70 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not your usual "how to" book!, May 3, 2002
This review is from: Witchcraft for Tomorrow (Perfect Paperback)
The number of books on witchcraft these days can be staggering. This incredible quantity of choices can leave an individual feeling overwhelmed and uncertain of where to begin. Unfortunately, the relatively new individual is often not even aware of their option to read "Witchcraft for Tomorrow" by Doreen Valiente. This is unfortunate, as this book offers a wonderful basis for understanding witchcraft as an individual continues to study and gain personal experience.
Whereas many authors spend the majority of the time describing how to work with the various techniques within witchcraft, Valiente attempts to describe the nature, purpose, and historical contexts of these techniques. For example, rather than giving extensive instructions on how to cast a circle, this author describes the occult significance that many have attributed to the circle as well as how the circle appears in various pre-Christian religious practices. In this way, she confers an understanding of the nature of the circle and its uses upon the reader. Then, in the "Book of Shadows" section, the reader is instructed how to cast a circle effectively equipped with that understanding.
The author's discussion of history of ancient pagan religion as it affects modern witchcraft is particularly noteworthy. I commend Valiente for refraining from both insisting that witches have always done things as they are done today and accusing those like Gardner from inventing modern witchcraft from whole cloth. Instead, Valiente carefully suggests historical sources of various elements from which modern witchcraft may have formed. In doing so, she draws from many varied sources, such as Hinduism, Celtic religious practices, and Greek philosophy. Often, she will draw parallels between two sources. In this way, the reader is given a potential idea of how modern witchcraft may have developed and grown as a result of the mingling of religious ideals over time.
Even in her "Book of Shadows" section, Valiente chooses to remain someone open-ended, non-dogmatic, and even vague in her instruction. She gives rather basic and general rites, possibly out of both a love for simplicity and a desire to encourage the reader to personalize the craft workings through the process of developing it into formal practice.
One notable example of her non-dogmatic approach occurs as she discusses the quarters during the process of circle casting. In this discussion, Valiente mentions the elements as they correspond to the cardinal directions. She refers to the correspondences that she specifies as, "In Britain, a time-honored attribution." By giving a concise indication of the geography of this tradition indicates that she would expect the elemental correspondences to be attributed differently in other geographical locations. In fact, she goes so far as to suggest a system by which the reader can determine appropriate attributions for a given locale.
Valiente's mostly non-dogmatic approach and desire to provide a basic understanding of the underlying concepts in witchcraft makes for a rather informative book. Anyone who wishes to move beyond the process of learning basic instructions of how to perform various rites should consider adding "Witchcraft for Tomorrow" to one's library.
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52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Without Violating an Oath, April 19, 2001
This review is from: Witchcraft for Tomorrow (Perfect Paperback)
I rather enjoyed Witchcraft for Tomorrow. Lady Doreen presents a form of the Craft true to its Wiccan roots, but does so without violating her oaths. "This book is simply intended to aid those who want to worship the Old Gods and make magic in the old ways. The desire to do this has become so widespread that I feel it should no longer be denied." She offers her book as a starting point, even for those who must self-initiate.
The book consists of two sections, The first is divided into eleven chapters: The Old Gods (watch out for some material here that is no longer taken seriously by scholars), Witch Ethics, Witch Festivals, Witch Signs and Symbols, The Magic Circle, Witch Tools, Methods of Witch Divination, Witches' Attire, The Witches' Alphabets, The Working Site, and Witchcraft and Sex Magic.
The second section is Liber Umbrarum, A Book of Shadows. Herein will be found Casting the Circle; The Rite of Self-Initiation; The Full Moon Esbat Rite; The Sabbat Rite; Initiation into the Coven; The Coven Spell; The Seven Pointed Star; The Runes of Andred; The Spell of the Cord; Invocation of the Moon Goddess; Invocation of the Horned God; and Chants and Dances.
The book includes a broad spectrum bibliography and and a useful index. Although other authors have published material directly from traditional Books of Shadows, Lady Doreen's book presents material taht may be useufl to the solitary practitioner as well as the coven. Although this book requires more thought than a Cunningham book, I find it more solidly grounded in Wiccan tradition. Well worth the extra brain work.
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Traditional Wicca, January 21, 2001
This review is from: Witchcraft for Tomorrow (Perfect Paperback)
Valiente is an author anyone seriously interested in Wicca should read. She presents Wicca as it was before being watered down and muddied by the likes of Ravenwolf, Dunwich, Conway, and McCoy. The only flaw I would point out in _Witchcraft For Tomorrow_ is from a historical basis. Valiente relies heavily on the theories and views presented by Margaret Murray. While I hesitate to use the term "disproven" in relation to those theories and views, they are certainly no longer taken seriously by scholars in the field. Read it for a Traditional view of Wicca as created by Gerald Gardner. For an accurate historical perspective, try _Triumph of the Moon_ by Ronald Hutton.
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