in this age of globalism.

Though the practice has too much of religion about it to be something I would practice personally, I found reading about it informative and interesting. Some of it could be dismissed as superstition, like transferring maladies to an egg or sweeping away bad energies like in Wicca, but I keep an open mind and would certainly allow a practitioner to work on me without being too dismissive.

Most importantly, the book details what's involved so it's done it's job well.

A very inclusive look at Brujeria. Covers modern forms and touches on older views also. Using this book and the authors advice you can help yourself to cleansing and other basic works. The modern form which the author uses has Santa Muerta involved. There are also folk saints as well as the Trinity and the Blessed Mother. All in all an excellent primer with loads of information and works you can try. I dont think anything can take the place of an experienced older teacher but this book does a more than average job in givng folks a way to make their lives better and more positive.