Tapping Into the Power of the Feminine With 'Witchcraft. The Library of Esoterica'
By Turi Sioson
Photograph by Mariel Wiley, featuring Zoe Jackson (L) and Echo Burchfield (R)
The witch is everywhere. They live as archetypes in your favorite fairy tales and myths; they are being hunted for how they depart from the norm in your history books. The witch is your friendly, albeit distant, neighbor with talismans and an herb garden. They are the spell-caster on your TikTok FYP showing you how to connect with the divine.
Witches have existed for centuries in a number of cultures, moving in and out of the attention of the general public — including during the time of Christian witch hunts, which first took hold during the 14th and 15th centuries. Countless women and men were tortured and burned at the stake across Europe and North America until the late 17th century, accused (often falsely) of being witches. Witchcraft — especially that of Indigenous people — was seen as a threat to Christainity and an evil blight on societies, and much of this viewpoint has been carried into the scrutiny that contemporary witches face today.
But during the 19th century, “witch” took on a new empowering definition, as curiosity drove writers, artists, and scholars to explore witchcraft in both a romantic and justice-charged light. Scholars explored the pagan origins, connection to nature, and worship of ancient goddesses that so seemed to characterize witchcraft; artists, writers, and activists found an obvious connection to the rebellious and unique women that witches so often have been, particularly those who were punished for pushing against power structures in the past. Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell, or W.I.T.C.H., was a radical feminist group that pulled much of their idealogy from witchcraft as they fought for equal rights between men and women in the 1960s. Witchcraft began to take on a femininst sentiment, leading many to find empowerment in an identity that had for so long been one of disempowerment.
In Taschen’s new addition to their Library of Esoterica collection, Witchcraft expands on the timeless fascination with the witch, their traditions, and their interaction with the world. The 520-page book includes stunning artwork from cave paintings to contemporary sculptures and photographs. Editors Jessica Hundley and Pam Grossman, among other authors and scholars, contribute summarized essays of witchcraft’s history, practices, and contemporary life, continuously pointing out that the witch changes and moves through time with ease. They lend power to their words with the placement of a classical painting on one page, and a 2016 illustration its opposite, allowing us to traverse through all that the witch is.
This includes the power of the feminine. Witchcraft draws from within: ancestry, emotions, intuition and nature. Witches receive energy and guidance from these internal forces, gathering tradition, their own identity, and the power to create. As author, scholar and green witch Robin Rose Bennett states, “Real witchcraft is about coming into a co-creative relationship with the universe, discovering who you are, gathering your personal power, and using it in service of creating the most beautiful, authentic life possible for yourself, and for everyone else too.” (363)
While Witchcraft moves through a myriad of essays on the witch in myth and religion, their tools and rituals, and the types of magick they practice (a few of its extensive sections!), brief messages from witches, historians and artists are interspersed throughout. In a text that is so objective and straight-forward, these blurbs are refreshing, allowing us to hear first-hand accounts of what it means to be a witch, take part in witchcraft, and be a part of an ever-changing feminine practice of power.
Although the overwhelming majority of the book focuses on women and their experience with witchcraft, “feminine” does not only denote cis women. It's unfortunate that many of the essays disregard the variety of gender identities and define only women as feminine power-holders. Many of the witches and artists included in the collection are queer and/or non-binary, and several essays talk about the diversity of witches far back in history. Where I found the most discussion of feminine power as a non-gendered topic was in these first-person quotes.
Author, artist, and “witch of the dawn” Maja D’Aoust urges us to “disregard the voices of others and attempt to focus on your inner voice, your guiding sentience,” effectively asking any witches or witches-to-be reading the text to tap into a feminine side. To turn inward is to disregard the masculine logic and action and instead focus on what feels right in crafting something for yourself and others (202). And that is certainly an act of power.
As witch, tarot reader, author and scholar Sarah Potter reinforces, “We can put that [self-possessed] power into action” by being “aware of the deep connection between [ourselves] and the greater universe, which includes the elements, other living beings, ancestors, and those of the spirit realm,” or all things that are interacted with by way of the self (251). This use of feminine power allows us to be true to who we are and create things that are genuine; in the case of witchcraft, such honed magick is powerful.
By using feminine power to engage with the world, witchcraft practices — and by extension, those who tap into this power — are presented as ways to uplift yourself and any who may need this power, particularly marginalized groups. Dr. Maria Deblassie, an author, scholar and bruja, points out that witches “get us to question our own complicity in … norms and reject soulless ways of being the world,” arguing that the act of looking internally helps bring about the first step in changing a situation (445). She continues by stating that “the witch reminds us of our power and the innate magic that we are all born with, but have to relearn as we unlearn systemic and internalized oppression” (445).
While masculinity is often thought to be the only energy of power, Witchcraft proves that this is not the case. As an intricate exploration of the past, present and future of the witch, and their practice, the book showcases that femininity is just as or more powerful than conventional ideas of might. Its authors put clear love and enthusiasm in chosen topics, and frequently urge the reader through the direct voices of experts and an array of well-curated art to look inward, calling upon feminine power that can shift reality and change the world.
As a jumping off point for further education and study, all 520 pages are enticing and spell-casting for the amateur witch, the curious enthusiast, or the well-practiced expert witch. Dense but never for a moment lagging in intrigue and prowess, the witch comes to life in Taschen’s new addition to The Library of Esoterica.
Buy a copy of Witchcraft here.