Society

A few weeks ago, a new book called Basic Witches: How to Summon Success, Banish Drama, and Raise Hell with Your Coven hit the shelves and all hell broke loose in the social media witch-o-sphere. Written by Jaya Saxena and Jess Zimmerman, published by Quirk Books, and seemingly available in trendy clothing shops everywhere on the planet, it appears to be just a novelty item designed to capture the attention of young women as they stand bored in the check-out line. 

One would have thought the book was actually titled Basic Witches: All Your Witchcraft Are Belong to Us from all the pearl-clutching and terrified moaning its discovery elicited. I read comments from people about how they saw it and literally puked in their mouths, I read angry diatribes about just how fake and insincere it all was, I saw hopeless hand-wringing over the pending Becky-invasion (with pumpkin spice latte in hand!)  taking over witchcraft, there were even questions here and there over whether this was cultural appropriation.

On the show lately, Chris and I have been having a lot of discussions with our guests, as well as just amongst ourselves in the mini-episodes, over favorite witch-related books and movies, both the kind we enjoy (or hate) now and the ones we feel were instrumental in aligning our newbie feet to the paths we now stride. It’s been mostly fun, despite the occasional grumping in the sidelines from those who require ideological purity and seriousness at all times- they don’t like fun, it would seem, and believe that the witchcraft and paganism communities need to get their collective heads out of the clouds and stop liking fluffy fantasy quite so much in their chosen entertainment because we must all be very very serious in every breath of every day.

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