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Title: The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Fairies: Your Complete Guide to the Magic of the Fae by Skye Alexander
Details: Copyright 2021, Simon & Schuster Inc
Synopsis (By Way of Back Cover): "Channel the magic of fairies!
Invite a mystical majesty into your witchcraft practice by invoking the power and wisdom of fairies!
Inside, you’ll meet fairy families you may want to work with-- and learn which fairies to avoid-- while gaining insight into their characteristics and behavior. You’ll find out where and how they live, and discover ways to attract and interact safely with fairy helpers. Learn how to entice fairies to partner with you, and how they can elevate your magickal endeavors. Perform spells and rituals with fairies, with an understanding of just how they can bring another dimension to those practices.
Powerful beings of a semidivine nature, the fae can enhance your craft and enrich your self-knowledge. Get to know their world- and experience their magick-- with The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Fairies."
Why I Wanted to Read It: Last year was a big year for Witch books, both fictional and fantasy, both about real Witches and about the fantasy kind.
A quick reminder! Until I read Amanda Yates Garcia’s brilliant Initiated, I hadn’t read a modern Witch book (modern as in published in the last five years of my reading it) for a long time. I’ve read Witch books from years prior in that time, but didn’t really interact nor see a reason to interact with newer stuff. So am I making up for lost time! I found out that Witchcraft had someone undergone an even bigger surge in popularity in the last decade and so there was a boon of material.
Given that a lot of older books (a considerable portion of the books I have were written in the ‘90s and ‘00s, and I also have a few from the ‘70s and ‘80s, and even the ‘60s) have their failings (dated language, outdated/unproven material, gender is a binary and Queer people don’t exist, why worry about cultural misappropriation?) with few (but notable) exceptions, it might be nice to see if Witch books have improved in the past decade.
I own and have read Edain McCoy’s Witch’s Guide to Faery Folk (and yes, McCoy's books and those like it are pretty flawed with unintentionally spotty history, among other downfalls, but the book still has worth) and a few other Witch-centric books about the fae, so I was wondering what, if anything, this book would bring to the table. A hopefully different perspective far more suited to the 2020s? I was eager to see!
How I Liked It:
QUICK NOTE! I call them fae or faeries. The author of this book calls them fairies. In this instance, all of those terms mean the same thing.
Relevant to this book, I want to share something I had hammered home recently in a book far, far different from this one, a biography of Joan Crawford, of all things. Just because a book has a recent publication date in no way means the material is more “progressive” nor contains more progressive, updated social attitudes.
I don’t think it’s out of line to say (as a Queer person) that we’ve come a long way in the mainstream in twenty-five years. Most companies in the 2020s will have a Pride mention, not because they support Queer people (and some actively work against us and donate to politicians that seek to wipe us out, both out of history and literally), but because mainstream acceptance is such that it’s generally good business sense to endorse Pride. Same-gender marriage has been law in the United States in all fifty states for nearly seven years. Similarly, we have celebrities who are trans and some of whom who have now made a public transition. Awareness of both trans and nonbinary people is higher than ever.
The dangers of cultural appropriation (or as I choose to call it, cultural misappropriation, which I feel is more accurate) are also more publicized and discussed than ever. This isn’t just, as some bigots scoff, “for the terminally online”; Victoria Secret faced major backlash a decade ago for putting a white female model in a Native war bonnet, and major companies like Disney are trying to do better with racial and ethnic diversity and it being in the hands (and voices) of the cultures represented. The racial justice protests of 2020 have led to many cultural shifts (and plenty of cultural backlash, unfortunately, like the racist scare movement faux moral panic over “CRT”, a term most "opposed” can’t even define), and generally a better awareness all around about certain terms and concepts.
So what does all of that mean for this Witchcraft book about faeries? You’ll see!
But first! The author lays out some misconceptions and some explanations of what fairies are (and what they are not). She goes on to explain the link between fairies and Witches, and lists a few of the different kinds of fairies, focusing largely on Celtic folklore. She offers some caveats, both personal and historical/from a folklore perspective about working with fairies. There’s places to meet fairies (again, both personal and from a folklore perspective) and working with them in your practice. She details spells and fairies for various topics, including the expected (love, money, protection) and the rarer (spiritual growth). There’s also Sabbat spells and rituals with fairies (as in, spells to perform on the Pagan holidays). The book ends with suggestions for taking your practice forward and a sort of mission statement about why you should work with the fae. Finally, there are the expected correspondence tables in the back of herbs, stones (the author calls them “gemstones”), and oils (all unfortunately with no references or explanation for the correspondent, which is unfortunately pretty common).
