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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful overview for Wiccans and Non-Wiccans alike, March 10, 2005
When I bought this book, I had already been a Wiccan who worked Witchcraft for going on 10 years, and as the owner of Wicca College.com, I've had a lot of experience with books designed for the Wiccan beginner. I'd read Cunningham, memorized Reed, perused Webster, gone through McCoy, absorbed Buckland, and been able to weed out the Fluffy Bunny authors like RavenWolf and Horne. So when I bought this book I was expecting very little, but since I was asked by a friend to read it and report back what I found, I gave it a shot. I was pleasantly shocked and amazed that this book is as wonderful as it is. It was a book that I treated dubiously at first, but how is featured prominently in my Wiccan library, and I have suggested and recommended this book to more people than I can count (Wiccan and curious Wiccans, new Wiccans and old Wiccans, and people who just want to know what Wicca is) and all of them agree the book is excellent.
This book gives a wonderful overview on everything you'd expect it to, like Sabbats, working with the Moon, basic spell and ritual construction, meditation, raising Magic, blessing and consecrating tools and sacred space, constructing an Altar, and many other topics, but it also glazes over topics that many books don't address, like light astrology, specialized types of magic like knot magic, weather magic, candle and color magic, Elemental Magic, working with spirits and angels, as well as Elemental Guardians, and lots of other topics infrequently to rarely addressed in many Wiccan books. The writing is spectacular, as it is clear, concise, and easy to understand, but it doesn't make you feel like the authors are talking down to you as they share their vast wealth of knowledge.
One thing that this book stays away from, that many other Wiccan authors do not, is the fantasy-like, whimsical style of writing, which makes you feel sometimes like you're reading about the overly romantic ideas of Wicca and makes you wonder in the back of your mind if the author is only telling you the happy and wonderful, while carefully skimming over the bad. Sometimes you just want to read information, and there are people who relate to and understand things better when it's presented to you frankly. If you're looking for that sort of presentation, and can do without the romanticized, whimsical, sugar-sweet, writing style, then this book will fill that hole wonderfully.
Of course, there are aspects of the book that many people might not like (such as the history section), but that's par for the course when dealing with Wicca as a subject matter. Since so much of the religion is what you make out of it, there will be parts that just don't mesh with your practice. But I think in every book on Wicca, there's a part or two that you won't agree with, so to throw away this book (or any book) because of that would be silly.
Also, it's best to remember this book is a basic overview. It shares a lot of information about the basics of Wicca which are moderately in depth, while the information on types of spells and magic, as well as magical correspondences, is not as in depth. It is enough to give you a basic understanding, but there is a lot of room for more knowledge. Let's just say that if you work your first spell or ritual right after reading this book, you may or may not have some problems that you weren't expecting. This book, like all beginner books, should be a jumping off point, a means for you to find if Wicca has the potential to be a good fit spiritually, and a way for you to learn about and consider the different aspects of magic and which is most appealing to you for your worship. It shouldn't be your only resource. For more information on both Wicca and Wicca after you've read this book, it would be best for you to read a few Cunningham, Reed, or Buckland books so you can have the opinions of a variety of people and their traditions, as well as their suggestions and input on working magic under your belt, making you better equipped for your Wiccan path. The need to read other books besides this one in order to learn about Wicca isn't uncommon... But I feel it's important to really emphasize that with this book because this book does have so much information, it will be tempting for many people to just base their practice off of just this book. :)
Overall, I love this book. I think it's fantastic. It's one of those rare books that's good for beginners to learn, novices to learn more, and experienced followers to remember some things they may have forgotten. If you're not Wiccan, this is a good book to go to in order to learn more about Wiccans, without feeling preached at or condescended to.
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by Cathy Jewell
by Diane Smith
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