55 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Save your money for a REAL book on Wicca, October 1, 2000
This review is from: Teen Witch Kit (Paperback)
I was present when the long awaited sample of this kit arrived at the bookstore. I wandered thru the pages of the book and found the tone to be condescending and trite.
Then there were the "magickal goodies." Gimme a break. What IS that stone, anyway? I've never known a quartz crystal to feel oily and it was badly chipped. The cord... gods... go to WalMart and get satin cord there. MUCH higher quality and chances are it won't be unraveling after one use. The pentacle, symbol of our connection with all around us, of our inner perfection was ...sigh... pitted, false, warped (like the entire kit) and so, so Cheap. I wouldn't let my cat wear it. The yes/no coin was ok... Granted, a penny will do the same job, but it's probably the only item that isn't a complete offense.
Now about the "altar" included... Oh, c'mon! Plastic! What Element does plastic represent! And Llewellyn is supposed to be an authority on modern paganism and Wicca?
Kids, this kit ain't the real thing, and if you're the real thing, you'll feel that fact in an instant. Let me leave you with a list of REAL books to study (most of which tell you how to Make the things you need or suggest places where they may be found)
"The Power of the Witch" by Laurie Cabot and Tom Cowan "Earth, Air, Fire and Water" by Scott Cunningham "The Spiral Dance" by Starhawk "A Witches Bible Complete" by Stewart and Janet Farrar "Crystal Enchantments; A Complete Guide to Stones" by DJ Conway
There are many other good books, but these will give any beginner or young seeker a strong start.
And a tip... your first pentacle can be a piece of sliced, dried apple. The 5 pointed star that shows in an apple is far more connected to the Lady than any cheap metal. Let the slice dry on your altar, then trim the excess apple from around the star. Use clear nail polish to seal it, run a needle with thread through the top (just above the point of the star) and wear. The Pentacle represents Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit... everything that we are... The apple represents love, regeneration, and even Avalon. The fact that you made this with your own hands and heart charges the piece with your spirit and adds to its essence. This is *real* magick, it has meaning, and it will never be found in a plastic altar.
Blessed Be
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48 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
somewhat tacky, July 17, 2002
This review is from: Teen Witch Kit (Paperback)
Silver Ravenwolf's works were a big influence on me when I first started out in Wicca. When some criticized her for 'Teen Witch,' I applauded her for stepping up to the plate and reaching out to a vastly growing teen audience that needed Wicca explained to them in simple and plain English. There's only so much ho-hum a teen can take, and Teen Witch was a refreshing zap of much needed attention to a often neglected audience.
This kit, however, is... tacky.
She may have had the best of intentions in offering 'starting kit' for teens that may not have much money or resources to buy materials with. But let me just say this- if you have the money to buy this kit, buy the actual book 'Teen Witch' instead and you'll realize that you don't need fancy crystals or spiffy coins to perform magic. As any Wiccan will tell you, the sheer act of prayer is magic. Magic = intent + thought + will. Silver herself reiterates that point in every book, as do many other famous Wiccan authors.
My thoughts on the contents of this kit:
- The book. The book is the one and only gem of the kit. It's nothing Silver hasn't written about in 'To Ride a Silver Broomstick' or 'Teen Witch,' though.
- The coins. Neat and spiffy, but cheap. Easily substituted by any coin you have lying around. The 'yes/no' coin can be replaced by anything you have... pendulums, cards, pennies, marked buttons..
- The crystal. If you're going to use a crystal or rock as your focal point, I'd suggest buying one you've actually gotten to see and handle to see if it's for you. This crystal in the kit is your typical 50 cent clear quartz.
- The string. I really don't know how you're going to perform knot magic with the same string over and over again. I'm not one to recycle spell supplies. One candle for one spell, one string for one spell. I don't use the same candle over and over again for candle magic and I don't use the same string for knot magic. My suggestion is go to your local market or craft store and pay a buck for a spool of yarn in the color you'd like. That spool will last you a good long time.
- The bag. Ugh, it's purple with yellow stars and crescent moons printed all over it. It's a little drawstring bag about the size of a 3x5 index card. To me, it screams, "commercialized and corny!" If you live with people that don't support your practice, this isn't exactly the best thing to cart around. Go to your local cloth store and buy a little square of the type of cloth you like in the color you like, some string, and duplicate it. The bag in this kit is made of cheaply material with cheesy print that looks like it came from the same material as a wizard's hat in a children's picture book.
Basically, each and every item in this kit is easily replacable. If you have people living with you that don't approve of what you do, I fear this kit will just draw unwanted attention. If you're short on cash, buy book 'Teen Witch' instead of the kit (or Scott Cunningham's 'Earth Power' and 'Earth, Air, Fire and Water' which includes spellcrafting techniques that don't need props which are based on pure natural magic). There are many techniques and theologies that must be learned before attempting spellcrafting as suggested in this book. Meditation, creative visualization, and practicing magic at its most basic form through prayer- these are all techniques students should be familiar with beforehand.
Needless to say, this kit isn't a good starting ground for seekers or beginners. Phyllis Curott's 'Book of Shadows' and Scott Cunningham's 'The Truth About Witchcraft' today are terrific books that can help lay down the fundamentals of the actual faith. Jennifer Hunter's '21st Century Wicca' is another terrific book on the subject. These three titles I mentioned were books I loaned out when I was in high school that got the most positive feedback by my fellow peers, so I'll go out on a limb and say these titles probably would appeal more to a teen audience.
Teenagers don't need to be spoon fed their religion, but what they do need, like all of us, is sincerity. I just didn't feel like this kit was sincere in its intent. You can mass market a child's favorite T.V. show into figurines, but you can't mass market religion into a do-it-yourself kit.
Basically, to sum up my review, you can get better supplies out there for the same price (or less!) of what you'll pay for this kit. I really don't know how I'm supposed to bond with and create emotional value with these cheaply items, and if I can't feel the emotional value in them, how am I supposed to use them for spiritual workings?
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Giving a man a fish..., December 29, 2001
This review is from: Teen Witch Kit (Paperback)
I'm fairly new to the Craft, and as a matter of fact Silver Ravenwolf's book Teen Witch was the first book about Wicca/Witchcraft that I read. However, the very fact that it includes an "easy-to-assemble altar" makes me take a step back in shock. The book itself may well be good; however, the fact that it claims to contain 'everything necessary for magic(k)' implies that these tools themselves are necessary. Some of the most powerful magick can be done with the mind alone. The spells included in her book are good examples of how to write a spell, especially for a beginner. But this reeks of... greed, if that's not too harsh of a word. Many to all of the items in there are completely unnecessary for magick, and can be found much more inexpensively at thrift stores or even at flea markets (I pick up nice crystals at flea markets almost every time I go, always for under $1. often for under 50¢.) and at home(shoelaces, anyone?).
Assuming the best, she may have blessed these items, and cast a spell of protection on the pendant. But it'd be better to teach how to cast protection spells or how to bless items. I find that the old saying about giving a man a fish applies to spellcasting, also: "If you give a man(or woman) a spell, he will be able to do one thing; if you teach a woman (or man) to write spells, she will be able to do anything." (Alright, it's not perfectly poetic, but it's the thought that counts.)y
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