Witch Wisdom for Magical Aging by Cait Johnson
“This sorcerous’s brew contains the soulful warmth of a therapist, the thoughtful pedagogy of a beloved teacher, a poet’s sensitivity to language’s intricacies, and a feminist’s clear-eyed truth and rebel yell.”
To one running-over cup of spirit add a healthy scoop of vision and a soupçon of sass. Season liberally with dream-weavers. Consult companion animals as taste-tasters. Add a dash of sage advice and inhale the intoxicating aroma of Cait Johnson’s delicious and nourishing concoction, “Witch Wisdom for Magical Aging: Finding Your Power through the Changing Seasons.”
“Changing Seasons” here functions in two ways: as an introduction to the book’s organizing principle, and as reference to the second half of a woman’s lifecycle and accompanying physical and spiritual passages. Four charming Witch docents—Winter Root Witch, Spring Winged Witch, Summer Merwitch, and Autumn Kitchen Witch—narrate each section with the unique sensibilities of earth, air, fire, and water. These gals have been there and done that and want to share their experience and wisdom with you, as any loving mother or grandmother would with her daughter or granddaughter.
Johnson calls on her multi-faceted talents—writer, poet, actor, counselor—to embody the personas of her four witches with brilliant color and authority. Winter Root Witch bestows her knowledge of the subterranean, Summer Merwitch wants to talk to you about sex, and Autumn Kitchen Witch invites you to harvest your legacy and make peace with the ultimate change —death. My favorite, Spring Winged Witch, summons you to adorn yourself with colorful plumage and fill your tree house with sister-witches: “And so I ask you now, my dear: who are the members of your soul flock? Who encourages you but isn’t afraid to tell you about that piece of spinach stuck in your teeth?”
Cait Johnson, that’s who. This sorcerous’s brew contains the soulful warmth of a therapist, the thoughtful pedagogy of a beloved teacher, a poet’s sensitivity to language’s intricacies, and a feminist’s clear-eyed truth and rebel yell. Throughout, she threads a witch’s uncanny ability to transcend time and matter, to cut to the heart of the matter with elegance and seamless efficacy.
You’ll want to visit and revisit these pages, not just for the wonderful recipes, rituals, and meditations, but to spend more quality time in the company of Johnson’s Witches who, by book's end, feel like “soul-friends.” Ania Aldrich’s and Susan Millen’s artwork elevates the volume to heirloom quality. Women of a certain age: feast on this book to feast on your life.