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The Wiccan Minister's Manual, A Guide for Priests and Priestesses
"The Wiccan Minister's Manual, A Guide For Priests andPriestesses, " was inspired as a training aid for those who would like tobecome Wiccan Ministers, as well as an aid for Wiccan/Pagan Priests andPriestesses. The Craft is evolving, becoming more and more accepted by society,and there is beginning to be a definite distinction between Wiccan Laity andWiccan Clergy. Part One - Guidance - Making the spiritual connection topersonal deity through love, prayer, meditation, ritual, and myth and how toguide others to create their own personal connections. Part Two - Wiccanreligious philosophy and guidance - How to live a spiritual life in the modernworld. Part Three - various methods of healing mind, body and spirit -Including some legal pit-falls to avoid, plus chapter eleven presents anextensive discourse on Pastoral Counseling. Part Four deals with psychicself-defense and rituals of protection. Including House Clearings, Banishings,and Exorcism. Additionally, the author explains what to look for and what tolook out for while determining if an exorcism is really needed or if the clientis suffering from psychosis and is in need of a professional therapist. PartFive focuses upon the spiritual support roles. It covers, dealing with deathand dying, Funerals, Prison Ministry, Legal requirements of doing Handfastingsin all 50 states, plus a discourse on whether or not to incorporate. This workbegins to fill yet another gap in this area of the Wiccan religious structureas it brings back much of the older knowledge and philosophy that seems to bewaning from the collective Wiccan memory.Reviewed by Edain McCoy; "Kevin, I received my copy of"Wiccan Minister's Manual" It's terrific! You cover everything...Personally, I think you did a great job at making your book useful to alltrads."
- GenresReligion
372 pages, Paperback
First published July 10, 2008
11 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 10, 2010
There are darn few books out there that talk about pastoral duties for pagan clergy. Clergy of more established and centralized religions get specific training in this, but it's not part of the Gardnerian Degree system. So, for that, I award three stars.
However,
1. A Spellchecker is not an editor or a proofreader.
2. Don't use big words you misunderstand to try to make yourself seem smarter. Now that you have done so, I know that you are not smart.
3. Yeah. You hate Western Medicine. I get it.
4. Homophones don't mean the same thing. See #1. And #2.
However,
1. A Spellchecker is not an editor or a proofreader.
2. Don't use big words you misunderstand to try to make yourself seem smarter. Now that you have done so, I know that you are not smart.
3. Yeah. You hate Western Medicine. I get it.
4. Homophones don't mean the same thing. See #1. And #2.
May 8, 2024
The author gives lip service to 'respecting western medicine' but makes their contempt for it glaringly obvious throughout the book. If you don't like it, say it. Don't say you respect it, then only refer to doctors as 'pill pushers'. Really makes one second guess how authentic the author really is.
There's nothing here I haven't seen that hasn't been covered in other books.
And this book really seems to encourage a 'toxic positivity' mindset.
There's nothing here I haven't seen that hasn't been covered in other books.
And this book really seems to encourage a 'toxic positivity' mindset.
November 2, 2023
Wonderful, a great book for those who will be passing on their knowledge of our craft.
September 13, 2012
Kevin M Gardner appears to be working virtually alone, fulfilling a valuable need in the Pagan community. He has written several books now that go far beyond the usual ‘Wicca 101′ shelf, delving instead into the pastoral needs of those acting publicly as clergy within the Wiccan and Pagan community.
While a lot of pagan literature insists that we are all our own priests and priestesses, that is admittedly only good so far as we are ministering only to ourselves. When the time comes to strap on the big robes and get into the community, it’s a very different scenario. This is where Mr Gardner’s books come in.
Although to my mind it is unlikely that any of us would be an effective priest ‘out there’ in the world without having some specialist contacts, Elders or other teachers to call on, this book does not claim to act as substitute. It is a ‘Guide’, a helping hand when the pressure to fulfil a role becomes too great, especially for those taking their first steps into the public eye. There are many similar books of support for the Pastoral community of other faiths, but while Druidry encourages independence, sometimes you need a bit of backup to be reassured that others have trod this ground before and survived!
Although the perspective here is (obviously) Wiccan, the advice is sound and heartfelt: LISTEN to your community, understand the value of patience, learn what is needed to truly heal. Some in fact reminded me of Granny Weatherwax’s advice in Terry Pratchett’s marvellous novels – the practical foundation beneath the cosmic wand-waving.
If you’re out there doing it, I commend you for your bravery. But you could do a lot worse than taking this brick along as part of your own foundation.
While a lot of pagan literature insists that we are all our own priests and priestesses, that is admittedly only good so far as we are ministering only to ourselves. When the time comes to strap on the big robes and get into the community, it’s a very different scenario. This is where Mr Gardner’s books come in.
Although to my mind it is unlikely that any of us would be an effective priest ‘out there’ in the world without having some specialist contacts, Elders or other teachers to call on, this book does not claim to act as substitute. It is a ‘Guide’, a helping hand when the pressure to fulfil a role becomes too great, especially for those taking their first steps into the public eye. There are many similar books of support for the Pastoral community of other faiths, but while Druidry encourages independence, sometimes you need a bit of backup to be reassured that others have trod this ground before and survived!
Although the perspective here is (obviously) Wiccan, the advice is sound and heartfelt: LISTEN to your community, understand the value of patience, learn what is needed to truly heal. Some in fact reminded me of Granny Weatherwax’s advice in Terry Pratchett’s marvellous novels – the practical foundation beneath the cosmic wand-waving.
If you’re out there doing it, I commend you for your bravery. But you could do a lot worse than taking this brick along as part of your own foundation.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews