Info

Wicca and Witchcraft

Vivianne Crowley, Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Millenium

Most useful for:	Intermediate Students
Content:	Includes a history of Paganism, Witchcraft, and Wicca; describes the basics of Wiccan practice, including casting the circle and invoking the quarters; discusses the theory of magic; discusses the Goddess, the God, and the invocation of deities; discusses first, second, and third-degree initiations.
Commentary:	Not a difficult read but a challenging one; the Wicca discussed here is traditional Wicca, not eclectic, but although some of the information is specific to coven practice, much of it is applicable to solitary practice as well. The descriptions of the Wiccan Goddess and God are excellent, and the book provides some beautiful charges for both deities. The discussion of circle casting is detailed and easy to understand. In fact, that's one of the great strengths of this book--the author explains how and why things are done rather than just describing what is done. If you're interested in traditional Craft, this is a must; if you're eclectic, it's still a valuable source of information.
	Recommended

Scott Cunningham, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner

Most useful for:	Beginning Students, Solitaries
Content:	Briefly describes Wiccan beliefs and practices: provides basic information on the God and Goddess; gives basic information on how magic works; describes the most common tools; describes how to cast a circle and set up an altar; discusses the eight Wiccan holidays in brief; suggests exercises to do; provides an outline for a self-dedication ritual; tells you how to design your own rituals. Includes a short but complete Book of Shadows, including prayers, invocations to deity, recipes, and correspondences.
Commentary:	I firmly believe that one can never have too many books--but if you are new to Paganism and can only have one book on Wicca, this is the one. Cunningham provides enough information to enable you to start and continue your practice for some time to come. I know that some consider Cunningham to be too simple--and he is sort of the technical writer of Paganism--but I feel that's a strength, especially for someone who is just starting out. The information contained is complete (and by this I mean only that all the most basic, most necessary information is included) without overwhelming the newcomer, the charges and invocations are beautiful and dignified, and the approach is basically a practical one, a good foundation on which to build ones own practice and belief system. It is, of course, only a starting point, and if you have already been practicing for a while you may not find it particularly useful; likewise, it is aimed at solitaries and the information within may not be appropriate for group work (although since many coven or group-practicing Wiccans also do work on their own, it may be a good resource for that).
	Very strongly recommended

Scott Cunningham, Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner

Most useful for:	Intermediate Students, Solitaries
Content:	Describes slightly more advanced topics than his first book: gives ideas for bringing the gods into your everyday life; discusses effective prayer and daily prayers; provides a template for a self-initiation ritual; discusses magical names; discusses individualizing your path; provides more information on deities, tools, and ritual design and gives an extensive bibliography of other sources; discusses the beliefs of most Wiccans and the rules by which they live; discusses teaching others.
Commentary:	In this book, Cunningham expands on the information provided in Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner--more detail, more theory, and somewhat more emphasis on Wicca as a religion you can individualize to suit your own needs. As always, Cunningham's direct, to-the-point writing style lends itself to ease of understanding. Overall I don't think it is as strong a work as his first book, only because it really isn't "all you need to know" about moving to the next level--this isn't a bad thing! I personally found his chapters on Diety Concepts and on Ritual Design most useful, but I certainly wanted to find other resources to complement them, and I think that's the case with most of this book--it doesn't stand alone very well. As I say, that's not a bad thing! I found the book valuable and was inspired to go out and seek further information, and that's definitely a good thing.
	Strongly recommended

Janet and Stewart Farrar, A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook (Includes Eight Sabbats for Witches and The Witches' Way

Most useful for:	Intermediate Students
Content:	The first section (Eight Sabbats for Witches) includes many rituals, including the Great Rite, detailed rites for each sabbat, and rituals for Wiccaning, handfasting, and requiem. The second section (The Witches' Way) provides a brief history of traditional Wicca as learned and practiced by the Farrars; includes rituals for first, second, and third-degree initiations, and for consecration of tools; discusses the Gardnerian Book of Shadows; presents a variety of other rituals, including those for protection; discusses reincarnation, ethics, myth and symbolism, sex, nudity, coven maintenance, psychism, divination, astral projection, healing, and creating spells; provides a self-initiation ritual; describes tools in some detail.
Commentary:	I generally look askance at any book that calls itself "complete" but this book very nearly is, as you can see by the paragraph above. I find it a fascinating book but, as an eclectic who prefers modern language to archaic, I haven't found much in it that I have used personally. The rites are beautiful, the Wiccan myths evident in each; they are suited to group work, especially to traditional covens, with roles given to the High Priestess and Priest specifically in addition to those taken by other covenors. There is a lot here, and it's definitely a book that requires extensive study in order to get the most from it, but it's certainly worth the effort even if the methods don't suit your own practice, which if you are a solitary and/or eclectic they may not.
	Strongly recommended

Marian Green, A Witch Alone: Thirteen Moons to Master Natural Magic.

