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You should really read Jewish Magic and Superstition by Rabbi Joshua Trachtenberg. It’s a study of the magical techniques and, more importantly, the magical philosophy which flourished among Jews primarily in the Rhineland around the 12th Century (known as the Hasidei Ashkenaz). The book is available for free at the link I provided, but you can also purchase it pretty cheap and find it in other formats elsewhere.

Magic of this type is termed “Practical Kabbalah” (distinguishing it from the more well known Meditative Kabbalah as found in the Zohar). I found this website some time ago on Practical Kabbalah. It has a really pretty format, but ultimately is nearly contentless and looks abandoned. However, it has a pretty great starting bibliography. I’ve been working on and off to collect the books on said bibliography and other books relating to Jewish magical practices. Recently I acquired a partial translation of Sefer Hasidim (the foundational text of the Hasedei Ashkenaz).

You might also want to look into the magical thought and stories in the Hasidic movement (not to be confused with the like-named Hasedei Ashkenaz). The aforementioned bibliography has, I think, two books on the subject, but there’s more books which broadly look at the mystical/magical practices of Hasidism and their legends. A good beginner book focusing on Hasidic legends is Elie Wiesel’s Souls on Fire. Martin Buber has written Tales of the Hasidim which has more tales, but is a little more dry.

There are some other books I have of varying relevance, but I don’t know how many book recommendations you need. Some of the books mentioned, centrally Jewish Magic and Superstition, are probably a good start. Also, a good book on mythic stories in Judaism is Tree of Souls by Howard Schwartz.

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Edit:

I just finished reading Alan J. Avery-Peck’s article “The Galilean Charismatic and Rabbinic Piety: The Holy Man in the Talmudic Literature” in The Historical Jesus in Context. It focuses on Honi the Circle Drawer and Hanina ben Dosa, two individuals part of the charismatic, miracle tradition of antiquity and how this tradition was rethemed and incorporated into Rabbinic Judaism. You might be interested in such individuals and such a tradition. Of the same general time period, you might also be interested in Maaseh Merkavah (and Hekhalot) and Maaseh Bereshit (from which emerges Sefer Yetzirah).

Also, some Jewish figures have featured prominently in alchemy (like Mariam the Jewess).

It looks like I’m just going to keep editing this post with more stuff. Anyway, in regards to patriarchal religion being introduced by the Jews which led to the destruction of the Great Goddess, well, the whole Great Goddess hypothesis isn’t really argued in modern academia. Regardless, a patriarchal dynamic to religion was not introduced by Jews, and the Jewish God is overtly asserted to not have a gender (or be two genders, depending on how you read the text) and female personification has historically been applied to the Jewish God. All of this aside, Rabbi Jill Hammer has done a lot of theological work focusing on the Divine Feminine in Judaism. She even worked to make a highly female inclusive siddur (which seems to be permanently out of print). She runs this website which has, for instance, an article on the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine of the Godhead which is the kind of thing that’d probably fit just as easily on a website on Wicca. She’s also written, like, a Jewish wheel of the year book (which I bought and, regardless of how one feels about the book as a whole, is a nice assortment of references to midrash). In a similar theme, I’ve also read On the Wings of Shekhinah: Rediscovering Judaism’s Divine Feminine by Rabbi Leah Novick, but I didn’t really like it.

You might also want to look into The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism. I own it, but haven’t really looked through it. I’ve seen some other people cite it though. So I can’t really give my own opinion of it other than mention its existence.

Wait, also also, just occurred to me, you might want to look into the creation of Matzevot and Bethel as seen primarily in Genesis. They’re akin to altars anointed with oil where the Divine is asked to be present. The best book I know of academically touching on the subject is Benjamin Sommer’s Bodies of God (which is a book I somehow manage to tie into just about everything I ever write on Reddit). Glancing around to see if I could find anything else on this theme, I came across this text (I don’t know how relevant or interesting it is since I hadn’t read it, I’m reading it now) (Finished reading. I’d certainly recommend it as an interesting text. Not much about Metzevot. Instead a whole lot on early Medieval Jewish magic involving oil. There are a good handful of these divination rituals translated. The rituals primarily involve using oil and a reflective surface [predominantly a fingernail, but also mentioned is oil on water, iron, mirror, liver, glass cups, and resin] to commune with spiritual Princes.).

