Right now, we need tools to counter the manipulative magic that fragments our attention and sways our emotions—from clickbait on the internet to disinformation on Fox News. Lies scream, while truth whispers. Anxiety, outrage, grievance and fear are amplified until they turn into outright hatred.

But we can use our magical and practical tools to change this, to drain away the toxicity and amplify truth and compassion. And those same tools can build community and help each one of us stay grounded, energized and hopeful through troubled times.

To use the full range of our tools to shift collective consciousness, we’ll provide resources for taking practical action—that’s how we ground the magic and intensify its impact.

Join Starhawk in a new session of Magical Activism for 2022 as we upgrade our magical toolboxes together, and learn how to use everything in them!

Deep Political Activism

I’ve always loved Dion Fortune’s definition of magic: “the art of changing consciousness at will.” It’s always seemed to me to be a perfect definition of deep political activism: not just challenging unjust power, but shifting the consciousness that accepts injustice.

To enact this deep work, we’ll meet live online roughly every three weeks from mid-July through November (schedule below). Each session will focus on an issue relevant to the moment, and each will incorporate a specific magical skill. You’ll have ‘homework’—ways to continue the magic between sessions.

With crucial midterm elections coming up for the United States in November, our work will have a U.S. focus—but the tools and skills will be relevant wherever you are.

While we’ll respond to the events of the moment, here are some of the issues we are likely to cover:

• • Defending Democracy
  • Reproductive Rights and Gender Justice
  • Racial Justice
  • Climate Change
  • Countering Disinformation
  • Election magic
  • Peace

How Magical Activism Works

This is a 4-month series that runs between July 2022-November 2022. It’s a live, cohort-based course which means it centers on our live rituals hosted on Zoom on Wednesdays roughly every 3 weeks. It also means that everyone in the course is joining in live too, and learning and working together and organizing on the same timeline.

Each session will focus on a different activist cause. We will do a ritual to add magic to the cause, then commit to taking solid action towards that cause.

Once you register (by donation), you’ll be invited via email to our private online learning community where you will be able to access upcoming live links and past recordings, connect with other magical activists between sessions, share ideas, respectfully debate, and organize.

Each session includes: a live (or recorded live) ritual teaching session, some deep personal and community healing work within a ritual framework, and suggested personal practices (“homework”) to take action in the weeks between sessions.

Each session will be recorded, so if you miss one, you can watch at your leisure. All the links to past sessions will be stored in our private Magical Activism course community.

All of our sessions will include live closed captioning and ASL interpretation

Your Commitment

By registering for this series, you are committing to one 90-minute live session every 3 weeks for the next 4 months. If you can’t join us live, you can watch the recordings at your convenience.

We are asking that you commit additionally to at least an hour of your time for each session to practical, real-world work on an issue.

This might mean making calls for a candidate, showing up for a demonstration or organizing one, writing your representatives, donating money to an organization or a campaign, writing your own posts on the internet and/or amplifying others, a project or creative work of your own.

Of course, I would never ask you to do anything that goes against your personal values or violates your sense of integrity.

First Live Session

Wednesday July 20th | 5:30pm Pacific Time

Series Schedule

This is our tentative schedule—of course, subject matter may shift in response to current events, and we have been known to add bonus/emergency sessions at times when needed. More details on each session will be released before the course begins.

Session 1 | Wednesday, July 20th

Session 2 | Wednesday, August 10th

Session 3 | Wednesday, August 31st

Session 4 | Wednesday, September 21st

Session 5 | Wednesday, October 12th

Session 6 | Wednesday, November 2nd

Session 7 | Wednesday November 9th or 16th (TBD)

This Course is Open to Anyone Who Wants to Learn These Skills and Tools.

My own political perspective is progressive to radical. I’ve had a lifelong commitment to social justice in all its forms, to non-violence, feminism, environmental balance and justice, and undoing all the structures of oppression.

We offer this course by donation because we want all who are called to this work to be able to access it. Donate what feels comfortable for you, and share this course with all who may be called to this work!

I strongly believe that what we need now is a powerful, welcoming movement for justice in all its forms, one that is truly inclusive of all people, and that generates energy, enthusiasm and joy even in the midst of struggle.