Occult feminism is a term that refers to the intersection of feminism and the occult. It explores how feminist principles and beliefs can be combined with occult practices and spirituality. The word "occult" refers to the hidden or esoteric knowledge and practices that are often not easily accessible to the general public. It can encompass a wide range of practices, including witchcraft, divination, astrology, and rituals. Occult feminism embraces the idea that women have been historically marginalized and oppressed, and seeks to reclaim their power and autonomy through the use of occult practices. It recognizes the historical association of women with magic and witchcraft, and aims to celebrate and explore these traditions as a means of empowerment.
Occult feminism
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Occult Feminism: The Secret History of Women's Liberation
Occult The Secret History of Women's Liberation dives deep into the occult roots of the movement, detailing the lives of some of its most prominent figures and the esoteric beliefs that inspired and motivated them. Since the 1970's, everything we learn about the history of the women's movement has been subject to gatekeeping by radicals who run women's studies departments in universities. But there's an entire history which has been obscured from public view. Rachel Wilson brings this history to life, filled with incredible true stories of demon worship, spirit mediums, magic mushrooms, witchcraft, CIA spies, and sex cults, there's nothing boring about the real history of feminism and its all here.
In modern society, it is simply assumed that women’s liberation was a good thing. But what if it was never an organic, grass roots movement for social justice? Did feminism liberate women from an oppressive, evil patriarchy? Or did it rip away the fundamental structures that afforded them stability, security, and purpose- turning them into wage slaves for corporations and tax revenue cash cows for governments? What if feminism left women more vulnerable than ever by destroying the family? What if it's a cunning deception which has tricked women into abandoning their God-given identity to serve a new world order and one of the oldest belief systems in the world?
People deserve to know the whole story about the biggest social revolution of all time. A revolution that left no aspect of modern life unaffected and claims to be for the good of women everywhere. This must-read book goes beyond the propaganda to deliver the fascinating truth.
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Genres FeminismHistoryNonfictionHistoricalOccult
131 pages, Paperback
Published December 12, 2021
Feminism’s Hidden Spiritual Side
Sometimes the pursuit of gender equality requires a little witchcraft.
L'Envoûteuse (The Sorceress) by Georges Merle, 1883 November 17, 2021 January 11, 2024 6 minutes The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR.They have become a common sight wherever feminists gather, the symbols of the occult. Whether it’s a “We Are the Granddaughters of the Witches You Couldn’t Burn” t-shirt, a tarot deck with trans-focused imagery, or a conversation about hexing the patriarchy, young women’s pursuit of equal rights and fair treatment is intimately tied up with the rise and spread of witchcraft as a spiritual and religious practice.
It is easy to dismiss most contemporary witches. The modern expressions of witchcraft seem primarily about consumption and Instagram—posting pictures of your latest ritual with the $120 rare crystal next to the designer tarot deck and the trendiest succulent plant that was illegally smuggled in from South Africa—but the histories of witchcraft and feminism, indeed occult spiritual practices and political revolutionaries in general, are closely connected.
It recognizes the historical association of women with magic and witchcraft, and aims to celebrate and explore these traditions as a means of empowerment. One of the central beliefs of occult feminism is that women have a unique connection to the divine that is often overlooked or suppressed by patriarchal societies. Many practitioners of occult feminism believe that women possess innate intuitive abilities and a spiritual connection to the natural world.
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The history of feminism tends to be written as a secular movement, one indifferent at best to the spiritual side of life, if not actively hostile. And while that might be true of some individual figures, most of feminist history has emerged from—and alongside—esoteric developments like Spiritualism, Theosophy, and Paganism. This history is mostly the result of the fact that the development of a feminist consciousness required the interrogation and breaking free from monotheistic Abrahamic religions, which used religious doctrines to justify the political and cultural subjugation of women.
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Within Christianity, the story of Eve and the introduction of sin was used to justify everything from forbidding women to be educated to denying pain relief during childbirth, as that pain was supposedly created by God as a punishment for women’s transgressions. Early women activists found it wasn’t effective enough to argue that women should be allowed to go to school or, my god, get some help surviving childbirth (during the second wave of the Black Plague, more women died from giving birth than from the plague itself). They found it was more effective politically to attack directly the source of their oppression: religious authoritarianism.
When women like Woodhull and other feminists were taunted as witches, as Satanists, as demonic, they embraced these labels with pride.
It wasn’t just that suffragette Victoria Woodhull was branded a witch by the misogynistic press, depicted in a political cartoon as Mrs. Satan in Harper’s Weekly in 1872. She was also literally talking to the dead and participating in Spiritualist rituals. Often denied any position of real power in a Christian church, women instead found themselves able to lead services in more fringe sects, which had the added bonus of not being burdened with centuries of misogynistic thinking and texts. The emergence of Theosophy, and the influence of its leader Madame Helena Blavatsky, gave women alternatives to thinking about their place in the hierarchy. Unburdened from the sins of Eve, women like Woodhull argued against women’s involuntary domesticity in the heteronormative family and instead advocated for free love, the rights of sex workers, and reproductive freedom.
