Witchcraft Activism: A Toolkit for Magical Resistance (Includes Spells for Social Justice, Civil Rights, the Environment, and More) Kindle Edition

Activism can be a daunting prospect. While many of us vent our frustrations about injustice on social media, it can be tough to know what else to do. Attend a protest? Write our local representative? Boycott a product? What is most effective? And if we decide to engage more, are there more or less effective ways to do that? Some of us may've even had the unfortunate experience of trying to enter an activist space only to be criticized for not knowing as much as others about social issues, the current jargon, etc. Given that, where can we learn to be effective activists?One excellent answer to that question is this book. While it's called "Witchcraft Activism," and there is certainly ample witchcraft in it, it throughly details how to be an effective activist. David Salisbury thoughtfully, respectfully, and diligently walks us through what we need to know to embark on a host of activist endeavors. Salisbury has been in the trenches of social change work for well over ten years, and he brings that experience to the reader in an accessible, straightforward manner. I would even recommend this book to people who are interested in activism and on the fence about witchcraft because of how effectively he breaks down the processes of activist work. This is where I would send anyone I know who is interested in witchcraft and has decided they want to do more to effect social change than post on social media, vote, and discuss politics with friends and family. Or even just consider what more they could do.Having said that, I don't want to undersell the witchcraft element, which is certainly here and thoroughly presented. Salisbury shares many time-tested techniques for marrying magic with activism, giving specific examples of how to boost social change efforts with magic. This book is also short and quick to read, which inclines me to feel like I'd recommend it even to people who are only peripherally interested in activism because I think the process of social change is important for a critical mass of people to understand even if they never engage in most of the kinds of action detailed in this book. And the reality is, as magical practitioners, there are many ways we can boost the efforts of those doing direct, physical world action without leaving our homes. This important, timely book can help us do our part to bring about greater justice in the world, wherever we do that from.

Over the past few decades, I’ve been fascinated to watch the worlds of psychics and metaphysics move closer to each other. Then neuroscience began to come to the forefront and reinforce some of the most treasured foundations of the intuitive arts. It, therefore, came as no surprise when David Salisbury documented the meeting of Craft practices with activist practices. What makes this book unique is Salisbury’s credible experience in both both worlds (he calls that lifestyles that require the entirety of who we are) and his ability to communicate the connections between the two.For readers who are looking for power in either or both worlds, he lets you know that the work is messy, frustrating, and often met with failure. The necessary skill to do this work is resilience.The book begins with a thorough manual for activism (including self-protection in the physical world). He continues with a spell and ritual overview to help readers incorporate other worldly techniques into their social activism. The book concludes with a history of modern magical activism, citing the likes of Dion Fortune’s magical visualizations, distributed to members of her Fraternity of the Inner Light, to repel Hitler and the Nazis during World War II. This is a timely addition to the science of social change by an author who practices what he preaches.(InannaWorks.com received a free copy of this book.)

This review originally appeared on The Magical Buffet website on 03/21/2019.Not too long ago I posted a photo on social media of all the books/decks that I have yet to write reviews for and asked for people’s opinion on what they’d like to see first. The overwhelming response was to review “Witchcraft Activism: A Toolkit for Magical Resistance” by David Salisbury next. I can’t say as I blame anyone who voted for it. In this time of political upheaval people now, more than ever, are looking for a way to take action.The good news is, “Witchcraft Activism” gets the job done. Obviously if you’re a magical practitioner, the idea of effecting change with magic isn’t an outlandish idea. However, I was happy to see Salisbury clearly show the similarities (similarities that never occurred to me) between magic and activism. Both require a serious reflection on intention and the work of follow through. Salisbury has a background in activism and takes you step by step through any type of activism that may interest you: lobbying, letter writing, marches, and more. Then add to that an inspiring number of ways you can utilize magic to reinforce and improve on those actions! He discusses sigils, candle spells, spirit servitors, and of course, more.David Salisbury has created a great guide for aspiring activists. You could ignore all the magical elements and still walk away with a fantastic book on activism. As far as I’m concerned, the informative magical information is just icing on the cake! Highly recommended!