Customer Reviews

Wicca's Charm: Understanding the Spiritual Hunger Behind the Rise of Modern Witchcraft and Pagan Spirituality

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"I wrote this book in order to foster better dialogue between Pagans and Christians." - Catherine Edwards Sanders

Dialogue (from the Merriam-Webster dictionary)

1 : a written composition in which two or more characters are represented as conversing

2 a : a conversation between two or more persons; also : a similar exchange between a person and something else (as a computer) b : an exchange of ideas and opinions c : a discussion between representatives of parties to a conflict that is aimed at resolution

Catherine Edwards Sanders' new book "Wicca's Charm" succeeds as a dialogue between Christians and modern Pagans if you use the first definition (indeed, much of the book hinges on the conversations she has with Wiccans and Goddess worshippers) but fails, and is deeply flawed as a work that will heal rifts between conflicted parties, if you consider the second defintion.

It is somewhat sad to see so earnest an author come so close to understanding our culture and ideas, but missing the mark. I have no quarrel with the author's love of Christ, but her impression of our faith(s) is so removed from the context in which we understand them, that it is almost like reading about some alternate-reality version of Wicca. It makes me wonder if a full and rich dialogue about each other's faith can ever be engaged between a modern Pagan and a Christian, even a Christian as liberal as Sanders.

The bias in this book is subtle, but ever-present. She reminds us over and over again that she admires the strong personalities of the Pagan adherents she meets, while at the same time reiterating how flimsy she believes the worth of Wicca to be. She quotes Pagan writers and scholars, but picks and chooses what she wants them to say. She seems as obsessed with drug use within our community (and this is brought up often enough that I wonder if it was a stock interview question), as she is obsessed with the "spiritual" danger the use of magic(k) represents.

Surprisingly, one of her main criticisms of Wicca is that it isn't "ancient" (as many Witches and Wiccans believe) - even though she claims to have read, and quotes from, Ronald Hutton's "Triumph of the Moon," which makes the case for Wicca being a dynamic, vital, unique, and deep faith without any need for it to be ancient.

Sanders states that that pagan feminists seek reassurance in the myth of a primordial matriarchy because Christian churches, which Sanders presumes they've turned away from, do not present a theology made in their own image. Ironically, she goes on to assert that myths don't have to hold literal truth to be meaningful - failing to admit how problematic this idea is within her own spiritual tradition. Altogether, Sanders seems to believe that if she simply points out that the Emperor is skyclad, we will find Paganism hollow, and the myths of Christianity solid as a rock.

Sanders goes on to make bold, ahistorical claims about ancient Paganism (as distinct from non-ancient Wicca). She misrepresents the theology and history of Paganism both ancient and modern, regularly making claims that we place no more importance on our fellow humans than we do on rocks or grass. She claims that notions of charity and the "culture of care" developed only with the establishment of Christianity, and that an authentically traditional Paganism would strip itself of altruistic "Christian" notions and embrace a fatalistic worldview devoid of all morality. In this argument more than any other, Sanders' tolerant attitude washes clean away and we get to see her unvarnished Christian triumphalism shine through.

In this "dialogue," Sanders' few criticisms of Christianity are superficial ones. She confesses that Christians have acted intolerantly towards other faiths, but fails to discuss the scriptural and structural underpinnings of that intolerance. When she discusses the Christian spiritual world, it is with nothing but the glowing naivite of a believer.

Finally I feel I must address the "dangers" of the spirit world that Sanders brings up again and again in her book. She takes great pains to point out that every Wiccan she has talked to speaks of the dangers of working with the world of spirit if you are untrained or unprepared. She hammers home how our circle-castings and quarter-calls are done to "protect" us from a dangerous world beyond this plane. She doesn't mention that many of these beliefs are part of the Christian heritage she feels we would cast away if we were "true" Pagans. Many of the ritualistic "protections" we have incorporated were written by Christian men with a Christian sense of fear of the world of spirit. The problems the inexperienced adept encounters when working with magick is the same problem that fervent Christian converts have when they ask a loving God to grant them the destruction of enemies or great material wealth. They experience an ego death when they realize these wishes will never be granted. You can call this the "three-fold law" or "God's grace," but the results are quite similar. Either the convert or the adept will grow up, or they will remain delusional and jump to the next spiritual path they feel will grant them their wishes.

