Taren S. brings more than 30 years of experience and practice to the table in her book Conjuring Dirt: Magick of Footprints, Crossroads, & Graveyards. Her book reads as a mix of a no-nonsense TED talk, but also as a handwritten book of recipes, lore, and suggestions shared by someone who has been a practitioner for a very long time, to someone new to the practice. Taren states, “We don’t have to look to other people’s traditions to find our own because our traditions are right in our backyard and right under our feet.” and this is an idea that carries right through the book as Taren walks us through the places where we live—and where we bury our dead—all of which sit upon or in the dirt, and can be used in aiding magickal workings. This is especially evident in the main focus of the book: the power and importance of the crossroads; and of crossroads, graveyard, and cemetery dirt. For many the graveyard or cemetery is a place of fear and shadows, not so for Taren—even at a young age—who the reader back to the closeness we once shared with the dead and the earth we bury them in. There is nothing macabre in this book about the dirt acquired, or in how it’s used; there is a reverence and respect for the places and people that any adherent, regardless of practice, can relate to. There are rules of common sense and courtesy in the acquisition of dirt: ask permission; leave places better than you find them; be respectful; be aware enough to leave alone the places and spirits that make it clear you’re not welcome; don’t break laws or rules get what you want. Regardless of what your own practice might be, we all live, walk, and die upon the same thing: dirt, Taren S.’s book is an excellent start to thinking about dirt in new ways and as something that can be very helpful in magickal workings of all kinds. FULL REVIEW: https://www.facingnorth.net/books/atr/conjuring-dirt ~ Facing North, Review

Learning about magic can sometimes feel a little like reading a cookbook, but Conjuring Dirt manages to take an underserved and humble aspect of folk magic and give it new life. Taren acts as a tour guide or museum docent to the world of soils and dirts deployed for sorcerous purposes. This isn’t a by-the-numbers sort of tour, though, as Taren enlivens informative sections on graveyard dirt or working at the crossroads with stories drawn from history, folklore, and her own life. You learn about the uses of dirt taken from church grounds or courthouses, but also get the back story on a Beaufort, South Carolina politician who feared that people were hexing him using dirt from a local burnt-down church. She discusses using dirt from an enemy’s garden, and takes you to New Orleans and the “Father of the Garden District,” whose own botanical bounty was stolen away by his neighbors, piece by piece after his wife died. Like the very best guidebooks or local excursions, you’re accompanied by someone who answers your questions before you even ask them and who has a tale to tell, about every stop along the way that makes you feel like you’re getting the inside scoop. As a practical guide it’s full of useful tidbits, too, but the stories are what will keep you coming back to this compact-but-captivating little book. ~ Cory Thomas Hutcheson, author of New World Witchery

Sincere and "down to earth", Taren's Conjuring Dirt is an excellent beacon leading us to old and powerful magic that is just beneath our feet. I have worked in the magic of boneyard dirt, gravestone and other dust, purpose, place, and event soil for over 35 years and I attest to its power. The soil is the digested wisdom of everything and everyone that has ever lived. It remembers and holds immense power as the ever-present foundation, garden, dancefloor and pathway for every foot, hoof, fin, belly that has ever walked, slithered, ran or rooted on earth. It is giver of nutrients for all the bodies of life, the final resting place of ancestors, and the accumulative dust of the ancients- dinosaurs, mammoths, redwoods, and humans. Everything we need rests on it, in it, or is composed of it. Could there ever be a more potent and ancient resource for effective conjure and witchery? ~ Orion Foxwood, traditional witch, southern and Appalachian conjure-man, Faery Seer, and author of The tree of Enchantment

A fascinating and worthy work. Taren has helped shed new light on a topic too long forgotten underfoot. Sweeping across broad topics and workings Taren still manages to make this book personal and immediate. You will not find here work only for the “professional” or the “expert”, although they too will gain from this, no, this book reaches out to not only those just starting out but also those with some experience who are looking to dig deeper. I remain warmed that she took me as a reader not just into the work but also her personal journey, path, and life. She does, in fact, give you dirt on this venerable topic ~ Professor Charles Porterfield, author of "Hoodoo Bible Magic"