{"id":20460,"date":"2020-03-10T01:10:04","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T05:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=21778"},"modified":"2020-03-05T11:20:38","modified_gmt":"2020-03-05T15:20:38","slug":"book-review-pagan-portals-what-is-modern-witchcraft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2020\/03\/10\/book-review-pagan-portals-what-is-modern-witchcraft\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review – Pagan Portals: What is Modern Witchcraft?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Book Review<\/span><\/strong>
<\/span>Pagan Portals: What is Modern Witchcraft?<\/span><\/strong>
<\/span>Anthology<\/b><\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\r\n

96 Pages<\/b><\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\r\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\u201cWhat is Modern Witchcraft?\u201d is an anthology written by some of today\u2019s top pagan writers. It covers subjects from Modern Solitary Witchcraft, Modern Witchcraft and the Role of Activism, Cyber Witches, Kitchen Witchcraft, Old Craft for New Generation 21st-Century Witches, and a Celtic Perspective.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Morgan Daimler is the person they chose to open this book; I find her writing to be well-thought-out and well researched. Ms. Daimler’s writing makes her seem very approachable. I would love to attend a seminar where she is speaking.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Annette George, Philip J Kessler, & Amy Ravenson, all talk about cyber witchcraft, as well as traditional. In these chapters, they talk about using files on the computer to save rituals and using social media to perform rituals with people from around the world.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One of the more compelling chapters, for me, was written by Irisanya Moon. It is the chapter on Modern Witchcraft in the Role of Activism. One of the quotes that she has in this chapter is by Carol Hanisch, whose essay written in the late 60s early 70s entitled The Personal Is Political<\/em> \u201cPersonal problems are political problems. There is no personal solutions at this time. There\u2019s only collective action for collective solution.\u201d Ms. Moon talks in this chapter about how to become an activist and how witchcraft can help you in that calling. I found this to be very moving.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Rebecca Beattie writes a chapter on Urban Witchcraft; she talks about how hard it is to find solitude in an urban setting, finding sacred space, finding your tribe, and embracing your inner weirdo. It was that last part, embracing your inner weirdo, that spoke to me in this chapter (I\u2019ve been known to walk into shops wearing unicorn horns to work that day doing readings.)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Arietta Bryant writes about Casting Your Own Circle. She talks about doing what feels right to you, whether that\u2019s setting up an open circle, or book clubs, or anything that makes you feel like part of a tribe. This chapter also lists 11 jumping off points for creating your own set of Principles. (These reminded me of The Council of American Witches set of Principles of Wiccan Belief written in April of 1974.) They are great principles to guide your path forward.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

M\u00e9lusine Draco’s piece is about Old Craft for a New Generation. She is another author who writes with authority and talks about matters in which she is well versed. She asks three times three basic questions that are the cornerstone of her faith. These are questions that I have to ask myself regularly because as I grow still in my craft, I learn more about the more profound the answers to these questions are.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I would say this is a book that is for anyone on the path of Paganism, not just Witchcraft. I feel that it is one that allows you to explore more of what is out there today for us compared to the old ones whose roots we grew from. I am happy that it was Trevor Greenfield who edited this book for us. But I am incredibly grateful for all those writers who contributed to this tome. Thank you for your insights.<\/p>\r\n

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