Most useful for	Beginning and Intermediate Students
Content:	Basic description of a Pagan world view; the Goddess and God; the moons and the solar holidays; circle casting; visualization techniques; leftover Pagan practices in modern Britain; healing; divination and dowsing; herbs and trees; magic; history of Paganism and how to recover it; self-dedication to the Gods.
Commentary:	This is a very low-key, gentle treatment of a subject many books treat with more flash and less depth; it isn't a difficult read but it does encourage the reader to think, and although it presents a great deal of material it makes it clear that what can be found in books is only the smallest piece of available knowledge. The lessons are designed to be taken slowly, and are accompanied with both exercises and a list of additional readings. There is a specific lack of emphasis on tools--the idea of "natural magic" is stressed throughout--as well as a related general lack of emphasis on spending money (a very good book for the Witch on a budget :)). I particularly liked the chapter of divination, which focuses on some uncommon techniques, such as the pendulum, and gives instructions on making ones own set of divinatory sticks; I also found the visualizations presented to be lovely, comfortable to do, and not at all pretentious. Definitely worth a look.
	Recommended

Jennifer Hunter, 21st Century Wicca: a Young Witch's Guide to Living the Magical Life

Most useful for:	Beginning Students
Content:	Discusses in brief the history of Wicca and basic Wiccan beliefs; describes working with energy, the elements, and the deities; discusses magic in general and how it works; describes and presents ideas for the Sabbats; discusses magical tools, their treatment, and the creation of altars; discusses ritual form extensively; discusses expanded awareness, self-initiation, and spur-of-the-moment spellwork; discusses building Pagan community, relationships in and out of the Craft, information specific to teens and young Witches, and becoming publicly Pagan.
Commentary:	This is a fun book, a good read. The title implies that this book is for the young, but I find little in it that would exclude any age group. There are a couple of things I particularly liked about this book: one is that the author interviewed a number of Witches and Pagans of her acquaintance and quotes from them liberally throughout the book, bringing in different points of view; the other is the lack of specific spells (many would consider the latter a flaw, I know, but they are the last thing I look for in a Pagan book). In general I like the author's approach of telling the reader not only what to do but how to do it and why to bother, and in a simple, easy-to-read style.
	Strongly recommended

Ann Moura (Aoumiel), Green Witchcraft: Folk Magic, Fairy Lore & Herb craft and Green Witchcraft II: Balancing Light and Shadow

Most useful for:	Beginning and Intermediate Students
Content:	Green Witchcraft includes basic information about Sabbats, Esbats and their celebration; discusses herbcarft in some detail; discusses relating to the Goddess and God through nature; describes magical practices, including circle casting, correspondences, and divination; and provides rituals for celebrating Sabbats and Esbats, as well as for various rites of passage. Green Witchcraft II describes ways to use the shadow side, including discussions of dark aspects of deity; describes ways to connect with the four elementals; discusses meditation, divination (including a method using the Celtic ogham), herbcraft and gems.
Commentary:	I liked the first book very much--I especially like the author's blending of traditional Wiccan practice with folk magic and religion she learned from her mother, and that she is quite frank about this. There's nothing wrong with creating your own religion, or with sharing it with others, as long as you are honest about your sources. I also liked that she separates the practice of magic from that of religion (witches don't have to be Wiccan, after all, and Wiccans don't have to work magic). There is quite a lot of information here, some of it comparable to other traditions and some apparently unique (at least I haven't seen it elsewhere--the prohibition against thanking deity, for example). I didn't find the second book quite as useful, although it has some very good information--in particular I liked the author's treatment of the four elementals, which IMO often get short shrift during circle castings :). I don't think this would be the best first book for a beginner to get, but it's certainly a valued part of my library.
	Recommended

Silver Ravenwolf, To Ride a Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft

