Just one book

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 09 Nov 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Bings	09 Nov 2002
I have a friend who I read cards for once in a while. She has just expressed an interest in Wicca and has asked if I could recommend any books or websites to her. I gave her a long list of both. She just emailed me and asked if I could narrow it down to JUST ONE book to start with. I think finances may be a big issue when it comes to buying this book. So my question to you is; What is the best book for someone who very interested in learning about Wicca??? She currently knows very little about the subject, is intellegent and serious about learning. If everyone is willing to list just one book I will recommend to my friend the one most agreed upon. Thankyou, Dianne :-)

RedWood	09 Nov 2002
A lot of people have mentioned before...Wicca for the Solitary Practioner..by: Scott Cunningham

Liliana	09 Nov 2002
yep totally agree with Redwood, one of the few authors who doesnt really teach a certain tradition over another so itll give the bare bones facts, plus it has a Book of Shadows in it if she wishes to use it. My Mom's just decided to become a WIccan and is following this book to the letter hehe :THP

Laurel	09 Nov 2002
Ditto on the Scott Cunningham book. Its probably one of the finest texts on Wicca that has ever been written. Laurel

faunabay	09 Nov 2002
That's the book I'd recommend also!! Actually any of Scott Cunningham's books are great but IMO this is the best for a beginner who can only have one book!! I think we have a winner!!! :D

Jeanette	09 Nov 2002
Here I go again, but if you want to preview books before buying, try your local library! If they don't have what you want, maybe they can get it from another library for you. It's called ILL, or Inter Library Loan. Most offer this service. You can look at all the books you like, for a few weeks at a time, before you buy! Best wishes!!! Jeanette

jema	09 Nov 2002
and here i chime in with another book... marion green - a witch alone ok, so perhaps not all wicca. but i like it it is like a guidebook for how to really develop your spirituality during 13 moons. cunningham is good too though if it is only wicca she is interested in. and for a total beginner it might be ok with just one book or one author, to bad only that many get "stuck" there and won't even consider anything but the most popular mainstream books. a good tips on how to get cheap books is to buy second-hand. amazon got a really great selection at their marketplace and especially wicca 101 books are cheap there.

Silverlotus	10 Nov 2002
I'd have to agree with both the suggestions of the Cunningham and Green books. But if you'd like to maybe suggest something a bit more open-ended, centered on paganism in general, you could suggest Paganism: An Introduction to Earth Centered Religions by River and Joyce Higginbottom. It's a good introduction to paganism, and covers the Wheel of the Year, ethics, passages, etc. There are lots of good exerices in it too. I picked it up because I wanted something to give me a beginners prospect while I was re-evaluating what I believed. An excellent read! Silverlotus

Martin	10 Nov 2002
Hello! I'm afraid I'm going to rock the boat here, as a witch with many years experience, I personally find Scott Cunninghams books absolute rubbish. I am not personally a wiccan, but did start there, and I'm afraid that this book does not represent Wicca at all. The first issue is initiation. Now I do not believe that one has to have initiation to be a witch, but Wicca is a specific spirituality, which at its core is an initiatory mystery religion. Gerald Gardner, who founded Wicca, did so on the basis of the secret societies which had previously been a member of (freemasons, OTO etc), and these are initiation based paths. One cannot read a book and call themslves a Mason for example. Secondly, this book contains none of the vital information needed. I seem to be alone in a world that is blind to the obvious lack of content in this book. It is everything I hate about modern paganism, let me expand on this. The tool section is laughable, it lacks any decent explanation of the working tools of Wicca, especially as concerns their symbolism, and do people really need to be told that "the censer is an incense burner" or that the "cup is a cauldron on a stem"? Is this the great knowledge that the blurb on the back promises? The rituals are also so dull & empty. To think that Wicca evolved from a synthesis of magical societies, freemasonry, cunning craft, occult philosophy, great literature & poetry etc and yet here ritual is debased into trite amateur prose with no theoretical background. After reading this book I can't see how anyone will be any closer to understanding Wicca, or anything approaching it. Where is the knowledge of casting circles, where are the Elementals, where is a serious explanation of anything full stop? I don't understand why beginner book has to equate with lack of content. If people aren't prepared to invest the time into understanding things properly then there's no point in bothering in the first place. Rather you spend time understanding fully & delay practice than rush into practice on flimsy empty foundations. I personally favour In The Circle by Elen Hawke as a better beginners book, as it contains a spiritual inspirational undercurrent whilst actually informing people as ot the whys & wherefores of practice. Sorry to be blunt, but then that's just me! BB Martin

