Book Review: Missing Witches

 


A guide to invocations, rituals, and histories at the intersection of magic and feminism, as informed by history’s witches--and the sociopolitical culture that gave rise to them.

When you start looking for witches, you find them everywhere. As seekers and practitioners reclaim and restore magic to its rightful place among powerful forces for social, personal, and political transformation, more people than ever are claiming the identity of “Witch.” But our knowledge of witchcraft and magic has been marred by erasure, sensationalism, and sterilization, the true stories of history’s witches left untold.

Through meditations, stories, and practices, authors Risa Dickens and Amy Torok offer an intersectional, contemporary lens for uncovering and reconnecting with feminist witch history. Sharing traditions from all over the world--from Harlem to Haiti, Oaxaca to Mesopotamia--Missing Witches introduces readers to figures like Monica Sjoo, HP Blavatsky, Maria Sabina, and Enheduanna, shedding light on their work and the cultural and sociopolitical contexts that shaped it. Structured around the 8 sabbats of the Wheel of the Year, each chapter includes illustrations by Amy Torok, as well as invocations, rituals, and offerings that incorporate the authors’ own wisdom, histories, and journeys of trauma, loss, and empowerment. Missing Witches offers an inside look at the vital stories of women who have practiced--and lived--magic.


My Review

I do believe in witches and magic or wicca. However, I do not practice it. Yet, because I do find this subject matter fascinating, I was intrigued by this book. 

I like the concept of this book and the fact that each chapter focuses on the eight sabbats of Wheel of the Year. Each chapter also speaks to the history of a different woman like Monica Sjoo, HP Blavatsky, Maria Sabina, and Enheduanna. While, some of this was over my head as I am not well versed in what was being presented in this book; I did still find bits of it interesting. 

Yet, I will admit that the formatting and style of this book is what made it hard for me to truly appreciate all of the research the authors did with this book. That is because it felt and read more like an encyclopedia. Yet, this book did spark my intrigue and plan to check out these author's podcast. 








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