Power of the Witch: The Earth, the Moon, and the Magical Path to Enlightenment

I had the honor to work with Margo Adler during the time when she held her monthly pagan Circles, and initiated Wiccans in her beautiful Central Park apartment overlooking Central Park. We lost Margo way too soon -- but her book lends us a hand to visit her. I Was also an initiated member of the New York Gardnerian Coven With High Priest, Renn and our beautiful Hi Priestess (Now at piece in Summerland) The book, Power of the Witch -- in my opinion -- is a MUST HAVE book for the witch at every stage of growth. obviously, so is Margo's book. I'm 72 years old -- and have been a practicing Witch since I was 14 years old having been initiated into the Celtic Path by my aunt Lilla in her pre-Civil War "Gone with the Wind" home outside of Live Oak, Florida. . I've been encouraged to write a book, but, Why -- when we have these two tomes. And I say as a blessing to you -- May the power of the Mother shine on your life and deliver you the Magic of her power. Blessed Be. Keegan. (of the New York Coven -- Now living in Asheville surrounded by the magical power of the mountains.

It starts off with a lovely voice and personality, and it is well written, drawing you right in from the start. But then, it slowly drips historical "facts" into the narrative that are questionable, bordering on bias... But *could* be true, mostly they are possibilities of how people may have lived, however, they shouldn't be presented as though they are absolute. All the while, miniscule commentary made towards men crawls into the lines which are a bit negative and subjective, then slowly rears its head to become a bit harsher and nastier, dashing the any sense of nonbias presentation. While Wicca is empowering for women, it is as such because it is empowering for everyone. I feel this book is informational, well written, and has reason to be popular. Laurie Cabot is a worthy author and witch, but her belief system struggles with misandry and relies on beliefs/outdated information of history, not facts of true practices/ideals/events.

Laurie Cabot has written a very informed albeit highly condensed book on the topic of modern Witchcraft. Not the best--DRAWING DOWN THE MOON by Margot Adler is the best--but this is almost as good, and in many ways the two books complement each other. Like Adler, Cabot frequently appears on television and radio shows so her voice is attuned to the ear--clear, concise, informative, and articulate. And, she knows her subject.Cabot's history of witchcraft is reasonably accurate, and unlike some, not hysterical, just factual. As a result, she gets the story straight, and considering she wrote her history in the late 1980s, and tons of recent historical research was done in recent years (much of it refutes and/or recasts works which would have been available to her when she wrote the book), she is quite good. Of course Ms. Cabot has other means of "knowing" about the past than by digging through musty tomes.I particularly enjoyed her section on the science of witchcraft. As it happens, my husband has a physics background so I could turn to him and say is this so, and is this so, and is this so...to which he replied yes, yes, and yes. I gained a great deal more insight into the workings of crystals and gems from Ms. Cabot and my husband. Take the clear quartz crystal. She says it emits energy. So I said to my husband, is this true to which he replied, sure, I once built a crystal radio. Quartz is a great conductor of energy (he works at the Patent and Trade Office today and patents computer related thingys, he used to work for AT & T and before that he was with the Army Signal Corps). For years my husband has been reading about the wholistic universe and I figured it was some old scientific fiction junk, and lo and behold, here's Ms. Cabot saying witches knew this stuff all along and it seems science is corroborating it. And, she's on the record as saying so before science "discovered" it. I especially liked the part about the witches and the National Geographic spread. "Witches say Jupiter emits a blue light!"I found a few mistakes--not all individuals have "x" and "y" chromosomes. At least that's not what I learned in biology. Ms. Cabot may be ahead of the times however, who knows. She is correct in saying all individuals have both estrogen and testosterone, however. I remember Dr. Estelle Ramey saying it was too bad men didn't have more estrogen in their systems. Ms Cabot is quite funny in places. And, it is rather awesome how one can conceive and believe and achieve. The really neat thing about witchcraft is that it is open to all. It is our oldest form of religious expression. Why just the other day, they found another 10,000 year old cave painting in Italy. Of course it was a "horned" man. I thought of Laurie Cabot when I read the news.

This is a perfect first read for any aspiring witch or anyone with a curiousity. It is beautifully simple and straightforward, and Cabot is always honest about who witches are and what they do. She goes into a little background of the craft, as well as the basis for the recent resurgence of positive religions in general. The book is full of personal experiences and general truths. It not only explains Wicca to the observer, but also gives basic "getting started" advice to anyone interested in taking up the craft in earnest. This is wonderfully informative, and leaves one with a feeling of self-empowerment and confidence. Excellent for anyone. When I decided to practice as a solitary, I gave this book to my friends and family to explain what I was doing, and to expel any negative preconceptions that they may have had. It worked like a charm.

I have read many, many books on Beginner's Wicca and WitchCraft and this is one of the best and is the first beginner's book I give five stars. This is a very spiritual book and includes an abundance of information as well as many of Laurie's own personal experiences which I enjoyed. This book contains in-depth historical information. Some people have questioned its' accuracy. I found most of the history to accurate, but no, like one book reviewer said, she doesn't really give a bibliography. After the history, Laurie gets into the Craft of the Wise. This book contains good information on Covens and Solitaries, and also good information on the Pentacle and the Magic Circle. This book contains a section on the Wheel of the Year. I was a bit disappointed on the area where she describes each sabbat, but she includes enough, she wrote a whole book on the Sabbats, that's why I was suprised she didn't write more. There is also good information about altars, crystals, stone circles/sacred sites, herbs, and Divination. The next chapter is excellent. It speaks about the Science of WitchCraft. She explains how magick and items (such as herbs and stones) work (finally, someone does, she also mentions light, and the seven hermetic laws. Her chapter on Alpha is excellent and very accurate. It is also very fascinating. Very well worth your time to give her practices a try. I'm not sure why other Wiccan authors don't get into this area more deeply. Her chapter on everyday magic is good, but she should have mentioned that not all Witches fix their altar like that. I'm afraid mine looks little like hers. Her information on Protection, Prosperity, and Healing magick is good, but her area on love magick (another area she wrote her own book on) was less than appealing, and she forgot to mention you shouldn't target a specific individual although she does speak about that area. There are some great spells in here, just have good luck finding some of those ingredients like wolf's hair, off a live shedding wolf for protection potion. The next chapter is also excellent, it's entitled "A Witch's Life: Milestones". It speaks about such things as marriage, handfasting, a large section on Witch Children, and an interesting section on Death. The final chapter, Witchcraft Tommorow is good, but in a sense, unrealistic. Laurie speaks about her plan to educate others on WitchCraft. Yeah, I liked this book, Yeah, I was very impressed with this book, and if you are a beginner, this is what WitchCraft is all about. Thank you.

If you don't read another book on the Craft, read this one! "Power of the Witch" gives an excellent overview of this positive spiritual path, going into plenty of depth on the history, practices, and scientific basis for the Craft and dispelling the disinformation that has been spread about its followers. Laurie Cabot's explanations are clear for those with no background in Witchcraft, but are still fluff-free and chock-full of information for those sincerely seeking the roots behind this belief system. I recommend it highly as a "first read" to anyone interested in the Craft, whether for the spiritual seeker or the merely curious. It will give an excellent foundation for all-around understanding, and open the door for further study to become a serious "Witch."I can't describe how much it has opened my understanding, and helped me along my spiritual path! This is the best $13.00 I've spent at the bookstore in a long time!