I can't in good faith say that this book will bridge any gaps betwen Pagans and Christians. Compassionate triumphalism is little better than overt hatred. While the first is prettier, they both branch from the same plant. If you prefer the rose to the thorn, this book might please you, but it isn't a dialogue. "Wicca's Charm" is a tool to win souls for Christ. Catherine Sanders has cast quite a spell, but I can spot a charm of concealment a mile away.

ADDENDUM: For the record author Aidan Kelly who Sanders records as having left modern Paganism for Catholicism is still Pagan and in fact says that "I never stopped being a witch. I just didn't practice for a while."

I picked this book up at my local library and started reading it because the cover art and categorization on the back of "Occult/Witchcraft" made it appear to be pagan-friendly. Unfortunately it turned out to be a Christian primer on how to understand and convert pagans.

Despite the author's year-long immersion in pagan culture and stated intention to be unbiased and non-condescending, her writing style and arguments are both. She is frightened by the rituals she observed. She describes practitioners as "shouting" during rituals, and former catholic priest Matthew Fox as "bellowing". She also says that she experienced such a "dark and oppressive" atmosphere during Matthew Fox's meeting that she had to leave. I've never met Matthew Fox, but I've read some of his stuff and he seems really mild in his efforts to unite pagans and Christians. Perhaps it was making too much sense?

I could go on and on about my problems with this book, but they boil down to these points: Ms. Sanders main beef with paganism seems to be that without Christian beliefs such as people being created in god's image (and more valuable than the rest of the cosmos), and Christian morality, that humans would quickly devolve into unrestrained sexuality and murder. She believes that this was the state of the world for all of prehistory, and that pagans believed then (and now) that people were not worth more than rocks or trees, which led to human sacrifice and pretty much anything else bad you can think of as perpetuated by the Greeks and Romans.

Ms. Sanders then trots out everything kooky about the contemporary Wiccan movement to prove her point - that Wicca is recently made up rather than historical, that some founders were nudists and into drugs and sex magic, that it's been exploited by retailers, etc, etc. She misses the essence of current pagan beliefs and her arguments are weak - how exactly did humanity survive for the 30,000 years before Christianity according to her? No-one ever helped each other? Life was nasty, brutish, and short? No works of art or architecture - no meaningful philosophies or religions were created? Archaeology indicates otherwise - Crete, Egypt, India, Prehistoric Britain, Native American and South-East Asian cultures for example.

I've been a mostly solitary practitioner for 20 years. I've also never participated in sex or drug magic, or anything hurtful. The essence of magic is personal responsibility - I believe I am god in the sense that everything in existence is, and that I can personally access or channel the divine, and that everything I do comes back on me 3 times (at least). How then could I consciously hurt another (divine) person or creature? I don't need external morals, because I'm intrinsically moral. But I'm also humble, since being part of a huge and divine universe is inherently humbling. I know that I'm small in the larger scheme of things. I know I'll make mistakes and sometimes need help from others to forgive myself for them. Ms. Sanders descriptions of pagan practitioners as motivated by pride are mistaken. Of course there are some big egos, as there are in Christianity or any other religion (think Billy Graham). But these people are not representative of the larger pagan movement.

To illustrate the problems with pride, Ms. Sanders goes so far as to say that what she perceives as paganism's "focus on self" and desire for enjoyment can lead to violent acts such as rape. "A woman knows that unchecked pride and unbridled desire for enjoyment from a man can result in rape. "(p. 183) Hello-o-o what century is this? Doesn't everyone pretty much agree now that rape is an act motivated by violence rather than normal sexual pleasure? Again, the assumption is that without Christian morality we would all kill each other tomorrow. This reliance on morality outside of the self weakens a person - it lets the possibility of evil actions become more real, since control is not assumed to be within the individual, but in some outside force which they can either "follow" (God or Jesus), or "be tempted by" (Satan). The concept of something like Satan has no meaning in the pagan world view because there's no evil except what's created in the human mind, and humans are held ultimately responsible for their thoughts and actions, rather than blaming an outside force.

