Solitary Wicca For Life: Complete Guide to Mastering the Craft on Your Own [Paperback]

Arin Murphy-Hiscock (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1593373538 | ISBN-13: 978-1593373535 | Publication Date: August 1, 2005 | Edition: 2

Many people interested in magick and Witchcraft do not join covens - but prefer a solitary approach. As they work to deepen their knowledge and strengthen their powers, they need sound guidance and tools. Here the author provides readers with what they need to take their spiritual practice to the next level. In Solitary Wicca for Life, readers are encouraged to reach beyond the ordinary and create a unique path of worship using techniques that go further than other texts: Advance Circle Casting - advanced techniques and applications, plus protective entities to incorporate into the circle Enriching Ritual - tools and practices that can bring new depth to personal practice Crafting Liturgy - Wiccan rituals defined stage-by-stage Drawing Down Deities - invoking deities for divinations, guidance, communion etc Solitary Wicca for Life is the essential reference handbook readers need to reach deeper, go further and strengthen their solitary path - one day at a time.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arin Murphy-Hiscock has been a practising Wiccan for ten years, five of those years as a solitary practitioner. She is the series editor of the "For Life" series and the author of Power Spellcraft for Life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Provenance Press; 2 edition (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593373538
• ISBN-13: 978-1593373535
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Solitary Wiccan Handbook, November 9, 2005

By 

Boudica (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Solitary Wicca For Life: Complete Guide to Mastering the Craft on Your Own (Paperback)

I read lots of Wicca 101 books, especially those that seem to be aimed at the Solitary Practitioner. With many of them, I will find some points that I think the average solitary practitioner may relate to, or that someone, somewhere, will relate to. Many times, however, the material does not "click" with my own personal beliefs, or they do not take the "Traditional Path" when it comes to Wicca, but rather they are "Wiccanish". This is OK for someone else, but not necessarily for me. But I do not judge by my standards alone, but rather the viewpoint that everyone needs material that will relate to them personally.

Reading this book, however, there was more material here that I found I agreed with, related to and found to be "Traditional" with a Solitary spin than other books of this kind. And this, to me, was a big plus.

Ms. Murphy-Hiscock has taken Wicca back to the roots and explores adaptation to the Solitary way of practice. This is a Wicca 101 book, so it makes a good first handbook for the average new Solitary Practitioner and yet, it provides some material that the advanced practitioner may want to review because of its accuracy, to augment their Wiccan practice, to add elements of the Traditional or just because it is well written and has much to ponder and contemplate.

I especially enjoyed her overview of Wicca Origins, and her separation of Traditional Wicca from the Eclectic practices that Wicca has evolved into. She covers well the Tenets of Wicca, discusses common metaphors and myths and separates some of the more widely accepted but none the less mistaken beliefs and practices that have crept into modern Wicca. She gives you a good idea of how to go back to the beginning, re-examine the issues and maybe take away a better representation of what it is that Wicca is really all about.

Like I said, I do not find that every book is going to agree with or be in line with my own personal beliefs and practices. And there is material in here that is not necessarily in line with my own, but Ms. Murphy-Hiscock does cover quite a bit of material in this book that is well discussed and presented. Ethics wanders into the Wiccan Rede, which is good, and then touches on that often misunderstood poem that many folks take as law rather than the advice it should be. None the less the discussion on ethics is good and worth noting.

She also covers some of the "Mythos" or "mysteries" of Wicca, outlining them so you get a good grasp on what actually comprises Wiccan spirituality.

Once you get through the first chapter as outlined above, the rest of the book falls into the "handbook" method of teaching/discussion. Ms. Murphy-Hiscock covers all the basics, and adds a touch of the "college" style of discussion. For example, she discusses Sacred Space. Many basic books discuss creating a Circle, but she goes a little further and discusses "why" as well as the "how". Well thought out, in my opinion.

This kind of discussion continues throughout the book. She even covers a few extras that take this book above most other handbooks. She causes the reader to - gasp - think! Advanced Circle Casting is another point for thought about what you are doing, more than how to do it.

She covers more of the basics - rituals, spell work, The Wheel of the Year, Rites of Passage, and Power Words in Ritual. Her material is not just telling you what to do; it is more showing you how to do it for yourself. Not just showing ritual, but giving you a working knowledge to write your own. Not just giving you some spells, but giving you the means to construct your own. Very different approach, and a very good one. Well written, easy to follow and yet much food for thought.

The last two chapters are probably the most important. Spiritual Archetypes and Drawing Down and Aspecting Deities give you the spirituality of Wicca. While many books will give you a table of Gods and Goddesses, there is not much discussion about connecting with Them. Again, well thought out and well written.

