Books

Dark Mirror: the inner work of witchcraft by Yvonne Aburrow

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.

Available for preorder now from the Doreen Valiente Foundation shop

The night journey: witchcraft as transformation by Yvonne Aburrow

This book is aimed at witches who want to deepen their engagement with their Craft. It explores modes and types of ritual; how rituals work; the uses of sound and silence in ritual; the witch’s journey through life; the stages and pitfalls of the inner work. It shows how Queer Witchcraft is an inherent aspect of the archetype of the witch; how witchcraft relates to the land; witchcraft as resistance to oppression; working with ancestors; the witch’s pact with spiritual powers; the relationship between madness, shamanism, and witchcraft; and the concept of the night journey, another very old image from the history of witchcraft; how to use insights gained from the practice of witchcraft in everyday life; group dynamics; being a coven leader; teaching and learning in a coven; egregore, lineage, upline, and downline; power and authority; the process of challenging oppression; how to evaluate your Craft; the meaning and purpose of ‘spirituality’, religion, and magic; the archetype of the witch and what it means.



All acts of love and pleasure: inclusive Wicca

Yvonne Aburrow, All Acts of Love and Pleasure: inclusive Wicca, Avalonia Books, 2014.

All Acts of Love and Pleasure is a companion guide to inclusive Wicca, which includes all participants regardless of sexual orientation, disability, age, or other differences, not by erasing or ignoring the distinctions, but by working with them creatively within initiatory Craft.

The author examines different ideas in relation to initiatory Wicca, such as eco-spirituality, science, truth, the sacred, sexuality, consent culture, tradition, and magic, and how these concepts can be explored as part of a liberal religious tradition and training as a priestess or priest in Wicca.


Reviews 



Conner, Randy P., David Sparks, and Mariya Sparks (1997), Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Lore. London and New York: Cassell.

An A-Z reference source on the theme of same-sex desire, gender variance and the sacred, this book examines the often-suppressed spiritual dimension of homosexuality. Its coverage includes archetypal figures such as deities, spirits and the characters of fairy tales; sacred texts including religious narratives; myths and legends; symbols and metaphors; persons and groups embodying the domain, such as Native American two spirit people; and works of art, including those of painting, sculpture, music, dance, drama and film.


Queer Paganism: A spirituality that embraces all identities, by Jo Green

Queer Paganism is an introduction to paganism for anyone who doesn't define along the standard gender or sexual norms.

It strips away the doctrine of some Wiccan teachers and provides a firm foundation for for people who are trans, lesbian, gay, intersex, asexual, graysexual or outsiders in any other way.

Written by a person who identifies as non-binary, they explore how the original binary teachings of paganism are problematic and then provide an alternative understanding to allow everyone to feel included.



Casting a Queer Circle: Non-Binary Witchcraft, by Thista Minai (Asphodel Press)

Many people come to traditional Wicca or Witchcraft seeking the benefits of shared ritual, spiritual community, and formalized training, but the sex and gender binaries that permeate modern Wicca can make anyone who exists outside of that polarity feel unimportant or excluded. Even people who identify within a gender binary but want their spiritual or religious practice to reflect a spectrum of life experiences can feel stifled and smothered in the biases of Wicca-based Paganism. Thista Minai has created an alternative. Casting a Queer Circle describes Spectrum Gate Mysteries, a new ritual system conceived as a direct answer to those of us who appreciate the wisdom and power of traditional Wicca, yet need something more inclusive. Here you'll find the fundamentals of queering witchcraft, from casting a Circle and celebrating the Wheel of the Year, to Rites of Passage and creating a coven.



Pagan Consent Culture: Building Communities of Empathy and Autonomy edited by Christine Hoff Kraemer and Yvonne Aburrow, Asphodel Press, 2016.

How might a Druid, a Wiccan, a Heathen, or a Polytheist understand consent? In Pagan Consent Culture, Pagans show how to ground good consent practices in Pagan stories, liturgies, and values.

Find out more on the Pagan Consent Culture website

Bringing Race to the Table: Exploring Racism in the Pagan Community
by Taylor Ellwood, Brandy Williams, Crystal Blanton 

Bringing Race to the Table: Exploring Racism in the Pagan Community is an anthology which explores the topic of racism and how it shows up in the Pagan community, as well as what we can do to discuss it and bring it out in the open. Each section of the anthology explores different facets of racism and how the Pagan community respond to it.

Published by Immanion Press.

Rooted in the Body, Seeking the Soul: Magic Practitioners Living with Disabilities & Illness

edited by Tara 'Masery' Miller


One purpose of this anthology is to help people find comfort in the fact that they are not alone. Some of the authors turned to a magical practice as a way to find healing and the anthology includes rituals and stories about healing. Covens, circles, temples or any other type of magical group can use it as a resource toward understanding members or potential members with disabilities. There are interviews with professional counselors, such as Drake Spaeth, about assisting Pagans and magic practitioners.

Published by Immanion Press.




Dreaming The Dark: Magic, Sex, and Politics. by Starhawk (Boston, Beacon Press, 1982, 1988. 1997) 

Featuring narrative, chants, songs, and rituals, Dreaming the Dark brilliantly combines the world of magic and spirituality with the world of political and social change. The fifteenth anniversary edition includes a new preface by Starhawk.

The Pagan Leadership Anthology:
An Exploration of Leadership and Community in Paganism

by Taylor Ellwood, Shauna Aura Knight
The words “Pagan Leadership” are often met with scorn and tales of failed groups and so-called Witch Wars. And yet, as our communities grow and mature, we find ourselves in dire need of healthy, ethical leaders. Most Pagans have seen what doesn’t work. But what does? This anthology features over thirty authors, thirty essays, and decades of leadership experience sharing their failures and successes as leaders as well as showing you how you can become a better Pagan leader.

Published by Immanion Press

More recommendations

» A Queer Pagan reading list (2021 edition)


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New book: Transmasculine Guide to Physical Transition

The festival of Borrowed

What does “inclusive” mean?