Anatomy of a Witch: A Map to the Magical Body

by Laura Tempest Zakroff, Christopher Penczak

Overview

Embodied Witchcraft for Wisdom, Connection & Power

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738764580
Publisher:	Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Publication date:	06/08/2021
Series:	Anatomy of a Witch , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Laura Tempest Zakroff (she/they) is a professional artist, author, performer, and Modern Traditional Witch based in New England. She holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and her artwork has received awards and honors worldwide. Her work embodies myth and the esoteric through her drawings and paintings, jewelry, talismans, and other designs. Laura is the author of several bestselling Llewellyn books including Weave the Liminal, Sigil Witchery, Visual Alchemy, and Anatomy of a Witch, as well as the artist and author of the Anatomy of a Witch Oracle and The Liminal Spirits Oracle. Laura edited The New Aradia: A Witch's Handbook to Magical Resistance and the Gorgon's Guide to Magical Resistance from Revelore Press. Laura is the creative force behind several community events and teaches workshops online and worldwide. Visit her at LauraTempestZakroff.com.

Christopher Penczak is a Witch, teacher, writer, and healing practitioner. He is the founder of the world-renowned Temple of Witchcraft and the Temple Mystery School, and he is the creator of the bestselling Temple of Witchcraft books and audio CDs. Christopher is an ordained minister, serving the New Hampshire and Massachusetts Pagan and metaphysical communities through public rituals, private counsel, and teaching. He also travels extensively and teaches throughout the United States. Christopher lives in New Hampshire. Visit him at ChristopherPenczak.com.

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Table of Contents

Contents

List of Illustrations … xiii

List of Rituals, Witchuals & Other Exercises … xv

Foreword by Christopher Penczak … xvii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: Witch Lungs 15

Chapter 2: Witch Heart 41

Chapter 3: The Serpent 67

Chapter 4: Witch Bones 87

Chapter 5: The Weaver 103

Chapter 6: Loving the Magical Body 121

Chapter 7: Touch the Sky, Kiss the Earth 149

Chapter 8: Tending the Cauldrons 165

Chapter 9: Home within the Temple 173

In Conclusion … 187

Acknowledgments … 189

Bibliography … 191

Resources … 193

Editorial Reviews

04/26/2021

Witch Zakroff (Weave the Liminal) delivers an alluring “metaphysical owner’s manual” that encourages practitioners of witchcraft to “fully embrace our bodies and tap into our personal power.” She organizes the work anatomically—with sections devoted to lungs, heart, bones, and mind—and suggests handcrafted sigils (symbols with magical power) for each, along with ritual and exercise suggestions, and charms for specific actions (such as one to “ward against pollution”). The segment dedicated to lungs includes breathing exercises for interconnectivity and focus, while the bones section features alignment stretches and ancestor magic for structure and stability. More broadly, Zakroff recommends formulating one’s daily intentions while “making your morning brew,” honoring one’s body through gratefulness during showers, observing connections to others in one’s neighborhood during walks, and nightly gratitude meditations. Experienced pagans and newcomers alike should take a look. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"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 of Witching 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

"Laura Tempest Zakroff in her masterful style, does a brilliant job of taking the ethereal life of the Witch, and bringing it into the sacred, grounded, body of Anatomy. This book is a fantastic read for anyone seeking new levels of communication with their Witch body as a whole, complete system of magick."—Najah Lightfoot, author of Good Juju

"Anatomy of a Witch deftly weaves together ideas, reflections, and practical exercises that deepen and expand your connection to the greatest of spiritual vessels, your body. If you would like to more fully become your magick made manifest, then read this book and do the work that it offers."—Ivo Dominguez Jr, author of The Four Elements of the Wise

"This book is a resource, an affirmation, and a gift. Every subsequent page settles me further into what I’ve always felt to be true, that my own heart and mind and hands are the most powerful magical tools I could ever have."—S. J. Tucker, musician & magical practitioner

"Destined to be another classic, Anatomy is recommended for anyone who wants to fully embody their magickal practice. Want to take your Witchcraft practice to a whole other level? This is the book."—Jason Mankey, author of The Horned God of the Witches

From the Publisher