A Witch for Every Season: Spells, Rituals, Festivals & Magic

by Rachel Patterson

Enjoy a Month-By-Month Journey of Seasonal Magic Create your own year of celebrations, inspired by the seasons and a wide variety of festivities. Learn how to honour the energies of each month with spells, rituals, meditations, recipes, moon magic, altar decorating, and other activities. Going beyond traditional sabbats, this book introduces you to more than eighty events throughout the year, including those with Pagan, Christian, national, and local roots. Build a large bonfire for Beltane, cast a shell into the ocean on Tynwald Day, carve a beet for Punkie Night, and cook pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. Featuring celebrations like St. David's Day, Walpurgis Night, Summer Solstice, World Goddess Day, All Soul's Eve, and Saturnalia, this book ensures that you'll have a magical journey around the sun.

Genres: Witchcraft, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Paganism

336 pages, Paperback

Published November 8, 2022

About the author

Rachel is an English witch who has been walking the Pagan pathway for over thirty years.

A working wife and mother who has had over 30 books published (so far), some of them becoming best sellers.

Her passion is to learn, she loves to study and has done so from books, online resources, schools and wonderful mentors over the years and still continues to learn each and every day but has learnt the most from actually getting outside and doing it.

She likes to laugh...and eat cake...

Rachel gives talks to pagan groups and co-runs workshops with the Kitchen Witch Coven.

High Priestess of the Kitchen Witch Coven and an Elder at the online Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchcraft.

A regular columnist with Fate & Fortune magazine, she also contributes articles to several magazines such as Pagan Dawn and Witchcraft & Wicca. You will find her regular ramblings on her own personal blog and YouTube channel.
Rachel is host for the Pagan Portals Podcast, produced by Moon Books Publishing.

​Her craft is a combination of old religion witchcraft, Wicca, hedge witchery, kitchen witchery and folk magic.

Her heart is that of an English Kitchen Witch.

​Rachel was added to the Watkins '100 spiritually influential List' for 2023.



For more information www.rachelpatterson.co.uk and www.kitchenwitchhearth.net

She lives in Portsmouth, England.

Website: www.rachelpatterson.co.uk

Personal blog https://www.rachelpatterson.co.uk/blog

You Tube:
her YouTube channel features lots of videos with talks, information and short reference films.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Kitchenw...

Social Media:
Personal Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/racheltansyp...
Author fb page https://www.facebook.com/RachelPatter...
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/racheltansy...
Twitter https://twitter.com/TansyFireDragon
Kitchen Witch fb group https://www.facebook.com/groups/kitch...

Reviews

[Paperback Pagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. This book is definitely formatted to be a book that you pull out once a month and read the section for that month. Some of the parts of the month-by-month are repeated and if you read the book straight through ( as I did for this review) then that gets too repetitive but as a book that you read in sections month-by-month, it makes sense.

The author is in south England and the holidays and suggestions are based on that locale. I think the people who will get the most out of this book will be the people who are either in a similar location or who want to connect to the traditions of that location. I am in Washington state in the US but my weather is pretty similar and many of the cultural holidays are similar.

I really liked how many topics it covers each month. It goes over what's happening in nature, holidays, activities to go with those things, plants and other correspondences, and a recipe.

This is a great book to get you started on shaping your yearly traditions.

[LESLIE J (mrsj_readsbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great resource if you are interested in connecting with nature and how it relates to the world around us. Rachel takes us step by step through the following topics. Each month of the year is its own separate chapter. It is very easy to follow along.

Nature
Holidays and Celebrations
Traditions
Moon Lore and Magic
Spells
Animals
Crystals and Stones
Plant Magic
Incenses and Oils
Food
Tea
Altar and Mediation
Deity
Ritual for Creativity

I appreciate all the hard work that went into this book. I loved how each chapter focuses on a specific month. This is a resource that I will continue to reach for each month. I am looking forward to starting with the tea and mediation.

Each of us is on our path and this book will help guide and nurture everyone differently. I have always been fascinated with all witch related books and I am looking forward to slowly dipping my toes into this amazing community.

Thank you so much to Llewelyn Books for my complimentary copy.

[Shatiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro davvero molto interessante dal punto di vista sia storico culturale, che per chi pratica rituali pagani.
Ma anche soltanto per chi vuole conoscere meglio le antiche festività e le loro radici può essere una buona lettura.
Il libro ha un introduzione generale che spiega che tutto quello che viene indicato nel libro è solo un'indicazione generale e che ovviamente ognuno può trarne ispirazione per poi creare i propri rituali e abitudini.
Viene poi analizzato l'anno mese per mese, indicando le varie festività che vi si svolgono (non solo equinozi e solstizi e feste del fuoco) ma anche feste molto conosciute al giorno d'oggi che possono comunque venir festeggiate a modo loro anche da chi segue questi rituali.
Vengono poi consigliate varie attività da compiere legate alle varie feste e alle loro tradizioni e vengono descritti i vari animali, piante, pietre, ricette, the e infusi, divinità e rituali legati a quel mese specifico. Viene anche analizzata la luna e suggeriti alcuni incantesimi e ricette da realizzare. Inoltre vengono dati alcuni consigli su come realizzare l'altare e su come meditare.

