Customer Reviews

Wicca: The Complete Craft

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

While this book certainly is not "the definitive" Wiccan book (as if there was such a thing), it certainly offers a wealth of information about this ancient religion. This book was mentioned to me as a great place to learn more about "the Craft," in fact the person who first told me about it called it a "Wiccan textbook." While someone not new to Wicca may find this book covers a lot of material mentioned elsewhere, someone new to this as I am will find this book fascinating.

What I liked about this book was that it provides a very nice overall reference to Wicca, which as someone new to this religion is something very important to me. There is a tremendous amount of information in this book, in fact at times it was almost overwhelming. Among areas covered are examples of rituals for various Sabats, handfasting, and Drawing Down the Moon and Sun, herbs, essential oils, candles, words and terms used in Wicca, pantheons of Gods and Goddesses of different cultures, nature spirits, and so on. Reading through this book gave me a sense that the information contained within it can be a source of "great power" if used correctly.

As I said before, this may not be "the one true Wiccan book," and those with some knowledge may already know most of what in here, but still I found it to be an excellent guide to Wicca.

I can't say enough about this super informative writing. Never before have I encountered all of the information that he has packed into one solid book before. It dispels myths and legends in all aspects, defines Wicca and Pagan Pantheons, and gives us new and incredible ideas to "conjure" into our own practices! It's written so it is easy to understand for those new to the subject, yet has the "Elders" of us riveted so we can't put the book down!!!! ...

I picked up a copy of this because of the number of people telling me that this was so much better than Conway's other poorly-done books. After reading it, I strongly disagree!!

Beginning in the introduction, when she incorrectly states that "the words Wicca, Witchcraft and the Craft are actually interchangeable", there is very little here that can't be found in dozens of other phoney McWicca-lite introductory texts.

Her history is based on the myth that there was once a peaceful matriarchy, and everyone worshipped "the Goddess" until evil patriarchy came along and spoiled everything. She would do well to actually read some of the accurate archeological works listed in her bibliography!

She then proceeds to confuse the term "Paganism". In spite of the way she misuses the word, "Paganism" is actually a large group of related, but highly dissimilar religious. It is not a single path "based on a specific pantheon of deities", and there are certainly more than "only a few differences between Wicca and Paganism, besides the difference in their ages". (And NO religion can be dated back to the Stone Age! NO ONE knows what beliefs existed then, what their 'religious' practices were, or even if they HAD any religious beliefs!) She also defines many Traditions within Wicca inaccurately, and shows little understanding of the history of Wicca, or the various practices that define it's many branches.

When speaking of Deities, she first states that Wicca is polytheistic, then proceeds to "explain" that all Gods are a reflection of a single God archetype, and even the Gods are subservient to the Goddess. (That's not polytheism.) She also speaks of Triple aspects of Goddess, saying that this is a universal concept, and that it has been recognized "from the beginning of religion". This is untrue. (She has quite a habit of stating historical "facts" that are contrary to the archeological evidence, without saying where she is obtaining her "information". She also frequently speaks of conclusions of how found items were used or what they signify that are very different from what the scholars who are trained to interpret such finds conclude. Especially when the archeologists determine that NO conclusions can be made from the evidence available.)

In my opinion, Ms Conway's version of "wicca" is a blend of New Age thought, Ceremonial Magic influence, and poor research. While I don't doubt that it could be used to create a viable and valid spiritual path, it bears little relation to actual Wicca. If one wishes to learn about Wicca, I would strongly suggest starting with A Witch Alone by Marian Green, then moving to books such as Gerald Gardner's recently republished classics. No, it won't be as easy as what Ms. Conway has written... but *real* Wicca cannot be condensed into a 400-page how-to manual.

Wicca: The Complete Craft covers the basics of Witchcraft but also deals with Advanced Topics such as elementals, the astral plane, and a little bit of astrology, albeit only briefly. As such, I don't think this is a good beginner's book, but it is definitely worth reading after you've advanced in the Craft a little bit (two beginner books would be a good guide)

Though the main reason why you shouldn't read this first is because it subscribes to faulty Murray history of Witchcraft, even though it such "history" has already been disproven decades ago. Another annoying thing would be her radical feminism as shown by her blatant downplaying of the God and the elevation of the Goddess. While I do realize that Wicca is a Goddess-centric religion, I was nonetheless vexed by such tactlessness. And while not as pronounced, Ms Conway obviously has some beef with Christianity that she needs dealing with. Her biases make this book a little bit too opinionated for academic comfort.

