Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book begins with an exploration of otherworldly reality and what this means for magicians. It focuses on experiences of training to become a magician, and covers learning Kabbalah and magical philosophies of spiritual evolution. The book outlines ritual practice in three witchcraft covens and explores the centrality of women to the practice. It examines magico-psychotherapies that are incorporated in rituals as forms of healing. The book is a study of gender and sexuality, and the practice of magic may be viewed as a romantic reaction to the Enlightenment emphasis on reason and its association with masculinity in its explicit glorification of 'unreason' and femininity. It concludes by examining magicians' use and abuse of power.