When women like Woodhull and other feminists were taunted as witches, as Satanists, as demonic, they embraced these labels with pride, according to the anthropologist Kathryn Rountree. An early socialist American magazine based in Kansas that argued for women’s liberation took the title Lucifer: The Light Bearer. So yes, they were on the side of the devil here: Eve was a hero bringing enlightenment, the serpent was a truth teller, and together they fought against an authoritarian and punishing god. As the historian of religion Per Faxneld has documented, this was a shared experience with many freedom fighters, as various socialists and revolutionaries also embraced the figure of Satan as the ultimate symbol of rebellion and liberation. This push helped re-establish a hard line between church and state, dismantled arguments against allowing women freedom to participate in public life whether through career, politics, or education, and disempowered and marginalized Christian orthodoxy from western culture.
The Witch by Jean-François Portaels, between 1840 and 1895 via Wikimedia Commons
This work was so effective, in fact, contemporary feminists find it difficult, if not often impossible, to reconcile their political beliefs with Christian doctrine, as the historian of religion Ann Braude has noted. After decades of waging the war against orthodoxy and fighting for separation between church and state, many women find themselves alienated from the church. That hostility was shared, as Christians published many screeds warning against the dangers of feminism, railed from the pulpits against women not knowing their place, and fought against allowing women to take positions of power within the church. Younger women came of age watching religious groups fight against their right to reproductive autonomy, and, still feeling a need for religious tradition in their lives, have looked for alternatives.
As the sociologists Helen A. Berger and Douglas Ezzy suggest, much of the contemporary resurgence in interest in witchcraft comes from pop culture. While young witches might claim to have been introduced to witchcraft through other practitioners, through research, or through spiritual questing, for the most part, it’s been television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and films like The Craft—both feature young, attractive women being introduced to the dark arts—that have been the most influential in sparking interest. (Which also lines up with how feminism as a whole became mainstream: young feminists might claim it was an important text by Andrea Dworkin or bell hooks that brought about their political conversion, but, often enough, it can actually be traced back to watching Beyoncé perform in a tight outfit in front of the word FEMINISM on television.)
Witchcraft claims a long, hidden tradition, surviving through the generations through secret transmission by devoted followers. In reality, however, much of what we understand to be contemporary paganism and witchcraft was wholly invented in the 1960s, during the New Age movement. Many of those early practitioners claimed to be pulling from ancient sources, but, for occultists and magicians, that claim is as reliable—“oh yeah, I totally pulled this from an ancient Egyptian parchment, I in no way just invented this out of boredom”—as their claim that saying the right words in the right order can create a material change in the world.
But the invented origins of witchcraft and paganism don’t diminish their power and influence. We have moved on from the Spiritualist craze, no longer really believing we can directly communicate with the dead or that the dead might have anything truly interesting to say, but that doesn’t change the huge impact Spiritualism had on American politics and culture, even if that impact has often been dismissed or ignored in the histories of feminism. But these new spiritual stories, about women wielding power and possessing the ability to change the world, cannot so easily be separated out from their political and culture context.
This belief is often tied to the concept of the "divine feminine," which emphasizes the sacredness and power of femininity. Occult feminists also advocate for the use of magic and ritual as tools for personal and collective transformation. They believe that by harnessing their own spiritual power, women can bring about positive change in their lives and in society at large. This can include performing rituals for healing, abundance, protection, and social justice. Furthermore, occult feminism challenges traditional gender roles and encourages women to embrace their desires and strengths. It rejects the idea that women should be passive or submissive, and instead celebrates their ability to assert themselves and pursue their own desires and goals. In recent years, the concept of occult feminism has gained increasing popularity, particularly within feminist and spiritual communities. Many women are drawn to the idea of combining feminist principles with occult practices as a means of reclaiming their power and connecting with their spiritual selves. Overall, occult feminism is a dynamic and evolving movement that explores the intersections of feminism and the occult. It seeks to empower women and challenge patriarchal norms through the use of magic, ritual, and spiritual exploration. By embracing the power of the divine feminine and harnessing their spiritual abilities, practitioners of occult feminism aim to create a more inclusive and equitable world for all genders..
Reviews for "The Divine Feminine: Exploring Occult Feminism"
1. Jessica - 1/5 stars - I was really disappointed with "Occult feminism". I found the writing style to be convoluted and hard to follow, and the author seemed more interested in showcasing their own knowledge than actually making a compelling argument. The book also lacked a clear structure and jumped from one topic to another without any coherent transition. Overall, I didn't feel like I gained any meaningful insights or understanding of the subject matter.
2. Mark - 2/5 stars - While "Occult feminism" did have some interesting concepts, I found it to be quite repetitive and lacking in depth. The author seemed to be regurgitating the same ideas over and over without offering any new perspectives or evidence to support their claims. Additionally, the book could have benefited from more research and analysis, as many of the arguments felt shallow and anecdotal. Overall, I was left feeling underwhelmed and unsatisfied with the content.
3. Sarah - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for "Occult feminism," but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The book lacked a clear thesis or central argument, making it difficult for me to follow the author's train of thought. There were also many instances where the author made sweeping generalizations without providing any evidence or examples to support their claims. I found myself questioning the credibility of the information presented and was ultimately left feeling confused and unfulfilled.
4. David - 1/5 stars - "Occult feminism" was a complete waste of time for me. I found the writing style to be overly pretentious and filled with unnecessary jargon. The author seemed more interested in showcasing their own intelligence rather than presenting a cohesive and thought-provoking analysis. The book lacked clarity and failed to engage with the reader on a meaningful level. I would not recommend it to anyone interested in feminist literature or occult studies.
The Goddess Within: Feminism and the Occult
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