In light of all that, I was supposed to rate it a 2 or a 3, so you might be wondering why I gave it a 4. Simple, the book is worth reading. It is packed with information including, but not limited to: a diverse list of gods and goddesses (although I do wish she allotted some space for the Chinese & Japanese pantheons), a long herbal correspondence that lists common names, Wiccan names and scientific names, a planetary correspondence (complete with day & hour ephemeris), incense and oil correspondence, tables of magical script, and a very extensive list of rituals and spells which contains a lot of well designed material.

Final Verdict. The book is packed with information. Some material may be dubitable(the history part obviously so), but this book serves as a nice supplemental reference, and it may serve as an introduction to more advanced topics.

This book is good for everything. It tells you what you need, what you have to do, and when is the best time to do it. I really enjoyed this book and how well it explans everything.

As a long time student and teacher of the Craft, I don't generally recommend books by this author, however I have to admit that this one is not really too bad.

This book is well organized and less fluffy than most books on modern Wicca. While it still falls into the category of "making up Wicca as you go along" books, I think it is less misleading and less filled with nonsense than the majority of popular Wiccan books.

So, strictly for beginners, I think this is an okay book.

I believe the author, D. J. Conway has gotten a bad rap given some of the material she's put out in recent years. There were only two books by this author that I really wasn't disappointed in. Moon Magick and The Ancient Shining Ones. I am glad that Wicca, The Complete Craft is another one I can add on my shelf and not feel silly about. Even if one DOES dance with dragons, it's not something that should be written about if you ask me...but then that's my opinion.

Wicca, The Complete Craft really IS comprehensive. The chapters are broken down in a formula of ascending importance. I found some of her references a bit frustrating because she doesn't list page numbers. While I found the material in this book digestible in theory and practice, I cannot in truth say if all her references are intact. That will take a bit of research on my part or on the part of any other serious practioner that doesn't want get caught in an 'oops!!' situation in quoting something that doesn't exist. Believe me, it's happened. There are no listed references for any of the stones or herbal correspondences, though most are well known enough that it no longer matters. Still, one would like to know just whom the author patronized for knowledge when SHE was learning enough to fill a book this size with. To be honest, though, I would recommend this book long before I would some of the other more popular books by authors who think ALL children should be measured by the manners, maturity, and aptitude their own children may possess. I agree with Ms. Conway that to teach teenagers magick cannot be ethical because most lack the emotional maturity to make sound decisions involving the practice of good manners let alone the practice of magick.

A good all around reference guide, but by no means the be all and end all to Wicca or Witchcraft reference. Worth the money.

I have read many books on Wicca and Neo-Paganism over the past 3 years, so I am speaking from comparison. This book is very well-organized and a "pretty" looking book. It is encyclopedic in style in that things are organized by subject and if you're trying to look up a specific ritual or spell, it can be easily found, unlike many of the other books I've read on Wicca. However, I find the tone of it to be too dry and unfeeling. I can't get a clear impression about DJ Conway, nor her personal feelings about the Craft, so the book doesn't really move me. There is no humor about this book either, which leaves me feeling kind of dull. I have enjoyed her "Moon Magic" book, and use it again and again, mostly as a reference book as I'll probably use this book. Much of the information in "Wicca" can be found in other books that are written in a more amusing and interesting style.

I got this book because I was interested in the study and believes of Wicca. A family member of mine is a Wiccan and her culture and religion always interested me, so much so that once I started thinking about it I decided this was the religous path that I was going to follow as well. I have yet to complete this book under the thraditional idea that it will take a year and a day to fully study the craft before becoming initiated, but from what I have read so far, D.J Conway is very good at writting and explaining. This book has good details and seems like a lot of personal experience and research went into writting this book. I would highly recommend this book for either study purposes if you wish to become involved with the craft or even if your just interested in the subject and wish to know more. It touches on a wide range of material and is a great beginners book.

She was so delighted to receive it. She says it answers a lot of questions she had and she pores over it daily.