It's been so long since I've actually sat down and read a book cover to cover. Usually the holidays are a good time to try- a bit of time off and a perpetually full belly makes reading a very appealing activity.
My wonderful Mom bought me this book for Christmas this year. I must tell you that it is not something I would have selected myself. I have always considered myself an Atheist, and any and all religions, cults, spiritual beliefs were illogical to me. The idea of the witch in the modern world conjured up images of irritating women on Instagram in black lipstick posting about their most favourite crystal... a character somewhere between a goth and a hippy. 100% annoying.
But, the brief description on the back of the book had me intrigued:
"A witch is a woman in her power. She's wise, a healer, someone who is aligned with the cycles of Mother Nature and the Phases of the Moon."
To me this didn't sound totally bogus. In fact, it sounded appealing. So I cracked it open.
(I have so many thoughts and feelings about what's said in this book that I plan on writing a few posts about it. But here is an overall summary of my thoughts.)
Author Lisa Lister dives right in by immediately dispelling any old, preconceived notions attached to the word witch. This got me hooked and made me feel a little bit guilty- I've certainly had my own biases against the word.
"The term 'witch' was once used interchangeably with 'wise woman' or 'healer.'"
She pointed out that history is always written by the victor. And who was the victor in the witch hunts? Certainly not the women. What she is essentially getting at is that witch used to be a positive word. Powerful men, and the Christian church, made it a bad word.
"Men whose agenda it was to maintain the Church's supremacy, and to suppress and repress connection, community and shared wisdom."
Reading that the witch trials across Europe and North America were an effort by these (mostly) men to eradicate strong, knowledgeable, powerful women from their communities- well, that hit me with a thud. I had always assumed that the witch trials had simply been the result of dumb people fearing people who were different in some way or another, varying case-by-case. Public hysteria. Turning neighbor against neighbor. Out of control. But to realize that it was essentially gendercide, removing entire matriarchal lines of strong, skilled, intelligent women... it made me feel angry.
Lister goes on to explain that although things are better for women in modern times, we still have a long way to go. Towards women's rights and equality, and towards reclaiming the word witch.
She also emphasizes several times that she is not "man-bashing." Men suffered in the trials, too. And, when women aren't reaching their full potential, men suffer, too. We all know that toxic masculinity is a thing, and it's not good for either (or any) gender.
Now, if I was a super serious book person, historian, teacher, or student, I would be researching all of this with further reading. Let's be real, I'm not doing that. If you want to, please feel free, and let me know what you find. In any case, I'm maintaining a critical eye and taking it all with a grain of salt. That being said, I am still very moved by what Lister is saying here...
Witches were and are women who create, heal, cook, remember, and connect. They lift each other up and connect with nature. They were demonized, went into hiding, and, according to Lister, are now remembering and coming out of hiding. Practicing their witchy spirituality with pride. (She uses the hashtag #wakethewitches on social media. I checked it out, and saw some pretty awesome stuff... check it out if you want.)
Once she establishes the definition of witch for the reader, she then proceeds to invite you to find your inner witch. This, in a nutshell, consists of a few things- connecting with your matriarchal history (if you can), connecting with yourself and nature through meditation and cycle awareness, and being creative and connected. All of this is up for interpretation by each individual witch. She emphasizes that although there are structured "witch religions" out there (such as relatively well-known Wicca), the modern witch should feel free to build her own practice for her own life. The key is to honour yourself, honour nature, and honour your community.
Sounds pretty good, hey?
Lister urges the reader to look into the history of witches and explore what is available to them to incorporate into their practice if they wish. She includes a shortlist of witch religions (historical and practiced still today) and a brief summary of each, encouraging the reader to look further into any that they feel "called to," particularly if they match their heritage (and she mentions taking care to avoid cultural appropriation when looking to incorporate traditions from cultures that are not your own.)
Once all of this is established, and after describing her own journey to becoming her own witch self, Lister offers some beginner witchy activities for the modern witch to delve into. This is where the book lost me a bit. She lays out instructions for things such as how to build an altar, having a ritual bath, herb lore, casting spells, using tarot cards and even crystal balls. She of course makes it all sound almost logical, but I find it hard to wrap my head around it. In all this woo-woo stuff's defence, though, none of it is hurting anybody, and if the ritual of drawing a circle and holding crystals while meditating is comforting to you and good for your mental health, then have at 'er, and I'm frankly tempted to give it a try- a huge departure from my lifelong staunch rejection of all this kind of stuff... I'll write more about this in another post I think.
I also enjoyed reading what she had to say about feminine power and the syncing of the female cycle and the moon cycle. When I think of how crazy cool that is, all the spells and stuff seem less insane.
In any case, if being a witch means loving yourself and your community and being connected to nature, then count me in. Sounds pretty awesome. I personally plan on exploring it a bit further. It's opened my eyes a bit to the gravity of religion as a whole- offering a sense of community and a feeling of belonging. Being a witch has those things without being toxic, and to me, worshiping the Earth makes a lot more sense than worshipping an invisible, all-powerful God (and money?).
I feel like I'm not doing this book justice with this review. All-in-all, it's a really neat read about feminism, spirituality, history, and mental health. Crack it open with an open mind, and I guarantee you will enjoy it. It's a quick read and Lisa Lister writes with a lot of quirk and humour. Ladies, pick this one up for sure! I plan on picking up Lister's other two books which talk more about the female body and learning to love yours.
Are there any Witches out there in the Steemiverse? Witch-curious? Anyone who's read this book? I would love to know your thoughts. Ladies- I cannot encourage you enough to give this book a read. It will make you feel angry, loved, powerful, and not alone. Give it a shot and let me know what you think.
