| The Holy Book of Women’s Mysteries: Feminist Witchcraft, Goddess Rituals, Spellcasting and Other Womanly Arts | Zsuzsanna E. Budapest | Feminist Wicca | 1976 |
The Holy Book of Women’s Mysteries is essential for Pagans, feminists, and women seeking to learn more about the spiritual path as it relates to the feminine and the Goddess aspects of witchcraft and Wicca. This book is not about reinstating a matriarchy or tearing down patriarchy; it is about women’s spirituality and its relationship with politics and lifestyle.
Zsuzsanna Budapest is one of the founding mothers of modern women’s witchcraft, beginning with the establishment of Susan B. Anthony Coven in Los Angeles in 1971. She catapulted herself into the media spotlight when she was tried as a witch and found guilty in 1975 after being arrested on Venice Beach for reading tarot cards. She fought the charges and, after a nine year battle, won the right for every tarot reader to do so legally.
The Holy Book of Women’s Mysteries is a seminal text that contains invaluable information on Dianic witchcraft and spells, including everyday magick, sabbat rituals, and divination methods; a section on how vegetarian theories and politics relate to witchcraft and the feminine aspect; and a good deal of information on goddesses and how the patriarchal religions distorted old myths to serve their own needs. There are several unique and beautiful Rites of Passage for women and men that you don’t often find, and Budapest’s personal life stories are an equally valuable read, from her escape across the mountains from Communist Hungary to her fight for women’s religious freedom upon moving to America.
Table of Contents
How This Book Was Born
Foreword by Phyllis Chesler
Introduction
Chapter 1: Feminist Witchcraft
… The Politics of Women’s Religion
… The Turning of the Tide: How We Lost It
… The Slothwoman as Ancient Magician
… “Dangers” of Magic by Starhawk
… Tools of the Craft: Material
… Tools of the Craft: Psychic
… Basic Witchy Setup
… Why Should a Woman Cast a Spell?
… Casting the Circle
… Introduction to Spellcasting
… Sources for Herbs, Oils and Incense
Chapter 2: The Diànic Tradition and the Rites of Life
… Diànic Genesis
… Diànic Affirmations
… The Diànic Tradition
… Concepts of Women’s Mysteries
… The Goddess Themis
… Introduction to the Rites of Life
… Attitudes Toward Death in the Craft
… The Great Rite: General Sexual Practices
… Self-Blessing
Chapter 3: Celebrating the Holy Days of the Earth
… The Sacred Wheel
… Sabbat Rituals
… Yule: Winter Solstice (December 21)
… Candlemas (February 2)
… Spring Equinox (March 21)
… May Eve (April 30)
… Midsummer Night: Summer Solstice (June 21)
… The Lammas (August 2)
… Autumn Equinox (September 21)
… Hallowmas: Women’s New Year (October 31)
… The Esbats
Chapter 4: Women’s Holidays in the Diànic Tradition
… Feralia and Lupercalia: Fertility Festival
… Diasia: Ward-Off Poverty Festival
… Anthesteria: Blessings on Vine Festival
… Thargelia: Festival of the First Fruits
… Pharmakos
… Kallynteria and Plynteria: Nurturance Festivals
… Vestalia: Fire Festival
… Arretophoria: Nymph Festival
… Thesmophoria: Festival of Women’s Rights
… Stenia: Bitching Festival
… Skira: Festival of Images
… Haloa: Festival of Free Speech
… Eleusinian Mysteries: Festival of the Return of the Daughter
Chapter 5: The Goddess and the God
… Love: Understanding the True Being of Aphrodite
… Aradia: The Female Avatar
… The God
… The Sacred Sons
… Epilogue to the Kouretes
Chapter 6: Prophecy – Tarot, Runes, Astrology, Dreams, Reincarnation, Automatic Writing, Fortune Telling
… The Tarot
… The Runes
… Astrological Birth Control
… The Sidereal Zodiac by Anna Kria
… Using Our Dreams: Practical Steps to Dream Interpretation by Annu
… Past Lives
… Automatic Writing
Chapter 7: The Politics of Food by Maiy Farkas
… Energy of Life
… Women and Meat
… Women and Sugar
… Taking Back Our Food and Our Lives
Chapter 8: Witches, Covens, Shamans, Magical and Ritual
… A Coven or a Grove?
… The Laws of the Craft
… Ethics Within the Coven
… Seven Sibylline Sayings
… Dianic Ordination Ritual
… Practicing “Solo”
… Two Decades Later: My Goddess Ministry
… The Story of the Danaids
… Possession by Christian Demons and Devils
Chapter 9: Shamanism Throughout Herstory
… Shamanic Roots of European Traditions
… Weather Work
… The Song of Amergin: A Round of the Year
Chapter 10: Masika’s Book of Life: A Hungarian Heritage
… Introduction
… Clairvoyance in the Family
… Book of Superstitions
… Book of Dreams
… Book of Cures
… From Mother’s Book of Sorrows
Chapter 11: The Goddess of the Ten Thousand Names
… Three in One
… Luna
… Signs and Symbols
… Spells and Creativity
… The Oldest Profession
Conclusion
… A Year and a Day Calendar
… Suggested Further Reading
… Z’s Story
… About the Author