Customer Reviews

The Illustrated Guide To Wicca

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Some of the flashy books coming out lately such as, The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Tarot, Complete Illustrated Guide to the Runes, and the Complete Illustrated Guide to Numerology, though overviews, these books do not skimp on the information they provide their readers.

This book is no exception. The Illustrated Guide to Wicca contains both practical and breathtaking graphics, and just about all the information you need to understand Wicca, from the legends and lore, to all the basic how-to information.

Everything is covered, beliefs, practices, techniques, Wheel of the Year rituals, other ritual ideas including first, second, and third degree initiations.

The authors reveal the diversity among Wiccans by having each Wheel ritual in the book focus on a different pantheon (Yule invokes the energies of Isis and Osiris; Beltane invokes Thor and Sif, for examples). They also include some nice pages devoted to charges and invocations to other deities. It's no great multicultural assortment, but it provides just enough to stimulate the beginner's interests.

The book is ideal for the curious, those at the introductory level and young people. Those beyond being just curious should, of course, supplement this with other books, such as the Spiral Dance by Starhawk, or Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner, by Scott Cunningham.

This book might also be nice for more experienced practitioners to have around, if they need a non-threatening source to answer questions about the craft to those on the outside. This is a nicely organized, carefully constructed, beautifully illustrated resource.

Some writers are truly gifted, and know how to simplify a complex topic. For a long time, I've tried to understand 'Wicca', but the more I inquired, the more confused I became, until I picked up this book. Prior to reading this book, I had become disappointed with the confusion, and decided to give up; but, thanks to these demystifying authors, I am now glad to say that I love 'Wicca'. I will now go happily in search of Wiccans in my area who would be willing to help me 'On This Beautiful Path'!! THANKS again!!!

I bought this book, sight unseen and without having any idea what was in it. When it arrived, the graphics stunned me. The book is beautifully laid out, a lot to look at and learn about.

The book is very complete in touching on all aspects of Wicca. The authors were very thorough in their research and writing. This is a book that I would recommend to people beginning on this path, or even the experienced Wiccans that I know. It's a nice addition to my library.

I am sorry but I have to disagree with the other reviews of this book. I found it incredibly lacking as even an introductory book. The book had lots of tidbits of history but I found even those to be questionable on occasion. The book lists the tools, rituals, a very vague description of sabbats without really explaining why we use or do any of these things. Unfortunately, I wouldn't dream of recommending this book to any of my students unless it was to share the lovely pictures. I would be quicker to recommend books by Scott Cunningham, the Farrars, Buckland first.

this book is great because it explains pretty much all the basics rolled into one it doesnt go very deep into many subjects and i found it a little fluffy but not a bad buy

For those of us who learn better visually, "The Illustrated Guide to Wicca" is a bit of a treasure. It's beautifully illustrated, with lavish full-colour references to myth, symbol, rite, and the famous faces of Wicca.

That said, as far as the content goes, it's quite light. The very basics are in here, and in that, it is a suitable beginners book, but with so many other introductory books out there that better describe the faith of Wicca, this one ends up being a little short.

Focusing on a Gardnerian path of Wicca, the book explores initiation rites, covens, the history of Wicca, sabbat rites, the elements and gods and goddesses, among many other subtopics. Rituals are given a chapter of their own, and a final chapter explores Wicca in the 21st Century. There's a suggested reading list, which is a good thing.

The book is okay, and the information in it is also okay - it's just not very in depth. If there'd been a tacked on "Introductory" somewhere in the title, I'd have ranked it higher. That said, this is a great book to put in the hands of someone who doesn't know what you mean when you say you are Wiccan, though if you're not Gardenerian, it'd be a little misleading. The niche for this book is for people who want to learn a little about the faith, so I see it best used in the hands of those who are related to or friends of Wiccans, and who wish to learn a little bit more.

This was the first book on Wicca I read, and I found it so good, I bought a copy for myself. It has easy to follow directions for Wicca, directions for a solitary practitoner, history of Wicca, how to create a sacred space, info about Wiccan tools, God and Goddess names and "who's who" as well as pictures to help it all out. If you are a beginner, BUY THIS BOOK!!

This is one of the first books I read when I got into the occult. It is an illustrated book so there are a lot pictures but there is also a lot of info about the wisecraft as well as the Sabbat rituals. It also serves as a good reference guide. I recommend for both beginners and seasoned practitioners.

I have been interested in Wicca for years and have looked at many books to learn more about it. I have never found a good overview book that told me what I want to know until this book. Most books give so much information it is hard to sift out just what you want to know which was "what exactly is Wicca and is it right for me". This book answers the basic question, or rather, gives you just the information you need to answer that question for yourself. I especially love how the authors remind us to not take ourselves too seriously which makes this read very unintimidating and open. This book is clearly written for beginners and does a very good job of providing a well written overview of Wicca.

I wanted to give this book 4 and a half stars, the only reason I couldn't give it five is due to the few places through the book where things are not explained as well as I thought they should have been (like evocations for the solitary practitioner, this book is geared more toward coven practice), also some pronunciation suggestions would have been nice in a few spots.

Overall a very good book, I would recommend it.

People have mixed feelings about this book. At once you can tell that it is more than a coffee table book. The table of contents is extensive and there is an index in the back. Tony and Aileen look like they put a lot of effort into the book to not look like a bunch of dry words that leave every thing to your imagination. This is the closest you will come to a paper version of TV program.

Now that being said with this broad coverage there is not much depth. Some things may look misleading and other subjects are more than open for interpretation. So far this review may be looked at as words without substance. Therefore, you can draw your conclusion from this brief paragraph from the book:

In Wiccan ritual, we meet goddess and god directly. A priestess is invoked as the goddess-she becomes the goddess and speaks the goddess's words. This is known as "drawing down the moon."
Many things are essential but missing the point. However this book would be a good addition to the library and a slightly different view to contemplate.