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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
And now for something completely different..., April 5, 2004
Offered here by 'Janet and Gavin' is an insider's look at the progression of Wicca over the past 50 years and a glimpse into their private workings and teachings and some visions of where Wicca will be headed from here on forward.
The first part of the book deals with their view of how Wicca as a religion was founded, became established as it is today, how it has evolved and how it related directly to the Farrar's as they saw it.
The next part of the book discusses the evolution of the religion of Wicca, the constant process of change and maturity. There is much discussion of the discovery process of Gavin Bone on his path and of Janet's progression along her own.
There is the process of teaching the Wiccan path by their own group, discussion of the mysteries and their experiences and their validation process. Ethics, comparative religion discussions, different aspects of the Wiccan path such as the spiritual planes, magic and witchcraft, reincarnation; all are discussed in connection with personal experiences and the process of Wicca to constantly change to meet the spiritual needs of the individual.
This book is not just a discussion of the personal experiences of Janet and Gavin, however, but offers a view into how they taught their path in the past, and how they teach now. The example of the evolution of the 'degree' system into a system of dedication to Deity and discovery of the various aspects of the Triple Goddess was interesting in that it is not confined to their particular path alone, but has been in use in other Traditions as well. There are many points discussed that were once engraved in stone that now have been re-etched to allow for a much broader and deeper personal meaning.
This is revolutionary thought for two people who have stood for Traditional Witchcraft in the past. But if you follow their thought processes, and examine the reasoning behind what they are doing, you see that they are following a natural progression of maturing within the religion, and not a complete diversion or a deterioration of the original inspired idea.
There are points that will cause some to balk. There is material that some hard core traditionalists will find hard to swallow. There are points that I personally did not agree with, but that is to be expected. No two people see the same thing or agree upon the same ideas. For example, Janet's statement regarding the 'King or Queen' of the witches "What replaced it was not one, but multiple leaders who have surfaced within the community. ...Instead of one, there are now many leaders of the movement to reestablish witchcraft - mostly, but not exclusively, authors." And they go on to name those who they feel deserve the title. Personally, I feel this is not the case in many instances, but that it is a perceived notion rather than actual fact. There are many leaders of communities I've met here that have never written a book, have no intention to, and yet strive for the best for the communities they work in. They work quietly, and would go mostly unnoticed except for the people within their communities who noticed them well and acknowledge them as leaders. Not everyone sees authors as leaders.
For teachers, there are many ideas in this book that are presented as food for thought to broaden the mindset of any group. There are many good ideas; there are many new concepts and approaches to group construction, group working and individual development here that make it a book worth having.
As in all things, this is a book from the perspective of Janet and Gavin and will not be suitable or accepted by all. Because of the nature of the material, the excellent examples of personal revelation and experience, and the knowledge base from which much of the material flows, it does stretch the mind a bit. There are one or two blatant errors. But it steps beyond the usual 101 material and progresses to the next level, taking the basics we have learned, and taught, and challenges them and moves them along the natural chain of evolution.
An excellent volume to have in any library and one which will give you material to chew on, contemplate and even... consider. Boudica
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
author review or book review ?, April 15, 2004
It seems rather strange to me that a couple of reviewers here seem to be reviewing the authors as opposed to the book !
I can only assume, like me, they are unprofessional reviewers.I have purchased and read the book and all the reviews that have been written with regards to it. I have personally found the book to be much more interesting than alot of the rubbish currently being published on wicca and associated topics. While I agree that some traditionalists are going to find some of the information supplied hard to swallow (however I found it remarkably refreshing), it does not, by any means, invalidate it. This book does include Janet and Gavins personal view of wicca and it's practices. And as any intelligent person will notice, their views have grown as they have. Which is normal I would have thought, as without growth one begins to stagnate. This book is certainly a boon for solitaries and those taking their first steps upon the path and will give them more information and help with regards to making progress within their path than the majority of drivel on the market today.
It includes many WORKABLE exercises of which I am sure the reader, when attempting them, will have great results from as I and others in our coven have.
While I do not agree with all in the book, and who ever does, I have found it to be fresh and interesting and certainly very helpful. Explanations are given in a clear and uncluttered manner, unlike other books who wish to shroud the explanation in mystery or not giving any at all, which is not helpful to any beginner. Contrary to popular belief, this book isn't based upon the tradition of Progressive Witchcraft (David Rankine) at all but rather a look at where the authors believe witchraft is heading in general. Anyone with half a brain can work that out from the book itself. I found the Anglo Saxon/Norse information extremely interesting, as anyone with any knowledge of history would know that witchcraft is not solely Celtic in heritage. I found this to bring new light to alot of old information. As for the errors in the book ......