The other weak argument against pagans used by Ms. Sanders is that practicing pagan rituals is "occult", and "dangerous". She never really explains what this means, but uses the idea as the final word in many discussions, especially as to why young people should not practice paganism. The only danger I see in witchcraft is that many potential practitioners have mistaken ideas - as unfortunately perpetuated by Ms. Sanders - about witchcraft being evil. Any meditative practice is powerful - if you meditate on evil, wish bad things to happen to others, read horror movies or watch a lot of violence on TV, and then bring that energy to your practice, you will attract bad happenings because you are willing them into existence. None of those things are part of my life or my practice, or part of any real pagan practitioner's practice. The true power of magic is to use meditation and ritual to help make positive changes in one's own life and in the world. Is it real in a supernatural sense, or only the power of positive thinking? It doesn't matter to me - it works.

And finally, the be-all and end-all argument against pagans for Ms. Sanders is the acceptance and love of Jesus. I've studied lots of religions and think that they're all variations of the same thing - paganism/animism just happens to work best for me. So I'm happy for her that she's experienced the feeling described in all religions as enlightenment - when you feel connected to everything else, feel love for all, and loved by a higher power. But I'm sorry that she can't see that the concept of accepting Jesus is not the only way to experience this. I'm sorry that she's so afraid of other ideas. I'm left with the impression that Ms. Sanders was a bit more intrigued than she would like by her study of pagan ideas and culture, and that her interest is what she's really afraid of.

The only positive thing I got from this book was an interesting (if frightening) overview of what Christians think of pagans, and some tips on pagan websites. Unless you're a former anthropology student like me, don't bother reading this book to find out about the history of modern pagans.

So close...yet so wrong...
Ms Sanders really tried hard, but she failed to really understand Wiccan beliefs. Everything she says about Wicca is only partially true. She says and believes that Wicca is an escape from conventional religion rather than an entire belief in itself. Sorry, but I spent many years studying & meditating to find what I truly believed and it wasn't an escape.
DON'T read this book to understand Wicca or Wiccans.
Most Wiccans believe that God gave us each a religion, so Christians should be respected because that is the religion God give them. We do wish Christians reciprocated.
--This book probably should be required reading at seminaries and by all clergy, as it does accurately (I believe) discuss failings of the church (not Christianity). I believe that Christians should get as much from their beliefs as I do mine. --
I do share (as do many of my Wiccan friends) distress that many teens are jumping on the bandwagon without real understanding & belief
Pretty much, I was impressed that Ms Sanders did seem to really try to research and write a good, honest and balanced book. Her failing was that she failed to understand the real core of Wicca. Perhaps that's impossible unless you really believe it.

When I received this book for Christmas and read the back, I was excited to read it, but that quickly fell away as I started to read the first few chapters.

The author starts out stating that she is a journalist and promises an unbiased view of Wicca. However, increasingly through out the book her own Christian views show up in her writing. She portrays Wiccan/Pagans as mostly being feminists trying to escape from the church. I don't recall reading one time that Wiccans or Pagans are such because they believe in their religion. She also focuses a good deal on drug use and sexual rites. I am a Pagan. I do not use drugs or practice sexual rites. I do not practice Wicca; however, I have talked to many Wiccans and Pagans of all different beliefs and not one uses sexual rites nor do most of them use drugs. While I do not deny that there are people out there who do such, the way she portrays Pagans in her book is very narrow. I do not feel she went digging deep enough for her information, because I can not relate myself or others I've conversed with to the people in her book.

I found her writing to have an over all "but" feeling to it. Meaning she would generally say that she wanted Christians to understand Wiccans and Pagans, BUT it's her narrow view and on the B side, she wanted the Pagans to read why they should give up their "grudge" be Christians. Never does she delve into the specific beliefs of Pagans or bring up the fact that some people may not believe the story of Christ in the Christian way.

I would never reccomend this book to any Christian or person of another faith trying to understand Paganism or Wicca. Why not just pick up one of the highly ranked Wiccan/Pagan/Druid/etc. books on Amazon and make your own opinion?

