Queen of All Witcheries: A Biography of the Goddess is an excellent book which explains complex ideas in an accessible way. It’s also beautifully written.
Each chapter is a reflection on one of the influential writers and thinkers who shaped the modern view of the Great Goddess: JJ Bachofen, JG Frazer, CG Leland, Margaret Murray, Dion Fortune, Aleister Crowley, Robert Graves, Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente, and modern Goddess feminists such as Carol Christ, Starhawk, and Lasara Firefox Allen. He also points out areas where these ideas are now problematic, such as when people subscribe to an overly biologically essentialist view of the Triple Goddess, or where Crowley’s views were colonialist.
Chanek demonstrates how each of the writers examined contributed to our contemporary view of the Goddess, draws out the key themes from each one, and offers a ritual for exploring the Goddess themes associated with that author and era, first in a group format and then in a solitary format.
I especially appreciated the inclusivity embraced throughout the book, the avoidance of essentialist approaches to gender, and the call to activism and political engagement.
It bears comparison with Karen Armstrong’s biography of God, and other similar works exploring the history of ideas — which happens to be my favourite type of history.
I will be adding this book to my recommended reading list. An excellent complementary resource to Dreams of Witches by Christina Oakley-Harrington, Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton, and Wicca: Magickal Beginnings by Sorita d’Este and David Rankine.
Dowsing for Divinity 