Much has been made of the southern hemisphere mistake on page 186 where it states "the sun rises in the West and sets in the East". I have it on good authority that "Yes" this is a mistake ! But not one that the authors have made at all. I know people who have seen the original manuscript and can attest that indeed the authors had it correct and the editors have for some reason changed it. Not only that but those those with any intelligence will be aware that Janet & Stewart Farrar were among the forerunners of suggesting that everything was swapped for southern hemisphere so I hardly think Janet Farrar would make that mistake so late in her career seeing she was one of the first to suggest it. I can only hope that with the 2nd edition printing, this mistake is corrected by the publishers. All in all I found the book an interesting read with a fresh perspective and would recommend it to those who are beginning covens, solitaries and those new to the path, as well as to those experienced witches, who don't think they know it all !
I am certainly looking forward to their next one.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Accurate Portrayal, July 27, 2004
Generally when writing a review of a book, I work really hard not to look at other's reviews of the same book. I do this so that I don't "contaminate" my opinion of a book with someone else's opinion. But while I was looking up publication information on Amazon to place in this review, I glanced at the "average customer review" and was shocked to see that it was fairly low.
I say "shocked" because this is one of the best books on Witchcraft I have seen in recent years. It is by far the best I have seen yet this year. I guess this is one of those books that you either love, hate, or love to hate. I know that many of the books that push the edge of religious practice get this label, and this one is no exception.
The ONLY thing I found to object to was a mistake with where the Sun rises in the Southern Hemisphere. The book says it rises in the West Down Under. It was news to me. So, just to be on the safe side, I contacted a friend of mine who actually lives in Australia, and asked her. She laughed as she told me that she had had a similar conversation with A.J. Drew on the SAME topic. She went on to say that she had talked to Janet and Gavin and pointed out the error. Other reviews say that it was a publisher's printing mistake that is responsible. Damned gremlins.
Other than that, this is one of those books that really takes the next several dozen steps in modern Wiccan and Witchcraft practice. It is a book that I feel many should have as the Wicca 201 book they keep asking for.
Highlights of this work include a chapter on the evolution of NeoPaganism and how core ideas of Wicca evolved. There is also a chapter about the coven and different structures of the coven, which offers up one of the truest concepts that I have read in a book.
[Speaking about a High Priestess oriented coven and how she acts as the voice of the Goddess and allowing the Goddess to directly control the coven] "This does, of course, require a trance component to ritual within the magical practices of the coven. The High Priestess must therefore be able to successfully channel the divine wishes of the Goddess rather than her own ego. She must also possess excellent leadership skills."
It seems to me that more of those "the Goddess is ALL" Wiccan groups would do well to pay attention to this statement.
Ultimately this book is a collection of long essays that explores concepts found in Wicca to their logical extent, without falling prey to the trap of expounding one flavor of Wicca over another. Janet and Gavin have struck an extremely hard target of a happy medium in this, offering facts without ever crossing over into being judgmental of the systems they are presenting.
Some of the material can be hard to swallow the first time it's read, and many "old guard" Wiccans may draw back in offense the first time it's read. But I would advise they stop for a moment and dispassionately consider what is being offered. I had to do that once or twice, and I could see the worth of what was being offered even though I felt that the suggestions being offered were not for me.
One minor thing that I had trouble with was the constant referral to the authors in the third person, and the use of full names when referring to each other. At this point it's not a question of them writing this book together, but it kept striking me as if they were near strangers who had decided to collaborate on this work, and were being very formal to each other. I'm not quite sure what this was about, but it was a continual irritant throughout the book.
This book took me a long time to read, as I wanted to absorb the material and really consider it. It's one of the few books that I have reviewed where I DIDN'T skim the book, and I will probably go back and re-read it just to make sure I got all the information being offered.
I'm giving this book 4 and 1/2 stars out of 5. I fell this book is one of those that deserves a prominent place on every Pagan's shelf, even those traditions that aren't Wiccan, but which are based on Wiccanesque practice (like some offshoots of the ADF). I don't feel that this would be appropriate for the complete tyro, since many of the concepts would go over their heads, but for anyone who has more than two years of study and practice behind them, the concepts laid out in this book would go a long way to expanding what they are doing. It's truly a Progressive step.
Daven
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