New edition of Dark Mirror

Dark Mirror: the inner work of witchcraft by Yvonne Aburrow

This is a new, revised and expanded edition of Dark Mirror, with new sections and new insights. 

Inner work is a name commonly given to the inner processes that happen in ritual. It can also mean the transformation of the psyche that comes about through engaging in religious ritual. However, the best kind of inner work also has an effect outside the individual and outside the circle. When rituals are focused only on self-development, they tend to be a bit too introspective. Ritual is about creating and maintaining relationships and connections - between body, mind, and spirit; with the Earth, Nature, the land, the spirit world, the community, and friends. It is about making meaning, weaving a web of symbolism, story, mythology, meaning, community, and love. Creating a community that welcomes and celebrates diversity. Creating strong and authentic identity to resist the pressures of consumerism and commercialism and capitalism. Weaving relationship with other beings: humans, animals, birds, spirits, deities.

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Praise for Dark Mirror

“Dark Mirror will make you think why as well as how you work your magic wherever you are on the rainbow of human experience. LGBTQIA+ needs, expectations and impressions have never been so well explored in all aspects of magical practice. This book is for absolutely everyone from those who have been leading a Pagan life for years as it reminds them and gives fresh options for doing things to the wonderful new generation of folk who are Witch curious. This is a very readable and reliable textbook for everyone to understand with ease.”

- Geraldine Beskin, 
The Atlantis Bookshop, London, UK.

“This is a book about transformation through ritual. Its scope is impressive and would be useful for both those new to practising contemporary Pagan witchcraft (or a similar path), and those who are more experienced practitioners. The discussion points, exercise, and further reading that conclude each chapter are useful and serve very well to support the chapter content.”

- Julia Phillips, Postgraduate Researcher, University of Bristol, author of Witches of Oz and Madeline Montalban, Magus of St Giles.

“Wicca meets critical theory in this transformative work, which updates Wiccan practices for the 21st century through radical inclusivity.  Pushing well beyond “Wicca 101,” this book gets at the heart of modern Pagan witchcraft and is recommended for both beginners and experienced practitioners.”

- Sabina Magliocco, Professor of Anthropology and Chair, Program in the Study of Religion, University of British Columbia, and author of Witching Culture: Folklore and Neopaganism in America.

“Inviting us to examine many different aspects of Initiatory Wicca, this book is aimed at both initiates and non-initiates. It could certainly be used as the basis of a coven training programme but is also invaluable for the solo practitioner.”

- Morgana Sythove, Pagan Federation International (https://silvercircle.org and https://wiccanrede.org)

“Feeling the energy of the web of life is fundamental for anyone who wants to be a real witch. This book teaches how to do that. The web of life, of course, includes the world around us, the cycles of nature and our relationships with others. Dark Mirror moves on from explaining how to become more attuned to our own feelings, to ways of sensing the connection between ourselves and all of these seemingly external things.”

- Lucya Starza, www.badwitch.co.uk

“Dark Mirror is enchanting! It is a great learning tool for inclusive Wicca. I recommend it to all my students, and in fact, I am starting a book club teaching session with this book because the ideas presented are well thought out and researched. I especially love that each chapter ends with questions to be discussed, making it an easy reference tool to use when introducing someone to the Wiccan path. This book includes tables, and illustrations that help fill in the blanks and answers important questions. It allows students to think through the ideas presented and develop their own perspective on topics discussed. This book elevates Wicca to the next level, matching our modern perspective on humanity, where consent and equality become paramount values held up and venerated.”

- Lydia Knox, Gardnerian witch, artist, astrologer, medium, and empath. www.instagram.com/lydiaknoxart/

“In Dark Mirror: The Inner Work of Witchcraft, Yvonne Aburrow has managed to achieve what I assumed to be impossible. They wrote a book with value to both the novice and the seasoned witch alike. With a careful eye toward inclusivity and the politics of access, Aburrow offers an inside look at the Craft that is at once nuanced and historically accurate. They walk readers through important milestones such as picking a name while also showing them in vivid detail why these processes are magically and socially important. This book is a must read for anyone interested in Wicca, Paganism, or Western occultism in general. Aburrow’s work reminds us to be critical of the legacies of power that haunt us all. If Aburrow is correct, and “the Pagan worldview has the potential to change the world,” then Aburrow’s work has the potential to transform Paganism into a more supportive and inclusive practice.”

- Tim Landry, anthropologist and occultist.

“Dark Mirror is an exploration of the ‘inner work’ of witchcraft, the internal processes which ritual sets in motion to initiate change and transformation, both within the ritualist and in the world around them. Over and beyond that central goal, though, the book is an outline of Aburrow’s conception of Wicca as an inherently inclusive practice: anti-racist, queer-positive, sex-positive, and body-positive. The scope of what they cover is impressive, from basic techniques of ritual work to discussions of theological principles, all presented in a clear, pleasant writing voice reminiscent of Doreen Valiente, equal parts ‘straightforward instruction’ and ‘chatting over tea and biscuits.’ As an academically trained feminist nerd with a taste for systems analysis, this approach makes me positively giddy with delight.”

- Misha Magdalene, author of Outside the Charmed Circle: Exploring Gender & Sexuality in Magical Practice


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