In a previous post, I mentioned the author Laura Davila and I wanted to talk a bit more about her work as she really helped to springboard me into this journey.
As a proud academic (i.e., a nerd) and highly distractible being, I’ve performed hours of research for the two different fantasy worlds I’m building simultaneously. The first series, Blood Lords, takes place in a contemporary, urban setting and the other is more along the settings of Middle Earth or Westeros. The research that I’m performing has taken me figuratively me around the globe learning about spells, witchcraft, and herbal medicines throughout the ages. Indeed I do pray that someday I actually get to travel around the world to see, taste, smell, and experience the magic firsthand, but, for now, I’ll safely experiment with what I’m able in the comfort of my home.
A Practical Practice
I was really drawn to focusing the magical elements from Mexico for my urban vampire series. Blood Lords takes place in San Diego and being that I’m a Latin who lives in San Diego, it made all the sense in the world for me to begin the journey there.
I started by asking my friends who have more cultural exposure than I do about where I should start and they told me about curanderos which lead me to learn about hechiceras, which lead me to the book written by Laura Davila, a Bruja de Rancho. (And don’t worry, if you don’t understand what a bruja is – check out my post here for a light dive into the word and way of life.) Laura Davila is the author of Mexican Sorcery: A Practical Guide to Brujeria de Rancho. For a person who is disconnected from the world of Mexican sorcery, this book was a fantastic introduction to the histories and practices of brujas as well as to learn about practices my own family has done or experienced. I have always wanted to learn more about the magical and traditional practices of Mexico and Davila provided great leaps with my learning journey and elements that I can bring into my stories.
The conversational style of Davilla’s writings made me feel like I was there with her, either in the kitchen or in the graveyard, learning and observing at her side. I love how she defined every term and provided sound warnings to readers about doing their proper research before starting any of the described activities, for both scientific and spiritual reasons.
As a result of reading this book, I feel more in touch with my Mexican ancestry and want to continue to learn more about the magic, wisdom, and practices of these “practical” brujas. (Davilla mentions on numerous occasions about how being a bruja is not dependent on having certain resources; it’s about how making good use of what’s available – a good lesson in general!)
I would recommend this book for people who want to learn more about the practices and traditions of brujas. This is not a cutesy spell recipe guide; this book contains spells that show the balance of light and dark, which I found absolutely fascinating and very educational! I’m very grateful to Davila’s works and have begun reading other full length works, including The Mexican Witch Lifestyle by Valeria Ruelas.
Do you have any book recommendations about magic, herbal healing, Mexican culture, or spells from around the world? Let me know and I’ll add them to my TBR!
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