Hedge Witch: A Guide to Solitary Witchcraft

THE WICCAN PATH by Rae Beth consists of a series of letters Rae Beth wrote to two friends who wanted to know more about Wicca. Her correspondence is not very different from exchanges I have had with various friends over the years -- a Christian Scientist friend who explained her religion to me via phone calls and letters, a Quaker friend who explained her religion to me over various meetings for coffee, and a Morman male friend I saw for over a year when I was younger (and did not marry) who explained his religion to me. I read voraciously about religion--histories, documents, letters, books, and other material. Although I was raised Christian in a Protestant-Catholic household, my mother and maternal grandmother attended seances every Friday night, and my maternal grandfather was descended from Dutch Jews. Knowledge of my family's mixed religious affiliations caused me a great deal of concern when I was a child because I was sent to Catholic schools where I was taught only RCs could enter heaven. I have tried to understand other religions ever since. Like other reviewers of Rae Beth's book, I have read Scott Cunningham, Raven Grimassi, Silver Ravenwolf, and many others and I enjoy what they have written. Rae Beth is the first Wicca who "spoke" to me on a personal level however. These days, I find myself growing closer and closer to this ancient system of beliefs. Wicca is a lovely practice that operates from the perspective of attraction, not promotion.I can continue to celebrate the holidays I grew to love as a child -- Father Christmas or Santa Claus; the Green Man (who may be Robin Hood or the Holly King); The Lady (Mary for me and Kuan Yin for others); Jesus (the Lord and the great Magus -- a Hindu friend tells me she believes Jesus one of the incarnations of Shiva); the Great Spirit; and all my saints who are not lost including Saint Anthony who has helped me recover more than one lost thing and who probably had previous incarnation as some deity or other. I believe in a higher power, and I don't think anyone has the final answer (well Shirley McLean may).This is a wonderful soothing book written by a gentle soul who is fully in touch with her own nature and the natural world around us. The best part of Rae Beth's discussion for me is in part two where she explains how to go into a trance. As she puts it, you can do it many ways, even with rosary beads.

Rae Beth, an experienced and wise hedge witch (solitary practitioner), writes to Tessa and Glyn, two people interested in understanding and possibly beginning a Wiccan lifestyle. In a very personalized and collaborative way, her letters coach both Tessa and Glyn through an entire year, covering their questions, the eight Sabbats, full moon ceremonies, initiation, tools for the practice, and Wiccan history in Part I. In Part II, Rae Beth continues to coach Tessa in trance work providing additional support in letters for an additional six months. Her letters are practical, heart-felt, offer the nuts and bolts, and make the practice accessible. Rae Beth is not caught up in faddish trappings; she is authentic, dedicated, and seriously devoted to giving her readers a solid understanding and foundation. I recommend reading the book at least twice: once for a general understanding; the second time, getting to a deeper level by reading the book throughout the year during the same times the letters are written, journaling while you read. I highly recommend The Wiccan Path to readers who live in the Northern Hemisphere.

_The Wiccan Path_ consists of a series of letters written by Rae to two of her students, Tessa and Glyn, as she guides them through their Craft education. Halfway through the book, Glyn "drops out" when he marries a non-pagan, and the rest of the letters are written only to Tessa. Within this framework, Beth explains the Craft, as one other reviewer put it, as if you were learning it over tea at someone's table. This is how I imagine it would feel to be taught by your grandmother in a family tradition, something most witches aren't fortunate enough to experience.Beth's correspondence includes a letter about each Sabbat, explaining how she celebrates and giving her students ideas for adapting the traditions to suit their own needs. Each of these chapters includes a full ritual, and unlike some of the more "formal" Wicca 101 books, the rituals are presented in an open-ended manner. They are merely suggestions, not prescribed lists of archaic-sounding incantations to be said in a specific order. They're just Beth's ideas, and she presents them as such. Other subjects she deals with are trance-work and the deities. Her letters on trance-work are wonderful, and gave me tons of ideas. In her writings about the deities, she is as open-ended as she is about everything else, not giving them specific names, but leaving that up to the preference of the practitioner. If you're looking for a book of formal rituals and formulaic spells, this isn't the book for you. If you want to learn the Craft the way your grandmother would have taught it, pull up a blanket, grab a cup of hot chocolate, and settle into a comfy chair with _The Wiccan Path_.

Many books written on the craft deal with coven work, or are adapted from covenwork to attempt to fit a solitary. This one, however, is written by a solitary, for solitarys. Also, unlike other books I have read which seem to be more of a 'How to' and 'Follow steps 1, 2 and 3', this is a collection of letters written to two people interested in becoming witches. It's a more stream of consciousness approach which really seems to get you involved in the reading, where you actually begin to feel that the letters were written to you. I think it's an absolutely wonderful book for anyone interested in the craft, and especially for us solitary witches.