Diana	11 Nov 2002
Quote: Sorry to be blunt, but then that's just me! Martin Yup! That's just you! :) I don't know anything about Wicca, so I'm not going to comment on your post, but I do recall in the past, many months ago, that there was someone else who also made a strong diatribe against Cunningham's book. So you are not alone in the world! ;)

Kyrielle	12 Nov 2002
My first readings on paganism were the Green Witchcraft books by Aoumiel (given name Ann Moura). There are three of them, all titled Green Witchcraft with I, II, or III afterward. I haven't dipped into them for a while, but I remember liking her approach. I don't think this was specifically called Wicca in the books (I may be wrong though -- it has been a while), but it was basically the same thing. The books cover all sorts of things from herbalism to sabbats to tree lore to familiars. Also, there is a book called Simple Wicca by Michele Morgan (yes, she also wrote A Magical Guide to the Tarot). It's a gentle, joyful introduction to the path. It would really be a good book to give someone if you were trying to edge out of the "broom closet" to them, to gently inform them about Wicca. Something about the libraries here -- they get books on metaphysical subjects, but the ones on the more "controversial" subjects, Wicca included, tend to vanish after a short while. I figure either the puritan-hearted people are stealing them because they don't want people to have access to the information, or the books are being taken by budding pagans who feel they should be ashamed because they are curious and don't want to risk odd looks by other people. Just something I noticed while working at a library. -- Kyrielle

Logiatrix	13 Nov 2002
bings, perhaps your friend focuses on the websites (with your guidance, because info is sometimes questionable on the web), then she will be better informed for her own book selection. when it comes to something like wicca, there are so many branches and sub-categories, that what one ultimately believes is really quite subjective. personally, i found a greater understanding of this faith through the writings of silver ravenwolf and scott cunningham. i also learned of nay-sayers on each of these writers, and others who were exclusive to just one founder of wicca, while shunning all other views!

Maan	13 Nov 2002
The book from Phyllis Curott is a great start and ectually everthing you need ;) IMHO of course :)

WolfSpirit	13 Nov 2002
Quote: Originally posted by metaz bings, perhaps your friend focuses on the websites (with your guidance, because info is sometimes questionable on the web), then she will be better informed for her own book selection. I was going to suggest this as well :) I found out at Aeclectic how much you learn (and how much fun it is) to learn from other people, instead of just a book, which may be good as a base or a reference, but which in the end is also someone's view. I'm sure your friend will soon discover what she agrees with and what she totally disagrees with, so she can limit it down.

Sea Sprite	13 Nov 2002
Ditto! Scott Cunningham's books

Bings	14 Nov 2002
Thank you everyone for your replies. You have all been a trememdous help. I may even look into a few of the books mentioned. Dianne :-)

LeaRay	27 Nov 2002
The books by Scott Cunningham have already been mentioned. I would also recomment them too. I read them when I was first starting out on my path and thought they were excellent books. Very easy to read. I one that I would highly recommend is 'Book of Shadows' by Phyllis Currot (sp?). This book is more of a memoir of the author's expericences and how she got involved in Wicca, insted of a 'how-to' book. I found it to be wonderfully inspiriational! and would recommend it to anyone! blessings! LeaRay

The Just one book thread was originally posted on 09 Nov 2002 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.