Author(s): Alice Tarbuck, Claire Askew

Mind, Body & Spirit

An eclectic and radical collection of essays on contemporary witchcraft and the ethics of magic - a must-read for anyone engaged with the occult, witchcraft or magics of any kind. In a world that often feels like it makes no sense, many people have begun to reach out to the numinous for a sense of understanding and connection.  Looking back to ancient wisdom, folklore and classic texts for answers can be helpful, but sometimes without the context of the contemporary it can be hard to see how these old ways apply to the here and now.  Too often, depictions of witches - and indeed some contemporary witchcraft practices - perpetuate harmful racist, colonialist and culturally appropriative narratives. Gender essentialism crops up often in witchcraft circles, and #witchgoals trends proliferated by large companies and mass media raises troubling questions about the relationship between witchcraft and capitalism. Toil and Trouble is an eclectic and radical collection of essays on witchcraft practice and the ethics of magic, which gives that much-needed modern context to timeless wisdom.  This is a fascinating snapshot of contemporary occult practice viewed through an intersectional lens. Essays include poets on the magic inherent in language, working-class witches on the reclamation of agency through practical spellwork, and gender fluid practitioners on the necessity of breaking down traditional hierarchies in magical symbolism.  Poetic, inspiring and electrifying glimpses from the brink of contemporary craft, these essays show how anyone, no matter where they live or who they are, can find positivity and the force for powerful change in the subversive unknown.