''Book of Shadows'' is a 1998 memoir written by author Phyllis Curott.

Promotional summary

When high-powered Manhattan lawyer Phyllis Curott began exploring

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

in a women's group in the 1970s, she discovered a spiritual movement that defied all stereotypes. Encountering neither

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

ic rites nor eccentric spinsters, she came to know a clandestine religion of the

Goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...

that had been forced into hiding over the course of history. The ''Book of Shadows'' chronicles Curott's remarkable initiation into

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...

, her ascent to the position of Wiccan high priestess, and her efforts to reconcile her newfound spirituality with her struggles as a woman rising through the ranks of the corporate world. Along the way, she relates the history of witchcraft. She also shares many traditional Wiccan practices – such as casting a circle, drawing down the Goddess, and casting spells for health, prosperity, and love. She explains all this from a feminist point of view. The title ''

Book of Shadows A Book of Shadows is a book containing religious text and instructions for magical rituals found within the Neopagan religion of Wicca. Since its conception in the 1970s, it has made its way into many pagan practices and paths. The most famous ...

'' refers to the name used for a book that contains magical and religious texts in the religion of Wicca.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Book Of Shadows (Biography) 1998 non-fiction books American autobiographies Wiccan books 1990s in modern paganism