Customer Reviews

A Witch's Book of Answers

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I didn't get past page 30 before I had a problem with this book. If this is a beginner's first book, please gods, don't let it be your last.

For as much as they might seem generous in their responses, there is as much contradiction, prejudice and narrow mindedness. They often respond to questions with cookie cutter, dualistic thinking that implies a different answer to the question is wrong. These women, however sincere and well meaning - are not qualified to tell anyone (P. 6) what kind of ATTITUDE a witch is supposed to have! They definitively say that witchcraft as a religion (P.3) and a witch is someone who "finds" the goddess (P.5), then later explains that some witches reject the term Wicca, Wiccan and the concept of witchcraft being a religion (P.27). (Questions that are not in the book might be...So, is there is such a thing as a witch who does not belong to your religion? Yes. Then, that first definition is conditional to one group of witches? Yes.) They define anyone who uses the term "fluffy" as a black witch (P. 16), hereditary witches are "whiners" (P. 17 ) and a natural witch as a solitary (P.18). I'm sorry if I offend, but these responses are unfair, unkind and somewhat childish.

Seekers - read this book with a critical eye and know that these 700 answers - are not nearly enough. Wiccans (or wiccans, without the capital "W") do not own the word Witch, Witchcraft (or even witch and witchcraft). Within the community there are non-Wiccan covens and solitaries who strongly favor a god, not a goddess, who worship a pantheon of separate divinities in which a goddess is one in many, who follow a balance path of magick that has no color (black or white), who defines prayer and magick as two separate things, who practice ethical magick without a set of religious rules and (gasp) consequently there are witches who are not pagan but follow ancient mystery traditions within Jewish and Christian philosophies. If your path as a witch leads you to any of these possibilities - don't let this book tell you that your definition of a witch is wrong.

Wicca is a very eclectic religion. There's not a central organization or a definitive reference or a guru who defines everything Wicca. That's a big part of why it's appealing to people. What bothered me about this "book of answers" was that, although most of the answers were pretty good, they gave the impression that there is one right way (theirs) to do things, and that everyone else is wrong and doesn't deserve the title of Wiccan or Witch. Of particular concern to me is their definition of Witch as exclusively Wiccan. There are a lot of Witches (myself included) that don't subscribe to all the religious tenents of Wicca, and so wouldn't consider themselves Wiccan. That doesn't mean they're not Witches. Elsewhere, they state that there is no such thing as a Christian Witch. I know around ten. It would be all right if they said that they disagreed with it, but to say it doesn't exist is denigrating. In short, if you want to learn about witchcraft and Wicca, pick up one of the many beginning Wicca manuals out there instead of this book and find the answers for yourself.

This is one of the only books that I will tell people never to buy as it is a pure waste of money. Witchcraft (or Wicca for that matter) is not black and white. There is a whole spectrum of color involved. I have to agree with a previous poster who said that this should have been called The Witch's Book of Opinions. And not very good ones at that. There is no one right or wrong way of doing things in Witchcraft. And to totally dismiss one of the key figures in modern Witchcraft and call all of his work trash is ignorant, disrespectful and childish. They obviously do not realize that Crowley and Gardner were major influences on each others works. If you dismiss Crowley's teachings then you must also dismiss many of Gardner's.

This book is very good for those who have read a few intro books and still have some questions. The authors are quick to tell you that the answers are based on their opinions and expierences, but aren't all Wiccan/Pagan books?

I picked up this book from my local bookstore around two years ago, and it was my first. It was very thick (so, I thought, must be loaded with information) and advertised that it would answer all my questions about a religion I had recently discovered. I read the entire book and I remember enjoying all of it immensely.

Flash forward two years, where I have just reread it. I am throwing it away, and it is the first (and, I hope, only) book that I am throwing away. Not giving away, not donating it to a used bookstore, just throwing it away. In the trash, where it belongs, with other bits of trash -- because that's what this is. Normally, I still keep books I dislike because they're not ALL bad -- they have helpful ritual information or bits of knowledge that are easily accessible (I still keep Ravenwolf's trio of beginning books for this reason only). This book, however, doesn't even have anything like that in it and is in no way worth keeping. I am very, very, very thankful that I continued my wiccan knowledge search through other books and the internet, and also very thankful that the first time I read it I went through it so fast that the information didn't ever have much of a chance to be thoroughly absorbed.

I am a very open minded person, and I firmly agree that there are places where I will have an opinion that differs from others. I am mature enough to accept this and not label all opinions that aren't mine as "wrong". However, with this said, there are certain places in this book where the author IS wrong -- glaringly, obviously wrong. Take, for example, the answer to the question "What are fluffy bunny witches?"

