Cottage Witchery: Natural Magick for Hearth and Home

by Ellen Dugan

Ellen Dugan, the author of Garden Witchery, is the ideal guide to show us how to bring the beauty of nature and its magickal energies indoors. Using common household and outdoor items―such as herbs, spices, dried flowers, plants, stones, and candles―she offers a down-to-earth approach to creating an enchanted home. From specialized spells and charms to kitchen conjuring and color magick, this hands-on guide teaches Witches of all levels how to strengthen a home's aura and energy. Readers will learn how to use begonias and lilacs for protection, dispel bad vibes with salt and lemon, perform tea leaf readings, bless the home with fruit, invite the help of home faeries, perform houseplant magick, and create a loving home for the whole family.
"The queen of everyday witchery has outdone herself with this tome."― Retailing Insight

Genres: Witchcraft, Paganism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Wicca, Magick, Magic

260 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

About the author

Ellen Dugan is the award winning author of over thirty six books and the Witches Tarot. She branched out successfully into paranormal fiction in 2015 with her popular Legacy Of Magick series. Her portfolio of work also includes dozens of articles in the Llewellyn Almanacs and Calendars and 15 non-fiction books. Ellen's non-fiction titles with Llewellyn Worldwide have been translated into over twelve foreign languages. She is a psychic-clairvoyant, and has been a practicing Witch for over thirty-five years.
With over 300K books sold Ellen has a global following. She currently has over twenty published novels, the eleven book Legacy Of Magick series and three other paranormal series: The Gypsy Chronicles, Daughters Of Midnight, and Hemlock Hollow. The first four books in her Legacy Of Magick series were made into audio books with Tantor Audio in 2018.
Ellen was featured on the cover of Witches & Pagans Magazine. She has been interviewed in the studio on KMOV News Channel 4 in St. Louis, done numerous newspaper and radio interviews, and a two hour guest spot on the national syndicated live radio show, Coast to Coast. In 2017 Ellen was also featured in USA TODAY'S HEA column. More information on Ellen's work can be found at www.ellendugan.com on Instagram at www.instagram.com/ellendugan/ or on Facebook www.facebook.com/ellendugan

Reviews

[Juli Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. There's nothing in here that you couldn't gather from Scott Cunningham's The Magical Household: Spells & Rituals for the Home. Dugan's authorial voice is cute, but a little too gimmicky at times for me. The worst part, though, were the rhyming charms. Ugh! As a poet, reading cheesy little rhymes that pay no attention to meter and place grammatically incorrect "thees" and "thous" in close proximity with worlds like "vibes" just smooshes my soul a little bit. ATTENTION ALL PAGANS: if you are wondering why your rhyming charms never sound right, it's because rhymes are ineffectual without meter. YOU MUST COUNT YOUR SYLLABLES or the brain will have no way of predicting the rhyme coming and the poem will sound like your second-grade nephew wrote it. It's the unfortunate truth of the matter. Don't bother trying to rhyme if you're not going to bother with meter.

Anyhow, I didn't learn anything new from this book, but I read it all the way through without hating anyone, so two stars.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am an advanced practitioner and even I enjoyed this book. It proves that no matter how advanced you are, there is really no need to over complicate manners. This book is full of little nuances, tid bits of info, and the authors personal experiences that the advanced witch can learn from, and a new witch will find invaluable.

For the beginner and intermediate witch this is a must have manual for the magickal home.

For the advanced witch this is a guidebook worth having as a reference in ones library.

When things feel off, cluttered, stagnant, out of whack, or your moving into a new home or even rearranging furniture.......this book is worth consulting. You may think you know everything........and you may well know a lot... but you'd be surprised what you can be reminded of!

[Surrey Pagans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen Dugan is one of my favourite Pagan authors. Her writing is warm, informative, and simplistic without pretentiousness. While it may be somewhat basic for an advanced practitioner, I enjoyed reading it for all the ideas Dugan gives to "witchify" one's home. Book includes some spells and blessings to create a magical home. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in cottage witchery.

[Corina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. Very informative, good clear instructions and the author doesn't try to pump herself up to "superwitch" status. A down to earth book, for witches interested in cottage witchery.

[William · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty much devoid of any usable content.

Disappointing that the author could not do more than this with interesting subjects.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find Ellen Dugan's writing to be straightforward and down-to-earth, both good qualities in someone who writes about garden and cottage magic. Dugan talks about how her own spiritual practices come from a place of deep groundedness and joy, with a side helping of humor thrown in for flavor. Beyond the style of her writing, I find her sample rituals to be practical, if not entirely in my style - I don't speak so much when I do ritual - and she advocates rhyme as a spell-casting tool. Still, I am looking forward to using some of her ideas as I clean and clear my house for the new year.

