Naturally Modern Magick: The Essential Compendium of Spells and Rituals for Health, Happiness, and Prosperity, by Lacey Burbage
Red Wheel Weiser, 9781590035849, 224 pages, March 2025
Naturally Modern Magick: The Essential Compendium of Spells and Rituals for Health, Happiness, and Prosperity by Lacey Burbage presents the meeting place between ancient magical practices and modern life. As an experienced practitioner and modern witch, Burbage provides readers with a comprehensive guide to incorporating magic into their daily lives.
Burbage is a fourth-generation folk healer and witch who follows animism, paganism and modern wicca. She found a deck of tarot cards in her mother’s bureau at the age of five and her adventure with the occult began. Her specialty is domestic magic, and she loves to practice and share the traditions of her family. In 1999, she decided to pursue a study of Wicca and has been a member of two covens and since created her own mentorship program. In 2017, she found the Sophia Center for Goddess Study and was later ordained as a Priestess of The Goddess. Burbage lives in Las Vegas with her husband and children, where she also enjoys working in her garden. Learn more about Burbage on her website.
Burbage dedicates the book “To the little witch in all of us: may you always feel safe and free to live your life openly.”1
Comprised of an “Introduction”, “Basics”, and thirteen chapters, this book is one of the most comprehensive books on spells and witchy life that I have read. I really enjoy how Burbage writes for the “modern” witch. This is so refreshing, as many of the books I’ve encountered write in the language and style of the early twentieth century. In her own words:
“Let’s face it, we’re modern witches with modern lives. We don’t always have the time to sit in meditation for hours. Create a solid energy base with this quick grounding meditation, which is great to use for magical work or any time you need to stabilize your spirit.”2
I love the “Energy-Balancing Elemental Grounding Meditation” that she shares on pages 22-23. This is for those times when you need a “little more help harmonizing your energy.”3 I also appreciate how she recommends that you record the meditations to enjoy later. With phones and other small recording devices, this is so easy to do.
As I shared earlier, Burbage divides the book into thirteen chapters and includes all areas of life. She goes from grounding and centering to cleansing and protection, before launching into happiness and harmony, health and healing, and career and productivity. Next, we encounter several chapters on abundance and manifestation before her tips on love and relationships. Finally, Burbage covers intuition, divination, and spirituality.
She includes complete instructions for all spells. I really enjoyed the “Spell to Dispel Self-Doubt,”4 and will be performing that one later today! I also liked this one: “A Charm to Stop Replaying Situations in Your Mind”5 and will use that one tomorrow. Each spell or charm is carefully written in easy-to-follow instructions. Her tone is light and cheerful, and she is never judgmental or preachy. It’s almost as if the reader is sitting across the table from Burbage, enjoying a cup of tea as a trusted mentor shares her words of wisdom.
Burbage dedicates fifteen pages to “Love and Passion” and includes all kinds of spells and charms. My favorite was the “Blooming Heart Beads to Draw Love” on page 153-154. Using rose petals, spices, and your blender, you make a paste that you turn into beads! By adding your favorite essential oils, you make the beads truly your own.
More helpful tips in this chapter include “sleeping with mugwort and lavender under your pillow””6 and “enjoying a cup of tea made with rose and marshmallow.”7
Burbage has created the book in a handy, travel size, which is only 6 x 9. It is a hardbound book, which will stand up to repeated use. The pages are a heavy paper stock, as well. She uses color coded markings on the chapters, to make it easy to navigate. The pages are printed in beautiful designs, with soothing pastel hues and lots of accent colors, as well.
There are lots of green sections too, which offer tips, special notes, or quotes. All the materials you will need for spells or charms are carefully marked inside a circular, green leaf design. There is a nice ribbon to use as a bookmark, which is something I always enjoy, and few publishers now include.
Near the end of the book, Burbage includes what she calls “Correspondences and Substitutions,” which includes information on plants, minerals, colors, and tarot cards. Lastly, Burbage includes a seven-page index, as if her Table of Contents isn’t enough to light the way!
From simple morning blessings to elaborate full-moon ceremonies, Naturally Modern Magick covers a wide range of practices designed to support personal well-being, foster connections with nature, and manifest desires. I recommend the wealth of information in these beautiful pages for anyone who is interested in Paganism or Wicca or who might want to deepen their spiritual practices. Burbage welcomes individuals from diverse backgrounds and encourages everyone to adapt the practices to suit their own unique paths. She also emphasizes that magic is not confined to special occasions but can be woven into our everyday lives.
I truly enjoyed this book and can see myself going back to it again and again to enhance my life and the lives of the women I support in my mentoring practice. As Burbage says:
“If you’re ready to get back on your spiritual path, protect your vital essence, and enhance your relationship with your spirit allies, keep reading.”8
PJ Spur is an author, intuitive, spiritual mentor, astrologer, and hypnotist. She does tarot & oracle card readings, natal chart readings, grief coaching, and relationship healing. She also has hosted a weekly “Coffee & Cards” event with her Soul Compass Community for the past four years. Her book Navigating Grief with Grace is available on Amazon. Learn more at www.dearpj.com