Probably should have also mentioned Ancient Jewish Magic: A History by Gideon Bohak which makes reference to Trachtenberg's work, but aims to be more expansive and make use of later scholarship to advance the neglected study of Jewish magical traditions.

Totally related! The best advice I have is to start simple. This book by Bonnie Ohara is a really great primer that walks you through bread science and gaining bread confidence. I wish I had it when I started baking!

I also love this book by Ken Forkish. It’s very specifically for those crusty artisan breads that are trendy right now.

Other than that, start out with good recipes. The King Arthur Flour No Knead is a fantastic simple starting point. Whenever you make a new kind of bread, start with a recipe that’s gone through rigorous testing instead of one on some random blog. Good spots to look are Cook’s Illustrated, Bon Appetit, and King Arthur. There’s a bigger chance of success that way. Once you’ve gotten a little more of a feel for what dough should be like for specific breads at certain stages, you can start experimenting and coming up with your own recipes and ratios! There are also a lot of really awesome bakers at r/breadit, r/baking, and r/sourdough who also love to help troubleshoot.

The only other advice I have is to invest in a kitchen scale, a dutch oven, and a bunch of bench scrapers!

For me it was when I began noticing the “extramagical” impact of my practice.

I had a close female friend who was struggling with a court case to get an order of protection from an abusive ex who wouldn’t leave her alone (was calling her at work, sending emails to her parents, really really awful). So, me, my friend, and two of our other friends started meeting every now and then to cast spells to bind him, silence him, and protect her from his gaze and influence.

As someone who grew up with few female friends, it was amazing being part of something where so many women supported and empowered each other through magic. I started reading this book around the same time and it just generally helped me feel more in touch with and empowered by the feminine aspect of myself. Growing up as an adamant tomboy who thought femininity = weakness, this was a huge move in my own mindset, and did wonders for my confidence and growth.

All this made me realize that magic isn’t only powerful as far as the desired effects are concerned (I cast x spell to achieve y). Every time I practice, it’s changing me as well. It’s empowering me and the people around me. It’s creating a new dimension to my relationships with others. For example:

• My female friend ended up getting that order of protection while wearing a necklace I cast a spell on for her to wear at court. We now do little magic things for each other all the time as a little special part of our friendship. I’m living abroad right now for work and before I left she gave me some crystals for travel protection. It was a small gesture, but meant so much.
  
  
• My boyfriend is decidedly agnostic, but is so supportive of my witchcraft. If I’m in a bad mood, he’ll kindly suggest doing something “spooky” (as we jokingly call it) to cheer me up. That he supports my practice and is willing to talk to me about it even though he doesn’t necessarily share my beliefs has really helped deepen our bond, because I know that he trusts and supports me.
  
  So when I say “extramagical,” I mean all those things that we don’t expect or plan for when we practice. Communities we work with, relationships we build (with ourselves and with others), opportunities for self-reflection and growth— THAT is why I practice.
  
  Sorry this was long, I have a lot of feelings. Hope it helped!

I absolutely believe cards (or whatever speaks through the cards) know things.

I just googled, and wow what a beautiful deck! I love how you keep special items in their bag, too.

One thing I like about oracle decks (as compared to tarot) is that you can really choose a theme and message that speaks to you. I have the Wisdom of Trees Oracle that DEMANDED that I pick it up when I was shopping for something else. I love it.

I think oracle is particular nice for daily draws, too. It’s nice to have something like that to reflect on each day.

I would wipe down the walls and space with salt water. If you have carpet, maybe sprinkle some fine sea salt and vacuum it up. I would also burn some juniper leaves and/or berries and some elder flowers. Juniper is good for purifying and protecting a space from intrusion and elder flower (any elder) is good to protect from intrusion, too. There's a bottle spell where, if you layer two colors of sand in a bottle and then seal it and bury it by the front door (or a big pot if you live in an apartment) and that will draw and earth any energies sent to you. (It's in the below book. It's Wiccan, but good for beginners).

