Customer Reviews

Raising Witches

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

 

 

I was hesitant to buy this book, as I own and am not fully satisfied with her first book on pagan parenting. This one seems to be written with more skill. It is easy to read and understand without being condescending, yet it presents a good deal of information as well.

O'Gaea goes into each stage of development and discusses what lessons in lore and magick are appropriate to teach at each level. The science behind her prescriptive view to teaching Wicca is soundly grounded in the modern theory of child development.

There are ideas given here for as young as infancy and as old as adolescence. She also has a chapter relating to formal theology instruction for children of Wiccan Parents- Sunday or MoonDay school. This chapter contains a skeleton for an early childhood as well as an older childhood curriculum which could be adapted and used by pagan homeschoolers or other groups seeking to create a circle of learners. My only disappointment was that I waited so long to order it.

I am impressed and wanted to give this book five stars, but I had one problem. This is an instructional complete with lesson plans. I give it four stars because it provides a very, very, very good foundation for teaching the Wiccan religion to the little ones. It lost that last star of excellence because I object to the format the lessons are given to children. Any parent who interacts with his or her children should purchase this book, but to teach ones children in a structured system such as presented here just is not my thing. In short, GREAT BOOK... just not my own personal style of Raising Witches.
So give it a read because it might be your style and even if it is not, it lends itself greatly towards personal adaptation.

I thought this book had the right idea, but I had just read Pagan Homeschooling by Madden and this book came up short by comparison. Still I was able to find some good tips that I've been able to use with my smaller children and I'm willing to try this author again in the future.

This book was informative, yet light and easy to read. It is a great basic parenting book, even without the Pagan references. I will look to this book over and over again, I am sure, as I raise my two girls in the ways of Wicca. Thank you Ashleen, and Blessed be.

Here's the thing with this book: it's VERY Wiccan, which I am not. And she seems to be lacking an editor; I've found at least 10 editing errors just by reading along. I'm not perfect, but I like to think that something I pay money for would be. Also, the lesson plans are incomplete. She just left blank spaces instead of at least stating (N/A) or whatnot. Makes it look like she was in a hurry to get the book published. Also, it's such a small little thing; I really wish there were more in-depth books out there on this subject.

Now that THAT'S out of the way... Ashleen's books are very homey and welcoming, even to non-Wiccans. I really like her ideas on family camp-outs and such, since I've been working that into my own for a few years now. That in itself is worthwhile to purchase to book. I wish there was a book dedicated to Pagan camping and festival-going! All in all, It's a nice, quick read for Pagan parents.

This book has some really good ideas, but you have to sift through some useless things to find them. The author takes a fairly dogmatic stance on her views on parenting- I am not saying that her views are right or wrong necessarily, but it would be nice if she acknowledged that other schools of thought on parenting besides her own could be correct or even (gods forbid!) practiced by real Pagans. The dogmatic tone is off-putting to me, and I think could be dangerously misleading to others.

Also, the book spends too much time philosophizing on parenthood and not enough time on practical day-to-day things you can do to create an environment for your children that encourages Pagan values. I didn't buy this book to hear the author go on at length about her personal definition of the job of a parent, but that's what I got.

That much said, this book still fills a valuable space that as yet has gone mostly unfilled. Hopefully the future will bring more and better books on raising Pagan children, but until it does this is one of the few and proud, and worth flipping through if only because it's one of the only books on the subject out there. And as stated before, there are SOME good ideas in it.

This book, personally gives you a push- a jump start to teach the wiccan faith to children. It's a good start, but I thought it would do more of the leg work--- Like a workbook outline for adults.. It has inspired me though to create my own childrens workbook, but I have alot of research ahead of me...
I also think someone should be writing out a moon-scouts book for wiccan children!!! I've tried, but I tend to get lost in work and family... Bless'd Be... ^_^ ...

