Magical activism: what happens between the worlds changes the worlds

Witch camps are part of a contemporary philosophical and spiritual movement that encourages social, political and environmental activism. Through an examination of the witch camp experience, this paper highlights the lived intersections of alternative spirituality, community and activism in leisure. Using a critical constructionist, qualitative design, data were collected through participant observation at 2 witch camps, 21 semi-structured intensive interviews, 11 focused interviews and 19 elicited electronic text submissions. Findings illustrate how camp functions as a container for personal and social transformation and provides an ‘antidote’ to alienation and isolation experienced by individuals in the mainstream. The notion of magical activism captures both the experience of the participants and the connection between personal and social transformation in this context. The paper provides empirical evidence of the centrality of leisure and spirituality in engendering responsibility for broader social, political and environmental issues.