Description
Modern Craft: Powerful Voices on Witchcraft Ethics
Offering a fresh look at witchcraft in the modern age, Modern Craft: Powerful Voices on Witchcraft Ethics by Claire Askew and Alice Tarbuck brings together a radical collection of essays that address the ethical considerations of magick and magical practice. This inclusive anthology challenges traditional notions of witchcraft by focusing on intersectionality, inviting readers to consider what it means to live as a practising witch in an evolving world.
In a world that often feels like it makes no sense, many people have begun to reach out to the numinous for a sense of understanding and connection. Looking back to ancient wisdom, folklore, and classic texts for answers can be helpful, but sometimes without the context of the contemporary, it can be hard to see how these old ways apply to the here and now.
Too often, depictions of witches—and indeed some contemporary witchcraft practices—perpetuate harmful racist, colonialist, and culturally appropriative narratives. Gender essentialism crops up often in witchcraft circles, and “#witchgoals” trends proliferated by large companies and mass media raise troubling questions about the relationship between witchcraft and capitalism.
This collection addresses these concerns head-on, with essays exploring topics such as the ethics of decolonisation, meditations on what it means to honour Mother Earth during the Anthropocene, the reclamation of agency for working-class and queer witches through practical spellwork, a gender-fluid perspective on breaking down traditional hierarchies in magical symbolism, and a day in the life of a disabled Pagan Irish practitioner.
Contributors include Claire Askew, Lisa Marie Basile, Stella Hervey Birrell, Jane Claire Bradley, Madelyn Burnhope, Lilith Dorsey, AW Earl, Harry Josephine Giles, Simone Kotva, Iona Lee, Briana Pegado, Megan Rudden, Sabrina Scott, Em Still, and Alice Tarbuck.
At the core of this work is an examination of how the timeless wisdom of the Craft is being recontextualised to meet present-day needs. The contributors engage with themes such as the decolonisation of magic, the importance of grounding our practice in respect for Mother Earth during the Anthropocene, and how spells can serve as vehicles for personal empowerment, particularly for working-class and queer witches. One essay offers a gender-fluid perspective on dismantling established hierarchies that often permeate symbolic representations in witchcraft, while another provides an honest account of a day in the life of a disabled Pagan Irish practitioner, revealing the unique ways disability shapes spiritual experience.
Rather than limiting witchcraft to a single tradition, the book highlights diverse paths and beliefs: some essays include reflections on ceremonial magic, others centre around folk traditions, and many bridge different practices. From unravelling the complexities of ancestral connections to establishing practical frameworks for ethical spellwork, Modern Craft underscores the myriad ways witches today can navigate the tricky terrain of crafting their own spiritual identities.
Informed by decades of research and practice, Claire Askew and Alice Tarbuck have curated a groundbreaking compendium for witches, magical practitioners, and anyone intrigued by the ethical dimensions of the occult. As a whole, Modern Craft: Powerful Voices on Witchcraft Ethics invites readers to embrace the energy of the unknown while grounding their practice in compassion, mindfulness, and a keen awareness of the broader world.
Find our diverse collection of books here.
