Apprentice to Power: A Wiccan Odyssey to Spiritual Awakening

I feel somewhat obligated to disclose that I am not Pagan and have never practiced Wicca. I am, in fact, a Christian. I will not go into the detail of how this book reached my hands, but simply state that I have read it from cover to cover and have gone back and re-read many chapters. This book told (what I consider to be) personal "parables" of the author that related to important lessons that he needed to learn in order to grow as a human being and fully experience life. What makes it a five star book is that unlike many authors that write about religious matters (regardless of which religion) or self-actualization, Roderick accomplishes the incredible task of imparting his lessons/stories without coming off as preachy or condescending. Roderick's writing is incisive, focusing on personally confronting universal truths about the human condition. That being said, the format of this book is excellent and keeps the reader from getting bored. The basic structure of each chapter makes this possible. Each chapter is set up as follows: (1) an invocation that is about a page; (2) a tale from old times of the lesson to be learned (a/k/a "Magical Law"); (3) Timothy Roderick's personal parable of learning the lesson/Magical Law in question, and (4) a detailed "recipe" for a Wiccan enchantment invoking the Magical Law. The book is structured so that chapters may be read out of order. The chapters I found most compelling were: Hermes, Demeter and Sin. But, the entire book is excellent and offers something for just about everyone. In summary, the book is commendable for it content, its structure as well as the writing style of the author.

This is an excellent book, and should be on the required reading list of any contemporary Pagan mystic. Many in the Pagan community may find Mr. Roderick's approach to the Craft to be too "Eastern," but since I consider myself, for lack of a better term, a "Taoist Witch," I felt right at home with much of his philosophy. It is definitely not a "how to" book; you will need to do your "Wicca 101" work elsewhere. For those who have a firm grounding in, and are seeking something beyond, the fundamentals of Wicca, this is the book for you. The focus of the book is on living a magical life in the fullest sense of that phrase, and the exercises that are given are directed to that end, with little if any time spent on fundamentals such as Circle casting or Quarter calling. Chapter IX does detail the Sabbats as practiced in the author's Tradition, but those pages account for a very small percentage of the book, and are addressed at the end.Because of the emphasis on the magical life, and the lack of generic "how to" material such as spell formulae and correspondence tables, the book reads more like Castenada than Ravenwolf, but again I think this its strength. At times, it even felt a little as if the author were describing Ceremonial Magic rather than Wicca, but I think this is simply because it is such a radical departure from the bulk of contemporary Wiccan books. If we agree that much of what found its way into Gardnerian Wicca came from the Western (i.e. Mediterranean) Mystery traditions, and that these in turn were heavily influenced by Eastern thought, then the overall tone of the book is quite understandable and natural.I think the average contemporary Pagan is either going to love this book or hate it. I think it will be especially challenging to those who see Wicca as springing from the Western European experience, independent of Eastern influence. But whether you love it or hate it, I think it is a valuable read. If nothing else, I think it will cause the committed reader to look long, hard and honestly at their beliefs, practices and individual philosophy of life.

I don't usually like magic books written in the 'first person' because they can be too preachy. This book is definitely the exception. The author describes his magical training with humility and thoughtfulness. He doesn't speak in riddles and is never condescending. This is a great book for a novice to get them started on their path. It is also a great book for an advanced pratictioner because it is easy to identify with the training that he has experienced.A truly original book.

LOVED IT! This book has a wonderful way of showing you new ways to look @ your life & the world around you. This was my introdution to pagan literature... and it's not easy to find ones on the subject that are this interesting, eye opening AND easily understandable. No mumbo-jumbo, or non-stop talk of deities & history to bog down your brain & stomp on your enthusiasm for the life-style. A more personal account of how one individuals path progressed. And some lovely, simple rituals @ the end of each chapter. I only wish Mr. Roderick would have shared more about how he found his path & teachers. * its more about the feelings involved w/ones choices & life consciousness. IF your looking for new ways of looking at life, a different perspective & some insight... this IS the book to start with!

This book is great. There is substance here. For those who go deep into the questions of their own lives and of the world around them, this book will enhance the journey.