La quantità di materiale è davvero notevole e l'ho trovata davvero una lettura interessante.

Grazie a Netgalley e alla casa editrice Llewellyn per avermi concesso di leggerlo in anteprima!

-----------------------------------

A very interesting book for both an historical and cultural point of view and for those who practice pagan rituals.
But even just for those who want to learn more about the ancient holidays and their roots, it can be a good read.
The book has a general introduction which explains that everything indicated in the book is only a general indication and that obviously everyone can draw inspiration from it and then create their own rituals and habits.
The year is then analyzed month by month, indicating the various festivities that take place there (not only equinoxes and solstices and fire festivals) but also well-known festivals nowadays that can still be celebrated in their own way even by those who follows these rituals.
Various activities are then recommended to be performed related to the various festivals and their traditions and the various animals, plants, stones, recipes, teas and infusions, divinities and rituals related to that specific month are described. The moon is also analyzed and suggested some spells and recipes to make. In addition, some advice is given on how to make the altar and how to meditate.

The amount of material is truly remarkable and I found it really an interesting read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Llewellyn publishing house for letting me preview it!

[LittleRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great resource for anyone who wants to celebrate the holidays throughout the seasons. I really like that it includes both Pagan and Christian holidays as well, as I always respect everyone’s celebrations and wish them happy greetings. After all, I hope they’ll do the same die me one day.

Each month, you’ll find the holidays, festivals and rituals to go along with them. This is a great way to deepen your practice and celebrate every day of the year, even if it’s not a holiday or festival, it’s a new day!

This will make a great Noel gift for all your friends, but be sure to buy one for yourself as well!

[Becky Weeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is officially one of my go-to’s. It was written for newer, more open thinking witches and not someone stuck in such a set path or way of practicing. I felt scene and validated in my beliefs.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful guide to all the seasons, wheel of the year and the celebrations that come with it.

[Nikky Raney · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This book is all about connecting with nature & the energy of the land you live on. There are no hard and fast rules - tweak these practices, twist them and make them your own.”

Thank you so much to Llewellyn Publications and NetGalley for the ARC.

I love this book so much - I am excited to grab a physical copy and be able to pull it off the shelf every month for a refresher! I have been so eager to connect with each Sabbat and learn more about rituals specific to each.

Rachel Patterson is THOROUGH. For each month we are given history, activities, rituals, recipes, crystals, meditations, spells, and celebrations based on her region. I love that she makes it clear that she is NOT Wiccan and that you don’t need to adhere to strict rules to practice witchcraft. She encourages readers to call the Sabbats whatever descriptive names resonate with you and base the timeframes of celebration on what’s going on in your particular region. Nothing is set in stone and she very much encourages us to all “reinvent the wheel.”

I love the freedom and personalization she encourages readers to bring to their own unique practices. Mother Nature does not keep a schedule - it’s not about the dates on a calendar, it’s about OUR connection.

I appreciated her sharing her own personal practice based on her local weather and landscape. She encourages readers to eat locally and in season, along with encouraging sustainable practices.

“Your path is your own; each person will walk it differently. Do what works for you.”

If you are someone who lives outside the box and doesn’t necessarily believe there’s one “right” way to do things - a rule-breaker if you will, then you will LOVE this book. Even if you are someone who looks for guidance from others and expects them to tell you exactly what to do versus going inside and listening to your own internal guidance system - you will find empowerment through this book and feel confident in showing up in your practice exactly as you are.

“Don’t do things if they don’t feel right to you. Don’t go through the motions just because everyone else is doing it.”

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for new ways to celebrate the turn of the seasons? This new handbook from kitchen witch Patterson provides a new look at the Pagan Wheel of the Year, breaking it down by seasons and then months in order to give the reader inspiration for enhancing old celebrations and developing new ones. Patterson begins the book by explaining that the Wheel is not so much about dates as it is about making connections with the world around us, whether that's in paying attention to seasonal changes in the plants and animals that share the land where we live or in learning more about the history and culture of place and finding new things to celebrate.

