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The Wiccaning: A Step-By-Step Guide to Becoming a Modern Witch
The Wiccaning is the initiation rite used to become a witch in the ancient pagan religion of Western Europe called Wicca. Wiccans use ceremonial ritual to help them clarify their intentions, prepare themselves for action, perform actions, and gain results. This creative process is also called magick. In The Wiccaning readers are introduced to the spiritual basics of witchcraft, and novice Wiccans learn how to refine these values to achieve increasing levels of power to shape their spiritual lives. Revealed are details such as how to dress, how to cast a circle, and how to set a Wiccan altar using candles, salt, water, an athame, and incense burners. The magickal use of crystals, candles, and colors; the legerdemain of the calendar; the lore of alchemy; and the magickal use of herbs, oils, and incense--all are unveiled to the initiate. Attunement for healing, astral projection, divining fortunes, and casting spells are discussed, as are the Wiccan feast days and ceremonies. A guide to forming a harmonious working coven completes the book.
255 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 9, 2013
If I could give it a negative I would.
This book is full of historically incorrect information; there are no dates or actual references from credible books. She gleams over the inquisition, the burning times and the modern reconstruction of Wicca. This book has the distinct feel like the Author has made up what she believes and thrown into a book, without any research. This is clearly her opinion and what she practises and I can only hope that anyone reading this will use their brain and read other material and make an intelligent decision. Below are some examples from the book of the information that is incredibly questionable. There is at least one piece of dodgy information on every page.
Page 5 "The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that the Wiccans were capable of many different things" Find me a history book that says anything about Wiccans, Wicca and Wiccan are modern terms and using the words interchangeably for historical reference is poor writing.
Page 5 & 6 "The thing most dreaded among the Greeks and Romans during this period was the threat of the evil eye. They accused only the Wiccans of having this power. The evil eye is an intense look or state. It is meant for on e purpose; a warning. The warning is forbearance to refrain from action. Yes the evil eye still exists! The Author then goes on for another page about the subject.
Page 8 "The Black Witch Black Witches are not associated with either Gray or White Witches, or even the Wiccan religion. This is usually due to their affiliation with Satan or other dark forces."
Page 12 "The Book of Shadows must have solid black covers and unlined white paper" Really! Well I know a few Witches and Covens who would have something to say about that.
Page 14 "As long as the person is not married, the field is open for magick" I can not personally believe that this was allowed to be in print, there are a lot of people who are not married and have children and very happy lives. Relationships are sacred things and by saying something as blatant as that in a book like this is a disgrace.
Page 111 "4th Chakra - Pink" Most Eastern philosophy states that the chakra is green, pink is the secondary.
Page 173 "How does one become an Angel? And if out soul reincarnated, then how do you explain Angels? I believe every soul has a destination. It can rest and learn in either Heaven or hell, or even become a ghost on an earthly plane, but all souls have a destination. I believe some souls are older than others. The older, the wiser and the more pure of heart the soul is, the more likely the candidate is to become an Angel." Rest in hell, ok then, Souls becoming Angels? There are a lot of theories about Angels and their origins, I think her explanation is was to simplistic.
Page 173 "not all Witches believe there is a heaven or hell. I believe in both and that there is a ruler in hell, known as Satan. The Dark Forces are mere followers of evil" And that quote takes the cake.
To sum it all up, this book is childish, uneducated, shallow, simple, un-researched and a waste of money. Books that are actually worth reading and buying are: Wicca by Vivienne Crowley, Wicca by Scott Cunningham and The Idiots Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Zimmerman.
This book is full of historically incorrect information; there are no dates or actual references from credible books. She gleams over the inquisition, the burning times and the modern reconstruction of Wicca. This book has the distinct feel like the Author has made up what she believes and thrown into a book, without any research. This is clearly her opinion and what she practises and I can only hope that anyone reading this will use their brain and read other material and make an intelligent decision. Below are some examples from the book of the information that is incredibly questionable. There is at least one piece of dodgy information on every page.
Page 5 "The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that the Wiccans were capable of many different things" Find me a history book that says anything about Wiccans, Wicca and Wiccan are modern terms and using the words interchangeably for historical reference is poor writing.
