Book Coven Gathering #13: Elemental Witchcraft Recap (Pages 1–185)

Book Coven
Written By Elena Sheremet

Hello beautiful being 💜

This gathering was a little different than our usual meetings. Rather than reading our next section of Elemental Witchcraft by Heron Michelle, we took a step back and reviewed everything we've covered so far before moving into Chapter 10. Watch the Live HERE.

A small disclaimer…

I was powered by approximately zero hours of sleep, several cups of tea, pure determination, and whatever energetic nonsense the universe has decided to unleash lately.

If the live felt a little more chaotic than usual... that's because it was. 😅 (I was running on about four sessions of twenty-minute naps in the last forty-eight hours…)

The good news?

Even though my thoughts occasionally wandered off into the woods, they generally found their way back.

As always: if you couldn’t make it for the live, no worries at all, you can watch the replay anytime. (This coven door doesn’t lock. We’re not like that.) If you’d like to get reminders for upcoming meetings, subscribe to my channel and hit that bell button. And for even better reminders, you can link my events calendar with your google calendar.

Live Gatherings Every Week

~ Lines that Lingered ~

As always, I start with a quote. This one is short, sweet, and just helps us remember that everything is connected.

“As above, so below. As within, so without.”

If you have a favorite quote or moment from any of our readings so far, tell me in the comments! I would love to know what resonates with you.

A gentle reminder. If you’re participating or thinking about it, there’s no rush and no pressure. Move at your own rhythm, catch replays when it suits you, and join the chat whenever you’re called. You don’t even need to read the book! Just bring your curiosity and cozy up. We have lots of magickal fun here.

~ Core Concepts & Magickal Musings ~

  • 185 Pages Later...

    • We've officially worked our way through the foundational portion of the book. And honestly? We've barely done any “witchcraft” yet... (at least not in the way most people think what witchcraft is)

      There haven't been fancy spell recipes. We haven't been summoning anything dramatic… yet 😏(jk) And nobody was turned into a toad. (though we did encounter a few trolls along the way)

    • Instead, Heron has spent nearly 200 pages building a framework.

      She's been exploring:

      • What is a witch?

      • How do we interact with reality?

      • What is personal sovereignty?

      • What does balance actually mean?

      • How do we create a meaningful spiritual practice?

    • I know some readers might find this slower pace frustrating, I actually appreciate it. You can learn spell correspondences from hundreds of books.

      Learning how to THINK about YOUR witchcraft is much harder, and I believe that’s one of the most important things a practitioner should learn how to do.

  • The Textbook Effect

    • One of my favorite things about this book continues to be its structure.

      I know I've mentioned this before, but I absolutely love when she includes charts, diagrams, models, and visual frameworks. Every time a figure appears, my little scholar-witch heart gets excited (anyone else get the same feeling?)

      It makes the material feel less like "trust me because I'm an author" and more like an actual study of ideas. I might not always agree with every conclusion, though I appreciate how she's attempting to create a structured framework rather than simply presenting her personal beliefs as universal truths.

  • Where We Agree

    • One thing I consistently admire is Heron's emphasis on discernment.

    • Again and again she reminds readers that they are responsible for deciding what works for them. I think that's incredibly important.

      No author should become your replacement for critical thinking. No tradition should override your intuition. No teacher should become your unquestioned authority.

    • Test things. Experiment. Learn through your own experience. Take what works for YOU and leave what doesn't. Once you start to follow your intuition, you’ll get to feel how much more connected you become to the energies around you.

  • Where We Disagree

    • Our book coven is a space where we can share our opinions and experiences freely. Therefore, I don’t mind sharing my perspectives on what I disagree with, and why.

    • One area that continues to stand out is her approach to the Five Locks.

      I genuinely like the concept itself.

      • Mental.

      • Emotional.

      • Physical.

      • Spiritual.

      • Will.

    • I think it's a good start on a framework for understanding ourselves. I dove into this topic much deeper, (it’s actually one of my favorite gatherings) and you can learn more about this framework HERE.

    • Where I disagree is treating them almost like individual checkpoints.

      Life doesn't work that way. At least mine doesn't. I don't think we heal one part of ourselves and then move on to the next. I think growth is much messier than that, things get intertwined, and there’s more to us beings than a 5 point list can cover.