I should say right off the bat, I’ve had a lot of issues with current “beginner” books (or niche books that assume you're a beginner). They don’t give detailed enough explanations of the difference between Witch and Pagan and Wiccan and witch (general magic-maker), and they don’t explain that for these terms, there are a lot of different definitions, and this is the one they’re using (and why!). They offer “cookbook” types of spells and rituals and little to no energy-raising or other style of prep work. They have random correspondence tables with no explanation as to the correspondence (even something as simple as pointing out this was generally accepted in a certain kind of folklore would be better than nothing). Unfortunately, in that respect this book isn't much different, down to the random correspondence tables (seriously, even if you just cited "these correspondences are taken from general folklore and history" that would help.
This book also unfortunately uses the terms "Wicca" and "Wiccan" about many things that aren't exclusively Wiccan and also neglects that Wicca (like Witchcraft and Paganism) is by nature fairly and purposely adaptable, means these aren't the hard and set ways the author is putting them across, except to her practice. Which would be fine, if she included some mention of that fact, same as the authors who claim Witchcraft isn't a religion would include the fact it's absolutely a religion to some, but in their use of the term, it's not.
Plenty of the author's very suppositions seem to be contradicted by her very text:
Another area that's distinctive to Fairy Witchcraft is the deities it recognizes. Wiccans, for example, revere the Goddess as the primary divine power in the universe, and the God as her consort. They also honor various other goddesses and gods[.] (pg 18)
While that may be how the author looks as Deity in Wicca, that's absolutely not how all self-identified Wiccans do. I've met self-identified Wiccans that primarily worshiped various Goddesses, I've met self-identified Wiccans that worship a single Goddess with no mention of a God, others that worship Goddess and God (generic) as equal, and so on.
Also, most Pagans believe in animism, meaning the power in everything, particularly nature. This is an excellent example of how growing up in a primarily Christian culture can influence our beliefs and outlook without us realizing it. The power being outside of us and outside of nature as a concept doesn't belong to an animist outlook, but it sure works with an Abrahamic one. Incidentally, another tell of the author shows up in this way:
Legends say the fae don't like the sound of church bells, so skip the religious songs, too. (pg 81)
But isn't Paganism a religion? Wouldn't Pagan music (whatever that might be, including the flutes and fiddles the author suggests the fae enjoy) count as "religious music"? Or is "religious" just synonymous with "Christian", and if so, why?
Just another example of how this creeps in.
Nor is all of the author's information accurate. While this was somewhat more forgivable in, say, the 1980s and 1990s, in a book published in the 2020s, it's absurd.
Celtic Wiccans and neopagans celebrate eight major holidays, or "sabbats," one every six weeks. Together, they compose what's known as the Wheel of the Year. The wheel has its roots in the old agricultural festivals that marked the beginnings, endings, and peaks of the seasons in Britain, Ireland, and Europe. (pg 227)
Most Pagans (I hate the totally unnecessary term "neopagan") celebrate some version of the same eight festivals. While they do have some Celtic background, they are actually an amalgamation of various cultures, not just Celtic, and not just western Europe. Plenty has been added and filled out in the modern day as well, and some parts were never a part of any ancient Celtic festivals.
But something that genuinely staggered me about this book was the almost absurd levels of cultural misappropriation. While this wouldn't cause a ripple in the 1990s or even well into the 2000s, a book published in 2020 that makes repeated and frequent use of the term "spirit animal" (and even incorporates the concept into multiple spells) makes one shake their head.
"Spirit animal" is a term that belongs exclusively to indigenous people. It's incredibly easy to use basically damn near any other term. "Power animal" or "magic animal" or even just switching it to "animal spirit", it's an easy enough alteration to risk stealing from already marginalized cultures.
She also uses the term "chakras" (please, just say "energy centers" or "energy points" if you're not Hindu), delves into "shamanism" without even a word about how that too frequently borders on cultural misappropriation itself (particularly when white people do it) and if you really want to explore it, you have to be extremely careful not to wade into those waters, and has this to say about dream catchers:
Magickal Dreamcatchers
Consider hanging a dreamcatcher above or beside your bed to bring sweet dreams and help you sleep better. Originally designed by the indigenous people of North America, a dreamcatcher, or "sacred hoop," is usually a circle made of wood with a web or net stretched across it. The web represents the protector deity known as Spider Woman. Feathers, beads, and other decorations may be affixed to the dreamcatcher as well. Willow is a favorite wood for the circle. To witches, the circle symbolizes protection. The Druids believed willow could help a person obtain guidance from the spirits in the Otherworld. Dowswers often use willow rods in their craft to locate hidden water. (pg 173)
Okay. If you want to use a dreamcatcher, PLEASE only purchase and use ones crafted by actual Indigenous people. Don't just make it yourself as a fun craft if you are not Native, no matter how simple it might seem to you. This is part of a sacred, closed practice. Some Native people do sell dreamcatchers, and that is the only place (again, if you are not Native yourself, and no, I'm talking about raised in the culture, none of this "My great-grandma was a Cherokee princess, I'm 1/20th Indian, I say it's okay!" nonsense) where you should get one. Just because some of the ingredients might be similar or the same as those used by other cultures/belief systems (like ancient Druids) doesn't mean you can just help yourself.
