Newsletter: Mabon 2025
- Midwest Coven Cast
- Sep 21
- 7 min read
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From Wayward Girls to Collective Power: Mabon Reflections on a Witchy Pop Culture Shift
With the coming of Mabon, I recently curled up with a cup of tea (in a mug shaped like a cauldron, naturally) and read Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. Around the same time, I finally got around to watching The Craft: Legacy, the 2020 sequel to the cult classic The Craft. The synchronicity was almost too perfect—two works separated by medium but connected by their exploration of witches, power, and the eternal question of what happens when magic meets the messy reality of human relationships.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is a curious little book, equal parts spellcraft, feminist manifesto, and cheeky self-help guide for those of us who never quite fit the mold. What struck me most was its underlying philosophy: that witchcraft isn’t just about bending reality to your will, but about embracing community, responsibility, and, yes, the occasional messy imperfection. It’s a book that insists that “waywardness” is not a flaw but a form of freedom—one that requires us to be intentional with how we use power.
Watching The Craft: Legacy in the same week felt like the cinematic embodiment of those ideas. Where the original The Craft (1996) gave us a dark, intoxicating tale of four girls who discover magic and use it for both empowerment and vengeance—only to watch that power spiral out of control—Legacy takes a different path. Its young coven is less about ego trips and more about collective action. Sure, they still dabble in glamour spells and teenage hijinks, but their story centers on supporting one another and confronting toxic masculinity head-on.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I adore the original The Craft. It was a revelation in its day, portraying teen witches with grit, style, and danger. Nancy Downs remains one of the most iconic witchy characters in pop culture, her dark lipstick and unhinged energy still burned into my teenage brain. But let’s be real: the film was also a cautionary tale. The message seemed to be, “Girls, don’t get too powerful, or you’ll lose control and turn into a monster.” Empowerment, yes—but only up to a point.
The Craft: Legacy, for all its flaws (and yes, there are some—its pacing is uneven, and the Big Bad is a little too obvious), shifts the narrative. Here, power doesn’t corrupt so much as it requires accountability. The young witches don’t implode from jealousy and rivalry; they lean into sisterhood. Evil isn’t born from within the coven but manifests in patriarchal systems and abusive authority figures. Watching the girls band together against a manipulative, toxic father figure felt like a sign of the times—witches as warriors for justice, not just wayward souls dabbling in the dark.
This mirrors the ethos of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. The book doesn’t shy away from the seductive side of magic—who among us hasn’t daydreamed about hexing an ex?—but it roots its spells in intention and accountability. The emphasis is less on solitary rebellion and more on how our actions ripple outward. It’s witchcraft as both personal liberation and communal responsibility.
What fascinates me about this cultural shift is how it reflects our broader moment. In the 1990s, the witch was a figure of dangerous independence—sexy, scary, a little too much. Today, the witch in pop culture has become a figure of resistance, community, and healing. Of course, there’s still danger (magic without teeth isn’t much fun), but there’s also a recognition that our collective survival depends on cooperation rather than competition.
Do I miss the campy chaos of Nancy professing “We are the weirdos, mister” to an unsuspecting bus driver? Absolutely. But I also find comfort in seeing witches portrayed not just as cautionary tales but as models of shared strength. It feels less like a warning and more like an invitation.
So, would I recommend both Witchcraft for Wayward Girls and The Craft films? Without hesitation. Read the book when you need a reminder that your weirdness is a gift, not a curse. Watch the original film when you want to revel in 90s goth aesthetics and raw, dangerous energy. Then cue up Legacy to see how the story of witches has grown—into something that embraces not just power, but the responsibility to use it well.
After all, the world could use a little more magic—and a lot more shared responsibility.
A Mabon Ritual of Escapist Pleasures
Mabon is the season of balance—the scales tipping between light and dark, work and rest, responsibility and indulgence. After feasting, apple-picking, and honoring the harvest, sometimes the best way to celebrate balance is by deliberately leaning into leisure. Think of it as soul-care disguised as escapism.
Here’s a ritual you can try: As twilight settles, prepare a cozy space—a blanket, a flickering candle, maybe even a snack bowl that could rival Persephone’s pomegranate. Choose your medium of escape: perhaps a dog-eared copy of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls or a witchy film like The Craft (classic or Legacy, your pick). Before you dive in, take a moment to whisper gratitude for stories—the way they carry us, challenge us, and sometimes even cast little spells of transformation.
As you read or watch, notice what stirs in you. Do you resonate with the messy, dangerous hunger for power of Nancy Downs? Or the shared responsibility and collective good in Legacy’s coven? Allow these reflections to be part of your ritual—letting fiction remind you of your own magic, your own choices, your own balance between shadow and light.
When you’re done, close your book or shut off the screen, thanking the story for its gift. Carry that energy into your own harvest season. After all, Mabon reminds us that rest, joy, and even escapism can be sacred acts.
Mabon Shadow Work: Reflections in Pop-Culture Witches
Mabon asks us to find balance—between what we take in and what we release, what we admire and what we resist. One way to explore this is by looking at how witches are reflected in pop culture and what that stirs within us.
Think back to witches you’ve encountered in books and films—maybe Nancy from The Craft, fierce and chaotic, or the supportive coven in The Craft: Legacy. Perhaps you’ve read Witchcraft for Wayward Girls and felt its playful defiance echo in your own bones. Which qualities in these witches call to you? Which make you recoil?
In your journal, explore:
What traits in these fictional witches feel familiar or inspiring? Power, independence, community, rebellion, mischief?
What qualities do you reject or fear, and why?
How do these reactions reflect your own relationship with magic, responsibility, or power?
Notice if your answers reveal hidden truths about your practice. Are you drawn to the solitary wildness of the “weirdo,” or to the shared strength of a circle? Do you resist the idea of losing control, or crave it in small, safe doses?
This Mabon, let the witches on screen and page act as mirrors—helping you see more clearly who you are, and who you are becoming.
Mabon Coven Coloring Club
Another turn of the wheel, another coloring club! In the spirit of some of the major themes of this newsletter, we are providing a “Coven” coloring sheet to represent the power of coming together in mutual support. The other is a little more abstract and provides some witchy ephemera on which you can put your own colorful spin. The whimsy witchy ephemera portrays some of the many common witchy iconographs that have become attached with the figure of the which through pop culture.
Be sure to make your beautiful pieces and then share your creations with us on social media. You can tag us (@midwestcovencast) or you can use the hashtag #covencoloringclub - we can’t wait to see your work!
Southern Hemisphere Shout Out: Ostara
Ostara has come to bless our southern hemisphere friends & readers. We hope you will rejoice in the life that surrounds you this turn of the wheel. If you would like to see how we celebrated Ostara when it was our turn around that part of the wheel, you can check out our last Ostara newsletter!
Some Good News, Some Bad News
Let’s start with the good news - many of you who follow Midwest Coven Cast are aware that Marilyn also makes music. We are elated to be awaiting a new song from Marilyn. It is already recorded and scheduled for release! The song “When I Die” is a short and sweet little ditty that brings a positive and cathartic take on the ever present nature of the circle of life. The song will be available via all major music streaming services (e.g. Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, etc.) under her artist profile, Marilyn Marinn. The new song officially drops on September 26th and you get an exclusive look at the single’s cover art here!
Now for the bad news. As is our fashion (as those of you who have been with us for forever know), we got lost in other projects and the third book in our Witch Tales series, The Magic of Kin, is currently delayed. At least we are consistently inconsistent. We apologize for any inconvenience. We will be sure to have more to you on this once we have a better view of the new publication timeline.
Patreon Contributor Thanks
Our Patreon contributors Steve D. and Anonymous are the true MVPs of our little online coven. Their long-time support of our podcast and other witchy media endeavors has helped us to continue this little covid-era passion project over all these years. Without them, we would not be able to afford this work. They make it all possible!
So many thanks!!
Calendar
22 September Mabon
26 September New Song RELEASE: “When I Die” by Marilyn Marinn
06 October Full Harvest Moon (10:47pm CST)
21 October New Moon (7:25am CST)
31 October Samhain begins
01 November Samhain ends
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