Blackthorn’s Protection Magic: A Candid Review for the Working Witch
A Grounded Review from the Grimoire
Protection magic is not aesthetic — it is sacred. So when a book promises to blend real-world security expertise with magical depth, expectations are high. Blackthorn’s Protection Magic had the potential to be that bridge, drawing from the author’s background in both magical and mundane defense. But as I turned each page, it became increasingly clear: this book shines when speaking from lived experience, but falters when attempting to speak to the Witch.
This candid review does not exist to drag, but to discuss — especially for those of us serious about protection craft as part of our living practice. Below, I walk you through what worked, what fell short, and what left me wishing for more.
Structure: A Disjointed Trio of Mind, Body & Spirit
The book’s framework — Mind (Psychic Security), Body (Physical Security), and Spirit (Emotional Security) — is sound in concept. But in execution, it reads as compartmentalized rather than cohesive. The threads between sections feel loose, like ideas pulled from three separate books rather than a unified pathworking.
Where a witch might expect fluid integration — how one's spiritual grounding influences bodily protection and emotional resilience — we get abrupt jumps and missed intersections.
What Protection? What Magic? Vagueness and Tangents
The opening chapters attempt to define foundational terms: “What is Protection?” and “What is Magic?” But instead of anchoring us, these sections drift. Definitions remain vague, and discussions about hexes, curses, and jinxes show up before we’ve even established a shared vocabulary.
Important ethical positions — like the rejection of victim-blaming — are emphasized (as they should be), but repeated so frequently and flatly that they begin to lose impact. A mantra becomes a page-filler when not paired with depth.
Ethics and Boundaries: Personal Musings over Practical Guidance
When discussing ethics and boundaries, the author shares personal views more than offering readers a system or toolset to discern their own. A stronger editorial hand might have helped shape these reflections into something more empowering.
The section on hexing presents an opinionated stance, which isn’t inherently an issue — but when followed by underdeveloped frameworks on threat assessment, spiritual bypassing, and psychic harm, it lands more as hot take than helpful.
Where the Book Excels: Physical Security & Situational Awareness
The author’s background in personal and home security is evident and deeply valuable. From locks and layered protection to situational awareness strategies, this book shines in its grounded advice. These parts feel lived, and that matters.
What’s missing? The magical. Opportunities to root this solid advice in witchcraft — correspondences, spells, planetary timing — are few. When candle magic is presented as a visual for Cooper’s color codes, the magical link feels forced, not fused.
The Garden of Protection: Useful, but Uneven
Gardening sections begin strong. Outdoor and indoor plant guides suggest a beautiful layering of natural magic. But the inconsistency is jarring: some plants are paired with astrological lore, others are reduced to generic botanical notes. This imbalance weakens the overall potential as a magical herbal guide.
Likewise, crystal sections list valuable stones, but again fall prey to copy-paste formatting — some with metaphysical properties, others stripped bare.
Emotional Security: Oils, Incense, and Tarot — Oh My?
The Spirit section tries to explore emotional defense via oils, incense, and Tarot. There are shining moments here — especially the Tarot Spells for Protection chapter. The author’s Major Arcana walkthrough is accessible and creative.
But once again, inconsistency disrupts flow. Some cards are described “in protection magic,” others “in magic,” some include astrological links, others do not. For a witch looking for consistency and clarity, it’s a missed opportunity.
The essential oils chapter includes helpful tips (like purity testing) but could benefit from deeper metaphysical grounding and a more holistic herbal context.
Contentious Areas: Stalking & Curses
Sections on curses and stalking walk a tightrope. The author offers a formula for identifying stalkers — “first encounter: accident, second: coincidence, third: enemy action.” It’s meant to empower, but risks oversimplifying complex realities. Without acknowledgment of mundane routines or shared spaces, it may heighten paranoia more than awareness.
Similarly, the assertion that “curses are rare” directly contradicts the lived experiences of many witches. A wider lens — acknowledging spiritual, ancestral, and systemic energies — would better serve readers who know that malevolence can take many forms.
Final Thoughts: A Book That Almost Cast the Circle
Blackthorn’s Protection Magic feels like a personal journal, a field manual, and a spellbook all trying to share the same cloak. There is value here — especially in the practical survival advice. But as a witchcraft text, it’s uneven.
Where it could have woven spell with structure, it gives us fragments. Where it could have offered depth, it stays surface-level. It’s a book I wanted to love. And maybe with a tighter edit, a clearer magical voice, and a more cohesive format, it could become a must-have.
For now? It’s a reference text. One I’ll pull from selectively (if I’m honest it probably will be shelved for good) — and one that may still offer insight to witches walking their own path of ward and weapon.
Questions for Reflection & Community Dialogue
Have you read Blackthorn’s Protection Magic? What stood out — for better or worse?
How do you balance practical security measures with magical practice?
What’s your favorite magical protection technique that pairs mundane + mystical?
What gaps in magical literature have you noticed — and how do you fill them?
Do you believe magical literature should strive for consistency and structure, or is chaos part of the craft?
Let’s talk. Let’s share what keeps us safe — and sovereign.
