Magical Offerings for Every Taylor Swift Era

Taylor Swift (self-titled debut)  –  Practical Magic: A Beginner’s Guide to Crystals, Horoscopes, Psychics, and Spells by Nikki Van De Car

Taylor Swift’s debut self-titled album from 2006 was the beginning of everything for her, and Practical Magic by Nikki Van De Car was the beginning of everything for RP Mystic. Practical Magic is a book for those curious about magic and mysticism. It’s a beautiful place to start exploring your personal connections to the world of magic, like the basics of crystal healing, palmistry, chakras, and more.

Just as Practical Magic provides a safe space for the curious, Taylor Swift’s debut self-titled album was a safe space for Taylor to be curious about what she wanted to express through her music. It’s even more magical to listen to it today and see how much Taylor has evolved, and how much we have too as we’ve grown up with her. Since Practical Magic’s initial publication in 2017, it has remained a helpful starting point for all RP Mystic offerings and a great introduction to all of Nikki Van De Car’s books.

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Fearless (Taylor’s Version) – Gentle Chaos: Poems, Tales, and Magic by Tyler Gaca

Taylor Swift’s sophomore album Fearless explored themes of love and vulnerability.

“Fearless is not the absence of fear. It’s not being completely unafraid. To me, fearless is having fears,” explains Taylor Swift in the liner notes. “Fearless is having doubts. Lots of them. To me, fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you to death… Letting go is fearless. Then, moving on and being alright… That’s fearless, too. But no matter what love throws at you, you have to believe in it.”

Just as we Swifties can connect to Taylor’s experiences of teenage heartbreak and challenging friendships, the modern mystic can connect to Tyler Gaca’s experiences growing up queer and in love with magic, which he shares in his book Gentle Chaos. Tyler Gaca, known as @ghosthoney on TikTok, gives us a raw and vulnerable look at his world through poems, essays, photos, and artwork.

“My hope is that with this book, you find a moment of respite from the world around you and you are able to discover a piece of yourself in one of those poems, tales, or slivers of magic,” writes Tyler in the introduction to Gentle Chaos. “There is true beauty in vulnerability, and there is magic in pouring your heart out for both others and yourself.”

While Fearless and Gentle Chaos are different in many ways, they are both vulnerable works of art that rely on a belief in something, with themes that are relatable to whomever chooses to interact with them.

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Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) – Wellness Witch: Healing Potions, Soothing Spells, and Empowering Rituals for Magical Self-Care by Nikki Van De Car

“The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions, and wild wistfulness,” remarked Taylor Swift in a tweet announcing the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). “I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing… and living to speak about it.”

In Wellness Witch, Nikki Van De Car writes that “the simplest, and therefore, often the most powerful form of witchcraft is what we do ourselves, for ourselves.” With this in mind, we matched Wellness Witch with Speak Now because it provides an abundance of resources for magical self-care—something we all need when living and reflecting on the messiness of growing up and making mistakes. We especially love the comforting recipe for Broken Heart Bread and an empowering DIY for making a Love and Be Loved Cream.

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Red (Taylor’s Version) – Oracle of Pluto: A 55-Card Exploration of the Undiscovered Self by Aubrey Houdeshell with illustrations by Rose Ides

“Red resembled a heartbroken person,” recounted Taylor Swift in a tweet announcing the release of Red (Taylor’s Version). “It was all over the place, a fractured mosaic of feelings that somehow all fit together in the end.”

Aubrey Houdeshell and Rose Ide’s Oracle of Plutodeck is the perfect match for Red because it’s all about exploring the deep and hidden parts of yourself. It can help you better understand the “fractured mosaic of feelings” that we all hold within.

Red marked a turning point in Taylor’s career, from princess fairy tale vibes to something more mature. It’s proof that we can hold contrasting parts of ourselves—both the dark and the light—just like Oracle of Pluto.

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1989 (Taylor’s Version)  – Resilience Alchemy: A Deck and Guidebook for Self-Discovery and Empowerment by Maude White

With hits like “Shake It Off” and “Style,” 1989 represented Taylor’s transformation into a full-blown commercial pop star. At the same time, Taylor herself changed her style—moving to NYC, sporting a bob, and experimenting with new looks. So, what does all of this have to do with Resilience Alchemy?