[Alyssa W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every so often I like to pick up new age books from the library and see if I can learn a trick or two. I liked Dugan's narrative voice and she is clearly experienced. The downside was that there wasn't much in this book that I haven't read elsewhere. The spells are basically useless since the meter is so off that they just don't have any of the weight that I'd like. This book might be better for a beginner, but it didn't give me much value.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

love the developed ideas that I have just sensed

[Leannear24 · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved this book it was full of interesting ideas, spells and even some funny stories
i would recomend this book

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I liked it's simplicity. I did occasionally find it a little too simple but, I much prefer less ritual than more.

[Kim Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sensible, easy magic for everyday living.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty cool! It has some spells to cast, but mostly story form for how you can keep your home in tune with you through use of handy herbs, spices and things already in your home.
Enjoy!

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite liked this book. It was very helpful and informative. I feel like I learned a lot.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not into spells, and I don’t consider myself a witch. That said, I do love ancient wise woman lore, which is hard to find. I like my wise women more like Hildegard of Bingen and less like modern Instagram style witchery. This book is no nonsense, low key, with a ton of information about things like the ancient meanings of flowers and symbols and things we often see in homes that are connected with ancient beliefs. It’s easy enough to bypass the spells and still get a lot from this book. 4 stars instead of 3, for not being full of some of the idiocy I often see in other books of the same genre.

[Julissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has a great tone in their writing. It feels like we're just chatting and I'm listening to their advice. I appreciate the personal stories connected with the spells! Each spell was different and imaginative. Although I do not work with deities, the way the spells were performed gave great inspiration for my own. Definitely a great read!

[Nora Peevy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cottage Witchery by Ellen Dugan is a nonfiction book about hedgewitchery, which I recently learned is a term for a witch who uses herbs and plants. They're a green witch. This "how-to" book is entertaining, informative, and not at all stuffy. I hate formal Wiccan books that make me snore. Ellen has personality and she's a no-nonsense witch who loves to share her knowledge in an easy to read format. I recommend this book for anyone as an introduction to hedgewitchery.

[Penelope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Ellen Dugan as an author and this book doesn not disappoint. This is a perfect introduction for those interested in Hearth Witchery. I especially loved the sections on Feng Shui and bringing the elements into the home. A very fun read, too.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A look at simple witchcraft. This book covers herb cunning, foraging for herbs, gardening, and herbal magicks.

[BorealWanderer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but I found it was very similar in information to her other books.

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great title from Ellen Dugan. I not only enjoy the content but the anecdotes that she includes. Stories from her own journey, told with her special brand of sassy humor.

This book includes great info on Hex signs, creating sacred spaces both indoors and out, candle/color magic, spice rack sorcery, simple spells and solutions for creating a warm and welcoming magical home.

I have read this book a few times and referred to it often. But as the years went on, I found I outgrew the material, with more advanced books on some of my favorite topics sitting on my shelves. I have changed quite a bit over the years and because I feel I have outgrown this particular book, it will be passed along to someone else, so that they can benefit as I did and I can make room for all of the amazing books that I have on my TBR list.

[Carly O'Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming book and mildly helpful resource. I found the list of kitchen spice magical uses and the short introduction to tea leaf reading very useful. Although many of the specific rituals didn't call to me, this book did inspire me to be more mindful of my living space, and to personalize it and infuse it with magic and positive energy.
I like the little quotes and illustrations peppered throughout the book.
I was not a fan of the author's awkward rhymes, and often skimmed over them. This book works best for those living in a suburban house. I will have to look into more books specifically geared towards urban witchcraft and apartment living.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone relatively new to looking into earth-centered spirituality practices, I really enjoyed this book. I’ve always been tightly connected to nature and had easy access to it until three years ago. I’ve struggled since moving to a larger metropolitan area. This book boosted my already strong environmental DIY leanings and sparked many ideas for bringing more natural energy into my apartment on a busy intersection.

[Caitlyn Strubinger-Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely excellent! This book is the perfect balance between cozy and informational. You get cool quotes, practical spells, background info, and so much more all in one book. You can read on a specific topic if you need a quick answer, or you can leisurely stroll through each section and let the important info come to you. Very helpful and not intimidating like most witchy books can be. Great for all levels, and a must have in a home library!

[Heka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up after reading Garden Witchery because I loved it so much! Like other books by Ellen Dugan, this one was filled filled with practical prayers and crafts and offered an almost idyllic Pagan lifestyle. This book was one of my favorites for a few years.

[Xandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the very first Witchy books I ever read. I devoured it. There was so much information that was easy for me to understand and I absolutely loved it! I keep going back to this book for several reasons. I have it in paper form and Kindle. A must have for the library! Thanks Ellen!

[Rebekka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really excited to use some of these worksheets! I'm definitely 100% kitchen witch, so I haven't bothered with remembering magickal correspondences for herbs and such. This should help! Simple spells too that I look forward to playing around with.

[Readgoat · Rating 5 out of 5]

well written

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked it, but not in a couldn’t put it down sort of way.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read.
Good for beginners.

[Jennifer Pope · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is basically a home decorating book for people who want a cottage witch aesthetic. All fluff, no substance. Not for me.