Most useful for:	Beginning and Intermediate Students
Content:	Provides information on what Witches believe; lists various traditions of Witchcraft; gives a glossary of common Craft terms; describes the holidays (Sabbats and Esbats); recommends methods for studying and finding deities and/or pantheons; discusses magical names, meditation and visualization skills, and dream interpretation; describes various forms of sacred space, including the altar; lists various tools and other items a Witch may find useful, and describes how to cleanse, consecrate and charge these items; discusses the Book of Shadows; discusses ritual design; provides information on making contact with other Pagans; provides very basic information on several forms of divination and on simple spellcasting, including correspondences; includes some more advanced information, including psychic abilities, astral travel, shapeshifting and so forth; discusses coming out of the broom closet.
Commentary:	This book is an easy read, but don't read it too quickly--there's a lot of information packed into it! Throughout the book, information is supported by exercises to strengthen the student's understanding of concepts, and most chapters end with a useful list of further resources, making it an excellent book to study systematically as well as one to refer to as needed. It might be a little much for an absolute beginner, to whom I'd recommend to read it slowly and carefully, but anyone with a little research under their belt should have little problem understanding everything in it (putting it all into practice, now, that's another matter!) Ravenwolf presents a wide variety of practices that can be part of Wicca or Witchcraft--you don't have to do, or even attempt, them all. One strength of this book is that it gives a good idea of how flexible the practice of Wicca can be, spiritually and magically, while still providing the framework of belief and practice that identifies it as Wicca (eclectic Wicca, to be sure :)).
	Strongly recommended

Silver Ravenwolf, To Stir a Magick Cauldron: A Witch's Guide to Casting and Conjuring

Most useful for:	Intermediate Students
Content:	Discusses daily devotions; extensive discussion of creating sacred space; brief discussion of choosing a patron deity; describes in detail the processes of calling quarters, casting circles, and connecting with deity; describes various forms of spellwork; discusses the existing Wiccan community and where you may fit into it.
Commentary:	One strength of this book is that it treats in great detail a variety of subjects that are described briefly or mentioned only in passing in many other books. One example of this is the chapter of calling quarters, a concept I never really "got" until I read it (and for that, if for nothing else, I like this book a lot :)). As seems to be usual for Ravenwolf, a lot of information is packed into a fairly small space and (particularly in the spellwork chapters) you can pick and choose what you choose to work with at any point in time--some you may never use, and that's fine, she's presenting you with many of the options available. She accompanies a general discussion of a technique with concrete examples to inspire you, but her emphasis is on doing it yourself, making this a great resource for an eclectic Witch or Pagan.
	Strongly recommended

Silver Ravenwolf, To Light a Sacred Flame: Practical Witchcraft for the Millennium

Most useful for:	Intermediate Students
Content:	Discusses the laws of the Craft; describes ways of gaining personal empowerment, of creating a harmonious environment, and of how to make your spells work for you; describes ritual format and design, formal and informal, including some mention of pantheons, group work and family rituals; numerous correspondences and recipes.
Commentary:	An interesting book with some valuable material, but not, I found, as useful as Ravenwolf's first two. There are many, many complete spells and other rituals, many applicable to group work; to my taste, too much of the book is taken up with finished spells, more than I would think necessary simply to serve as examples, and I was somewhat disappointed because of that--however, the spells are good and she uses a wide variety of approaches. I did like the disussion of ritual formats very much. And as always, Ravenwolf is a good read; her writing itself conveys her approach to Witchcraft and you come away feeling you can do pretty much anything you set your mind to.
	Recommended

J. Philip Rhodes, Wicca Unveiled: The Complete Rituals of Modern Witchcraft

Most useful for:	Intermediate Students
Content:	Discusses traditional Wicca; discusses and describles tools; discusses circle casting; provides information on and scripts for a number or different rites, including initiations, sabbats, and planetary rites; provides lists of correspondences and incense recipes.
Commentary:	This book deals with traditional Wiccan practice rather than eclectic. I tend to distrust any book that calls itself complete in any way, but this book does provide a decent overview of many of the practices of traditional Wicca (caveat: I've never been in a coven, let alone a traditional Wiccan coven, but I will say that much of the material here is quite close to what I've read in similar sources. What's different here than in other books? Well, I've never heard of planetary rituals before, and would say that if astrology is something that interestes you this might be a good resource. The book is well organized overall, although I found the section on "The Rites of Wicca" a little confusing in that it mixes religious rites (consecration, handfasting, drawing-down, etc.) with spellwork, but that's a small thing. My impression (as a mostly-solitary eclectic) is that you really can't learn all there is about traditional Wicca from a book, but a book can tell you enough to know whether this is a path you would find at all to your taste, in which case you may want to seek out a coven. There are certainly books I'd consider a better introduction to traditional Wicca (Vivienne Crowley or the Farrars come to mind) but there seem to be few books with this focus (compared to the many devoted to eclectic Wiccan practice), and this isn't a bad one.

