Anatomy of a Witch: A Map to the Magical Body
This book is a guide to the most magical tool in your possession—your body. Not just your physical flesh-and-blood body, but also your symbolic Witch body, the conduit for bringing the material and metaphysical worlds together. Within these pages, you will explore hands-on magical practices, exercises, and sigils related to your Witch Lungs, Heart, Bones, Mind, and the spiraling path of your inner Serpent.
Magic flows most freely when you are in tune with your intuition and the power of your true self. Through dozens of activities, prompts, spells, and rituals, Anatomy of a Witch helps you connect with the seen and unseen worlds, your ancestors, and your living community. Discover the profound correspondences between your body, the mythos of tarot, and the five elements. Practice rituals and activities for protection, warding, rebalancing your home, and embracing your body, despite the limiting beliefs that society foists upon us. This book teaches you how to tap into your personal power as you make a pilgrimage to the inner workings of your true self.
Includes a foreword by Christopher Penczak, bestselling author of The Temple of Witchcraft series.
Laura Tempest Zakroff is a professional artist, author, dancer, designer, and Modern Traditional Witch. She holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and her myth-inspired artwork has received awards and honors worldwide. Laura blogs for Patheos as “A Modern Traditional Witch,” for Witches & Pagans magazine as “Fine Art Witchery,” and contributes to The Witches’ Almanac. She is the author of several bestselling books, including Sigil Witchery and Weave the Liminal. She is also the creator of the bestselling Liminal Spirits Oracle. Laura lives in New England.
Praise for Anatomy of a Witch
“An alluring ‘metaphysical owner’s manual.’ … Experienced pagans and newcomers alike should take a look.” —Publishers Weekly
“Does a masterful job of bringing us back to the roots of our practice with fun and practical techniques, all while reminding us that we are made of more than just flesh and blood, and that our bodies are often the best tools we need to be magical people.” —Dana Newkirk, Hellier
“Using a full array of tools—tarot, sigil magic, journaling, knowledge lectures and ritual—Laura takes the Witch on a journey that leads to full body acceptance and a deep encounter with both the physical and spiritual bodies. A wonderful interplay of wit and profound knowledge act as guideposts for a journey that every aspiring adept should take.” —Andrew Theitic, publisher of The Witches’ Almanac, LTD
“There is no better guide to embodying Witchcraft than Anatomy of a Witch by Laura Tempest Zakoff. From breathwork, to acknowledging your body as sacred space, to feeling into your sacred physical centers, this book will bring your Witchcraft practice to the next level. Tempest shares this work in a conversational style that makes you feel like you are hanging out with her.” —Phoenix LeFae, author of What is Remembered Lives
“In this book, Laura Tempest Zakroff reacquaints readers with their bodies, reconnecting them with breath, blood, bone, and that sacred temple through which we both experience and act in the world. Through exercises involving images from the tarot, sigils, everyday rituals, daily practice, and movement, readers will rediscover their Witchy bodies and the magic that flows through them and permeates the world around them.” —Sabina Magliocco, author ofWitching Culture
“Laura Tempest Zakroff fills an important gap in what can often be a very heady and overly mentally focused practice by anchoring it into the vehicle which we actually do all of our magic with: the human body.” —Aidan Wachter, author of Six Ways: Approaches & Entries for Practical Magic and Weaving Fate
“Zakroff guides Witches of all paths in working with the most indispensable tool available to them; the self. Though this book is about the body, and the energetic portals and magick available through this, what it’s really about is living a soul-centered and magick-centered life, rooted in the intelligence of the flesh.” —Gabriela Herstik, author of Inner Witch, Bewitching the Elements, and Embody Your Magick
