Review: The Deep Heart of Witchcraft

The Deep Heart of Witchcraft: Expanding the Core of Magickal Practice was the first book by David Salisbury that made me fall in love with his work. What David brings to the table is a depth to witchcraft, which is why the book is so appropriately named. The book is an intermediate book, assuming that you know some of the basics of Witchcraft or have at least read one 101 book before reading this book. This is a book that anyone of any level can read and gain something from, as the book contains a lot of wisdom, regardless of how long you’ve been practicing the Craft.

David approaches numerous topics written about in other witchcraft books such as the elements, the wheel of the year, and the guardians. But instead of simply glossing over these concepts and ideas or having you jump into working with them without explanation, David dives into their significance, history, and most of all – their lessons and applications within our daily life. While being full of exercises and meditations, the book is more focused on the side of spirituality when it comes to witchcraft. The book doesn’t teach you how to perform magick, but rather how to live as a witch. Despite not being a beginner’s book, The Deep Heart of Witchcraft is written in a clear manner, as if he was talking to you in person.

David is one of the most dedicated and insightful witches of my generation that I’ve ever had the honor of meeting. He is definitely a man after my own heart writing, “Witchcraft is work. And let’s not kid ourselves, it’s tough work. Any experienced Witch will tell you that to really get anything of substance out of the Craft, you have to put effort into it. You have to give it your all. When Witches set out to do something that’s effective, they know that they have to put work into it on a mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual level. Well, we try to anyway. We know that as magick workers, our ability to change our lives and the world around us is immediate. There is always something we can do. Notice I say can do, not necessarily want to do.”