    • The mental affects the emotional. The emotional affects the physical. The physical affects the spiritual. The spiritual affects the emotional. So on and so forth, everything overlaps. Personally, I've had much better success making small improvements across multiple areas at once rather than trying to intensely focus on only one.

      Slow progress. Consistent progress. Sustainable progress.
      The dopamine demons may disagree, but consistency keeps winning every time.

~ Themes That Keep Appearing ~

We’ve covered quite a lot together.
Over these pages I started noticing what themes keep reappearing over and over again.

  • Balance

    • Not perfection. Not some sort of grandiose enlightenment. Not becoming some impossibly evolved spiritual being who bypasses our earthly experiences and never gets annoyed by emails or loses their keys.

      Just balance within yourself and with how you interact with what’s “outside” of yourself. (ps: there’s no set rules for what that “balance” should be, it’s different for everyone)

  • Personal Sovereignty

    • This may actually be one of the strongest themes in the entire book.

      Personal responsibility. Self-governance. Your conscious choices and healthy boundaries.

    • Owning our lives, being present in the moment, finding connection. Not just drifting through each day and letting it all blend in together.

      Understanding this helped me deepen and evolve my own self reflections, which turned into a monthly ritual that I would love for you to try as well. You can find my invitation HERE.

  • Interconnection

    • Whether she's discussing Hermetic philosophy, energy work, the elements, or the Pentacle Self, everything keeps coming back to connection.

      As above, so below. As within, so without. The individual and the collective. The physical and the spiritual.

      Different expressions of the same underlying current.

  • Living Witchcraft

    • Another really big take-away.

      Witchcraft isn't something we only do during ritual. It isn't something that only exists on an altar. It's present in how we think. How we make decisions. How we treat ourselves. How we move through daily life.

    • The practice doesn't start when the candle is lit. The practice is already happening, if you found your way here, it always has been happening. You first needed to learn how to notice it. Then how to hear it, how to feel it, how to trust it, and how to embrace it. And finally, how to embody it without hesitation.

~ So... What Do I Think So Far? ~

Overall, I'm genuinely enjoying this book.

  • Do I agree with everything? Absolutely not. I’ve been a practitioner for almost 2 decades… I have lots of experiences to form my opinions lol.

  • Do I think some sections could have gone deeper? Definitely. Which is why I love having a space specifically dedicated to discuss.

  • Do I occasionally find myself arguing with the author in the margins? Almost certainly…

    But that's part of why I like it. Good books don't just give us answers. They give us things to think about. And this book has certainly done that.

Before you go…

If you're reading along with us, what surprised you most in this book so far?
Has there been a concept that's completely changed the way you view your practice?
Is there something you strongly disagree with?

And if you're not reading the book and are simply enjoying the discussions, I'd love to hear what themes resonate with you most. Balance? Sovereignty? Shadow work? Sacred living?

Or maybe you're just here for the magical chaos and tea-fueled ramblings.

Honestly, that's valid too lol.

You never need to be caught up to join Book Coven. You don't even need the book.
Just bring your curiosity, your questions, and perhaps a cozy blanket.

You’re always welcome to join in and be part of my little online family.

Highlighting the two books in Elena's Enchanted book coven.

Links to Our Books

(USA)
Elemental Witchcraft

Paperback https://amzn.to/47cdj9W
Kindle https://amzn.to/4lEHmKL

The Great Work

Paperback https://amzn.to/3UJ5WiI
Kindle: https://amzn.to/3VdLG98

(DE / EU)
Elemental Witchcraft 

Paperback https://amzn.to/3UJeeqR
Kindle https://amzn.to/4lEHmKL

The Great Work 

Paperback https://amzn.to/4lFOfeU
Kindle: https://amzn.to/3VdLG98

~ More Enchantment Awaits! ~

For our next gathering, we'll be moving into Chapter 10 and beginning our exploration of the Witching Temple. (Pages 149-159)

I'm excited to continue this journey with you and see where the next section takes us.

With many blessings, love, and slightly more sleep next time (hopefully),
Elena Enchanted 💜

Elena Sheremet
Next

The Enchanted Book Coven: Elemental Witchcraft (pg 133-148)