Maria Kay Simms, The Witch's Circle: Rituals and Craft of the Cosmic Muse

Most useful for:
Content:	Includes discussion of the history of Paganism and Witchcraft; discusses Wiccan ethics, magical theory and practice; describes the structure and practice of the author's own circle, including tools, altar setup, circle casting, and ritual form; discusses the application of astrology to ritual; provides rituals for each Sabbat; provides rituals for each full moon of the year, based on the astrological sign that moon occurs in; provides various other rituals for rites of passage and other specific needs; offers robe patterns, instructions for tool-making, incense recipes, and songs.
Commentary:	There are a few things about this book that I found a little different--one is its astrological content, unsurprising since the author is a professional astrologer; another is her inclusion of Christian imagery in her discussion of the Goddess and God, something I've rarely seen elsewhere (I found it a little odd at first but it does show the universality of the archetypes). It seems to be a fairly thorough book on this tradition; although many of the rituals are traditional in form (formal language, structured around a High Priestess and Priest), there is a lot here that an eclectic group or solitary could easily adapt for their own use.
	Recommended

Starhawk, The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess

Most useful for:	Beginning and Intermediate Students
Content:	Discusses the importance of Wicca as a Goddess religion, and the stories of the Wiccan Goddess and God; describes coven formation and dynamics; describes the elements, the calling of quarters, and the casting of the circle; discusses the theory behind spells and gives examples; describes raising energy and the use of trance; discusses initiation, Esbats and Sabbats; discusses the creation of religion and future trends.
Commentary:	First published in 1979, The Spiral Dance is a recognized classic. It's a beautiful book to read, and Starhawk mages to convey the poetry of Witchcraft as few other authors have. It's filled with poems and invocations, spells and rituals, and in a practical sense is a very useful book, particularly as a resource for ritual. However, there is also a lot of theory presented, which is also wonderful but which may make it a challenging read for the beginner, and I'd suggest reading other books as well at that stage of one's development. Also, many of the rituals presented are coven-based, so a solitary may not get as much from this book as would someone working with a group. Still, this book succeeds in presenting the "feel" of practicing the Craft as well as any book can, and that in itself makes it a must-have.
	Very strongly recommended

Kisma K. Stepanich, Faery Wicca: Book One (Theory and Magick: a Book of Shadows and Light) and Faery Wicca: Book Two (The Shamanic Practices of the Cunning Arts)

Most useful for:	Intermediate Students
Content:	Book One tells of Irish history and myths; describes various types of fairy to be found; describes Celtic Goddesses and Gods; discusses the Celtic holidays; describes the land of Faery; describes the creation of sacred space, including altars; discusses the history of Faery Wicca and describes a number of other Wiccan traditions; discusses working with various fairy energies, tools, and symbols; provides rituals for holidays. Book Two includes information on shamanism and shapeshifting, healing, herbs, incantations, daily devotions and other rites, clothing, tools, divination, spells, holidays, and celebrations.
Commentary:	There is a great deal of information here, almost all to do with the specific Faery Wicca tradition practiced by the author (I believe there are other traditions using the same or a similar name). It's an interesting read, balancing the practical with the theoretical, and seems to provide a complete guide to practicing within this tradition. However, I would not recommend it as a first book about the Craft.

Doreen Valiente and Evan John Jones, Witchcraft: A Tradition Renewed

Most useful for:	Intermediate Students
Content:	Includes information on the religion of Witchcraft and its rituals; discusses the coven and its officers and oaths; describes working tools of individual and coven; provides a variety or ritual scripts.
Commentary:	First of all, this is not a book on Wicca; the Witchcraft described here is based on that taught by Robert Cochrane, who claimed that his was an ancient and hereditary faith; whether or not you accept this, the book is still a good discussion of traditional, non-Wiccan Witchcraft as a religion, and as in my opinion if a path calls to you it doesn't usually matter much where it comes from, I won't be discussing this issue. Something I found particularly interesting, because it was new to me, was the coven structure, which includes a whole slate of officers, allowing more coven members to take part in ritual. The tools also differ somewhat from what I was familiar with; the stang occupies a more central position in ritual than I've seen elsewhere, and I've never seen some of the other tools mentioned before. An interesting book, and the only one I've seen on this particular version of Witchcraft; in addition, it's worth a read simply for the different point of view it provides and the look it gives into the history of modern Witchcraft.