And i enjoyed it! I am not wiccan, but this book is written in a way that it can be adapted to any faith. I especially liked the chapters that deal with how to teach earth based spirituality age by age. The other reviews mentioned nudity and secrets being portarayed in this book in an unhealthy way. I disaggree completely. I feel the authors here were trying to be inclusive of all faiths and make mention of how to incorporate children if you should choose to practice in the buff. I think the main focus of the book was to emphasize the need that children feel good about themselves and comfortable in their bodies. It provides good information and insight and I gained some good ideas as well as learning a few things about wiccan history.

I was not pleased in any which way with this book. It conveyed secrecy and lacked any reasoning of natural parenting. I would much rather have spent the money taking my daughter to eat ice cream than reading this with my wife. We both we shocked at how little reality the author cares to address in respect to child rearing in the craft. Sadly there isn't anything less than one star. Speaking to fellow mother's in any religion will prove more vital and sound than any advice provided to you in this book. Waste not your time nor your money. Teach them the ancient ways in the same way you taught them to eat, walk and play: With love and patience. Your little one will go from there. Blessings!

This is the book to buy if you want to teach your kids history revision, compartmentalized thinking and keeping secrets about sex and nudity while in the company of adults is the thing to do. The author encourages the readers to practice "skyclad" rituals with their kids, claiming conventional morality is nothing more than Christian guilt and shame about the body. While she does say skycladding may not be for everyone, she encourages the reader to get their children comfortable to the idea of group nudity, including introducing their children to "candle baths" to get them used to the idea. The author also recounts of how when her son was 10 or 11 he became offended by the dirty jokes and sex comments the adult Neopagans made at the gatherings. Rather than complement her son for his maturity, she instead blamed it on not being around other skyclad Wiccans, and thus his view was not "balanced". The author warns readers about places where the "anti-Witch sentiment is quite strong" and might call protective services on Wiccans who get naked with kids! There was quite a bit of emphasis in the book about how to help children deal with adult nudity and secrecy, and it's not hard to realize this is sending a dangerous message. The Burning Times (which didn't involve Wiccans since Wicca didn't exist until the 1950's) is also not a source of contention in the book. While the author admits that no Wiccans were actually killed during the so-called "Burning Times" that European Paganism was quite extinct by the time of the Inquisition, she then turns around and says that the "Burning Times" should still be kept part of Wiccan "lore". This is because for these types, Wicca is no fun if you can't be part of a "Wiccan Holocaust" that never actually happened. They need the so-called "Burning Times" myth so they can have an excuse to hate Christians. Too mnay people get into Wicca simply because they don't like Christians, and that's just not a good reason to join. No one should ever join a religion to rebel against another religion. This book does nothing to stop it. By the same token, these people never mention the thousands of Christians murdered by Pagans during the era of the Persecuted Church. This is known as history revision, and nothing good can come out of it. On page 179, the book says if a Wiccan children ask their parents why some people confuse Wiccans with Satanists and why can't they talk about Wicca, the following explanation should be given;" Once upon a time, when Christian armies were expanding their empires, they found that their native Pagan people didn't want to be concurred. The only way to replace Pagan religions with Christianity was to lie about Paganism and kill the Pagans who resisted. There are fewer swords drawn against us these days, but the people believe the same lies. People won't believe the lies forever, but not everyone is willing to hear the truth yet." Not everyone is willing to accept the truth yet indeed! Clearly a case of the pot calling the cauldron black! The author has contradicted herself, saying there is no connection between Wicca and the so-called "Burning Times" and then turns right around and says there is...and then recommends using it to frighten children into being scared of Christians! Spreading fear and prejudice through lies is not a healthy way to raise kids. Most people (including Christians) know there's a difference between Wicca and Satanism, anyway. This compartmentalized thinking unfortunately represents the exact way many Wiccans think...that Wicca is a modern invention and yet a Stone Age religion. It can't be both. In conclusion, the book is worthless.