As someone who isn't very knowledgable in this area, but has an interest in learning more, I found this to be the perfect place to start. The author explores a lot of topics and offers a ton of information at the beginner level. She provides a great foundational basis in the first half of the book, only getting into the actual practice of Hedgewitchery in the later part of the book, once I was more familiar with the concepts and basis. Many of the unfamiliar terms were defined clearly, with information on background and history provided in a way that was interesting and informative, and avoiding the pitfall of becoming lecturing and dry.

One of the things I liked the most about this book is the way the author consistently encourages readers to find what works for them as individuals. The path of the Hedge Witch is a unique one for each practitioner, with no one path that fits all. The rituals and workings must be adjusted to feel right for each person, and as a solitary practitioner, this will obviously be different for each individual. She encourages the use of smarts and common sense, especially since some of the herbs, rituals, and practices can be dangerous if used incorrectly, but just about everything in the book seemed relatively straightforward and accessible to even a beginner.

The author's practice and knowledge skews towards the rituals and practices that she seems most familiar with; the Celtic, Druidic, Norse, Roman, and Greek roots of witchcraft, with some European history thrown in for good measure, but I couldn't help but notice the heavy Christian influence over all of it. So many of the significant dates correspond to Christian holidays, as do the way they are celebrated, and at least one of the sources that was cited co-opted from Jewish religious texts, essentially stealing from a closed religious practice. I would have liked to see how other religious systems practice witchcraft, or how those are drawn into more modern practice, but I think I'd probably have to dig a little deeper into that. In addition, I'd also probably have to study a little deeper to see how these practices could be put into action in a different setting, such as in North America as opposed to the UK, since the flora/fauna are different, as are the seasons and tides.

Overall, this was an interesting and enlightening read, full of information presented in an engaging and captivating way that was easy to grasp. Looks like I'll be getting started on my journey for more information soon!

Ms van der Hoeven has written a classic. Many people now are working solitary either by choice or by necessity. Finding a reliable well written and realistic book on how to do it is very hard IMO. I found one here. My own situation is similar to others. How to practice a meaningful spirituality that is inclusive of nature and others views too. IMO this book came at a perfect time for me. It is first of all a story that features the real needs of the reader. I had lots of questions and the author answered them . The more I read the more I understood why deity is called on and what Gods or Goddesses have an interest in life and why others call on them. The rituals here are not overly wordy or filled with odd sounding items and unrealistic jargon. Down to earth (literally) rituals are featured. More important for me was the fact I wanted to do them after reading about setting up my own practice . The reality of religion and its negative side is also discussed but not focused on. By that I mean why people need a circle or whether there are dangers in paganism practiced in this manner. She is honest in her answers and gives more than enough evidence for ways to practice safely and easily if you are concerned. I love this book. It is simple, but profound.A meaningful book for going forward on your own or with others, Excellent!!

I have enjoyed some of Joanna van der Hoeven’s work, having previously read several of her Pagan Portals series books related to Druidry. While I identify as a druid, Joanna identifies as both druid and witch, and I was curious to read a witchcraft-focused book from her.
There is a lot to appreciate about this book – it’s very 101-level, consistently defining terms rather than presuming the reader knows them, is written in accessible language, and is encouraging of diverse cosmologies and belief systems (ex. noting the chapter on deity can be skipped entirely if personified deities are not part of your practice). I also appreciate the author’s willingness to make ethical statements – ex. on the environmentally devastating impacts of crystal mining and the importance of sustainable harvesting – though it’s not the focus of the text, and to clearly distinguish what is her own experiential view versus what is traditional or scholarly. I do wish she would do much better at not putting forward a cis-centric and binary conception of gender (ex. referring to gender with reference to reproductive anatomy), though this too is not the focus of the text and in this book is confined to perhaps two passing comments. I also wish the book was more consistently footnoted – lots of claims here are unsubstantiated – though I do appreciate the bibliography.
van der Hoeven notes that the term ‘hedge witch’ is used in a range of ways – to refer to anyone who is a solitary witchcraft practitioner, for example – but that her focus is on hedge riding as a practice. I wish that this was actually more the case with this book: a lot of what this text covers is in no way specific to hedge witchery or even to witchcraft in general: moon phase associations, herbal work, working with elements, and the wheel of the year cycle of holidays are all practices common to many traditions and paths, and these kinds of topics taking up as much space as they do in this text means that it ends up repeating a lot of what is found in many, many other 101-level witchcraft books rather than emphasizing the specific topic of hedge riding. This might be fine if this is a beginner witch’s first book, but for any reader who’s engaged with other beginner books on witchcraft this will probably be very repetitive.
I will note that I cannot include anything related to the images in the book in my review as these were not included in the digital ARC copy.

Thank you to Llewellyn & NetGalley for providing an ARC.

An unfortunate book in that it is a combination of Neo-Pagan Wicca 101 with the barest info on journey work and dangerous at that if anyone actually does journey with only this information.
Fae Folk are not all kind and saying that its only Christian propaganda or people with evil in their hearts that meet bad ends when encountering entities in other realms is ignorant. Just as you wouldn't saunter into someone's property or a city run by a gang or mob with disrespect and ignorance, you wouldn't wander through a realm without any protection other than basically "don't eat the food."
The same with guiding people through rituals and techniques for hedgeriding (journey work) without the foundation of cleansing, energy work, or building their spiritual protocols and getting their own house in order with ancestors and Gods...sure there's a section on Deity but its flippant at best.
I was just disappointed.