Book review: Witching Year: A Memoir of Earnest Fumbling Through Modern Witchcraft

Dedicating herself to learning about and practicing witchcraft for a year and one day, Diana Helmuth does exactly what I would do: Buy lots of books on the subject. But here’s the problem: Witchcraft is a personal spiritual exploration, and what works for Gerald Gardner or Skyhawk or Laurie Cabot may not be your path—especially since there’s no defining text like, say, the Bible.

As a teenager, Helmuth had friends who dabbled in witchcraft. It was empowering and otherness wrapped into one. In her early 30s and without a strong connection to other religions and belief systems, Helmuth seeks that spiritual connection, one spell at a time. Living in the Bay area of California with her atheist boyfriend and a mischievous cat who intrudes upon her new practice, not everything goes as planned. And that’s what makes Helmuth’s story unexpected and entertaining.

While sharing her adventures at occult shops, lunar celebrations with strangers, clothing-optional weekends in the woods, interviews with practicing witches, and travels to famed witch cities, Helmuth doesn’t hold back on her internal dialogue. She expresses her frustrations of synthetic traditions and historical inaccuracies. She struggles with her magical intentions and doubts. And she cannot find all the props—candles, herbs, incense, bowls, crystals, et cetera—required for some rituals. So she learns to improvise and find her own path.

Besides her witchery, Helmuth’s memoir captures everyday life and momentous events, from learning how to raise chickens to pandemic quarantines. It's an interesting read, but stopping at day 366—though planned—felt too arbitrary in relation to her journey. 

(She also needs to return to Salem, Massachusetts, to get the full experience.)

rating: ★★★★

Witching Year: A Memoir of Earnest Fumbling Through Modern Witchcraft
by Diana Helmuth
Simon Element