Is it 3 AM on the dot, or does it vary? Are you normally awake or asleep at that time? Have you cast any spells that might attract the attention of spirits? Have you asked the gods for any signs? Are you involved in ancestor worship? Is it a tingly burning feel, like when a limb wakes up from being "asleep" or is it more a burning hot fire? Do you feel like you're in an oven or running a fever? Is it a heat from outside or from inside? Have any of the other practitioners living with you experienced it? Have they tried to summon any spirits?

Earth, Air, Fire & Water: More Techniques of Natural Magic (Llewellyn's Practical Magick) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0875421318/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_.DTFDbMXCZX9W

Edit: I was reading through your post history (not sure if it's bad reddiquette to mention) and the post about the territorial caster stuck out. And the left hand path, but somehow it doesn't seem to suit this instance as much. If you're living with them or on their "claimed territory" that may have something to do with it. I know people that get very territorial about the space they have warded. I do. That may have a part to do with this. If you think so too, I can go further into it, but I don't want to focus on that if it's not a factor.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VTV6GG4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_utAXDb51W8QE1
GET A SUN LIGHT!!! Turn it on every morning and off at the same time every evening ~3 hours before bed. Such a great asset for those early dark evenings.

Also ~ why not try to take advantage of the lovely things that the season has to offer such as ice skating, wearing fluffy sweaters and coats, and drinking hot lattes in coffee shops? Walks are not impossible in the cold too!

I certainly don’t associate only winter with death, as it can come at any time. ...that’s not the most comforting thought, sorry, but I think disassociating the season and the concept might help? Perhaps separately you should meditate on death and humanity’s temporary existence on this plane - it is simply the natural way of things, and not something wise to dwell on negatively for longer than necessary.

Edit: I chose a random sunlight, but I’m sure you can find a better priced one with some research. I just liked the orb shape, personally.

Personally, I've never liked any of the witchcraft books that you'll typically find in a bookstore. Though not all, many are Wiccan or neo-pagan, and are more the author's own opinion than anything else. While there's nothing wrong with that, it's not what I'm looking for in a book. Recently I've taken a liking to more scholarly works. They're harder to read, and can be really boring at times, but it's a wealth of research and sources. I've been reading Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits by Emma Wilby. I highly recommend it! She pieces together the beliefs and practices of witches (cunning folk) through witch trial records, with a focus on the concept of the witch's familiar.

Cunning-Folk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic https://www.amazon.com/dp/1845190793/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JkJ2Cb6ESTNSE

I found one on amazon that I love and you cannot beat the price. I love the size as the little ones weren’t doing it for me: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004RWNROS?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title

I agree that what you want to look for is a cast iron dutch oven. Also, shop for a potjie which is essentially a South African cauldron.

There is no such thing as authentic Wiccan spells. There are just magical spells that people who have studied Wicca or Witchcraft create based on magical correspondences and need. They can’t all be found in one place either. There are numerous spell books on the market and numerous websites online.

Here is one book on spells which is popular that you can order/purchase:

https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-000-Spells-Judika-Illes/dp/0061711233

I was thinking something of this nature could help!

It might take a bit, but it is a ritual, you're supposed to take your time with these things, even if it's only to "dispose" of these items.

I'm much more interested in witchcraft than in high/ceremonial magick, but also I want need to understand the theory behind... whatever the heck this is. If magic is real, then it has rules, and so far Quareia is the only source I've found that claims to teach them from the ground up and then actually follows through.

The Inner Temple of Witchcraft claims to be a thorough beginners' course, and gets really good reviews saying the same thing; but I got it from my local library and was unimpressed. There's a lot of "what" and not a lot of "why," and the last quarter-to-third of the book veers off into speculation and describes several mutually exclusive theories of What's Really Out There, some of which conflict with things that are presented as fact elsewhere in the book.