Each month's chapter begins with the etymological origins of the month's name before exploring what's happening in nature in that time frame, the holidays and traditions associated with the month, as well as ways to incorporate practices such as moon magic, spells, corresponding animals and crystals, making incense or oils, plant magic and kitchen witchery, setting an altar, meditation, and connecting with deity. While there is some repetition in the introductory information for some of these headings, the book is intended to be used as a reference tool, picked up when needed, so the information carried over offers good reminders for occasional practitioners.

Patterson's lists are based on what she experiences in England, so readers in other parts of the world may find that dates and natural observations, plants, and other traditions may not be as relevant to their own practice. It might have been useful to have space within each chapter for readers to fill in associations of their own as they deepen their knowledge of the place where they live.

As an additional note, I appreciated the author's acknowledgment that the male-female duality used in the Sacred Marriage at Beltane is outdated, but I would have liked to see that acknowledgment applied to correspondences as well (items noted as having "masculine" or "feminine" energy). That gendered language was not applied to all items, so I wonder why it is necessary at all, and I'm sure this is an area that practitioners will grapple with for some time to come.

In general, this is a solid reference tome for those looking for ways to connect to the seasons through ritual and celebration. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks, Llewellyn Publications and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

[SamTheBookDevotee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love celebrating the changing of the seasons and the holidays that are part of my culture and spiritual practice. I was drawn to this book by how the author broke it up by each month. The cover is also very pretty as well which I liked.


Each month has its own chapter. I expected there to be a similar structure as the author touches upon holidays, recipes, moon phases, alters, and more. What I did not expect was for there to be a lot of repetition which was really annoying. For example, the section on alters for each month starts with the same sentence. Referencing back to the sentence would have been fine but there was no need to repeat it for twelve chapters. I ended up skimming a lot of the book because I felt like there was not much new material as the book went on.


I really did like that the author provided holidays for this month. As a reader from the U.S., a lot of the holidays did not resonate with me as the author mainly did common holidays in the U.K. That did not bother me though as it still allowed the reader to get a sense of what they could potentially do. They would just need to take stock of the holidays in their own region.


If you're looking for a book about the sabbats, this is not the book for you. However, if you are a beginner looking to participate in the magick of each season without having to stress about memorizing new holidays, this is a good book for you. This book was not for me as I am pretty set in what traditions I like to do, but I found the read enjoyable for the most part and would recommend it to my beginner friends.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Witch for Every Season by Rachel Patterson
Spells, Rituals, Festivals & Magic

Interesting, information-filled, reference for those wanting to celebrate the seasons that provides concrete ideas on how to personalize on an individual basis to make each month special and unique to our own specifications.

This book is set up by the individual months with each chapter providing the same format with options suggested that the celebrant can choose from that will be in accordance with their needs. If the ideas are not exactly suited to you…find ones that are.

I made a list of most of the items discussed under each month’s chapter:
* Moon Name & Moon Magic
* Celebrations
* Magical Energy
* Plants and Flowers/Plant Magic
* Foods
* Crystals
* Animals
* Deities
* Altar Decorations
* Incense and Oil Blends
* Herbal Teas
* Activities
* Recipes
* Spells & Rituals
* Meditation

This is not necessarily new information, but it is set up concisely and open to creative interpretation by the person reading and interested in creating their own Wheel of the Year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn Worldwide for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

[Liliana Santos]

This is a very solid book. If you are a beginner and you don´t want to get out of the broom closet right away, this is perfect for you. It offers a vast variety of rituals, both christian and pagan, so you don´t have to worry abhout hiding your practice as much. I also liked how it focused deeply on each month, usually books like these only cover the Sabbaths themselves, but this one cover every month very throughly. One thing that set me back a little was the fact that this is very UK based. If you are from another country. some things here don´t really matter to you. Apart from, I totally recommend this one! My thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Invincibleink · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a friendly and accessible book of seasons and holidays. It calls for readily available materials. which is good. I didn't really like that it suggests fake flowers and at the end of every working, it says that spent herbs or the candle stub "can be disposed of in the trash." Maybe it's the phrasing, but that just feels very consumer-oriented. I also skipped the guided meditations for each season, but others might like them. I enjoyed a lot of the ideas, and the information on local English festivals is interesting. Because it's UK based, I can't really recommend it for smaller US libraries or those without a large Anglophile population. I would love to see a similar book for the US/Canada. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ebook review copy.

[stephanie cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book. The cover is beautiful and caught my attention right away. As a beginner I do view this book as a great way to learn and expand your knowledge without having a lot of information thrown on yourself and it all becomes too much. I love that it breaks down the seasons by each month and incorporates different activities to do such as holidays and traditions, baking and Moon Lore and Magic, meditation and Rituals. I love that it lets you take this month by month, learning and growing your confidence. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning.

