Customer Reviews

The Witches' Sabbats

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Many years ago, when the Internet was a path only traveled by the experienced "geeks" and witches and pagans were some of the few "outworlders" who posted websites dedicated to their "techno-magical" paths, there was a wonderful website put up by Mike Nichols with information about the pagan "Wheel of the Year". There was more to it than just the Wheel of the Year, but the way Mike Nichols approach to the pagan/witch holidays, his way of writing about it so anyone could understand or connect to the pagan calendar was unique and well thought out and put together. So much so that many websites, including our own TWPT, linked back to his site, referenced it and rather than being redundant and trying to repeat an already well researched offering, used Mike's site as the standard.

Mike has finally put out a book that covers his original material. He has done an excellent job defining, tracing the history, and giving both the beginner and the experienced pagan a good resource for the Wheel of the Year outside the Internet experience.

Each of our eight Sabbats is covered here, from the traditional standpoint, including some history, some insights and some traditional pastimes that make each Sabbat unique from the pagan perspective. There are some nice illustrations, though the bunny does look a little neurotic. The nice thing is that this material does not run on and one, but does a very effective job in a minimal amount of space. He discussed "High" and "Low" holidays, their Celtic roots, some modern day traditions, and their older counterparts.

The book, while focusing on the Sabbats, has some hidden gems. The second part of the book covers other associated material. There is a discussion on The Death of Llew in reference to the Sun God and the balance of power.

The Ever Widening Circle is observations and inclusion of material that Mike sees as new patterns developing and material he didn't include in the Wheel of the Year. Some really good observations, and worth the read.

Marking the Sabbats is a discussion on how the Sabbats are recognized. Do we look to astrological signs, are we looking at the changing of the seasons, or is it a day marked on your calendar? More interesting musings by Mike.

Rethinking the Watchtowers is an old argument which Mike brings up and adds his own keen sense of observations to. A good read, and one which will spark much discussion in the pagan community.

Ten Years Gone is a reflection by Mike on the Pagan Community and it's growth over the years. A little bit about Mike himself is offered and we find he has more to say than just what he teaches. He has some keen insights here as he compares his previous experiences with the pagan community and new ones - ten years after.

The final chapter Two Witches is a very good fairy tale about how we perceive Divinity. I will not spoil it for you, but it is a very good example of Mike's ability to teach while allowing the curl of a smile upon the lip. Must read, folks!

The book contains a good bibliography, and is indexed for easy reference.

As Mike was when we first found him on the web, so he is today in print: a wonderful teacher, a man who has some interesting insights, musings worth sharing and does his homework. He also spells it out and makes it clear so anyone can understand. This is the mark of a good author, one who has withstood the test of time, and he is now available to those who have never wandered into cyberspace, or touched the magical mouse. boudica

It's been a good long while since I've read anything specifically pertaining to witchcraft; most of my studies and practice in the past few years have been less about religion, and more about practical and metamorphic magic, as well as smatterings of shamanism. But I'd heard some good stuff about this book, and decided to snag a copy for myself.

If you need a really good resource on the history of the eight sabbats, this is your book! I've seen a number of books published in recent years on specific sabbats, but they always seme to be stuffed full of prefabricated rituals. This is a wonderfully streamlined book that will be an excellent addition to both beginning and experienced pagans' libraries; beginners will get a good overview of the origins of the sabbats, while more experienced folk can breeze past the books of pre-written rituals and use the information in The Witches' Sabbats as inspiration to create their own rituals from scratch.

I won't fault the book for not having in-text citations because the earliest drafts were written nearly 40 years ago. However, the lengthy bibliography promises many wonderful book hunts, and is additionally a cornucopia of nonfluffy sources. Much of the material in the book originated from essays that may still be found online (including Mike's own website). However, there is some unique material here. Additionally, for those of us raised on books rather than computers, and whose optical systems are thus conditioned for the visual setup of paper rather than a very long webpage, this is an ideal format. And it won't run out of power, doesn't need to be turned on, and is a heck of a lot easier to carry around.

