Mangata Legacies

A method of care through which the materials, stories and wisdom of the occult community are carefully stewarded into the future.

A Three-Pronged Approach

Rituals of Completion

Honoring the collaboration that occultists have with many of their belongings, we give folks the opportunity to have plans in place for their significant objects to be passed on with as much intention as they wielded throughout the cycle of the relationship with its practitioner. There are many ways these acts may look: from burning grimoires under specific lunar conditions, releasing talismanic objects into the bodies of water that inspired them, leaving collections as offerings to the deities who’ve guided the way we take action in the world- each conclusion as personal as the individual themselves.

Intergenerational Connections

In a time when occult interest has risen hastily and information (both the true and misguided) is more accessible than ever, the communing of our elders with younger generations is of potent importance. Through building out a web of serious practitioners of all ages, cultures, backgrounds and skills, we’ll facilitate opportunities for connection and mentorship. This will allow for elders to find trusted folks within their practice who they can pass on the wisdom of working with their precious materials to. Upholding intention, continuing magick, strengthening community.

Preservation Efforts

Looking to leaders in occult preservation, Mangata Legacies will serve as a liaison between individuals and institutions (museums, libraries, archives, community spaces, houses of worship, etc.) to explore opportunities for select belongings of relevance to be taken care of and presented in accordance with the wishes of the individual. Upon outreach, we have received overwhelming support from institutions both in the United States and internationally. Through these collaborations, individuals will be remembered through the grander scale of appreciation and access that these institutions offer.

It is with great joy to share that the first iteration of Mangata Legacies is centered on a true pillar of the occult community. Rachel Pollack, known widely as the Mother of Divinatory Tarot, was a warm and prolific woman, responsible for writing 78 Degrees of Wisdom, respected by many as the book on the tarot. She developed several of her own tarot decks and many other celebrated books on the subject. Beyond the world of Tarot, Pollack penned over 40 science fiction novels that received accolades such as the World Fantasy Award and the Arthur C. Clarke Award. She wrote for DC Comics, creating the first ever transgender superhero. A transgender icon herself, Rachel was also an advocate for and leader in the LGBTQ+ community.

Mangata Legacies has been blessed with the opportunity to lead the archival process of Rachel Pollack’s abundantly magical estate in Rhinebeck, New York. Working under the guidance of Pollack’s wife, Zoe Matoff, a skilled tarot practitioner and wise soul and Pollack’s dear friend, Susan Aberth, a brilliant writer and occult historian, we’ve begun the process of organizing and digitizing a lifetime of writings, manuscripts, teaching materials, journals, fountain pens, books, tarot decks, floppy discs, handcrafted jewelry, correspondences, photographs and more with the intention of eventually archiving them at a trusted institution that we’ve yet to discover.

Along with the material possessions, Mangata Legacies is interested in collecting stories and testimonies about people’s experiences with Rachel, almost all of which, so far, have been about her sincere generosity and unparalleled wisdom. If you have a story to share about Rachel Pollack, please don’t hesitate to share it via the form below. The more stories we have, the brighter her legacy shines.

It is an honor to take on this task and deepen my relationship to Rachel and the entire magical eco-system that surrounds her.

I am also so pleased to announce that Mangata Legacies: Rachel Pollack is a finalist for the Good Death Fellowship, a death positive fellowship and grant program by The Order of the Good Death who are leaders of the Death Positive Movement and an unbeatable resource for folks like me, emerging in this industry and devoted to carrying out their mission of making death a part of life.

Mangata Legacies: Rachel Pollack

Additional Information

  • Mangata is a Swedish word describing the path of moonlight that reflects on a body of water, as pictured above. Its original spelling, Mångata, even comes with it's own moon. I think it perfectly captures the depth, alchemy and cyclical nature of this work. As above, so below.

  • Mangata Legacies operates with the utmost respect of the plethora of occult practices that exist, born from and carried out through the gorgeous specificity of different cultures. When building our community, we will do so with the understanding that not all practices are to be experienced by all people. For this reason, it is vital that our web reach folks of as many ages, cultures and backgrounds as it can, so that, for example, an Irish-Italian Jewitch (HELLO!) is not handling materials of Santeria traditions, but that we have someone wonderful within our web who can.

  • This idea was born as a direct response to an issue that was brought to the attention of attendees of The Occult Humanities Conference at New York University in Fall 2023. Too often members of the Occult Community reach the end of life and their materials are discarded with little or no regard for the importance they hold to the individual and their non-blood related community. We deserve better. We deserve remembrance.

  • Email us at mangatalegacies@gmail.com. We would LOVE to hear from you and schedule a time to chat.