Customer Reviews

Bonewits's Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca

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I don't think I've bought a book on Wicca since my early magical experimentation, having moved on to other fun things, but for some reason this book kept catching my eye, so I finally broke down and snagged a copy. I'm glad I did. This was my introdiction to Bonewit's books. I've bounced around some on his website, paged hrough "Real Magic", but never before this read anything of his cover to cover.

I highly, highly recommend this as a basic history of the neopagan subculture, to include debunking the fallacies about how Wicca is 10,000 years old, and bringing up some interesting information about
the early years of the community in the Gardner and Valiente era. It's also exceptionally valuable for his definitions of various terms, as well as the appendix on the etymology of the word "witch". There's also the basic structure of Wiccan ritual as well as a chapter on the variations thereof.

I was pleased to see the variety of resources he used, including the underappreciated "Crafting the Art of Magic" by Aidan Kelly, as well as a decent list of recommended reading on a variety of related topics. As is still all too common in neopagan literature, there's a distinct lack of in-text citations and no bibliography (though the reading list probably includes a sizable portion of the sources he used). On the other hand, given that the first copyright on the book is from 1971, expecting someone to pull citations from that far in the past is asking a bit much. Also, trying to cite personal experience is a pain.

I will admit that occasionally I looked askance at his tone of voice--at first glance he seems rather self-aggrandizing. Keeping in mind, however, that he has been in the neopagan community as it is from the beginning, I think he deserves some slack for actually being there. Also, in his defense he states early on exactly where he's coming from (dont say he didn't warn you!) and I must say I absolutely LOVE his sense of humour! Puns, poetry, and the occasional sideways jab all make the read even better.

Finally, a little bit of a squee from yours truly--on pages 25-26 he talks about the neurotransmitter work my partner, Taylor Ellwood, has been working on, proving (along with up to date information on neopaganism in general) that Isaac is still an incredibly relevant author after 35+ years--after all, the magical community in general is constantly evolving, and a lot of people tend to get sort of stuck in their own era. Isaac, on the other hand, bridges the gap between the '70's and the...well..whatever you want to call this decade, quite well.

This is BAR NONE the best book I've ever read on Wicca!

When I first got involved with Wicca, I was full of questions for my tearch: "how old is all this stuff, really?", "where does all this stuff come from?", etc. She was very good about telling me when she didn't know and kindly tried to tell me what she did. I turned to books to learn more about the new religion I was so enthusiastic about. While I don't mean to offend anybody, I, personally, found just about all the books out there had one or more things in them that really bugged me. Some made lofty claims that Wicca came from the Celts, Paleolithic humanity, the people who built stonehenge, the Atlantians, the Aliens or what have you. I found a strong woman-centric slant to many of them, which, as a man, made me feel excluded. I believe in gender BALANCE, not female dominance OR male dominance and for something as close to the heart as spirituality, it was a cruel blow to be delt woman-centricism. Other books were fluffy: so light weight that they seemed patronizing and to only deal with pleasant aspects of nature and humanity.

Isaac's book had none of these problems and there are many, many aspects to it that are wonderful. He's honest that Wicca is, as far as any real scholarship can glean, purely a modern religion. He also says something that none of the authors who try to convince us of some ancient origin say: that just because it's modern makes it no less valid! He is gender balanced and matter-of-fact. He's not afraid to talk about "dark" issues. After reading it, I FINALLY felt that I got a square deal for buying the book.

But, I can't sing the praises of this book high enough. It's informative as to the history of Wicca. It would have answered all of the initial questions that I would have had as a beginner and taught me a lot of good stuff to boot.

Perhaps its only weakness is that, unlike many of the other books that I looked at when I was starting, it is not quite as chalk full of exercises, spells, rituals and the like. I think that this is because Isaac doesn't want to limit Wicca to a particular set of techniques and, to be honest, while it's true that much of his competition packs this stuff in, it's also often the case that they present it as the "right" way or the "ancient" way. Isaac isn't trying to tell ANYONE what the "right" way is and admits that it's probably not "ancient".

What he lacks in quantity, in this regard, he makes up for in quality. For example, he has a general outline for a Wiccan ritual that is top notch and shows his decades of practice and expertise.

So, I think this is a MUST HAVE for beginning Wiccans, because they should DEFINITELY READ THIS BOOK BEFORE THEY READ ANYTHING ELSE ON THE SUBJECT, and I also think it's a must read for experienced Wiccans, because it dispels a lot of myths that they were probably taught at some point. That being said, I think a beginner should THEN go on to read some other books, with the knowledge that they may have one or more of the flaws that I sited at the beginning of this review, to get some ideas for spells, exercises and rituals. The books by the Ferrars would all make good followers and, before Isaac's came out, they were ones that I respect as minimizing above mentioned flaws.