Page 5 & 6 "The thing most dreaded among the Greeks and Romans during this period was the threat of the evil eye. They accused only the Wiccans of having this power. The evil eye is an intense look or state. It is meant for on e purpose; a warning. The warning is forbearance to refrain from action. Yes the evil eye still exists! The Author then goes on for another page about the subject.
Page 8 "The Black Witch Black Witches are not associated with either Gray or White Witches, or even the Wiccan religion. This is usually due to their affiliation with Satan or other dark forces."
Page 12 "The Book of Shadows must have solid black covers and unlined white paper" Really! Well I know a few Witches and Covens who would have something to say about that.
Page 14 "As long as the person is not married, the field is open for magick" I can not personally believe that this was allowed to be in print, there are a lot of people who are not married and have children and very happy lives. Relationships are sacred things and by saying something as blatant as that in a book like this is a disgrace.
Page 111 "4th Chakra - Pink" Most Eastern philosophy states that the chakra is green, pink is the secondary.
Page 173 "How does one become an Angel? And if out soul reincarnated, then how do you explain Angels? I believe every soul has a destination. It can rest and learn in either Heaven or hell, or even become a ghost on an earthly plane, but all souls have a destination. I believe some souls are older than others. The older, the wiser and the more pure of heart the soul is, the more likely the candidate is to become an Angel." Rest in hell, ok then, Souls becoming Angels? There are a lot of theories about Angels and their origins, I think her explanation is was to simplistic.
Page 173 "not all Witches believe there is a heaven or hell. I believe in both and that there is a ruler in hell, known as Satan. The Dark Forces are mere followers of evil" And that quote takes the cake.
To sum it all up, this book is childish, uneducated, shallow, simple, un-researched and a waste of money. Books that are actually worth reading and buying are: Wicca by Vivienne Crowley, Wicca by Scott Cunningham and The Idiots Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Zimmerman.
February 26, 2019
I will edit this as I go, because I have a LOT to say about this book and I'm only 47 pages into it.
If I had to sum up this book, it would be like this: white-washed, fluffy bunny (I like a lot of fluffy bunnies, but she takes the cake to the extreme) never-did-anything-wrong witchcraft bullshit.
This book is a jumble of personal beliefs and very few facts. Which brings me to the other part: hereditary witchcraft. I will admit I know Bupkis when it comes to this branch of witchcraft... but after just dipping my toe in Sister Moon's book, I am questioning everything she is putting in this book due to portraying her opinions as if they were facts. This is a slippery slope, my sister. So now I will be researching the hell out of Hereditary Witchcraft.
This was the first book I ever laid eyes on as a teen just coming into the Craft (along with Teen Witch by SilverMoon Raven; whom I now realize pretty much writes a book anytime she needs to pay the bills). I learned to avoid her early on and I will have to say the same about Sister Moon.
If you are going to take the Craft seriously and do the work, AVOID this book.
If I had to sum up this book, it would be like this: white-washed, fluffy bunny (I like a lot of fluffy bunnies, but she takes the cake to the extreme) never-did-anything-wrong witchcraft bullshit.
This book is a jumble of personal beliefs and very few facts. Which brings me to the other part: hereditary witchcraft. I will admit I know Bupkis when it comes to this branch of witchcraft... but after just dipping my toe in Sister Moon's book, I am questioning everything she is putting in this book due to portraying her opinions as if they were facts. This is a slippery slope, my sister. So now I will be researching the hell out of Hereditary Witchcraft.
This was the first book I ever laid eyes on as a teen just coming into the Craft (along with Teen Witch by SilverMoon Raven; whom I now realize pretty much writes a book anytime she needs to pay the bills). I learned to avoid her early on and I will have to say the same about Sister Moon.
If you are going to take the Craft seriously and do the work, AVOID this book.
December 27, 2013
Oh dear, sweet gods! Am I ever glad I got this on a remainder table and didn't pay full price!
For all that he has a lot of wonderful correspondence for someone to work with, the grandiose claims full of historical inaccuracies overshadow all else. If you decide you want to read this a) borrow it from someone or the library; don't buy it. And b) be prepared to wade through a LOT of crap.