Oh, and for those of you who are in the habit of skipping the foreword and preface? Don't, especially not with this book-there are some really good pieces of information in them.

My only little bitty quibble is that it's occasionally quite evident that the chapters were written individually. It's mentioned a number of times that the Celts started their celebrations the sundown before the big day, something that probably only needs to be mentioned once at the beginning; and he occasionally also refers to something "in another esay" or somesuch.

Still, this is only a tiny complaint, and overall I think this is an awesome book. I can definitely see why the writings are considered classics in the realm of neopaganism, and this is a great way to not only have a convenient, easy-to-navigate, portable version of these writings, but to also give something back to the guy who did all that hard work and who often goes uncredited.

Mike Nichols first established himself in the Pagan community in Missouri where he taught Witchcraft classes starting in 1970. He also ran a bookshop and published his own Pagan newsletter. His famous sabbat essays started as material for his classes and articles in his newsletters. In those days there wasn't a lot of information of this sort that was freely available. Pagans are ever hungry to learn more about our history and ideas about how our ancestors might have practiced so Mike's essays were eagerly received. And they weren't just read and then filed away either - they were shared, and shared widely, until they could be found all over PODSNet and then later all over the internet.

The next stage in the lives of these essays saw them brought together in a single website with Mike's stamp of approval. The copied and recopied and rerecopied versions that were floating around sometimes had mistakes in them, omissions, or outright changes. Mike's website at [...] corrected that by making the essays available in their complete form. The essays remained popular and to this day when you search for "witches sabbats" on Google.com you will get Mike's website as the first returned result. Mike's essays are considered the classic historical explanation of the Wiccan wheel of the year.

In 2005 this important collection of essays was finally put into paper-published form thanks to Acorn Guild Press. Mike's essays can reach an even wider audience and will be ensured their rightful place in Wiccan history.

The printed collection of Mike's sabbat essays goes further than his website, though. Sure, the essays are there in their intact glory, but Mike's skilled pen has produced an insightful introduction and further essays to accompany them. Additional historical context is also provided in a foreword by Wren Walker, one of the founders of the popular [...] website. The additional materials alone are worth the price of the book.

Some of the extra essays take the sabbats further by providing insights into larger thematic cycles to tie the holidays together. We also get a glimpse into Mike's observations of changes in the Wiccan and Pagan communities, particularly the growth of the festival circuit, from the vantage point of one who has participated for decades. He also shows us with a gentle sense of humor how we might get bogged down in our own individual opinions of the Divine and need to learn to see the larger picture. He demonstrates how our spiritual paths can be enriched through examination of specific mythological narratives, and how psychological groundwork such as correspondence tables need to be understood rather than merely accepted as dogma in order to be most effective.

The only weakness with the book, which Mike openly acknowledges, is the lack of sources cited within the original sabbat essays. The essays were written so long ago, and for a very informal audience at the time, that it's impossible now to identify all the sources used for the essays. Instead a bibliography of relevant books is listed so that readers who want to learn more, or who would like to try and track down some of the likeliest sources, can do so.

There are quite a few other books available today that examine the Wiccan sabbats. Most of them owe a debt of gratitude to Mike Nichols and his original sabbat essays, which started the journey for so many. "The Witches' Sabbats" by Mike Nichols is a must-read for anyone involved in Wicca, and should be on the required-reading list for training covens.

Mike Nichols really did his homework when he wrote The Witches' Sabbats. Not only is it fun to read and easy to follow, but you also get a lot of information. This book covers the all eight of the Wiccan High Days, but it isn't stated in a strictly Wiccan point of view. That's one of the things that makes this book so great. Even if you aren't a Wiccan you can still learn how the Sabbats came to be, and even learn a little bit about how some Christian holidays came to be because of the sabbats. I would recommend this book to people of all ages.

