Wicca: A comprehensive guide to the Old Religion in the modern world

In a word, this is the best book I have read on "New Age" sprituality. Despite its title, the book is not limited to discussions of Wicca-- rather, it extends its very intelligent discussion of Western paganism in general, and even touches briefly on some elements of eastern religion. I am not Wiccan-- rather, I am a kind of amorphous pagan, with spirtuality but no fixed beliefs and no formalized rituals. When I read a book about spirituality, I tend to accept some ideas and throw out others. Most "New Age" books never seem to answer my favorite question: "*Why*". Instead, they seem to favor unquestioning memorization and rituals, which I despise. Ms. Crowley's book goes farther than any other book I have read to explain the "Why" and "What" of neo-paganism. It offers a brief history of Wicca, which is interesting-- but it really starts to shine when it discusses things like the male and female aspects of spirituality. She brings a refreshing Jungian approach to the discussion, too, which makes the material much more accessible for someone who has not bought into any particular named religion. Too often New Age books assume that the reader believes as the writer does, but Ms. Crowley does not make that mistake.I would recommaned this book for *anyone* interested in learning about Wicca, pagan spirtuality, or even their own beliefs-- be they Christian, Jewish, Wiccan, Druid, Asatru, or floaties like me. The points raised are good and well-made, which makes the book a joy to read. Thumbs and big toes up!

I have more books on the Craft than any sane person would keep. The useless ones I get rid of. This is one of the few I've actually read more than once. It contains quality material and makes an excellent first or second book for somebody new to the Craft. Vivianne takes Wiccan tradition seriously, and doesn't cheapen it by making wild & unsubstantiated claims. She introduces her own material and names it as such. This book is complete. Rituals, directions, poems & liturgy. Everything you need but a coven, a calling and a connecttion to the Goddess. Not only does this book describe Wiccan practice, but it describes it in sociological, historical, and psychological context, too. It is an example of applied Jungian theory. She uses the psychology of Carl Jung to explain the sense behind magic and Craft rituals. She bats around phrases like "Our Gods are the archetypal forces which inhabit the collective unconscious." To the question of "Are the forms of the Gods 'real'?" she answers first with a quote of Jung "they are images of contents which for the most part transcend consciousness." and then adds "what lies beyond the images is a divine reality ... true experessions of the nature of the divine translated into human terms."This book contains a great deal of Craft practice, along with solid, original thought. Index, footnotes, a bibliography and a glossary round it out. A magnificent effort--more than earns its five stars! Every Witch ought to have read this book at least once!

I first read this some time ago when investigating Wicca. I still think it's one of the most candid and accessible reads for the newcomer to the topic. Given the number of not-so-good, me-too books out there on the topic that we saw published in the 90s, it stands out even more.Its strengths are a matter-of-fact style, a balanced and pretty unbiased portrayal that doesn't try to make a political statement, and the large volume of information it offers. It is a sophisticated book that talks a lot about history, about initiatory experience, and about perceptions of divinity. The only flaw I can readily find is that it is a bit dry; just as its cover doesn't look like Tinker Bell, neither is the style. I can hardly mark Crowley down for this, but it's worth mentioning because it could affect the reader's interest.Will appeal most strongly to the serious seeker with mature tastes in reading who is looking to be informed rather than entertained.

Of all the books on Wicca that I've read that are written by pagan authors, this is by far the most detailed, intelligent and honest one of all. Unlike other pagan authors, Crowley does not hide behind that fabricated rhetoric presented by other authors. What I'm referring to is "true witchcraft" and the "witches do this" and "witches do that" attitude. She is perfectly comfortable with admitting the truth, that while Wicca does employ many rural European folk customs, it is essentially a modern religion, compiled in the fifties, and has no diffinitive connection with any specific historical pagan cult or sect. She even talks a little bit about how muddled much of the neopagan community is with the way, to most people, Wicca is just an ego game, they like how it feels to be able to call themselves witches. She talks about getting away from that, getting away from the obsession that so many practicioners have with proclaiming themselves as witches only to satisfy their egos, and also making sure that you're not just trying to live up to the public's perception of what a "real" witch should be for the sake of drawing attention to yourself. Crowley has a Ph.D. in psychology, and it shows. The chapters releating to the inner self and so incredibly detailed that had this book gained more attention, a lot of "look at me, I'm a witch" crowd could've been eaily scared off and the Wiccan community would have finally been brought to a respectable level. But tragically, it's for that reason that this book, despite being the absoulute best out there, it not amoung the more popular. It seems that most neopagans would rather induldge themselves in fabricated psuedohistory(Raven Grimassi) worthless spells and cutesy rituals(Cunningham, Ravenwolf) and biggoted teenie-bopper spellcraft(Buckland) than they would like to do something real, something that means something, something that they will take with them in life. But until that day comes, there are at least a few authors(Kenneth Johnson being another notable name) who are on the right track.

I have read many books on Wicca, and have practiced the Craft for 10 years (I am a Gardenerian HP). This book is still the best introduction to the practices, meanings and spirituality of Wicca that I have ever seen. Vivianne Crowley, probably Europe's most respected and well known HPS, have here been able to present the Craft without hype, lucidly and warmly, in a way that makes both the religion and the craft of Wicca accessible to the newcomer and meaningful to the initiated. I truly love this book, and always recommend it to my own initiates, as well as anyone who's curious about the Craft of Wicca.