Thank you so much to Llewellyn Publications and NetGalley for the eARC.

[Cozy Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider this the definitive book I have read on the craft. This is beautifully designed by ritual, month, activities and traditions. I enjoyed her writing on how the connection to nature is so important here and part of our rituals as that is the basis for our beliefs.

No matter if your a new practicing witch or experienced, this book is a great guidebook for all witches. I loved the suggestions for alters, practice and spells. This is a book you will want to keep and refer to often . Very well done to the author !

[Kathryn Tam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Witch for Every Season is full of great information about events, rituals, and celebrations throughout the year. It can be repetitive at times, but that may be because I read this through and wasn't using it as a reference guide. Rachel Patterson did a great job walking me through festivities of each season. Ill pick this up again when I want to reference events during the year.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Rachel Patterson's books and her no nonsense approach to the Craft and the path. This is an interesting book and it was easy to think the proposed rituals and ideas to the different festivals.
It's easy to follow, full of ideas, and well written.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this over the course of a year starting in March and I'm glad I took this approach as I found the chapters could be very repetitive. the section on full moons being nearly identical in each chapter. In the end I found myself just flicking through the chapters. The hot cross bun recipie went down well though.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like Llewellyns Sabbat Essentials, this is not only a detailed, informative and well written book about the Wheel of the Year and the Sabbats, but also a great book to reference back to every now and then when you need to.

[JadersCorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great well grounded researched, as well the author adding her own personal touches. Highly recommend to anyone that like to have cozy books like this on their shelf.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and good ideas. Good for month to month living or celebration. Information and things the reader could do themselves [or adapt].

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Witch For Every Season by Rachel Patterson is a detailed month by month guide on how to honour the magic of every single calendar month, beyond the well known eight Sabbats.

Every chapter is dedicated to a month and follows the same structure, first highlighting festivities and special days (a lot of this have Christian origin, worth mentioning if this rubs you the wrong way), then giving you ideas on animals and crystals you could connect with. There are recipes for food, incense, oils and tea blends and every chapter features a meditation and a ritual. Every month, you’ll be also introduced to a couple of deities you could work with: I have to admit my total ignorance and confess that most of them were unknown to me. I did appreciate that a lot of these were of British origin: the author in fact declares from the premise that, being a British witch, she tries to work with the spirits, deities and elements of her own land. For this same reason, this book might not appeal or be particularly relevant to someone who lives in the Southern Hemisphere or in a very different climate.

The only downside I found is that the book is a bit repetitive in the way that, by following the same structure, some paragraphs are repeated in every chapter. For example, for every month you’ll find a quick guide on what themes you could work on depending on the different phases of the moon. Despite the themes being slightly different each month, the rest of the paragraph, which talks about moon water and how to make it, it’s copied and pasted in every chapter. If you read the book in a brief period of time as I did it’s gonna start sounding a bit repetitive, but if you use it as a book to come back to each month, reading it throughout the year, the repetitions could prove useful to refresh your memory, especially if you’re a new witch.

Overall, I think it’s an inspiring book and a good one to have alongside the ones that solely focus on the Sabbats.

[Crystal Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a comprehensive guide to ritual year round. As an American reader, some of the holidays weren’t relevant as they are based in the UK, but I still found this to be an extensive and useful guide to a variety of ways to practice. This is an excellent resource for any skill level but particularly for beginners who are looking for more ways to customize their practice to the changing seasons. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[M Samuell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Fascinating Guide!

A Witch for Every Season delivers exactly what the title suggests.
It breaks the calendar year into the standard 12 months and provides in-depth guidance for each. Each chapter discusses important dates, brief history, and suggested focus for your rituals. It then describes moon cycle, stones, flowers, meditation practices and more in association with each month and its season.

All-in-all this is a very excellent and intuitive guide.

This reference's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness, however. By utilizing the flexibility that works best for each practitioner and their region it makes regimenting a ritual structure very difficult. I initially picked out this book with the hope of adding some direction to my already haphazard practice but found myself wanting when the introduction suggested renaming each month and moon cycle to my preferred vocabulary.

I would highly recommend this read for anyone looking to fully customize and incorporate their native seasons into their solitary practices. Personally, I feel I will revisit this book after finding some other introductory guides to help me establish seasonal traditions and when I am looking to personalize those traditions further.

[Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn Publications for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

[Lyndsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about all the different rituals, crystals, etc - it just became very repetitive. Maybe it was because I read it through all at once, not monthly/seasonally, but I think sections that were repeated every month - general dressing of the altar, moon water, etc - could have been described once at the beginning and then just referred back to to monthly. I also understand why she limited it to the UK, but would've liked additional holidays and religions represented.
Thanks to Netgalley and Llewellyn Publications for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.