|
The
Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmermann
and Katherine A. Gleason
Although I'm not wild about the titles of the Complete Idiots and
For Dummies series of books, I've found them to be some of the more
informative titles available.
The book contains basic beginners information and is written in
a tone that is clear, upbeat and informative. It contains several
excellent chapters on Magick, from tools, preparing for ritual,
creating sacred space, magickal timing; as well as ethics, including
a line by line look at the Rede; and some lovely invocations and
rituals.
The Complete Idiot's Guide is peppered small blurbs that are informative
as well as fun. "Banish!" warns the reader about pitfalls
they may encounter. "Webweaving" contains all sorts of
facts, from which kinds of oils dissolve best in bathwater to the
ingredients for the drink "Black Magic". Book of Shadows
gives definitions to words and terms, and "So Mote It Be"
offers ways of increasing your understanding of the Craft and getting
in touch with yourself.
Although I had certain disagreements with the authors on minor
items: Circle geometry - the alleged need to cast a circle inside
a square to give the watchtowers corners to sit on; how many dragons
there are; pentacle vs pentagram. They also show the pentagram in
mirror-reverse of the actual direction (Earth should be bottom left,
not bottom right.) Somehow they did manage to get the directions
for the invoking/banishing pentagrams correct, with the exception
of Spirit.
Despite these flaws, I find this one of the best and most comprehensive
beginners books I've found. I'm definitely going to be recommending
it highly to my own students.
|
