As my subtitle suggests, this actually began as a book review, but expanded furthur as I felt the need to write about something that has been irritating me for so long. This book was my first encounter with the topic of this essay, and also a very early one on my Wiccan path, but I have also encountered it elsewhere (particularly on the internet). After about five years of being angry at this phenomenon, I have finally decided to write about it. It is a rant, and I have taken less precautions than I would usually to make it sound measured and simply critical. This is your warning. If you dislike my arguments or take offence, that is fine, but I do feel that the topic needs addressing. In addition, it will be a personal relief for me to write this and get some of the anger off my chest.

"[I]t has become politically correct to say that we are sick and tired of spellbooks. [. . .] However, there is still a very long way to go before our spellcraft and rituals regain their sacred role in the everyday lives of Wiccans and other modern Pagans. We have started talking the talk, but now we have to walk the walk. Publishers publish what will sell. If we want them to publish material that addresses the heart and soul of our religion, then we are duty-bound to show our desire in what we do and do not purchase."
- A.J. Drew from Wicca for Couples

•Dunwich, Gerina. The Wicca Spellbook: A Witch's Collection of Wiccan Spells, Potions and Recipes. Secaucus, NJ: Citadel Press,1994.

I bought this book in the early days of my interest in Wicca. At that point in time, I gobbled up anything with the mention of the word in the title, and in a small bookshop to my misfortune, this was it. I shall be perfectly frank in declaring that I despise this book and that after reading it, I promptly decided to personally boycott Ms.Dunwich's other works (which I have continued to this day, by the way). Obviously, I had quite a strong reaction to this book - and not a very positive one at that - and now I bet you are wondering what the heck it is about it that caused me to feel this way. I can sum it up in one word: hypocrisy. This is simply the most hypocritical "Wiccan" book I have ever discovered.

The book opens with an incredibly fluffy and feel-good description of Wicca in its introduction: "Wicca is respecting and living in harmony with all living things. Wicca is light. Wicca is love" (ix). Chapter One, entitled "Gerina's Grimoire," begins directly with the Wiccan Rede in italics, and she follows by explaining its implications:

It is imperative to bear in mind the Wiccan Rede before performing any magickal spells or rituals, especially those which may be considered unethical or of a manipulative nature. [. . .] If you deliberately harm or manipulate another person through black magic or any form of evil, you will pay for it by having the evil returned to you threefold. (1-2)

This type of spellwork that Gerina has previously denounced is especially present in the section devoted to love magic. For example, one spell begins, "to gain the affections of [. . .]" (15). Another spell intended to make a love secure requires a lock of hair or fingernails of one's spouse or lover (10), and one to reunite parted lovers instructs,"write his or her initials next to yours and then draw three circles of blood around both initials" (17). All of these spells aim to coerce another human being, the "object of your affections," into loving or being sexually attracted to you against their will (13). One spell even calls for the blood of a white dove, and Gerina follows this with a caveat suggesting that inorder to gain this ingredient one should,"find a dove that is already dead. Never kill a live dove! [. . .] Most Wiccans and modern day Pagans agree that the deliberate taking of life in unnecessary and [. . .] is in violation of the Wiccan Rede" (14). I live in a forested area, and have all my life, and I can say that I've never come across a dead white dove. I wonder how some young person interested in completing this spell intends on obtaining dove's blood - I can just imagine some fourteen year old going to their local petshop and asking if any of their white doves have passed to the Summerlands recently and then requesting if they can "borrow" the feathered corpse. But I digress....

The next section that clearly provides spells that do not respect other living things are "spells to deal with an enemy." Yet again, Gerina states that black magic violates the Wiccan Rede and stresses that despite one's anger at another, one should "never resort to the use of black magick or sorcery" (32). Amazingly, the next few pages contain spells that require the use of photographs, names, and birthdates of enemies which are all used to bind them (31-4). Overall, the book presents this statement to the reader: Never, ever resort to black or manipulative magick because it's evil and violates the Rede, but here are all the spells you need to do so anyway!

There are Witches and Wiccans who fall under all shades of the spectrum in regard to hexing, binding, and all other forms of magic that may interfere with another's free will. But even those who have absolutely no qualms about using magic in the defense of themselves and their loved ones, in other words, those who are willing to use magic as an assertive means of protection in extreme and grave situations, would not resort to doing so to curb something as petty as a gossiping neighbor! Admittingly, gossip is an annoyance that can have an effect on one's reputation and can cause much social discomfort, but if one is immature enough to feel that they must resort to magic to bind their gossiping peers, I don't believe he or she is mature enough to perform magic at all. And yet, The Wicca Spellbook provides such a spell, as well as similarly petty and/or impractical ones including how to break a curse placed upon you by a sorcerer (can we say paranoia?), and how to force someone you dislike to move away. It contains nothing to handle a situation that may actually warrant something like a binding or hexing, and nothing to deal with a serious threat to someone's life.

Gerina went through all the trouble to stress the evils of manipulative magic and seemed careful to document the consequences of violating the Rede (all in classic fluffy-bunny, white-light style) and then proceeds to contradict her own warnings with blatantly manipulative magic. To make matters worse, when she did insist upon breaking with her own philosophy of "harm none" as stated earlier in the book, she did so for some really stupid reasons! Once upon a time during my early days exploring Wicca, I took the ultimate fluffy-bunny approach to the Wiccan Rede. Otherwise stated, I regarded it as the Wiccan counterpart to the Ten Commandments, and any mention of the word "binding" or "hex" or "curse" was absolute anathema to me. It violates the "harm none" clause!! I think many Wiccans begin this way, but as I continued, matured, and gained knowledge, my approach to the Rede changed. I now view it as an ideal and a guideline, a principle to be kept in mind as one travels through life, but not as dogma one adheres to strictly for fear of punishment. I no longer think it is morally wrong to bind an individual who is known to be a serious threat to oneself or a loved one. In such cases, it often causes more harm to do nothing than to implement a magical means of restriction. (Of course, such cases also call for the contacting of the proper authorities). However, I cannot condone manipulative magic for such trivial matters as getting a specific person to be attracted to you (Even Silver Ravenwolf generally avoids love spells that are intended to attract specific individuals as opposed to general spells that simply ask for the right person to be receptive to you, now that's saying something!), or to "break the tongue" of someone prone to gossiping.

I suppose this book got on my nerves because it identified itself specifically as a "Wiccan" spellbook, which implies that it is intended for those who follow Wicca. Obviously, not every person or group that engages in magical practice is Wiccan or follows the Rede so if this spellbook had not indentified itself as such, it probably would not have affected me in such a negative way. As stated earlier, not even all Wiccans/Witches concur on the Rede and how far it should be taken. However, Ms.Dunwich made such a big deal throghout the book about following it and not participating in any form of negative magic - and so there is no excuse for such an arrant discrepancy between what she apparently believes and what she does.

All contents (unless otherwise noted) are copyright Desirée Isphording 2004, 2005 and may not be copied, modified, or distributed without prior express permission.