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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice change of pace, April 30, 2000
This review is from: The Wiccan Mysteries: Ancient Origins & Teachings (Paperback)
Wiccan Mysteries is an indepth examination of the similarities that exist between various aspects of ancient paganism and modern Wiccan beliefs and practices. Of the 17 chapters that appear in this book only 2 deal with history. The rest of the chapters present and explore the beliefs, practices, and spirituality of Wiccan religion. It is clear that Grimassi believes that modern Wicca is the survival, fragmented though it may be, of an ancient pre-Christian European religion. Unlike a small minority of reviewers here on Amazon, I personally find nothing in this book to indicate that Grimassi is trying to pull anything off on the reader. He simply presents the historical evidence he believes supports his theory and makes a sincere argument for it. What good author does not? At least, unlike most modern Wiccan authors, Grimassi has clearly performed some pretty wide and extensive research before writing a book. And although we don't have to agree with all of his conclusions, I do think we have to respect the sincere effort. There have been some negative comments about Grimassi using fragments to present his beliefs about ancient traditions. Don't archaeologists do the same when exploring the past? Sometimes fragments are all that is left, but to ignore them is to turn our back on the possibilities. No one with an honest open mind would do that. Although there are certain absolutes in historical research, some of it is left to speculation, and some of it is left to the victor's account. Stepping outside of the historical debates (a relatively small portion of this book) the Wiccan Mysteries is an excellent and enlightening work on modern Wicca. It reveals a great deal of the inner meanings of ritual, symbolism, and magic. It is the first book, to my knowledge, to explore ritual text and poetry in modern Wicca, and to offer deep insights into the hidden meanings.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book on the spiritual legacy of Wicca, November 3, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Wiccan Mysteries: Ancient Origins & Teachings (Paperback)
This is a book on the history and spiritual legacy of ancient pre-Christian religions and their impact on the evolution towards modern Wicca. It is written from the perspective of a long practicing Witch and artfully presents a fascinating micro-history. Modern scholars draw their conclusions concerning Witchcraft largely from material contained in trial transcripts and from writings by various monks and other Church agents who wrote about demonology and satanic worship. The problem with this "official" history of Witchcraft is that few if any people convicted of Witchcraft were actually witches. Therefore the information extracted from them cannot realistically be viewed as representative of the beliefs and practices of Witchcraft. And yet, this information is what scholars use to "prove" the non-existence of Witchcraft as having any credible relationship to the ways of modern Wicca. As a contrast to the Judaic-Christian history of Witchcraft, Grimassi offers the views of those who actually practice the religion of Witchcraft. As Grimassi points out in the introduction he is an initiate of several Witchcraft traditions, and therefore draws from the common elements contained within all of them to reconstruct the tenets of the ancient Mystery Traditions that influenced the evolution of Witchcraft. But the focus of this book is not on history, it's on the spiritual and religious beliefs in modern Wicca and the ancient concepts that contributed to them. Several reviewers have expressed serious questions about many of Grimassi's historical references while at the same time complaining that Grimassi offers no historical support at all. This seems to reflect some personal agenda rather than an authentic criticism of this author's work. If you're genuinely interested in the magick, religion, and spiritually of modern Wiccans and Witches, then buy this book.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bravo!, April 26, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Wiccan Mysteries: Ancient Origins & Teachings (Paperback)
This book is a thoughtful and detailed examination of the basic themes one finds incorporated into modern Wicca. The focus of this work details how the various elements found in modern Wicca also appear in many ancient civilizations, particularly Greece, Etruria, and Rome. It is the author's opinion that many pagan elements associated with modern Wicca were introduced, or at the very least influenced, by the Romans as they expanded into lands formerly held by the Celts. This is not an unreasonable theory, especially when one considers that Celtic lands were held by Rome for over 200 years. Unlike many modern writers, Grimassi does not avoid controversial material such as the theories of Margaret Murray. Despite those things worthy of discredit in Murray's thesis, there still remains a "core of truth" in her material, as was noted by the respected historian Carlo Ginzburg. Regarding Murray's claims, it is worthy of note to include a statement by historian Gustav Henningsen, in Early Modern European Witchcraft, that there existed in Sicily a "particularly archaic form of Witch-belief, almost identical with the 'witch-cult' that Margaret Murray attempted to demonstrate." Some reviewers here, who apparently took little time other than to skim read this book, have tried to paint Grimassi as alternating between grasping at straws and demonstrating episodes of a self-congratulatory nature. Nothing could be further from the truth. This book is very well researched and supported by the quoted works of many highly respected historians and folklorists. Curiously the critics of this book have conveniently failed to mention these authorities but have instead elected to address only the controversial ones. One reviewer here claims that the Wiccan Mysteries is not the type of book the neo-pagan community wants. However, since this book is in its 5th printing and has won several awards, I think this speaks of the book's popularity and wide acceptance by the community. If you're tired of poorly researched books, and the "traditions-of-the-month" variety, then you owe it to yourself to read this book. One word of caution though, this book needs to be read more than once to fully comprehend it. This is not the typical light and fluffy Wicca book.
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