Yes, this is a difficult read for a Neo-pagan, but I'm a Pagan, and I still liked what I read. I was raised Catholic, and reading the book, I realized that I agreed with her views on why people tend to leave Christianity for Wicca and other Neo-Pagan traditions. I certainly did for half the reasons she explores in the first few chapters. If I knew about Gnosticism or Christian Kaballah before I converted, I might have gone to that instead, honestly, though I'm extemely happy as a Pagan.

However, readers must realize that this book is not really meant for Pagan readers. It's for a Christian audience. The point of the book is to say "These people [Wiccans] aren't bad, but if you don't want your whole church to leave for this, then you have to realize that there's something spiritually unfulfilling with it and fix it." Sure, it has biases with Wiccans; the mention of Laurie Cabot and Salem's Samhaine festivities never fit well with me as an introduction to Wiccan culture. But, it still is a big leap for many contemporary Christians, to say that witches, Wiccans and Pagans can be good people and that if you want to convert them, do it with kindness and not peaching.

Nearly any Pagan who reads her words carefully will find themselves agreeing with the first half of each sentence, then saying "huh?" to the second half.

The best thing I can say for her is that she is quite adept at blending truth and fiction. The result, of course, is utter nonsense, but if you're a Christian looking to confirm what you already believe, I'm sure you'll find this book to be great. Otherwise, its a waste of time. Just to point out one little flaw you can read for yourself in the excerpt - she interviews someone who no longer considers themselves to be Wiccan. Would a Christian feel their beliefs could be accurately represented by someone who claimed to have left the faith? Of course not. The resulting book is nothing short of ridiculous.

"Wicca's Charm" is disappointing. The book purports to be a journalistic, unbiased look at why so many people are finding their spirituality in Wicca and Paganism. In actuality, the book turns out to be mostly a primer for Christians looking for a conversational or theological "in" to introduce (or re-introduce) Pagans and Wiccans to Christianity and speed their entrance (or return) to the Christian faith.

Catherine Edwards Sanders touts her journalistic credentials throughout this book, yet passages like this:

"So instead of asking a god or goddess to appease my particular pain, I found comfort in knowing that God took on the entire pain of humanity when Jesus died on the cross. No goddess, not even the Mother Goddess herself, took on human flesh and suffered human pain as we do. Jesus offers extraordinary hope in a way Wicca can't."

and this

"Many Wiccans and Pagans yearn to provide liberty for the captives and water for the poor, yet history shows that neither men nor women, nor a pagan god or goddess, can do this for humankind. What pagan deity came down from heaven and took on the human form of a baby to provide living water for our souls? But there is Someone who did, and he has shown that he speaks to the Pagans and bids them to come to him, the Source of that living water."

clearly demonstrate how biased she is. As another reviewer noted, nowhere in the text does Sanders consider the possibility that - gasp! - Pagans and Wiccans are Pagans and Wiccans because that is what they believe. One senses the author's rather consumerist bent throughout the book - Pagans and Wiccans must be Pagans and Wiccans because they had bad and/or unfulfilling experiences with the proponents of Christianity (congregants, priests, pastors, etc.). This sets up the consumerist model, in which people are "switching" from one provider to another (from Christianity to Paganism or Wicca) not because of the former provider's overall philosophy but because the former provider's middle management and customer service departments are run so shoddily. This is patently ridiculous - choosing a religion to practice or converting from one religion to another is hardly movtivated by the same impulse that governs switching from Wal-Mart to Target or from AOL to NetZero.

Although the author makes out like she is writing this book as an unbiased researcher, she is nonetheless quite biased in her writings. I don't know where she found the people she interviewed, but as a Pagan with many Pagan and witch friends, I find I don't relate to them nor do they sound like anyone I know. Catherine Edwards Sanders quoted from a lot of teenagers, for one, which I see as a huge flaw in itself. These are young people who are still learning about the Craft themselves, so relying on them for accurate information was a bad research decision. I also got the impression that the more reliable people she spoke to were quoted a bit out of context, or that the more positive things they pointed out about their religion were omitted from her book. That seems the only way to explain how so much information was left out about Pagan religions. I would say that she only heard what she wanted to and that is the information she published.

