Initiated

Starred review from August 19, 2019
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.

October 1, 2019

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

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2019
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 H�l�ne 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 name--and a remunerative career--for 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 cathedrals...the Goddess is being reborn." Thoughtful, engaging, and fresh: a welcome addition to the annals of women's spirituality.

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