For all that he has a lot of wonderful correspondence for someone to work with, the grandiose claims full of historical inaccuracies overshadow all else. If you decide you want to read this a) borrow it from someone or the library; don't buy it. And b) be prepared to wade through a LOT of crap.
October 11, 2018
I have owned this book since I was a young teenager. I remember trying to start it and being put off by some of the information in it, which is a good part of the reason I started to study solitary witchcraft and to this day identify as a NON Wiccan witch. I understand that everyone from any “religion” has different beliefs, but I am extremely confused by a Wiccan who believes Jesus is the son of the goddess and god, that there is a heaven AND a hell (a very uncommon belief that seems to make no sense), Angels and Demons, and Satan. Witches and Wiccans, usually, do not believe in Heaven and hell, Angelic beings, and Satan. This book is very strict on “rules”. It even states that to properly become a solitary witch you have to be initiated by a coven. There are a lot of moments the writer pushes her own personal beliefs and then later states that Wiccans never push their beliefs on others. It also contains a lot of shockingly inaccurate information and advice on spells that is borderline offensive because of how inaccurate it is. Love spells are okay to do as long as the person isn’t married?No, no NO! Saying you can influence someone’s life without their permission in general is wildly inaccurate, and saying that you can do a love spell on someone who is in a relationship as long as they aren’t married is shockingly...well, it’s gross. The book just isn’t for me, and if you are a solitary witch or plan on practicing by yourself it won’t be the book for you, either. I encourage most to just not read this. It borders on being worthless.
April 15, 2014
I really wanted to like this book and there were sections that I loved like the Moon Magick, Herbs, Oils and Spells.
But on the same token I hated what Sister Moon had written as the history of Wicca.= much of that was incorrect fact
" Page 8 "The Black Witch Black Witches are not associated with either Gray or White Witches, or even the Wiccan religion. This is usually due to their affiliation with Satan or other dark forces."
Page 12 "The Book of Shadows must have solid black covers and unlined white paper" Really! Well I know a few Witches and Covens who would have something to say about that. "
Which leads me to wonder how much of the parts I really liked were incorrect as well.
It was a good book, easy to read but a lot of the details and facts were flat out wrong.
I would not recommend this book for a new practitioner of the faith.
But on the same token I hated what Sister Moon had written as the history of Wicca.= much of that was incorrect fact
" Page 8 "The Black Witch Black Witches are not associated with either Gray or White Witches, or even the Wiccan religion. This is usually due to their affiliation with Satan or other dark forces."
Page 12 "The Book of Shadows must have solid black covers and unlined white paper" Really! Well I know a few Witches and Covens who would have something to say about that. "
Which leads me to wonder how much of the parts I really liked were incorrect as well.
It was a good book, easy to read but a lot of the details and facts were flat out wrong.
I would not recommend this book for a new practitioner of the faith.
January 27, 2021
I give this book four stars for one main reason, this is the first book I read at 13 that opened my eyes to so much more than all I knew at the time. That alone deserves praise because if my mind wouldn't have been opened as young as I was, I probably wouldn't be the same person. That being said, reading reviews on this book tells me that it isn't exactly accurate in some senses. I disagree with certain things the author expressed, for example, using the Lord's prayer in ceremony was odd to me. I did like the way the book was set up though. The section on Tarot gave me a different perspective on how to read certain cards, which I was very happy about. Overall, the book might not be the best starter for a knowledge seeker or beginning witch, but it helped change my life in its own way, and I'm grateful for that.
September 6, 2011
People actually read and believe this... Im not gonna say the word, it's too nasty.
One of the WORST books I've EVER read on Witchcraft and Paganism and Wicca. Seriously, one of the worst!
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Portugueses podem ler a minha crítica completa: Aqui
One of the WORST books I've EVER read on Witchcraft and Paganism and Wicca. Seriously, one of the worst!
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Portugueses podem ler a minha crítica completa: Aqui
March 24, 2015
glad I got it cheap price, don't bother reading
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews