Michael M. Hughes is an author, speaker, instructor, and magical thinker.
He is the creator of the internationally viral Mass Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him, the largest magical ritual in history. He is also the author of four books, including his most recent, Magic for the Resistance: Rituals and Spells for Change (in a newly updated and revised edition from Crossed Crow Books).
Michael gives regular sold-out presentations on magic, tarot, witchcraft, and all things strange and esoteric. He teaches popular tarot, magic, and writing courses, both in person and online, and organizes workshops and retreats. He lives in Baltimore.
From the author of the Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him―the spell that became a social media phenomenon viewed by millions of people―this book provides spells, rituals, and fascinating historical examples designed to help you put your magical will to work to make the world a better place.
Calling upon revolutionary feminists and radical magic practitioners across time, including the yippies who attempted to levitate the Pentagon, Gerald Gardner and the coven of witches who danced naked to create “Operation Cone of Power” to keep Hitler from invading England, and the enslaved people who used their traditional magic to fight for their freedom, Hughes has built a concise, powerful magical toolkit for modern practitioners.
These magical workings for social justice can be used by activists of any spiritual or religious background. With ideas for altars, meditations, community organizing, self-care, and more, Magic for the Resistance offers practical methods and techniques for those who want to manifest equality and peace.
If you've ever felt disillusioned or burned out because of the slow progress of social change, this magical work can nurture and support you, sharpening your focus and resolve for a more sustained, long-term activism―because transforming your society begins with transforming yourself.
“Michael M. Hughes is one of my favorite magicians. He delivers enchanted insurrectionary shocks that brilliantly mess with the sour, misshapen mass hallucination otherwise known as ‘consensus reality.’
Magic for the Resistance is a battle cry and a prayer flag, a user’s manual for the joyful invocation of spiritual defiance. It reminds us that ritual can be revolutionary, that magic thrives when done artfully, and that our pleasure is a weapon against tyranny. If you suspect that our spirit allies want us to hex fascists and bless endangered rivers with equal gusto, this book is your grimoire.”
“Magic for the Resistance is a fascinating look at how the occult arts can be used to promote progressive politics and social change. While it has long been associated—often erroneously—solely with the right side of the political divide, magic has more than once come to the aid of ideas and movements rooted firmly in the left. From Victoria Woodhull, the mesmerist, feminist, and free-love advocate who was the first woman to run for president, to the attempt by Allen Ginsberg and Abbie Hoffman to levitate the Pentagon in 1966, Magic for the Resistance shows that throughout history, spells have been cast to help the light contain the darkness. Indeed, the reader can find some inside to cast today. Forget the Daleks, resistance is not futile.”
—Gary Lachman
Author of Dark Star Rising: Magick and Power in the Age of Trump
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"Magic for the Resistance is a rabble-rousing battle cry for magical thinkers everywhere. As both a practical guide and historical record, Hughes's book does the vital work of inspiring socially conscious magical practitioners to harness the power of our imaginations and collective will, reminding us where true power really resides: in the hands of the people. An ethical, exuberant honoring of magical resistance movements then and now, this book will go down in history as the magical, refreshingly feminist, anti–white supremacist, LGBTQ-friendly equivalent of Saul D. Alinsky's Rules for Radicals."
―Amanda Yates Garcia, the Oracle of Los Angeles
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"Magic to the people! This wonderfully engaging guide―one part history, one part grimoire―demonstrates how and why to combine spell work and activism to heal our society and get rid of our heel."
―Mitch Horowitz
PEN Award–winning author of Occult America and The Miracle Club
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"Michael Hughes has drawn on his erudition as well as his quarter-century of experience as a practicing magician to offer a complete manual of 'Warrior Magic' in the service of justice. He answers the questions about whether magic is effective and ethical, stokes our motivation to engage, and gives detailed guidance for binding the negative, healing the wounded, and empowering the good."
―Leonard George, PhD
Chair of the School of Social Sciences, Capilano University, and author of Crimes of Perception
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"This is rare combination of a how-to book that also gives a solid historical and cultural perspective on the uses of magic to resist political oppression. Sound and well-grounded both factually and magically, it's also well written and well informed."
―Sabina Magliocco
Professor of Anthropology, University of British Columbia
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"Besides shedding light on certain little-known aspects of our cultural history (the second chapter is a particular revelation), this book provides an excellent and accessible glimpse into the mechanics, philosophy, and, yes, ethics of magical practice. Whether or not you have any intention of utilizing the practical techniques he describes, you'll benefit from learning about those practices that countless individuals throughout history have employed and that continue to be a vital force in the lives of millions around the world."
―Ray Grasse
Author of The Waking Dream, Under a Sacred Sky, and An Infinity of Gods
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"This book empowers the reader to liberate stagnancy and facilitate positive change, to feel/be heard, and to learn from obstacles and challenges that are encountered. On the surface, mass-market, glitzy media publicity can look worthwhile and even meaningful―but real lasting change/evolution is more than a knee jerk reaction or a fad. It starts at a grassroots level and is perpetual, and this is what Hughes expounds and educates on in this well-written and entertaining book."
―Fiona Horne
Author of Witch: A Magickal Journey and The Naked Witch
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"In Magic for the Resistance, Michael Hughes has written an eminently necessary guidebook for the magic-workers of our time. He has armed readers with the tools needed to speak out and fight back, both at the altar and away from it. In a world that thirsts for magic and justice alike, this book weaves both together in the most practical ways."
―David Salisbury
Civil rights activist, magic-worker, and author of A Mystic Guide to Cleansing & Clearing