Although this book is obviously intended to be used in developing a mentor-student (and ultimately a Gods-student) relationship, the information here has a wide range of applications. For instance, the section dedicated to active listening can come in handy when talking with friends or acquaintances who seek advice. With a little bit of adaptation, much of the material can be well suited for mentors of other religions (although much of the information is predicated on the idea of Divine immanence). It contains a really wonderful chapter on connection with Deity that provides simple, beautiful suggestions for being more aware of Divine presence in daily life, as well as helpful hints on pathworking and guiding others in trance. The section on Pagan lore contains ways of honoring the Mighty Dead, who Judy presents as almost Pagan saints, and ideas for researching myths. One of the most interesting chapters presents various secular models of spiritual maturity and describes them in a Pagan context and also introduces models based on our own symbolism. These too can be applied not only to the development of students, but to the development of ourselves. If you are a solitary and do not live near other Pagans, you can adapt some of these ideas to be used for your own growth.
I personally cannot find much to criticize in this book. The very first chapter sets about defining what is different about Paganism, and I found her writing on this subject to be wonderful, but I wish she had written more about it! Overall though, this book would be great for anyone (with or without the desire to mentor others) who wants to delve deeper into the spirituality of Pagansim.
Ths book is esentially an overview of Paganism written by a sympathetic outsider. Despite its fairly general overview, it does not gloss over important issues. It opens with a discussion of the cycle of holidays of the Pagan year, which although mainly based in Wiccan lore does consider the traditions of other Pagan groups. Then it approaches some main Pagan religions including Druidry, Wicca, Heathenism, and Goddess spirituality. It also explores the concepts of ecology, feminism, magic(k), and shamanism in a Pagan context. The last segment of this book addresses Pagan theology/thealogy/theoilogy, relations between Pagan and non-Pagan religions, Pagan history, and Rites of Passage.
Even I learned a great deal from this work, especially about Pagan religions other than Wicca. I feel that Contemporary Paganism is one of the few books on modern Pagan practice that lives up to its title by actually portaying the broad scope of Neo-Paganism rather than focusing almost exclusively on Wicca. I would recommend this book to those being introduced to Paganism or for those who may be interested in it from a more intellectual perspective.
The large majority of this book is devoted to various aspects of spellwork (corrospondances for herbs, incenses, crystals, colors, days of the week, etc.) or to the very basic and superficial aspects of Wicca that one can find in just about any book published by Llewellyn (e.g. altar tools, familiars, Sabbats, Esbats, divination techniques, and the Charge of the Goddess). I suppose that was what really caused me to be displeased with this book. I had hoped it would contain something new or at least be more of a personal account of Fiona's interest in and experiences with Witchcraft, something like an Australian version of Book of Shadows. It explained all the trappings of Wicca, but never truly attempted to describe what Wicca is. There is what seems to be the beginning of a personal account and something about what it means to be a Witch in "Spelling It Out," but it ends so abruptly and never really continues elsewhere in the book. There are a few personal anecdotes scattered throughout these pages, which are nice (but, honestly, I really had no desire to learn about her "Third Nipple" and I certainly don't see why it merits its own caption!), but again, they all relate to spellwork and do not delve any deeper into Wicca itself. Chapter 6, "This is the Place to be and I'm in it," is a little bit of a relief and includes some views about Nature. There is also a short chapter on the "herstory" of Witchcraft, which is brief and only satisfactory. In addition, there are snippets of information (most of which are in bold print) that allude to the fact that there is more to Witchraft than being hip and casting spells, but overall this book is fairly lacking in regards to the spiritual side of Wicca.
I will, however, give Fiona credit for a handful of things. Firstly, Fiona is secure enough with her body to include nude images of herself. I have to respect that on some level, especially since her book stressed that the body is holy and nothing of which to be ashamed. This is one of the few times I have encountered this, although some other Pagan authors include nude illustrations or images of others but not themselves (then again, not every Pagan author is also a twenty-something one-hundred-and-ten pound blond Australian chick, and I imagine the book critics and male readership don't mind it either). Witch also includes chapters on hexing, natural hallucinogenic drugs, and sex, which are three topics most other run-of-the-mill Pagan books are only too happy to sweep under the rug. Fiona blatanly discourages hexing in all but the most extreme situations (involving murderers, rapists, or child molesters) as well as the use of drugs in ritual in general, where she favors Vipassana meditation. It is interesting though to find chapters such as these which do not immediately begin with some sort of condemnation.
