Witchcraft Activism: A Toolkit for Magical Resistance

Salisbury (A Mystic Guide to Cleansing and Clearing), Wicca teacher and organizer with pagan organization the Firefly House, offers training in basic activism and the use of magic to effect change in this worthy primer. His steps and the book’s sections are loosely based on the five-point “Witches’ Pyramid”: “To Know” covers information gathering and establishing intent, “To Will” addresses strategizing, “To Dare” presents action plans and offensive tactics, “To Keep Silent” covers defense techniques, and “To Go” launches into manifestation and creating magical thought-forms. Salisbury integrates magical and physical action closely, recommending activities such as building sigils to incorporate into emails and flyers, calling on Mercury to help with persuasion during meetings, and invoking previous leaders of movements as guardian spirits. Although Salisbury is clear about his own background working for LGBTQ and environmental causes, he carefully avoids tying his instruction to any particular agenda, making this a resource that will remain useful outside of any specific social or political situation. Salisbury’s approach is smart, detailed, and practical; magic practitioners interested in activism will find his insights concise and valuable. (Mar.)