Kristen J. Sollée

"A transcendent travelogue that guides readers through the history, places, and people of several of the many witch hunts and how their legacy continues to impact us today." --Pam Grossman, author of Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power Traveling through cities and sites across Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Kristen J. Soll e explores the places and people significant to the early modern legacy of the witch. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, a confluence of political, economic, and religious factors ignited a wildfire of witch hysteria in Europe and, later, in parts of America. At the heart of these witch hunts were often dangerous misconceptions about femininity and female sexuality, and women were disproportionately punished as a result. Today, this lineage of oppression remains a vital reference point in the fight for women's rights--and human rights--in the Western world and beyond. By infusing an adventurous first-person narrative with extensive research and moments of imaginative historical fiction, Soll e (author of Witches, Sluts, Feminists) makes an often-overlooked period of history come alive. Written for armchair travelers and on-the-ground explorers alike, Witch Hunt not only uncovers the horrors of history but how the archetype of the witch has been rehabilitated. For witches are not just haunting figures of the past; the witch is also a liberatory icon and identity of the present. This paperback edition includes a new afterword by the author and an updated travel resources section.

Part history, part travelogue, part memoir, Witch Hunt is a captivating guide to the historic witch hunts and how their legacy continues to impact us today.Traveling through cities and sites across Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Kristen J. Soll e--a second-generation witch herself--explores the witch as a figure of female power and persecution. By infusing an adventurous first-person narrative with extensive research and imaginative historical fiction, Witch Hunt captures the magic of travel to make an often-overlooked period of history come alive.Between the 15th-17th centuries, a confluence of political, economic, and religious factors inspired witch hysteria to ignite like wildfire across Europe, and, later, parts of America. At the heart of the witch hunts were often dangerous misconceptions about femininity and female sexuality, and women were disproportionately punished as a result. Today, this lineage of oppression remains an important reference point through which we can contemplate women's rights--and human rights--in the Western world and beyond.Witch Hunt isn't only an exploration of the horrors of history, but also uncovers how the archetype of the witch has been rehabilitated. For witches are not just haunting figures of the past; the witch is also a liberatory icon and identity of the present.

Interweaving historical research, pop culture, and original interviews, Kristen Soll e reclaims the cat archetype as a source of feminine identify and sexual power.The cat: A sensual shapeshifter. A hearth keeper, aloof, tail aloft, stalking vermin. A satanic accomplice. A beloved familiar. A social media darling. A euphemism for reproductive parts. An epithet for the weak. A knitted hat on millions of marchers, fists in the air, pink pointed ears poking skyward. Cats and cat references are ubiquitous in art, pop culture, politics, and the occult, and throughout history, they have most often been coded female.From the "crazy cat lady" unbowed by patriarchal prescriptions to the coveted sex kitten to the dreadful crone and her yowling compatriot, feminine feline archetypes reveal the ways in which women have been revered and reviled around the world--in Greek and Egyptian mythology, the European witch trials, Japanese folklore, and contemporary film.By combining historical research, pop culture, art analyses, and original interviews, Cat Call explores the cat and its indivisible connection to femininity and teases out how this connection can help us better understand the relationship between myth, history, magic, womanhood in the digital age, and our beloved, clawed companions.

"A fierce and voluble refutation of the patriarchy and its soul-crushing oppression of female power. These writers make clear that as witches, femmes, and queers, they will use their own strength, ingenious rituals, beauty routines, and spells to rise above and beyond the limits of racism/classism and objectifications set by a male-dominated society. While bound by a thread of magic, these are inspiring feminist writings for readers of feminist literature, however identified." --Library JournalEdgy and often deeply personal, the twenty-one essays collected here come from a wide variety of writers. Some identify as witches, others identify as writers, musicians, game developers, or artists. What they have in common is that they've created personal rituals to summon their own power in a world that would prefer them powerless. Here, they share the rituals they use to resist self-doubt, grief, and depression in the face of sexism, slut shaming, racism, patriarchy, and other systems of oppression.ContentsIntroduction Notes from the Editors Content WarningUnfuckable--Cara EllisonTrash-Magic: Signs & Rituals for the Unwanted--Maranda ElizabethUncensoring My Ugliness--Laura MandanasFemme as in Fuck You: Fucking with the Patriarchy One Lipstick Application at a Time--Catherine HernandezBefore I Was a Woman, I Was a Witch--Avery EdisonUndressing My Heart--Gabriela HerstikGarden--Marguerite BennettReddit, Retin-A, and Resistance: An Alchemist's Guide to Skincare--Sam MaggsThe Future is Coming for You--Deb ChachraMy Witch's Sabbath of Short Skirts, Long Kisses, and BDSM--Mey RudeBuzzcut Season--Larissa PhamThe Harpy--Meredith YayanosFingertips--merrittRed Glitter--Sophie Saint ThomasTouching Pennies, Painting Nails--Sim BajwaRitual in Darkness--Kim BoekbinderGayuma--Sara DavidPushing Beauty Up Through the Cracks--Katelan FoisyRitualising My Humanity--J. A. MichelineSimulating Control--Nora KhanI Am, Myself, a Body of Water--Leigh Alexander Contributors Acknowledgements

When the world around you turns dark, tap into the light. If you’re having a hard time finding that light, facing trauma and division, or want to send healing vibes to a friend, the inspired, easy-to-do spells of Light Magic for Dark Times can assist.Luna Luna magazine’s Lisa Marie Basile shares inspired spells, rituals, and practices, including: A new moon ritual for attracting a lover A spell to banish recurring nightmares A graveyard meditation for engaging with death A mermaid ritual for going with the flow A zodiac practice for tapping into celestial mojo A rose-quartz elixir for finding self-love A spell to recharge after a protest or social justice work These 100 spells are ideal for those inexperienced with self-care rituals, as well as experienced witches. They can be cast during a crisis or to help prevent one, to protect loved ones, to welcome new beginnings, to heal from grief, or to find strength. Whether you’re working with the earth, performing a cleanse with water or smoke, healing with tinctures or crystals, meditating through grief, brewing, enchanting, or communing with your coven, Light Magic for Dark Times will help you tap into your inner witch in times of need.

Witch, Slut, Feminist: these contested identities are informing millennial women as they counter a tortuous history of misogyny with empowerment. This innovative primer highlights sexual liberation as it traces the lineage of ?witch feminism” through art, film, music, fashion, literature, technology, religion, pop culture, and politics. Juxtaposing scholarly research on the demonization of women and female sexuality that has continued since the witch hunts of the early modern era with pop occulture analyses and interviews with activists, artists, scholars, and practitioners of witchcraft, this book addresses and illuminates contemporary conversations about reproductive rights, sexual pleasure, queer identity, pornography, sex work, and more. Author Kristen J. Sollee elucidates the ways in which women have been persecuted for their perceived connection with witchcraft, and how they have fought back, harnessing the legacy of the witch for revolutionary means. Kristen J. Sollee is an instructor at The New School and founding editrix of Slutist, an award-winning sex positive feminist website.