It is a true scholarly work, and although some Witches still claiming that Wicca is thousands of years old would not like for me to make this comment, it is very respectful of Wicca and its practitioners. The author himself concedes,
Rating: 1/2
Category: Witchcraft, Eclectic Wicca; introduction
Level: beginner - intermediate
Review: I think this may be the first book that I know of addressing Teen Wiccans directly, I believe it came out before Ms.RavenWolf's Teen Witch. Its content is presented in a much more mature and useful way than in Teen Witch, and it does not address the reader as if she had a third-grade reading level. I found it to be quite a good book. It covers many practical problems faced particularly by our age group, and didn't forget our situations when it discussed more spiritual matters. In addition, there are numerous comments made by other Pagans throughout. I like that this book is divided based on the aspects of the Goddess (i.e. Maiden, Mother, Crone), it's creative and it works well. The only thing I wish was different is its lack of much emphasis on our ethics. Otherwise, it's sections on Wicca 101, spellwork,
energy-work, the Sabbats, and advice were very good. Recommended to those who are just beginning this path.
Rating:
Category: Witchcraft, Neo-Pagan; history
Level: all levels
Review: This book, to my knowledge, is the most authoritative, up-to-date, and extensive inquiry into the historical backround of Wicca. It has succeeded in ruffling the feathers of many Wiccans who claim they possess a direct link to a supposed unbroken line of Witchcraft pre-dating the Inquisition (the so-called "Burning Times") and perhaps Christianity. This book basically overturns the naive and incorrect theory that Witchcraft was an organized religion practiced in pre-Christian Western Europe, which is a theory that was sincerely adopted by many Witches as literal truth. You will find such accounts of this "history" recorded in much of Wiccan literature, both new and otherwise. Hutton tracks down virtually every lead relating to this theory including the infamous Dorothy Clutterbuck, some "old" Books of Shadows, as well as the true roots of many Wiccan ritual and magical conventions. Thankfully, I had no attachments to this theory as I have never claimed to be a Hereditary Witch and because I am quite willing to accept Wicca as a very new religion. It did not upset me in the least, therefore, to have this theory systematically deconstructed. The true history of Wicca and the ideas that influenced its inception are just as interesting. Hutton traces such influences to the Romantic Movement (especially the German Romantics), ceremonial magic, a number of literary works, various secret societies (e.g. the Freemasons, the Rosicrucians, and the Golden Dawn), 19th century classicists, as well as to many other factors. It is important to note that since this book is concerned with the early roots of Wicca, the majority of it focuses geographically on Britain. There is, however, one chapter dedicated to Wicca in the U.S. and relates mostly to feminist Witchcraft and the contributions of such authors as Starhawk and Marija Gimbutas.My own book came down heavily against the claim of continuity and, indeed, the notion that modern paganisms had very much in common with those of the ancient world. On the other hand, I also formed the opinion that they were perfectly viable modern religions in their own right.
The Triumph of the Moon is not debunking Wicca as a religion at all, it only strives to sort out all of the cultural, anthropological, and historical concepts that gave birth to it. My favorite chapter, which I also feel is the most relevant and reflective of Wicca today, is the last one entitled "Grandchildren of the Shadows." This chapter is where Hutton actually comments on his relations with the Witches whom he made contact with during the writing of the book and also on some of the spiritual principles of Wicca itself.
This is not a book to be attempted by the literary faint of heart - it is long and extremely detailed. Admittingly, it is indeed a little dry (of course, it is not intended to be an exciting novel either!). I recommend reading it in chapter installments as the desire strikes you. However, I would probably advise reading the preface first so that you have a feel for the format of the book.