Holland replies, "Witches who use black magic use the rude expression "fluffy bunny" or "fluff bunny" to denigrate Witches who practice white magic."

There are two things horribly wrong with that statement. The one with the highest degree of wrongness is the definition itself -- "fluff bunny" witches are the type of witches who are concerned only with the "sweetness, light, goddess, sugar, fluff, happy, rainbows, stars, forest, magical birdies, animals are my friends, i love trees" aspect of wicca without considering the more practical, divine side. Rather, those who read a book about Wicca and then consider themselves an authority. For an extremely well-written essay on what a Fluffy Bunny is, check out a link on Wicca: For The Rest of Us (google it). If you're someone who read that essay before reading this book, the definition of Fluffy Bunny makes you choke a bit. The only reason I can think of as to why Holland chose to define the word this way when the internet is full of so many descriptions of the term is that she, herself, has been labeled as a Fluffy Bunny. After reading this, I can only agree with the people who gave her that label. (OH NO, Now I OBVIOUSLY practice black magic! Crap!)

The second thing wrong with this definition is that Holland uses the words "white" and "black" magic. First of all, anyone with half a brain who's lived through a little bit of life is perfectly aware that nothing in life is ever as easy as black and white -- magic is no different. Most wiccans will tell you that the magic itself is not "black" or "white", it is magic -- and the way you use it defines the type of person you are. Wiccans don't practice "white magic". "White magic" doesn't exist, and neither does "black magic".

This statement is only page 16 of 357, and it doesn't get much better, folks. The rest of the book is riddled with more fluff and contradictions with very little substance. Holland seems to think that she is qualified to give advice in all types of areas, from coming out to real estate. Most of these answers are nothing but common sense. Don't buy this. Don't waste your money. You'll never use this book as a reference book -- there are far better ones on the market. In two years, I haven't felt the need to read the book again once, and the only reason I reread it was because I was doing a bit of closet cleaning.

This book is trash, and it is now in my trash. Don't buy it.

I felt that this book was a GOOD book. However, I had already read a LOT of other books, too. Read this one with an open mind, just like all the other books you read. And remember that there are always other answers to the questions THEY answered.

I've really enjoyed every book that Eileen Holland has written so far and this one was no different.....

This is one of the best books I have ever read since entering the craft. The women are so full of knowledge and they answer even the sillest questions. But its such a fabulous book. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone new to the craft as well as researchers.

I like this book by the fiesty Eileen Holland and Cerilia (sp?) The answers to questions range from a single word to a detailed paragraph, and the authors talk as if they are your friends. It is not a book for dark wiccans, etc, and the author Eileen at least states her biases. She comes from a dysfunc..(whatever.. that means..) tional family, and her opinions are seasoned with that knowledge..a knowledge and compassion that only comes (I don't care that Eileen and Cerelia only met online..) from difficulty on lifes path. Every authors biased, Eileen's FUNNY and she SAYS she's biased.But there's knowledge of the craft, and resources mentioned in her answers, and how does one of the reviewers here know that the questions are made up and not real as they come from a discussion group that both Cerilia and Holland run? Also, who CARES if they did make up some of the questions, which you can't prove. Take care, and a big hug to Both Eileen and Cerilia, Love, Vanes.

This book had answers to just about every question I have asked about Witchcraft. While some answers I didn't totally agree with, the book in it's whole is very good. Like the author says, "Finding one's own answers to things, from the practical to the profound, is a part of each Witch's personal journey. A Witch's Book of Answers helps guide you toward 'your' answers."
How true.

This book is filled with common sense and down to earth answers to the most asked questions about Witchcraft.
These women obviously don't consider their book to be the only book on Witchcraft that anyone will ever need, nor do they expect it to take the place of experience. That's ridiculous.
They tell you that Witches do not have to be Wiccans. And answer very important questions that people that are new to the craft have. Most of us have no one to ask. And many are scared to ask, due to the misconceptions of Witchcraft. This book is superb in
dispelling so much of the garbage that is out there.
The book is written from the authors perspective. As every book usually is.
Books never replace experience in any part of life. How can anyone even think that? Books do however, lead us to new experiences in our lives.
This book helps readers to see that Witchcraft and Wicca are attainable to us all. That it isn't a fad. And that there is much more to being a Witch than just saying "I am a Witch" in order to shock and amaze your friends. It is a spiritual path.
At least for those of us who take it very seriously.
That is what this book is showing and telling us. How to integrate Witchcraft into our everyday lives.
And the authors do it very nicely. With heart and with humor.