Mothers of Magic: Summoning the Wisdom of Our Ancestors

Author of Take Back the Magic and co-founder of the beloved non-denominational fellowship The Way of the Rose Perdita Finn offers a fierce act of remembrance and reclamation that invites us to recover the power, presence, and wisdom of the Mother Figure.

At a time when so many of us are searching for meaning and connection, Mothers of Magic is a profound call to return to our deepest sources of knowledge, nourishment, and kinship. Blending cultural history and personal memoir, Finn “What if the real problem with civilization is not the failures of our individual mothers, but the loss of connection to the many mothers who once held and guided us through life’s ordeals?"

Finn introduces readers to a pantheon of maternal figures—sacred and secular, ancient and modern—who have long offered refuge, instruction, and love. She weaves her own family history with these stories of saints, goddesses, artists, and ancestors, including the oceanic mother goddess Anu, the loving spirit of St. Anne, the defiant courage of Joan of Arc, and the irreverent brilliance of children’s author Edith Nesbit, to frame a powerful cross-cultural case for restoring the Mother Figure. Through these stories, Finn traces how patriarchal forces have systemically silenced and erased maternal wisdom. In response, she offers a restorative path forward through writing prompts and creative exercises that invite readers to explore their maternal lineages, inherited stories, and inner knowing.

A radical and necessary feminist treatise for our time, Mothers of Magic is both a sweeping spiritual and cultural intervention and a deeply personal guide, offering a map back to our mothers, our selves, and a rooted sense of belonging in our world. View Less