Missing Witches: The Book I Pick Up Every Season
I bought this book for one simple reason. I'd found the Missing Witches Deck of Oracles and wanted to understand the deck better. Now the book has become something I go back to every few weeks, and I think you might love it too.
Missing Witches is a guide to rituals, invocations and stories about the women history called witches. It's written by Risa Dickens and Amy Torok, and it looks at where magic and feminism meet.
Here's the thing the authors point out. Most of what we know about witchcraft has been erased, made into a spectacle, or watered down. The real stories of history's witches often never got told. This book sets out to put some of them back on the page.
The stories come from all over the world, from Harlem to Haiti and Oaxaca to Mesopotamia. You'll meet women like Monica Sjoo, HP Blavatsky, Maria Sabina and Enheduanna. You also learn about the world they lived in and how it shaped their work, which makes the stories feel real instead of like legends.
How the book is set up
It follows the 8 sabbats of the Wheel of the Year. That's just a way of marking the turning points of the seasons, and lots of people use it to stay in tune with the time of year.
Each chapter has illustrations by Amy Torok, plus invocations, rituals and offerings. The authors also share their own stories of trauma, loss and finding their strength, so it never feels like a textbook. It feels like someone being honest with you.
How I use it
This is my go-to each season. When the season changes, I pick it up and read the section for that part of the year. I connect with the witches in that chapter and use their words and rituals to line myself up with the season.
I also have it on audio, and I love it. The authors read it themselves, and they are real storytellers. If you like what you hear, they have a podcast too, and it's a great listen.
A bit about the authors
Risa and Amy started the Missing Witches podcast in September 2018. Before that, they both spent years in creative community building, running monthly arts showcases in the same town. Risa has a background in English literature and communications. Amy is a writer, visual artist and musician. You can feel all of that in how the book is told.
Who is it for?
If you're already deep into this world, it's a beautiful way to bring more meaning into your seasons. If you're just curious, it's a gentle place to start, because every chapter gives you a story first and a practice second.
For me, it's really about reconnecting with women whose stories were left out, and finding a bit of yourself in them. That's a lovely kind of self-development.
Sources
Book description and author information for Missing Witches by Risa Dickens and Amy Torok
My own thoughts and experience reading and listening to the book
