Modern Magic: Stories, Rituals, and Spells for Contemporary Witches

“The gorgeousness of a modern magic tradition is that we get to curate it to suit us exactly,” according to this flexible and creative outing from memoirist Tea (Modern Tarot). After ditching her childhood Catholicism in 1980s Boston and embracing queerness and feminism, the author developed a “fully bespoke” witchcraft practice influenced by (mostly European) “mythology and history,” pop culture, and “queer ancestry.” Encouraging readers to shape their own witchcraft practice “to suit who you are,” Tea offers a broad array of eclectic practices, including spells honoring different goddesses (one asks the Polish goddess Leda for “increased femme magic, strong femme protection”); “kitchen witchery” that uses food as a tool for practice (walnuts are “sacred to the planet Jupiter, handy for spells looking to bring about good fortune and jolly times”; sage is “helpful for grounding after you’ve been wounded or shaken”); and darker hex magic that can be valuable if not used for “petty, vindictive” aims (the author’s own hexes are directed “toward the larger sociopolitcal ills we face”). Tea constructs an appealing notion of magic as an empowering spiritual alternative to patriarchial religious systems, and includes valuable sections on using magic to engage in social change. Wannabe witches will be delighted. (Oct.)