Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Beginners Handbook!, December 23, 2001
This review is from: The Wicca Handbook (Paperback)
This book, by Wiccan Priestess Eileen Holland, is probably one of the best books for the serious beginner and intermediate Wiccan I have seen in a long time. This book is not a general information book, but a working handbook, to be used as reference and as a guide as you start on the spiritual path of Wicca. As I read her introduction, I was drawn into reading further. Here is a woman who is as practical as she is informative and learned. I was also impressed with her practicality in dealing with the many different aspects of Wicca. But it was her overall view of the state of Wicca with todays rapidly expanding influx of new people that really impressed me. To quote "The rapid growth of Wicca currently makes this (initiation by a High Priest and/or High Priestess) impractical, since there are not enough High Priests/High Priestesses to train and initiate all the newcomers. Wicca is also establishing itself in new countries and cultures, places where there are no experienced Witches to lead others." All of her book is just as rooted in practicality. As I said, this is a working handbook, not a simple beginners guide. It is filled with information and how to use it. Spells, circles, health and healing, how to do it, when to do it, suggestions for seeking guidance from the deities. The information is abundant, clear directions are given and it is probably one of the most complete books for its size and content. Those who have been on their path for a few years will find this a great reference book to refer to time and again. It has abundant material gathered together in one convenient place, which will make this the book of choice when looking something up for a new idea or an old one that has been temporarily forgotten. Ms. Holland also keeps the book generic, not leaning towards any particular path or deity. This makes it easy to adapt the information provided and is diverse enough for any person who is pursuing the Wiccan path. For the average solitary, I would recommend this as a good, practical and very well packed textbook that will be referred to again and again.
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46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gourmet Wicca, July 30, 2000
This review is from: The Wicca Handbook (Paperback)
The Wicca Handbook Eileen Holland Eileen Holland seems to be the Julia Childs of gourmet Wicca. So many books I have read on Wicca craft indicate the spells, herbs, candles and other articles necessary for the altar, but none of them seem to be as chock full of handy information as "The Wicca Handbook." Her extraordinarily complete tables of correspondences may not be as comprehensive as Aleister Crowley's encyclopedic "777" or "Magick, Book 4," but she honors her mentor upon whose book she has based her work, Starhawk ("The Spiral Dance"). Her bibliography displays firm and dependable sources; otherwise, this would simply be another book of mixed puddings and confused recipes. The spell tutorials are easy to follow and extremely easy to adapt to your present circumstances. Everything a beginner or an experienced practitioner might need is indicated, beginning with a Book of Shadows through the variations of invocations to the god/dess. Love, for instance, has 24 spells. Her comments on ethics and superstitions are humorous and pertinent and she cautiously warns of the problems and difficulties in casting the wrong spells. Blessed Be.
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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Resource, September 21, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Wicca Handbook (Paperback)
There's no questioning the fact that Holland knows a great deal about Wicca and has a great deal of useful information about the Craft which she tries to share. However, I think a few problems might have been remedied. First of all, other reviewers have already pointed out the mixed signals she sometimes sends us. For example, she writes that it is unethical to use magick to compel others to do things they normally would not (e.g. to cast a love spell on someone who obviously is not interested in you). This would be a violation of the individual's free will. However, two pages later, she provides us with such a spell. This is irresponsible. In her defense, she does inform us of the consequences which can result from this, and also urges us to invite rather than force someone to pay us attention. Secondly, the book is somewhat difficult to tie together. In many ways it's well-organized, and it's usually easy to find information about a general topic under numerous section headings. However, it becomes hard as you try to cross-reference specific items. If I'm holding a ritual in honor of a particular deity, it takes a lot of searching to find a suitable plant, and color, and stone, and incense, etc. This is unfortunately the case even despite an extensive index. However, this weakness stems from one of her strengths: the enormous part of the book dedicated to correspondences. She provides us with hundreds of Gods and Goddesses to assist us with special concerns from purification and "guarding magical writings" to "fatal attraction" and hexing. You might not be able to easily find all you want to know about a particular Deity, plant, stone, or planet (or substitutions for them), but it's bound to be in there somewhere. Also, Holland should be praised for the fact that she did not stick with the usual laundry list, if you will, of Western Gods and Goddesses. For readers who do not identify closely with them, she also includes lists of Deities from Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Native American, Arabic, African, and Polynesian traditions (as well as a few others!). In sum, this book has great potential and I do recommend it. It may be difficult to navigate as thoroughly as you might like, but bear with it - the information it contains can be most helpful. Blessed Be.
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