Book Review: Ambrosia's Book of Witch Flight

Ambrosia's Book of Witchflight is a scintillating source for anyone interested in spirit communication or travel into the otherworld. In this work of personal gnosis Ambrosia provides details from her many jaunts across the hedge into such places as the Hallowed Woods, Mitne, and others. She describes some of the spirits that live in these realms including the Hat Man, The Witch's Devil, and the Owl Woman herself, Vittoria Maria. There is even some of Ambrosia's local history mixed in, which was a high point for me. She discusses the importance of old, storied trees to the communities of the past, to the Witch Counsel, and to herself and her coven. Ambrosia also provides some personal recipes of hers for the reader to recreate. I am particularly excited to try the mirror locking spray, as that is something I have frankly been struggling to learn. Hearing Ambrosia detail her vision with the Witches Devil and her accident fourteen months later was also fascinating and really gives the reader a really powerful example of a link between the 'astral' or spiritual and the corporeal. It helps to keep her story feeling grounded and real, as opposed to the alternative, where the story could have been set entirely in the other world. This shows the dichotomy that many witches experience in needing to be grounded in the corporeal realm to a certain extent, but also allowing ourselves to be frequently pulled into the spiritual or astral realms and seeking out otherworldly experiences. 

I do have a few criticisms. I, like Ambrosia, have an interest in poisonous and/or hallucinogenic plants. I have been using mugwort regularly for meditation, however I have been looking for something a little bit stronger. Some of Ambrosia's recipes fit the bill nicely, however I was disappointed to find that only some of them have measurements attached to them. The more dangerous potions list only the ingredients so I really have no idea where to start to recreate them. I understand that this is first and foremost an issue of liability and safety. Obviously Ambrosia felt it necessary to protect herself legally should issues arise from such recreations and she clearly understands that what is tolerable for her may not be tolerable to others. Unfortunately, that makes the recipe much more difficult to recreate safely. One of my few criticisms of this book is that I would have liked to know what worked for Ambrosia herself so that I could then tailor the recipe to myself and my proportions more easily. The lack of measurements also prevents me from seeing the ratio of ingredients in relation to one another, so I have no idea if a recipe will feature more belladonna than Egyptian blue lotus (or whatever, you get my point). My last remaining criticism is that I was full of absolutely voracious hunger for the Liber Spiritus and the entries were so short and also so few that my hunger was not satiated. I am hoping that this problem is properly addressed in Ambrosia's second work, where she expands the Liber Spiritus. I want so badly to know what spirits are out there, and what sort of interactions people have with them. There were some excellent examples in this book, such as the part where Ambrosia details her initial meeting with Vittoria Maria, who is described as being about nine feet tall and somewhat stern, but also helpful and kind. I wanted to know more about some of the other spirits. I specifically wanted to know more about the Witch's Devil. I have yet to unravel his mysteries, but am very interested in doing so. 

Regardless, this book was a delight from start to finish. It gave me insight I could not have gotten anywhere else. This is what I appreciate so much about other Witches sharing their UPG. Without them, I would be flying blind into the otherworld. It is because of this sharing of knowledge that I feel that I can adequately prepare myself for my journeys. Because of people like Ambrosia, I know what is possible with the proper determination, and that helps to drive me forward. This book has pushed me to deepen my practice in anticipation of an experience that I could never have imagined on my own. I hope to see more work from Jasmyne Ambrosia in the future. I will be rapt as I immerse myself in the experiences and knowledge of the author. I hope that others will see this and take it as a sign to share their experiences more freely as well. I feel like a lot of witches are hesitant to share their experiences and gnosis and I hope that changes with time. I highly recommend this book. It was great. 

Have you read it? Let me know what you think in the comments!