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Patrik Qvarnström asked this question about The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess:
Is this book worth reading as the first book to learn about wiccan? if not, could you recommend a book worth starting out with?
Brother Moloch Yes this is a decent book to start with albeit it is written from a very feminist pov and by that I mean one of my biggest gripes about this book is h…moreYes this is a decent book to start with albeit it is written from a very feminist pov and by that I mean one of my biggest gripes about this book is how Starhawk takes the Hoodoo root, High John the Conqueror and renames it "High JOAN the Conqueror". Um pardon me but that smacks of elitist nonsense right there. While I do not call myself a feminist, I have very strong feminist attitudes and beliefs. Still you do not change the classical name of something just because you dislike males or some such thing.

Beyond that I enjoyed her history section and the meditations. I know many today tend to view her as "archaic, of yesteryear" (as one person said to me online recently) so there is a heavy bias these days for the new pretty McWiccan authors with their snazzy covered books with more New Age style of presentation and social media connection for the want of popularity.

I always point Witch seekers towards the classics like:

Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson
What Witches Do by Stewart Farrar
The Witch's Bible Complete by Stewart & Janet Farrar
Where Witchcraft Lives by Doreen Valiente
The ABC's of Witchcraft by Doreen Valiente
Wicca fir the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham
The Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland

Those are all worthwhile introductory materials. So what if they were written today or 70 years ago? Does that change anything? Sure some minor things may have changed but 98% of the material will still be valid and useful.
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The Spiral Dance
by Starhawk (Goodreads Author)
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