Having to explain cultural misappropriation and why it's harmful in something like occult practice which is built quite a bit on energies and our perceptions seems like it should be easier, but some people are bound and determined to make things more difficult than they need to be. Also, you know, the racism.
Something that seems like the author might be at least passingly familiar with cultural misappropriation as a concept (as well she should be if she's working in Witch circles in the 2020s), this unfortunate little line:
If a fairy sees something she wants, she'll "appropriate" it without worrying whether the item belongs to someone else. Fairies don't subscribe to the same rules and ethics we do, remember, and they certainly don't feel obliged to respect human laws. (pg 48)
The "appropriate" in quotations is suspect, but the irony is so dense, I really don't think the author intended it.
Another subject of much "What decade is this again?!" consternation was how the book treats both gender and Queer issues. Which is to say here is another topic bizarrely stuck in the 1990s.
Toasting a bride and groom's happiness has magickal roots (pg 89)
It's the 2020s, seriously, why not say "Toasting a married couple's happiness has magickal roots"? Same gender marriage had been legal in the author's home country for over half a decade when this book was published and Pagans were having same-gender marriage ceremonies long before it was legal (the first same-gender wedding I ever attended was when I studied with a coven and two female coven members were handfasted). Unless of course you only toast to a married couple's happiness if they're a bride and groom?
[The tree hawthorn]'s associated with Venus and Mars, the two planets that rule women and men, love and sex, respectively. (pg 99)
So, uh, which planet rules nonbinary people? Which planet rules a nonbinary woman? How does that work? What about agender people?
Seriously, can we put that "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" gender polarity BS to rest finally? It's based on ridiculous sexist stereotypes and an extremely, ridiculously outdated view of gender. Gender is a spectrum.
So what did the author get right?
The book has plenty of interesting jumping-off points (I'd say "jumping-off points" rather than call them inspirational in and of themselves) and ideas that with some finessing and personalization could be really interesting and useful. The book also explores some myths and concepts about faery folk and talks about practicing ecology as a way to connect with the energy of the fae (and also posits that the fae as protectors of the earth are actively fighting climate change, which is an interesting and welcome concept). While I wouldn't necessarily hand this to a beginner, a more experienced practitioner could cobble some of the author's ideas into something workable for them.
Despite my many qualms, I'm genuinely glad I read this book, and not just because there's a few ideas here and there that could be serviceable with work. It's because it's a great reminder that while the times may change and information may become more widely available, it's not a guarantee of anything. In the face of progress, there are always people who resist on various levels whether it's out and out violence, to mockery out of self-defense, to just willful ignorance. Before you think I'm accusing the author of anything personally, I'd also like to say it's also a great reminder to all of us that it's not enough to just give lip service to concepts, you actually have to do the work of implementing them by decolonizing your language and practices.
Because expecting and assuming that a book will have more progressive values the more recently its written is a privilege. Time and again we're reminded that progress doesn't go forward on its own, it goes forward by force and agitation and hard work and trying. It's just a shame that in a time when information is more readily available than ever, people don't choose to embrace it.
Notable:
Fairies don't hold to the same values or follow the same codes of ethics that humans do. They're amoral, concerned mainly with what serves their needs or pleasures. (pg 45)
Insert joke about Congress here.
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The high energy on the Wiccan sabbats-- Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer, Lughnasadh, and Mabon-- can also encourage closer alignment between humans and the fae, in part because these holidays mark the changing relationships between the sun and earth, which cause the seasons and make us aware of our connection with nature. On Samhain, the most sacred of Wiccan holidays, the veil between the seen and unseen worlds is thinnest. Therefore, you're more likely to get a peek into the land of the fae on the night of October 31st than at other times of the year. (pg 71)
They aren't just Wiccan sabbats, and not all Wiccans use those particular names (also, many non-Wiccans use those names).
CAN WE PLEASE DISPENSE WITH THE "SAMHAIN IS THE MOST SACRED/WITCHIEST/SPOOKIEST SABBAT" NONSENSE. While it might have that reputation to outsiders and those not familiar with the Wheel of the Year, absolutely not all traditions (or even most traditions) adhere to that. Also, while Samhain is undoubtedly a holiday associated with faeries in folklore, nothing, seriously nothing about Beltane or the Summer Solstice? These are historically majorly associated with fae activity.
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These ancient traditions help to ground us in our present-day practices as witches and provide perspective regarding our history. To ignore them would be akin to studying Christianity and skipping Adam and Eve, or examining American history and omitting the Pilgrims. (pg 243 and 244)
That's, uh, quite the thing to pick about American history. I mean... yeah? But probably not the way this author meant?
Final Grade: C+
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