Initiated : memoir of a witch

First Title Value for Searching:

Personal Author:

Garcia, Amanda Yates

Edition:

1st edition.

Physical Description:

341 pages ; 22 cm.

Summary:

An initiation signals a beginning: a door opens and you step through. Traditional Wiccan initiates are usually brought into the craft through a ceremony with a High Priestess. But even though Amanda Yates Garcia's mother, a practicing witch herself, initiated her into the earth-centered practice of witchcraft when she was 13 years old, Amanda's real life as a witch only began when she underwent a series of spontaneous initiations of her own. Descending into the underworlds of poverty, sex work, and misogyny, Initiated describes Amanda's journey to return to her body, harness her power, and create the magical world she longed for through witchcraft. Hailed by crows, seduced by magicians, and haunted by ancestors broken beneath the wheels of patriarchy, Amanda's quest for self-discovery and empowerment is a deep exploration of a modern witch's trials - healing ancient wounds, chafing against cultural expectations, creating intimacy - all while on a mission to re-enchant the world. Peppered with mythology, tales of the goddesses and magical women throughout history, Initiated stands squarely at the intersection of witchcraft and feminism. With generosity and heart, this book speaks to the question: is it possible to live a life of beauty and integrity in a world that feels like it's dying? Declaring oneself a witch and practicing magic has everything to do with claiming authority and power for oneself, of taking back our planet in the name of Love. Initiated is both memoir and manifesto calling the magical people of the world to take up their wands: stand up, be brave, describe the world they want, then create it like a witch.

Subject Term:

Wiccans -- California -- Los Angeles -- Biography.

Wicca

Publication Info:

New York : Grand Central Publishing, 2019.

Subject:

Wiccans -- California -- Los Angeles -- Biography.

Wicca

Garcia, Amanda Yates

Yates Garcia, Amanda

Wicans

Wica

SAILS ISBN:

9781538763056

Available:

Library	Shelf Number	Shelf Location	Status
Searching... Foxboro - Boyden Library	B GARCIA	BIOGRAPHY	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Seekonk Public Library	299.94 GARCIA	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes meets Women Who Run With The Wolves in this "gorgeously written, fierce, political, personal, and deeply inspiring" (Michelle Tea) memoir about finding meaning, beauty, and power through a life in witchcraft.

An initiation signals a beginning: a door opens and you step through. Traditional Wiccan initiates are usually brought into the craft through a ceremony with a High Priestess. But even though Amanda Yates Garcia's mother, a practicing witch herself, initiated her into the earth-centered practice of witchcraft when she was 13 years old, Amanda's real life as a witch only began when she underwent a series of spontaneous initiations of her own.

Descending into the underworlds of poverty, sex work, and misogyny, Initiated describes Amanda's journey to return to her body, harness her power, and create the magical world she longed for through witchcraft. Hailed by crows, seduced by magicians, and haunted by ancestors broken beneath the wheels of patriarchy, Amanda's quest for self-discovery and empowerment is a deep exploration of a modern witch's trials - healing ancient wounds, chafing against cultural expectations, creating intimacy - all while on a mission to re-enchant the world. Peppered with mythology, tales of the goddesses and magical women throughout history, Initiated stands squarely at the intersection of witchcraft and feminism. With generosity and heart, this book speaks to the question: is it possible to live a life of beauty and integrity in a world that feels like it's dying?

Declaring oneself a witch and practicing magic has everything to do with claiming authority and power for oneself, of taking back our planet in the name of Love. Initiated is both memoir and manifesto calling the magical people of the world to take up their wands: stand up, be brave, describe the world they want, then create it like a witch.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Garcia, self-proclaimed "Oracle of Los Angeles," shares the series of initiations that led to her practice as a professional witch, writer, and healer in her superb debut. Raised in Northern California, Garcia was introduced to the feminist practice of Goddess magic by her mother, but she rejected those teachings for years. After experiencing horrific abuse at the hands of a family member, she left home at 16 for San Francisco, drifted to Europe, then landed in Los Angeles to chase her dream of being an artist. Garcia realizes that, like magic, art made "the things we imagine visible to us; it pulls them into material reality and changes the way we experience the world." Throughout her travels, she experiences visions that lead her thoughts back to witchcraft. Then, following a stint in grad school, she performs an official witch ceremony on her 30th birthday with members of her L.A. community and realizes "nothing could give me the satisfaction of witchcraft." She also reveals times of personal "darkness," such as working as a stripper and pursuing toxic relationships, crediting witchcraft for helping her escape: "The moment you stop seeing yourself as a supplicant and start seeing yourself as a participant, a coconspirator, an agent, that shift marks the moment you become a witch." Effortlessly weaving Goddess myths from diverse cultures with her own life story, Garcia's reverent, powerful work will encourage readers to forge their own values and join in her "re-enchantment" of the world. (Oct.)

Kirkus Review

A professional witch recounts the trials she endured in finding her vocation.That a contemporary witch would quote Starhawk quoting Doreen Valiente in an epigram will come as little surprise to students of the history of women's spirituality. The former is an ecofeminist who has played a vital role in reimagining goddess worship for the modern age. The latter was instrumental in shaping Wicca, a mid-20th-century reiteration of English witchcraft. That this quotation is followed by a line from Hlne Cixous' "The Laugh of the Medusa" is a bit more surprising. Taken together, these epigrams offer an illuminating introduction to Yates Garcia and her work. A seventh-generation Californian, the author has made a nameand a remunerative careerfor herself as the "Oracle of California." She co-hosts a podcast called Strange Magic, she has more than 27,000 followers on Instagram, and, in 2017, she talked with Tucker Carlson about her magical efforts to bind Donald Trump from doing harm. It would be wrong, though, to dismiss Yates Garcia as a dilettante cashing in on the current interest in witches. Her mother is a practicing witch and raised the author within her own tradition, a mix of Unitarian Universalist feminist theology, neopaganism, and political activism. While Yates Garcia's account of her own magical coming-of-age includes mystical experiences and glimpses of rituals she has crafted, it is also a forceful critique of capitalism and patriarchal culture. Her philosophy of witchcraft emphasizes collective action and social justice. But this is not a manifesto. It's a tale of adventure, a heroine's journey to find her own power. Along the way, she chronicles her encounters with fairies, monsters of various kinds, and at least one demon lover. Even though "the forces of patriarchal authority have destroyed our stones, our caves, our temples, our cathedralsthe Goddess is being reborn."Thoughtful, engaging, and fresh: a welcome addition to the annals of women's spirituality. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Library Journal Review

Garcia, aka the Oracle of Los Angeles, shares a deeply personal accounting of the often painful life experiences that fueled both the artistic expression and rejection of the patriarchy that transforms into her work as a professional witch and mystical life coach. The author's travails are epic in nature. Her birth isn't just difficult; her heart stops for five minutes. Her childhood was fraught with incidences of abuse and abandonment. She leaves home as a young teenager and supports herself by working as a stripper. Her heart is broken by a cast of intriguing but unsupportive lovers. Through it all, Garcia, cohost of the popular Strange Magic podcast, manages to complete two master's degrees. She uses memories of her mother's devotion to the Goddess, along with the solace she finds in dance and meditation, to turn these experiences into initiations, a path to women's wisdom, and a flourishing livelihood as a witch and divinator. It's a remarkable story, well told. VERDICT Although there are a few spells and ceremonies included, this is not a "how-to" for witchcraft. This account will reach readers with an interest in modern women's autobiographies, true stories about witchcraft and magic, and resistance to patriarchy.--Janet Tapper, Univ. of Western States Lib., Portland, OR