In the deck’s guidebook, Maude White defines resilience as, “the ability to recover from setbacks and persevere beyond challenges” and alchemy as, “a seemingly magical process of transformation, combination, or creation.” Together, Resilience Alchemy is “a process that focuses on exploring and expanding inner strength and adaptability by generating new ways to grow and solve problems.”

Resilience Alchemy is the perfect match for 1989 (Taylor’s Version) because the deck is all about celebrating our own ability to recover from challenging experiences and transform in new ways—something Taylor is all too familiar with.

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Reputation – Revolutionary Witchcraft: A Guide to Magical Activism by Sarah Lyons

After the 2014 release of 1989, Taylor’s private life was often scrutinized in the tabloids. While male celebrities were celebrated for their dating lives, Taylor was bullied by the press. A certain celebrity even called Taylor a “snake,” and many fans “canceled” her.  All the scrutiny led Taylor to back away from the spotlight for a bit––that is until she released Reputation in 2017. Often described as a comeback album, it has a dark, edgy, and grungy vibe.

Sarah Lyons’ Revolutionary Witchcraft is all about the intersection of activism and witchcraft. It’s the perfect match for Reputation because it embraces taking a strong stand and fighting for what you believe in. In a way, Reputation was Taylor’s personal form of activism, as she remarked on the way female pop stars are perceived differently from their male counterparts.

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Lover – Practical Witch’s Love Spell Book: For Passion, Romance, and Desire by Cerridwen Greenleaf

“This album is really a love letter to love, in all of its maddening, passionate, exciting, enchanting, horrific, tragic, wonderful glory,” remarked Taylor in a September 2019 interview with Vogue about the release of Lover.

It’s natural to pair Lover with The Practical Witch’s Love Spell Bookby Cerridwen Greenleaf. You’ll find all sorts of spells, enchantments, and recipes for attracting and nurturing love in your life. We recommend following the recipe for True Love Tea and enjoying it with your lover while listening to Lover!

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Folklore – The Witchy Homestead: Spells, Rituals, and Remedies for Creating Magic at Home by Nikki Van De Car

In July 2020, Taylor Swift surprised us with the release of Folklore, an album inspired by the time spent alone during quarantine. Folklore was unlike any other Taylor Swift album, with more of an indie/alternative/folk feel.

Nikki Van De Car’s The Witchy Homestead is the perfect match for Folklore because it’s all about creating magic and connecting with nature at home, whether you’re in the middle of the city or deep in the countryside. We recommend listening to Folklore while intentionally cleansing your home space with Nikki’s floor wash recipe.

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Evermore – Calming Magic: Enchanted Rituals for Peace, Clarity, and Creativity by Nikki Van De Car

Just months after the release of Folklore, Swifties were blessed with another surprise album: Evermore. Often, Folklore and Evermore are seen as the same era, which is why we’re spotlighting another Nikki Van De Car offering that aligns with Evermore: Calming Magic.

“With [Evermore] I have this feeling of sort of quiet conclusion and sort of this weird serenity of we did what we set out to do and we’re all really proud of it, and that feels really, really nice,” said Taylor in a conversation with Apple Music.

We all felt that “weird serenity” while listening to Evermore and can invite more serenity into our lives with the enchanted rituals for peace, clarity, and creativity found in Calming Magic. We recommend following Nikki’s spell to banish unwanted thoughts while listening to the calming songs found on Evermore.

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Midnights – The Night School: Lessons in Moonlight, Magic, and the Mysteries of Being Human by Maia Toll

Taylor Swift describes her latest album, Midnights, as “the stories of thirteen sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.” The Night School by Maia Toll is the perfect pairing for this album, since it’s a creative and intentional exploration of the magic of the night.

“The Night School curriculum is full of gentle magic and the lore of the mystics,” explains Maia in the book’s introduction. “By diving into the unknown you’ll find not only yourself, but also the lost magic of the world and the place where serendipity lives.”

Let Midnights play as you follow each lesson in The Night School—preferably by candlelight!

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Shop the List

We hope that these magical offerings paired with Taylor Swift albums resonate with you and whatever era you’re in!