It is also quite bothersome the focus the author gives on drug use and sexual rituals. She makes it sound as though this is typical for Wiccans and Pagans, when in truth those that use these practices are the minority. I feel that does nothing to counteract some of the negative opinions Christians have of Wiccans, which is what this book is supposedly meant to do. She also focuses a lot on feminism, and yet this is another thing that is not typical about Wiccans or Pagans.

In order to give a truly unbiased overview of a religion she is not involved in, she should have treated it the way she would want a Wiccan to do if they were to write an equivalent book on Christianity. For one, she should have interviewed only those who have been involved in Wicca and Paganism for many years and are higher in the ranks and truly understand it (and then go on to quote them properly). And two, she should have spent more time reading reliable materials, as many great Wiccan and Pagan authors were never referenced at all. The author also states many inaccuracies, backing them up with words like "Wiccans say". What Wiccans, exactly? And how many? The statements of a few do not reflect the beliefs of the whole.

It is also troublesome that the author approached this and wrote it with the idea that people turn to Wicca because of some bad experience or another with the Christian church and they are running from it. She never states that it may be that they follow this religion because it is simply what feels right to them and what draws them in. She would not like it if Wiccans were to say that Christians only follow the Christian church because they are running from Wicca or some other religion. She seems to assume that everyone that becomes Pagan or Wiccan hasn't give the church a fair chance at showing that it can provide for their needs. And yet, she makes statements herself about areas in which the church is clearly lacking.

The author also states her Christian beliefs all throughout the book, apparently to try to make the point that all of the things Wiccans seek within their religion can be found in Christianity, which is in contrast to other statements that not all needs are met. She also comes across that her opinion is that Wicca is not real, only that Wiccans think it is. I'm quite sure Wiccans never try to say that Christianity is not real. Indeed, they support that what any given person believes is what is true for them, that there is no "one truth". It is a matter of having respect and tolerance for the beliefs of others without judgment. She annoyingly often compares Christianity to Wicca, always finding a way to give her own religion the upper hand. The arguments are very one-sided and shows how very biased she actually is. Her points could be easily countered by Wiccans with statements that are just as valid and supported.

I have to give the author some credit, though. The fact that she made an attempt to understand this religion is more than most Christians ever do. She also explains in a way that a Christian can understand that Wiccans and Pagans are not Satan worshipers, which I must thank her for. Catherine does give the message in her book that Christians should have more understanding for Wiccans, rather than maintaining closed minds and ignorance.

Catherine also gives some criticisms to Wicca and Paganism that are truly something for Wiccans and Pagans to look at and consider. Indeed there are some inconsistencies in the beliefs and practices of Wiccans and Pagans that maybe should be addressed and worked out by these religions as a whole. After all, we would be hypocrites if we expect Christians to consider our criticisms of them but refuse to do the same of our own beliefs. Use the criticism constructively, and it will strengthen the Pagan community.

I don't feel Catherine had enough accurate information to publish a book on this subject, and therefore gives a lot of wrong impressions, but at the same time it is hard to really delve into something like a religion from the outside. It can takes years to truly understand new spiritual beliefs, even with a completely open mind. I can't say this is necessarily how I would prefer one to be introduced to Wicca, but it does give good insight into the views of a Christian. I feel I understand a little better the way Christians think about my religion and can use that to help the ones I talk to understand better.

The author relates her own first-hand investigations, reporting on interviews and experiences with Wicca and other modern Pagan practitioners. An excellent portrait, critical and sympathetic, by an accomplished journalist. Prepare to exchange your stereotypes about Wicca for well-rounded details and explanations of current Wiccan and witchcraft practitioners, ex-practitioners who have abandoned the life and ex-Christians who have become Wicca followers. Very informative, insightful and challenging. An alert to the church to get their act together.

I'm Wiccan, and I bought this book out of curiosity; it turned out to be pretty much what I expected. A quote from the book:

"According to Paganism, human beings have the same value as rocks, trees, or animals."

Again:

"...no more special than a rock, tree, whale, or ostrich..."

Paganism according to Ms. Sanders, perhaps. I don't believe this, and I personally know of no one who believes this either.

Rather mild proselytizing, but proselytizing never the less: Wicca is bad because Christianity says so. Christianity is the only true game in town.