Marion Weinstein - Positive Magic: A Toolkit for the Modern Witch

This edition first published in 2020 by Weiser Books, an imprint of

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

With offices at:

65 Parker Street, Suite 7

Newburyport, MA 01950

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2002, 2020 by the estate of Marion Weinstein

Foreword copyright 2020 by Judika Illes

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief
passages. Previously published in 2002 as Positive Magic: Ancient Metaphysical
Techniques for Modern Lives by New Page Books, ISBN: 978-1-56414-637-3.

Selections from the I Ching or Book of Changes. The Richard Wilhelm
translation, rendered into English by Carey F. Baynes. Bollingen series
XIX. Copyright 1950, 1967 by Princeton University Press. Copyright
renewed 1977 by Princeton University Press. Reprinted by permission.

ISBN: 978-1-57863-682-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

Cover design by Kathryn Sky-Peck and Kasandra Cook

Interior by Steve Amarillo / Urban Design LLC

Typeset in Adobe Bembo, ITC Legacy Sans, and Thirsk

Printed in Canada

MAR

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

www.redwheelweiser.com/newsletter

For my mother, Sylvia Linder Weinstein,
who taught me about magic and
always corrected my grammar

Magic, Occult, Metaphysics, Pagan, and Heathen

PART I:
BASIC INFORMATION

Establishing magic as a new context for self-help.

Time: The Cusp; Space: The Earth Plane. Presenting the magical point of view for transcending limited time/space reality. This includes a detailed explanation of the Aquarian Age and the Invisible World.

Negative magic: The pitfalls, pratfalls, and dangers in both traditional and modern forms. This includes details on harmful forms of magic, Satanism, demonology, so-called Black magic and modern exploitive organizations.

A complete discussion of the religion and philosophy of Witchcraft, including historical and modern perspectives.

An explanation of karma in daily life, and the occult view of many lifetimes.

PART II:
MAGIC AND METAPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES FOR DAILY LIFE

Basic information about how to use astrology, including how to locate the right astrologer.

Instructions for looking into time and space (including the future). The I Ching, a Personal Oracle: complete instructions. Tarot Cards, a Visual Oracle: complete instructions.

Complete instructions for composing Words of Power for daily life.

Extending the work of magic to help others, including the global community.

Marion Weinstein (May 19, 1939July 1, 2009) is among the pioneers and foremothers of the modern witchcraft movement. In her own words, I was working at WBAI-FM in 1969, when I came out of the closet on the air. It was a highly political radio station that supported gay and lesbian rights very early on, before anybody had even heard of that. They had radical politics there, so I thought I could come out, and it would be perfectly fine. But guess what? All those radical people who believed in complete political freedom had a problem with it. Eventually it worked out and they came around over a period of years, but in the beginning, it was very difficult.

I'm younger than MarionI was a child in 1969but I'm also a New York City girl from Queens, just like her, and I remember those days. Back then, even in a bastion of tolerance like New York, witchcraft wasn't discussed very openly. It was certainly present and in numbers, but it was very discreet. Marion Weinstein not only outed herself over the airwaves, she helped bring open discussion of modern Wicca and witchcraft out of the closet, too. Until that time (the witchcraft renaissance that began in the late '60s), the topic was widely considered a joke. If you spoke of practicing witchcraft, you'd probably be considered delusional or even dangerous, like those fictional New York City witches who appear in movies like Rosemary's Baby or The Seventh Victim.

Marion's Cauldron, the name of Marion's popular radio show, aired weekly for fourteen years on New York City's WBAI FM. In 1978, she began working as a professional stand-up comic in comedy clubs. Billed as the stand-up witch (and she was, in both senses of that phrase), she discussed coming out on WBAI, as well as her experiences on the talk-show circuit.

In a world where so many now casually describe themselves as witches, we must remember that it wasn't always like this and that Marion Weinstein was among the very first at a time when what she did was extremely brave.

The first edition of her first book, Positive Magic, was published in 1978, written to serve as a practical guide to the spiritual theory and practice of Wiccawitchcraft as religion, philosophy, and a way of life. Throughout her life, Marion continued to be a self-aware spokesperson for witches and Wicca, as well as for religious autonomy and independence, in general. She battled stereotypes. Over the years, she wrote more books, taught, served as a priestess, guided ceremonies and rituals, and became a public speaker. She was funny, but she was serious, too. Marion corresponded with seekers and made audio and video recordings, many of which are still available, and which still offer insight and guidance, as does this book, a new edition of her classic, Positive Magic.

This book is a bit of a time capsule, although, in this case, that's a positive thing. Most of the material remains timeless and eternal and what hasn't serves as a precious reminder of how far we've come. Written during a more optimistic era, Marion shares her wisdom and experiences. Reading her book, in preparation for writing this foreword, brought me vividly back to a place and time. I was a child when Marion came out of the broom closet, but one already completely enamored with witchcraft. I was a teenager when the first edition of this book was published. So, while I remember those days, my vantage is very different from Marion's. That is even more true for those born after 1978. Now, in the 21st century, we are living in a new witchcraft renaissance. Many claim the title witch extremely publicly and with pride, even though their perceptions of what that means may vary greatly. When Marion came out of the broom closet on WBAI, their response was to tell her that witchcraft was not politically relevant. I think relatively few would say that today.

While reading Positive Magic, I was struck by how likeable Marion was, even when she was writing things that I disagree with. (Personally, I don't have a problem with widdershins motion, perceiving that it, too, has positive purposes, as readers of my books know.) It's often easy to become irritated when an author writes something different from what you know or believe, but with Marion, I was always interested in reading her points of view and I consistently felt her good will. Some of her radio shows are archived. Tapes of her stand-up routines survive. If you have a chance, listen. She's sharp