This is the first major study of the most famous Reclaiming Witch community, founded in 1979 in San Francisco, written by an author who herself participated in a coven for ten years. Jone Salomonsen describes and examines the communal and ritual practices of Reclaiming, asking how these promote personal growth and cultural-religious change.
Jone Salomonsen is Senior Research Fellow in Theology and Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo.
Introduction PART I Guardians of the world 1 The Reclaiming community: a feminist, social construction 2 Wicca revival: Starhawk and the myth of ancient origin 3 Utopian and generic Witches: revitalizing western spiritualities 4 Holy hermeneutics: how to find truth PART II Priestesses of the craft 5 Elements of magic: learning to ritualize 6 The Spiral Dance ritual: a celebration of death and rebirth 7 Women’s mysteries: creating a female symbolic order 8 Initiation: transforming self Conclusion: Reclaiming Witchcraft and theology