This book approaches the Solitary Wiccan Practitioner as a knowledgeable and intelligent person who knows what they want, what they want to achieve, and gives them a good working handbook to make the connection with Deity that most are looking for.

I would recommend that even if you have a working handbook you love dearly, you may want to augment it with a copy of this work. There is a lot to absorb here, there is some good clarification of what has become misunderstood or poorly interpreted, and Ms. Murphy-Hiscock provides some new material for you to chew over and absorb. Again, it will not be for everyone, but I found that much of the material related to me personally and I appreciated that. This is a work that will compliment your already working knowledge as well as introduce the seeker to some solid concepts and traditional approaches to the Solitary Wiccan Practice. boudica

62 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I'm surprised, October 20, 2006

By 

Astral Ruby - See all my reviews

This review is from: Solitary Wicca For Life: Complete Guide to Mastering the Craft on Your Own (Paperback)

After reading the glowing reviews of this book, I truly expected something special. I was deeply disappointed.

Some of the reviews that praised this book were written by reviewers with whom I almost always agree. I don't know why we had such a radical disagreement on this book.

Personally, I found this book to be contradictory and "preachy". First the author spends a great deal of time talking about how wonderful solitary practice is because it allows you find your own path and walk your own personaly journey. Then she launches into a tirade about all the things you have to do or you are not Wiccan.

The information about the Craft is not always correct and I don't know where some of her information comes from. I don't want to make it sound like the entire book is worthless, I just question a lot of what the author says. I also question her basic editorial approach.

On to the writing: this was the greatest failure of the book to me. I question many of the "facts" presented (poor research or just the desire to be slanted?) in the book, but it was the actual writing itself that truly fell flat. The author clearly believes that she's an awesome writer and researcher, but her work does not support this.

The book contains a lot of instruction ("carefully grind the flowers..."), but very little explanation. There is a lot of "how" but very, very little "why". It really strikes me as a poorly written 101 book although the author spends a great deal of time stating this is not the case. It consists of a lot of recipes for various things but lacks any depth or substance.

Again and again I keep coming back to the poor quality of the writing and research. Perhaps the author had to rush this book to print or something, but the lack of polish is striking. The lack of reasonable consistancy is also a problem.

Even if this were an ordinary 101 book, I would have some complaints. When the author gives instructions, they are incomplete and sometimes downright silly. For example, she gives instructions about creating a magical wash solution. To use it, she says "If you intend to mop your ritual area, add nine drops of this wash to the water. Otherwise, prepare a spray bottle as follows: Add nine drops to a spray bottle of spring water and shake to blend" (p.27). There is no explanation as to why you should do this or how it will help you. How much water should you use? A spray bottle and mop bucket are quite different. If the ratio of "wash blend" to water doesn't matter, why not? Honestly, doesn't this sound like instructions from any run of the mill 101 book? How can the author expect us to view this in any other way? For a book that the author emphatically states is not a 101 book, why would you include such simple silliness? Wouldnt anyone who has moved past the most basic stages of Wicca know how to cleanse a space (and hopefully with a much better technique than this)? To me, this type of instruction (which dominates this book) is more akin to Anna Riva than any legitimate authority on Wicca. Why nine drops? Will it fail to work if you use 6 drops or 12? Again, an ordinary 101 book would get poor marks from me for this type of writing and information, but the author keeps proclaiming that this is not a 101 book. I just can't see how she justifies this belief when the book is page after page of writing like I've quoted above.

In short, as much as I hate to say it, this book simply did not work for me. Perhaps it will for you, but I found the information to be pedestrian at best, explanations inadequate, and the entire book a poorly researched Wicca 101 effort.

I have not given up on this author. Perhaps this wasn't her best effort and her other books will have better research and writing. This book simply did not fulfill its promise. I have already ordered another one of her books (sadly, before I had read much of this one), so I hope she took the time to get a writing coach and a research assistant, or whatever she needed that was missing from the writing of this book.

I will continue to trust the reviewers who praised this book and I'll just assume that this was an instance where they saw something I had missed. The book isnt a total waste of time, but Cunningham and other authors have done a much, much, much better job of presenting the solitary path than this author.

23 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not really for beginners, May 23, 2006

By 

D. Murray (connecticut) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Solitary Wicca For Life: Complete Guide to Mastering the Craft on Your Own (Paperback)

This book is very well organized, clear, and concise, but beware if you are a beginner. The author states clearly in her introduction that her focus is for intermediate and advanced Wiccans who need guidance in their solitary practice. I am a beginner and while this book was somewhat helpful, it is definitely written for someone who already knows the basics of Wicca. I'm sure it will come in more handy for me further down the road.