Urban Magick

Starred review from January 13, 2020
Rajchel (Divorcing a Real Witch), a magic and tarot life coach, presents an informative, socially conscious guide for magic practitioners looking to reclaim the wild within the city. Rajchel depicts a world beyond the one visible to most city dwellers, where spirits mingle among the crowds and the collective consciousness of urbanites raises powerful energy. She calls this type of work a “form of folk magick” and a “launching point” for ritual development that is untethered to specific dogma and changes based on the city and spiritual path of the practitioner. Topics including defensive magic, ghosts, and elemental work also contain craft advice and advocate connection with spirits. Her chapter on tailoring magic to the specifics of a city (San Francisco serves as her model) includes discussions of how different neighborhoods contain certain “intents” that correspond to the four classical elements. In addition to discussions on witchcraft and spell development, the book nods toward climate and behavioral philosophies such as the Green City and New Urbanism movements. This approachable, informative handbook will appeal to readers interested in finding the magic of the metropolitan.