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Missing Witches: Recovering True Histories of Feminist Magic — Witchcraft Wicca

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Missing Witches: Recovering True Histories of Feminist Magic

Name: Missing Witches: Recovering True Histories of Feminist Magic
Price: 17.95 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781623175726

✍️ Risa Dickens, Amy Torok

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

$17.95 ~~$22.00~~ Save $4.05 (18%)

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

This compelling guide invites you to rediscover the hidden narratives of powerful women, reframing them as vital figures in the history of feminist magic. Moving beyond sensationalism, it unearths true stories of witches and practitioners from diverse global traditions—from ancient Mesopotamia to modern Harlem—revealing their practices and the socio-political forces that shaped their legacies. Authors Dickens and Torok offer an intersectional lens, structured around the Wheel of the Year, providing meditations, stories, and rituals to reconnect readers with this rich, transformative lineage.

Dickens, Risa; , Torok, Amy; , Torok, Amy

📚 all books by this author (2) →

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Witchcraft & Wicca

Praise for this book

“I have been wishing for a book such as this for ages, and I'm so grateful that Risa Dickens and Amy Torok are the ones to have conjured it. Through their signature brew of scholarship, sensitivity, and bright spirit, these bewitching writers have crafted a tome that honors many brave and brilliant feminine magic-makers. I'm in awe of the trailblazing Witches who are in Missing Witches--as I am of the ones who wrote it.”

— Pam Grossman

“Amy and Risa are the Witches I was missing! Join them and discover powerfully creative yet complicated Witches, whose storied tales were almost lost to time.”

— Jinkx Monsoon

“Here ... we meet the Witch friends we always wanted and find the coven we always wish we had.”

— Amanda Yates Garcia

🏛 North Atlantic Books 📅 2021 📖 312 pages 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781623175726

Fun Fact

This illuminating work excels at bridging the gap between historical scholarship and practical magic, offering a deeply researched yet accessible exploration of feminist witchcraft. While it might disappoint those seeking a purely prescriptive spellbook, its rich historical narratives and global scope make it an essential read for anyone interested in the social, political, and personal dimensions of magic. It firmly positions itself as a foundational text in contemporary feminist occult studies, enriching our understanding of witchcraft's enduring legacy.

📝 Description: Missing Witches: Recovering True Histories of Feminist Magic

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.

💎 Expert review

“

💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

While intellectually robust and emotionally resonant, this book may frustrate readers expecting traditional spellwork or light entertainment. It does not suit those seeking quick fixes, sensationalist ghost stories, or a purely ahistorical approach to magic. The dense integration of socio-political analysis might feel heavy for casual enthusiasts looking for simple ritual instructions without contextual weight. However, for serious students of esoteric history and feminist spirituality, it offers a necessary corrective to sanitized narratives, providing a structured, Wheel of the Year framework that demands engagement rather than passive consumption.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers seeking to ground their magical practice in historical truth and social justice will find this volume profoundly enriching. It appeals specifically to those who feel disconnected from mainstream, sensationalized witchcraft tropes and desire a more nuanced, intersectional understanding of feminist magic. By weaving together diverse global traditions and offering meditations alongside history, it serves as both an educational resource and a spiritual tool for reconnecting with a transformative lineage. It is ideal for practitioners who value depth over drama and wish to explore the socio-political forces that have shaped the legacies of potent women throughout time.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

For seekers yearning to reconnect with ancestral wisdom, activists exploring spiritual dimensions of liberation, or anyone curious about the untold stories of women's power. This book illuminates the vibrant, often hidden, lineage of feminist magic, inviting you to claim your place within it.

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

While intellectually robust and emotionally resonant, this book may frustrate readers expecting traditional spellwork or light entertainment. It does not suit those seeking quick fixes, sensationalist ghost stories, or a purely ahistorical approach to magic. The dense integration of socio-political analysis might feel heavy for casual enthusiasts looking for simple ritual instructions without contextual weight. However, for serious students of esoteric history and feminist spirituality, it offers a necessary corrective to sanitized narratives, providing a structured, Wheel of the Year framework that demands engagement rather than passive consumption.

❓ Frequently asked questions

The book follows the eight Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year, with each chapter corresponding to a specific seasonal celebration. This structure guides readers through cyclical wisdom, historical insights, and practical applications aligned with the natural rhythms.

Absolutely. Beyond its rich historical narratives and biographies, the book offers meditations, invocations, and rituals, inviting readers to actively engage with the material and integrate these feminist magical practices into their own lives and communities.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Reclaiming Hidden Herstories

The book meticulously uncovers the obscured narratives of powerful women throughout history, highlighting their magical practices and the socio-political pressures that led to their suppression. It reframes these stories as foundational to contemporary feminist magic, offering an intersectional lens to understand their enduring influence and legacy on today's spiritual seekers and activists.

Global Magical Traditions

Showcasing diverse spiritual practices from around the world, this work transcends Western-centric views, bringing to light figures like Maria Sabina, H.P. Blavatsky, and Enheduanna. It demonstrates how magic has manifested across cultures, from ancient Mesopotamia to modern Harlem, connecting practitioners through shared ancestral wisdom and a collective thread of spiritual resistance.

Magic as Transformation

This book positions magical practice not merely as a path to personal enlightenment but as a powerful tool for social and political change. It provides invocations and rituals designed to empower individuals, fostering collective transformation and re-establishing magic's rightful role in shaping a more equitable and conscious world, rooted in historical precedents.

📜 Historical context

This work emerges from a contemporary resurgence in reclaiming marginalized spiritualities, particularly women-centered and earth-based traditions. It situates itself within the broader feminist spiritual movement of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, providing historical depth to modern pagan and witchcraft practices by highlighting their often-forgotten foremothers and the socio-political contexts that shaped their experiences.

📚 Glossary

Sabbats
Intersectional
Feminist Magic

📔 Questions to reflect on

How might reclaiming a historical figure's magical practice empower your own journey today, especially in challenging societal norms?
Consider a magical or spiritual tradition from your own heritage; how might it connect to the global tapestry of feminist magic explored in this book?
What socio-political contexts in your own life or community call for a magical or spiritual response, inspired by the historical witches presented?
Reflect on a time when you felt disempowered. How might the 'missing witches' offer guidance or inspiration for reclaiming your agency?