Witchcraft Book Review: Pastel Spells by Orriculum Rose

By Ghia Vitale

Pastel Spells by Orriculum Rose is a spellbook that has something for witches of all experience levels. The spells in this witchcraft book focus on self-love, self-care, relationships, and healing.

Witchcraft is a valid way to cope with life during the pandemic as well as life in general. I feel that it’s not a coincidence that I felt compelled to read Pastel Spells during this time. When I discovered this book on Amazon in late November of 2020, I had recently started experimenting with pastel goth styles and was looking to attune to pastel energy on a magickal level. Pastel shades of pink, purple, and blue seemed to embody the energy I sought to integrate into my life. For this reason, I contacted Orriculum Rose and asked if I could review her book for Quail Bell Magazine. I had previously reviewed The Magical Writing Grimoire by Lisa Marie Basile and wanted to review other occult books that promote accessibility in magick. I was absolutely thrilled when she said yes. So I’d like to give a big thanks to Orriculum Rose for giving me a digital copy of this book to review—Seriously, Orriculum Rose, thank you so much that as well as writing this book. I really appreciate it!

To prove that I've been conjuring up pastel magic, here is a picture of a pastel goth-inspired outfit I recently wore before we continue:

Originally released on October 23, 2017, Pastel Spells provides insight and inspiration by making magick more accessible, especially in a way that’s relevant to our current circumstances. Even the spells that call for human interaction can be modified for social distancing. The spells are mostly short and simple yet always creative. They also require simple ingredients nearly anyone can access, including during a pandemic. Common ingredients in this spellbook include rose quartz, strawberries, rose petals, bay leaves, rosemary, moon water, various common kitchen herbs, and more.

Relationships are a primary focus in this spellbook. This means relationships with yourself as well as your relationships with others. There are spells in this book that pertain to sexual relationships, romantic relationships, platonic relationships, broken relationships, enemy relationships, and much more. There are even spells to protect the caster against stalkers. Orriculum Rose stresses consent in her love, romance, and relationship spells when they involve another person. Based on my experiences, love spells that target another person tend to get tricky when the person being targeted isn’t "into" the caster or whoever commissioned the spell. The emphasis on consent ensures your target is open to the idea of being in love with you or in a relationship with you.

Because these spells are simple, they’re easy to modify according to your own needs. I tried the "Love Potion Tea" listed under the “Romantic Spells” section except I swapped orange extract for freshly-squeezed orange juice. As a result, my Love Potion Tea tasted like Fruit Loops cereal. It also filled me with warm pink energy that radiated throughout my being’s entirety. It truly gave me the generous dose of self-love I was looking for.

I appreciate that there’s an entire spell section entitled “Gender & Orientation Spells” in Pastel Spells. The spells in this section pertain to gender identity as well as sexual and romantic orientation. For instance, there’s a spell to validate your gender and/or orientation. There’s even a Hidden Secrets Spell to hide your gender or orientation for anyone who needs to conceal their gender to protect them during instances when they can’t express it. For this reason, I recommend this spellbook to  trans witches, including fellow non-binary witches, and other interested witches in the LGBTQ+ community.

Despite its cheery name, Pastel Spells isn’t all fluff and fancy. This spellbook isn’t aligned with the binary that many witches refer to in terms of white magick vs. black magick. It contains an entire section on healing along with an entire section on curses. Personally, I feel as though this spellbook gives a complete scope of relationship workings because it includes whole sections on cursing and healing. Even if cursework isn’t a part of your witchcraft practice, there are plenty of other spells/sections in this book you could draw insight, inspiration, and knowledge from.

Another great thing about this book is that it contains a Sailor Moon reference. No, really! Rose encourages readers to visualize the scene from Sailor Moon Crystal in the "Pluto Ending Spell". As a witch who was/is inspired by Sailor Moon (especially Sailor Mars), I truly appreciate this energy. Also, watching Sailor Moon helped me recognize my bisexuality and my experiences associated with it, so it’ll always hold a special place in my heart anyway. All of this just makes me perceive the book as even more magical.

Get your own copy of Pastel Spells through Amazon.  If you want more updates on Orriculum Rose, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr. Thanks for reading!