Mike Nichols' writings on the Pagan holidays, collected into book form, at long last! If you are only going to buy one book on the Sabbats, this is the one to get. Nichols packs way more information into his writing than most other authors, and it's based on solid scholarship into old folk traditions. I have known and loved most of these articles for many years, in fact I have made them a part of my own Book of Shadows. There are new articles here too, like the one on marking the sun's position at each of the holidays, that are worth the price of the book alone. Nichols has a wonderful writing style that is personal, gently humorous, and very wise. He often puts things in a way that makes you see them in a whole new light, like when he refers to the holidays as "sanctuaries in the timestream." What a perfect description! It is that ability to make the reader stop and think about the whys and wherefores of the Craft that makes this book so special, and no Pagan author does it better. I also love the artwork and the size of the book and the way it is laid out. All in all, I predict this book is going to become an instant classic.

EVERY WITCH SHOULD OWN THIS BOOK!! I am not a ceremonial magician, nor did I care much about elemental correspondences on my path before I read this book. However, once I read Mike Nichols' opinion that AIR is in the NORTH, I found myself rummaging through my library of books for any variance in the typical wicca information that EARTH = NORTH. I couldn't find any! I spent months of my life philosophizing this debate in my mind, and finally came to the conclusion that, logically speaking, MIKE NICHOLS IS RIGHT!!! It brought up a plethora of questions regarding all of what the modern craft literature teaches. If this simple tenet was subject to alteration, then so many other general teachings should be looked at skeptically. As well as the elemental issue, Mike Nichols brings up the sabbat festivals and their substantive backgrounds. This is one of the few books in my life that I can definitely say "raised my conciousness" to a much higher degree. Thank you, Mr. Nichols, for writing these articles, and I hope every real witch out there in the world finds this book as inspiring as I did.

This isn't a book for those looking to find what color candles to put on the altar for a certain holiday or the exact wording of an invocation. This is a collection of in-depth, well researched essays regarding the true origins of, and practices surrounding, each of the Wiccan Sabbats. There are also essays regarding a variety of other pertinent and thought provoking topics. For example, "The Ever-Widening Circle" brings insight to the connection between the sabbats and the community who observes them.

Most of this information has been available for years through Mike's website. However, the book has a couple of things the site doesn't. In my opinion, the bibliography alone is worth the price of this book. If you've ever wanted to find serious, relevant information that goes beyond the 'Wicca 101' level, here is your chance. The index is just as wonderful. For 114 pages of information, there are over 400 listings in the index. Since I use indexed information to suggest areas of study and topics for articles, you can only imagine the fun I've had with this book.

As a bonus, there are a couple new articles that can't be found on Mike's webpage. Every time I read through the essays gathered in this book, I can't help but think how lucky I am to have found them early on in my practice. When this information was finally published on paper, I was able to throw out my tattered, handmade version of this book. (I had every article on Mike's webpage printed and bound by the third day after I found it!)

There aren't enough ways to say how wonderfully insightful this book is, or how necessary it is for all Wiccans to further their understanding of the Wheel of the Year.

Disclaimer: I've known the author for years and have long had a high opinion of his knowledge. That being said, the bibliography alone is worth the price of this book. The information is a wonderful bonus that includes pretty nearly everything substantial I've ever heard about the sabbats and a lot more besides. All of this is presented in a highly readable and personable style with a remarkable lack of reference to "ancient hidden secrets." Highly recommended to the neophyte, High Priest/ess, or researcher.

This book is the work of a scholor that had done extensive work in the Pagan/Wiccan field. Mike is an authority on the Celtic myths as well as the workings of the present day movement.

This book came out of a series of papers he wrote on each of the Sabbats. I had copies of these papers and I am now very happy that they have been published, along with other articles, so that the general public has a chance to read them.

This is one of the musts for the Pagan/Wiccan for reference in your libraries.

Mike Nichols is one of my favorite authors. This is another one of his well written, very information books.