🏆 Bestseller Not in Kansas Anymore: Dark Arts, Sex Spells, Money Magic, and Other Things Your Neighbors Aren't Telling You — Ceremonial Magic

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⚜️ Ceremonial Magic

Not in Kansas Anymore: Dark Arts, Sex Spells, Money Magic, and Other Things Your Neighbors Aren't Telling You

Name: Not in Kansas Anymore: Dark Arts, Sex Spells, Money Magic, and Other Things Your Neighbors Aren't Telling You
Price: 13.95 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780060741150

✍️ Wicker, Christine

Reader Score

4.5

(1 review)

$13.95

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

This paperback release examines how mystical practices integrate into modern American society. Christine Wicker documents contemporary subcultures, looking at soccer mothers participating in backyard voodoo head washings and young soldiers sending chants to pagan deities. Drawing on popular culture, anthropology, and the sociology of religion, the book focuses on real people practicing dark arts, money magic, and sex spells in everyday neighborhoods. It provides a contemporary social study of living magic rather than an instructional guide or historical survey.

Wicker, Christine

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Ceremonial Magic

Praise for this book

“Readers will find themselves unable to put this book down, absorbed in the story Wicker has to tell.”

— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Both witty and wise....a fascinating read for the curious about the state of magic in America.”

— Radiant Magazine

“Impeccably researched . . . For the curious and open-minded, her book is marvelous.”

— Booklist (starred review)

🏛 HarperOne 📅 2006 📖 304 pages 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9780060741150

Fun Fact

Wicker's 'Not in Kansas Anymore' is a captivating sociological dive into the often-overlooked reality of modern magic. It excels at demystifying the occult by showing its mundane integration, making it accessible to both skeptics and enthusiasts. Those seeking a practical grimoire will be disappointed, as this is an observational study, not an instructional one. However, for anyone interested in the evolving landscape of belief and the surprising ways magic manifests in contemporary society, this book is an essential and enlightening read in the field of modern esotericism.

📝 Description: Not in Kansas Anymore: Dark Arts, Sex Spells, Money Magic, and Other Things Your Neighbors Aren't Telling You

Magic has moved past fairy tales and films to settle directly inside everyday American life. Former religion reporter Christine Wicker travels across the country to investigate modern practitioners, documenting soccer moms receiving backyard voodoo head washings and American soldiers directing chants to pagan deities. Published by HarperOne, this social science study covers dark arts, sex spells, and money magic within contemporary popular culture, cultural anthropology, and the sociology of religion. Wicker builds her account on direct observation of living subcultures rather than historical archives. The text examines how mystical traditions manifest in ordinary neighborhoods, focusing on real people who incorporate spellwork and pagan gods into their routines. Publishers Weekly awarded the work a starred review, noting that readers will find themselves absorbed in the narrative, while Radiant Magazine described it as both witty and wise. This book suits readers curious about the current state of American folk practice and modern religion. It does not suit readers looking for a practical instruction manual, a spellbook, or an ancient historical text.

💎 Expert review

“

💎

Esoterica Books editorial team

Occult literature desk

Wicker provides a fascinating ethnographic glimpse into modern magical communities, effectively dismantling the notion that such practices are confined to historical or fantastical contexts. However, readers seeking rigorous academic theory or dense ceremonial instructions may find this approach too anecdotal and accessible. It is less suited for those who prefer structured grimoires over narrative explorations of personal practice. While it succeeds in humanizing practitioners and revealing the ubiquity of these rituals, it lacks the technical depth required for serious ritualists. Ultimately, it serves best as an introductory window into the diversity of contemporary occultism rather than a manual for advanced magical work.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers seeking to understand the tangible reality of occultism beyond fictional tropes will find this book profoundly validating. It is ideal for those curious about how diverse individuals, from soldiers to suburbanites, integrate ancient deities and purification rites into their daily lives. The author invites you to look past conventional stereotypes to see magic thriving in unexpected corners of America. If you want to grasp how esotericism has adapted to the modern age without losing its essence, this volume offers an illuminating journey. It bridges the gap between academic interest and personal practice, showing that the hidden world is not distant but woven into the fabric of everyday perception for many practitioners today.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Esoterica Books —

⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

If you're fascinated by the unseen forces shaping contemporary culture, or curious about the resurgence of practical magic among everyday people, this book is for you. Prepare to have your perceptions of spirituality and modern society profoundly shifted.

Reader rating

4.5

Based on 1 reviews

Esoterica Books editorial team

Wicker provides a fascinating ethnographic glimpse into modern magical communities, effectively dismantling the notion that such practices are confined to historical or fantastical contexts. However, readers seeking rigorous academic theory or dense ceremonial instructions may find this approach too anecdotal and accessible. It is less suited for those who prefer structured grimoires over narrative explorations of personal practice. While it succeeds in humanizing practitioners and revealing the ubiquity of these rituals, it lacks the technical depth required for serious ritualists. Ultimately, it serves best as an introductory window into the diversity of contemporary occultism rather than a manual for advanced magical work.

❓ Frequently asked questions

The book focuses on a broad spectrum of contemporary magical practices, including folk magic, various forms of spellcraft (like sex spells and money magic), and neo-pagan rituals, as they are actively performed by diverse individuals in modern America.

No, this is not an instructional grimoire. Instead, it serves as an observational and sociological exploration, detailing who practices magic, why they do it, and how it manifests in their lives, rather than offering spells or ritual instructions.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Magic's Modern Manifestations

This book brilliantly showcases how magical practices have evolved beyond traditional, often sensationalized, depictions. It explores the myriad ways contemporary individuals integrate spells, rituals, and esoteric beliefs into their modern lives, from practical applications like money magic to more profound spiritual engagements, demonstrating its pervasive, yet often unseen, presence.

Sociology of Belief

By examining the motivations and communities behind modern magic, the book offers a compelling sociological perspective. It unpacks why people turn to these practices, exploring the social structures, cultural influences, and personal needs that fuel the resurgence of esoteric traditions, providing a nuanced understanding of belief in a pluralistic society.

Challenging Occult Stereotypes

Through vivid anecdotes and careful observation, the author dismantles preconceived notions about magic and its practitioners. It reveals a landscape where magic is embraced by a surprisingly diverse cross-section of society, from "soccer moms" to military personnel, illustrating that the world of the occult is far more varied and accessible than popular culture often suggests.

📜 Historical context

Building on a tradition of ethnographic studies of modern spirituality and alternative religions, this work offers a timely snapshot of contemporary occultism. It sits comfortably alongside foundational texts that explore the evolution of magical practice from ancient roots to its current, often hybridized, forms in the Western world, providing crucial context for understanding its modern appeal.

📚 Glossary

Voodoo head washing
Pagan gods
Sex spells

📔 Questions to reflect on

Reflect on a time you encountered something seemingly 'magical' or inexplicable in your own life. How does this book's perspective shift your understanding of that experience?
Consider your own community. What subtle forms of unconventional belief or practice might be present that you hadn't noticed before, similar to those described in the book?
How does the idea of 'everyday magic' challenge or confirm your existing definitions of spirituality, religion, or the occult?