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The Old Laws or the Ardanes
Theoretically, this was passed down through the years within the New Forest Coven, which supposedly introduced Gardner to Wicca. if it did exist, there’s plenty of debate as to what it taught, but Wicca certainly was not it, although it certainly influenced Gardner’s creation of Wicca. Even Gardner confessed what the coven taught was fragmentary. […]
13 Goals of a Witch
By Scott Cunningham, Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner, 1988 Know yourself Know your Craft (Wicca) Learn Apply knowledge with wisdom Achieve balance Keep your words in good order Keep your thoughts in good order Celebrate life Attune with the cycles of the Earth Breathe and […]
Rede of the Wiccae or The Wiccan Credo
Despite the insistence of some that the Wiccan Rede is taken from this piece, the Rede of the Wiccae was not published until the 1970s by one Lady Gwen Thompson, although some attest to its existence at least a few years earlier within Thompson’s own tradition. Thompson claims it was taught to her by her […]
The Law of Return aka the Threefold Law
Simply put, the Law of Return states that all actions have repercussions. There are many versions of the Law of Return. My personal beliefs are in line with the laws of ecology which state: Everything is connected to everything else Everything must go somewhere Nature knows best There is no such thing as a free […]
Books About General Neopaganism
While most of the books reviewed here focus specifically on Wicca, there are books about wider neopaganism that are worth a read. Reviews follow the Amazon links. Joyce & River Higgenbotham, Pagan Spirituality: A Guide to Personal Transformation Pagans face a variety of difficulties in their spiritual development. Their faith and spirituality was formed […]
Books on Non-Wicca-Specific Magical Practices
I normally keep the topics of Wicca and magic separate. However, the fact is many Wiccans are also interested in magic, some books do discuss both, and there certainly are things you can study in one that helps with understanding in the other. The very fact I tried reading these books says something about them, […]
Books on the History of Wicca
Reviews for books dedicated to the history of Wicca (the real, 20th century history, not the ancient history long debunked as ludicrous) can be found below the Amazon links. Ronald Hutton, Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. This is becoming a must read for Wiccans, especially for those with any interest […]
Books of Wiccan Spiritual and Magical Ritual
The following three books provide a fair amount of information on spiritual and magical ritual from a Wiccan point of view. Reviews are below. Isaac Bonewits, The Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca This is a wonderful no-nonsense, unfluffy source of information regarding what Wicca is and is not, how it relates to the Neopagan […]
Book Recommendations for Beginners
I strongly recommend all four books below to people just starting to learn about Wicca. In particular, I stress reading Thea Sabin’s book first as it sets down basic fundamentals that a lot of other sources ignore. I place Deborah Lipp’s book last because she talks about why we do certain things in ritual. As […]
The Elements
The world is metaphorically/metaphysically viewed in terms of four physical elements – earth, water, air and fire (which roughly correspond to the four scientific forms of matter: solid, liquid, gas and plasma) – plus spirit. Together, these elements form a united whole, as is symbolized in the pentagram. Science No Wiccan thinks these five elements […]
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