About what another reviewer said about being able to get the same information from reading other books, that may be true, but beginners aren't likely to know about them. I certainly didn't when I was starting. I had to wade through mountains of what to me is, with all due respect, nonsense in order to get to anything that I considered to be academically sound or remotely accurate. Yes, Hutton is great, but Isaac's book provides one starting point for the beginner.

Someday, I'd like to see a book as good as Isaac's that ALSO has a large collection of sample exercises, spells and rituals, but which notes that they are only examples and that there is great diversity among Wiccans. That way, we'd have one beginner's guide that I would actually feel good about recommending.

Finally! A well researched, serious (but still fun), accurate and fascinating book on witchraft and Wicca. This should be required reading by all involved in The Craft. Nice writing style---I just flew through this book. I'm glad to have found a book on these subjects that actually contains thought provoking ideas and actual facts.

First I'll admit I really appreciate the plug that Mr. Bonewits made of my own work.

That said, I really enjoyed this book. I've never studied witchcraft or Wicca, and honestly likely never will, but this book provides an excellent historical guide to wicca/witchcraft, as well as providing a well researched explanantion of the various tenets of belief that inform this movement.

Bonewits isn't afraid to mention his own contributions, but he has a right to it, given his long immersion in the movement. That immersion provides some keen and humorous insights to this movement, and Bonewits is candid about his biases, which imo only makes this work more authentic.

His use of sources also makes this a good book to read as we get an opportunity to explore what others have to say as a result.

Whether you're into wicca/witchcraft, or not, this is worth reading to get a better sense of the history behind a major portion of the magical community five out of five stars.

Have you ever read a book that made you laugh, made you think, and made you glad to be a part of something all at once? If you haven't then this book will do it for you. The writing is easy to understand, the language is not teacher to student, but rather a friend telling of an amazing journey. The journey wasn't a physical one, but rather a growth of spirit. The complete likability of this book isn't the only reason for having this book in your library.
The main reason to have it is the well-researched, informed history of Wicca. Isaac experience many of the bench marks of Wicca first-hand, and who else has had the chance to crawl through Gardieners personal papers and tell us the real truth found there. Most books about Wicca agrandise the "secret" history of Wicca, but if you want to know the real secret history of Wicca then pick up this book. I guarentee you'll learn something new.

I had the pleasure of meeting Isaac a couple years back when he was in Milwaukee during the Ostara season. His "Evening with Isaac" program literally blew me away. He was charming, funny, but most of all, he was competent.

One of the things lacking in most Neo-Pagan books is scholarly research which can be easily peer-reviewed. Isaac, on the other hand, provides all the resources necessary to check his facts and figures. In areas of speculation (or potential bias) he lets his audience know what's going on instead of trying to pass his word off as gospel.

The Essential Guide is just what it claims....an essential text for any serious student of the craft. It debunks the junk, it provides a historical context, and it prepares readers (new and old) in the ways of the craft.

As a Pagan for 10 years, and as the coordinator of Milwaukee Pagan Pride Day for 4 years, I highly recommend this book!

The best unbiased book about witchcraft I have read. Bonewit's research is extensive and he supports his assertions.

This great book will become an established text on the Wiccan studies and procedures.I highly recommend anyone to read it.Not just the pagans,but curious outsiders,who have no concept of the Wiccan lifestyle.We have several generations,who have been brain-washed into thinking that the pentacle and the pentagram are the devilish symbols of evil-doers.Anyone who is a true Wiccan,knows this is completely not the case.In light of the military acceptance of the Pentagram symbol,on the head-stones and cenotaphs at the Arlington National Cemetary,why not a Druid Sigil emblem also? This book will educate,inform and assuage any uneasiness concerning the correct Wiccan dogmata code of civil conduct and the proper displaying of pentacle stars.(The perfidious rogues,who are involved with any malefactional act concerning the misuse of a pentagram symbol,should be forced to publicly recant any maleficence committed and face the punitions imposed upon them.-N.B.-This is my editorial opinion here,in brackets,not dear Isaac's rant.Yet,the wicked misuse of the pentacles evokes a rousing cry for justice from me.The Pentagram should be a symbol of rapprochement and not for division among people.)
And remember the Pentagon is a five-pointed star also.The perduring pentagram continues on.Read the facts in this great book.

Usually it isn't a compliment to say that you plow through someone's books, but in Isaac Bonewits's case it is a compliment. I can never put his books down until I finish, including this one.

Specifically in this case, Isaac fits decades worth of study and involvement into a manageable book that's not too dense for the non-scholar. This book should be a standard for all Wiccans, and is even useful for the rest of us Neo-Pagans.

I still have this on my pile of books eager to read; was happy to have finally found it!