The witching year A memoir of earnest fumbling through modern witchcraft

Review by Booklist Review

Witchcraft is organized around annual cycles, and so is Helmuth's (How to Suffer Outside, 2021) second book, which records her yearlong engagement with Wicca. Her initial research reveals that Witchcraft has no single source of truth, is self-driven, and, to her delight, doesn't even require belief to practice. Motivated by "a desire to feel safe, to feel sure about . . . identity and purpose, to have power," Helmuth bumbles through her attempts to be a witch. In between dealing with personal trials, including a major back injury, conflict with her atheist boyfriend, a dead pet chicken, the pandemic, and crime, she buys books, creates alters, casts spells, goes to witch camp, and visits Salem and Stonehenge. She also interviews prominent witches and reads essential texts that provide ideological frameworks for Witchcraft's modern practice. Some of Helmuth's religious performances result in ecstasy and connection, others are awkward failures. Both readable and relatable, this book models how a person seeking faith outside of organized religion's rigidity might conduct a search for authentic connection and belief.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

In this animated offering, Helmuth (How to Suffer Outside) chronicles her yearlong exploration of contemporary witchcraft. Drawn to the practice for its promise of "agency in a world that... buzzes with a thousand things I have no control over," Helmuth struggled through spellbooks with highly specific ritual instructions and requirements (one altar ritual calls for a cauldron, a pentacle, a candle snuffer, two kinds of ceremonial daggers, and "an unconscionable number of candles"); attended group practices that ranged from a well-crafted Gardnerian Wicca ceremony to 15 minutes spent eating marshmallows with strangers in a parking lot; and interviewed witches and scholars of paganism. She recalls frustrating instances when spellwork failed to aid such real-life issues as her chronic back pain, as well as moments of true revelation, like when she felt "plugged into the flow of the world" after communing with divine spirits. Though Helmut sometimes sidetracks her interviews with pagan luminaries by soliciting their encouragement, her wry tone will charm readers, and those who have taken on similar spiritual quests will relate to the author's desire to know if she's "doing it right." Aspiring witches and readers itching to learn more about the occult will find inspiration and amusement. (Oct.)

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Review by Library Journal Review

Helmuth (How To Suffer Outside) chronicles a year spent researching, practicing, and philosophizing as she endeavors to become a Wiccan, despite her self-proclaimed skepticism. The author communicates her love and reverence for nature and her openness to magical thinking, ceremony, and poetic language. Self-effacing honesty, humor, and more than a little whimsy make this account approachable and enjoyable. While this book is more entertaining than instructive, it offers insight into influential Wiccan figures and schools of thought. Additionally, it features conversations with current and past practitioners whom Helmuth sought out in her quest to learn more about contemporary witchcraft. The author candidly describes the uncertainty and foibles that tempered her year of learning. With the onset of COVID, she contends with practicing Wicca in relative isolation, struggling to make decisions about this new faith and real-life issues. As the audiobook's narrator, Helmuth offers a convivial tone, creating a friendly, conversational atmosphere. Excellent comedic timing and well-placed pauses and emphases invite listeners into her exploration and reflection. VERDICT A sincere and unaffected memoir that should appeal to listeners interested in Wiccan beliefs and personal growth stories.--Lisa Youngblood

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