Content Warning

This book has subject matter readers might find triggering. If you suffer from PTSD related to self-inflicted harm, assault or abuse, you can skip certain chapters of the book entirely which are noted with "TW".

Introduction

One of my favorite things about interviewing people is when I get a subject that is willing to talk openly. I've interviewed plenty of creators in entertainment who keep things close to the vest, so those others who are willing to open up make the end result better are appreciated. Then I, and hopefully the readers/listeners, have a deeper understanding of who that person is.

In this book, I've interviewed a handful of people that have better understandings of the religious subcultures, socio-economics, and political history than I do. Sure, I've been through the public school system and college where we had history and ancient civilization requirements. As they say, history books were written by the victors (usually white heterosexual men). Over the years, I began to realize that I was making certain mistakes in my witchcraft practice - the kinds of mistakes that fall under cultural appropriation or mixing pantheons of civilizations that historically had been enemies. Part of my personal method for correcting myself is to talk directly to other people, marginalized people specifically, and see how I can improve.

That brings me to the ease of technology that we have. I don't think I could've imagined having Wi-Fi inside my own house when I was a child. I did love The Jetsons and await flying cars, but having tiny computers that can fit in my purse was something on Star Trek, not real. Lo and behold, it is real. And today's generation of witches and pagans will not know what it was like growing up without those devices and having research at their fingertips.

I've met some great people through social media and as of now, it's been my primary source for getting to hear voices from people who are not like me. People of color and gender-queer or transgender people from America, Canada, and Europe are now part of the stream my eyes see. My sheltered, white, bisexual, lower-middle class life is better for it and so is my Craft.

Featured voices in this book include Nosa Igbinedion, a Nigerian filmmaker who lives in the UK making a series about Orishas; my friend Eric Lee (1962-2022), a witch from Pennsylvania who owned a pagan shop with his husband Ed Kimble. Elizabeth from Salem, Massachusetts allowed me to share her answers to my interview questions as well.

My goal with this book is pick off the scab of uncomfortable subjects that affect our pagan practices. Racism, cultural appropriation, Hollywood stereotypes and pop culture's roles, using technology in the Craft, and ethical consent are fair game in open, respectful discussions. The unfortunate side of life as a witch on the internet means there's also harassment and abuse. I'm quite experienced in dealing with harassment because of pop culture controversies and feminism. Since witchcraft is feminist but also a religious practice, it's no surprise people come out to try and "correct" me for my beliefs.

 Basic terminology

The way terms are referenced in this book:

Black Magick — the only time I reference the phrase "black magick" is because it's the title of a book; I do not abide that the energy of blackness is evil, harmful, or Satanism. White and Black Magick are practiced together.

Deity - a spiritual being that is the subject of honor, worship, called for guidance, or part of religious mythos and considered part of the divine realm for that religion. For the sake of this book: Lwas (or loas) of Ifá, American and Australian indigenous gods/goddesses/spirits, ancient world gods/goddesses/spirits of any continent, and quasi-human or human turned divine entities. These are all worshiped and honored regardless of the physical manifestations they have had. It's important to note that people within those religions have their own definitions. Deity is also a gender neutral term rather than using god or goddess.

Magic vs Magick/Majick - Magic ending in "c" usually refers to stage magicians and illusionists, but it also goes back to older times when people didn't have generally accepted knowledge about things that could be explained by science. Magick ending in "ck" refers to the wielding of power as witches and pagans will usually do in activities like spellcasting; it means manipulating energy and forces. This spelling is also somewhat utilized by the entertainment industry for fantasy fiction writers to use and fantasy roleplaying gamers to use when referencing the spellcasting of mage characters who are fantastical versions of witches. Special usage also applies to spelling it "majick" which is the same as "magick."

Multi-patheonistic Tradition - though multi-patheonistic traditions have faith in multiple mythologies, they choose one pantheon at a time for each ritual or set amount of time. Because this is governed by deities of the same pantheon in the same ritual, it's not the same as Eclectic Tradition.

Pagan - a person whose faith is polytheistic; not limited to any specific geographic region or culture. It's a large canopy term for polytheistic faiths and practitioners: a Wiccan or other witch is a pagan, but a pagan might not be a Wicca or a witch. When used interchangeably, it's usually in specific European based tradition like Celtic.

Wicca - a modern (20th century) religion honoring the Earth, nature, the universe, and naturally occurring cycles with strong rejuvenation of pre-Judeo-Christian mythologies; well-known traditions of Wicca branched out, the most famous being Gerald Gardner who founded Gardnerian Tradition which originated from the New Forest Coven in the UK. In 1953, Wicca as we know it today was established by Doreen Valiente and other members who defined the rules/laws. Each tradition has its own guidelines for which deities are worshiped. Another distinct difference may be how the elements and quarters are called. Cabots also follow the Seven Hermetic Laws besides the other redes and laws of Wicca and don’t always use the label Wicca. The Circle of the Ancient Paths Tradition incorporates Kabbalah and Hermetic Laws also.

Witch - a practitioner of the occult arts regardless of the focus on ancient or modern philosophies; gender is irrelevant to use this term.