the Witches' Informational Network

Suggested Reading

[Suggested Reading] As long as the W.I.N. has been in operation, one of the most common questions we've been asked is "Where can I find out more about Witchcraft and Wicca?". Well, apart from finding a teacher or talking to a practicing Witch over coffee or tea, the best source -and the worst source- can be books. To help you weave your way through the Pagan literary labyrinth we are providing this short list of good books for beginner and intermediate reading. Many of these books can be found at bookstores in and around Minnesota (see our Contacts/Stores page) or through Llewellyn books or Amazon.com.

Addition:
After requests made at Pagan Pride, we now are listing the URL where you can find the documentary "Witch City". While it is not a treatise on Paganism, it tells the story of commercialization, Pagans vs. Christians and the evolution of the town, Salem, Massachussets, in the late 20th century. We highly recommend it!

http://www.artsgloucester.com/witchcity/

Listings below are alphabetical by author's last name, then by level of difficulty (beginner - advanced), and then by title of book. Please note that all reviews are subjective and in the opinion of the reviewer only.

"A Complete Guide to Witchcraft" - beginner by Raymond Buckland	Overall, Mr. Buckland has created one of those books that seems to exist on just about every Witch's shelf. Oversized and a bright blue in color, it's hard to miss. Inside, Mr. Buckland proceeds to examine the development of the Goddess religion from it's Paleolithic beginnings to the revival of the Modern age. He gives a Historian-like account of developments both sociolical and anthropological that led from the ancient Goddess worship on up through the Burning Times and into the 20th Century. Each chapter contains lessons, exercises and overviews of various aspects of Wicca, presented in a very clinical and text-book-like approach. For those who learn well from academic and scholarly sources, this is a very complete source that touches on just about everything. I did find that some of the soul of the Wiccan religion felt "lost" in the dry tone of the author's voice. Still, it does contain just about everything a novice will need to know and I've met many, many Wiccans who consult it frequently when looking for a refresher course or some back-to-basics information. Reviewed by Sylvan SilverNight
"Wicca: A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner" - beginner by Scott Cunningham	Scott Cunningham passed away in 1993, leaving behind him a legacy of work for the Wiccan community. Seeing a lack of good, unbiased source material for newcomers who couldn't find (or didn't feel comfortable with) a teacher, he wrote this book detailing the general aspects and practices of modern Wiccans. Intended as an instructional guide for those who didn't have a Coven to practice with, Mr. Cunningham explored the fundamentals of the religion in a conversational tone, giving plenty of examples and highlighting matters of philosophy, ethics and theology. It even contains a basic Book of Shadows for solitary practice. While not the first book I'd ever read on Wiccan practice, it quickly became one of the most useful. There is a friendliness and openess in this work that -while cursory and intended only as a first step- helps explain Wicca in terms of it's religious basics. For just about any beginner, I recommend this book - especially in conjunction with it's follow-up, "Living Wicca". Reviewed by Sylvan SilverNight
"Living Wicca" - intermediate by Scott Cunningham	The follow-up to "Wicca: A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner", this book covers more indepth information regarding ceremony and philosphical basics of the faith. Of greater detail than "Wicca:...", it looks at practical aspects of daily life as a Wiccan as well as the operational theology of the faith. I usually recommend this book to others once they have read the first one, "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner". However, I view it more as a continuation without which the first book in the series is not as potent. Reviewed by Sylvan SilverNight
"The Spiral Dance" - beginner by Starhawk	Starhawk is one of those figures in the Wiccan community who has become incredibly well known. This book is largely why. Within these pages, she examines the development of personal spirituality along with an in-depth look at finding one's way on the Wiccan path. Devoid of "Thou Shalls" and "Thou Shalt Nots", this guide is -instead- a fairly complete examination of what Wicca means and what fundamental beliefs form its foundation. Starhawk's research and practical knowlege is a boon to any serious student of Wicca and her chapters on the Goddess and on the God are worth the cover price alone. "Spiral Dance" is full of exercises in functional spellcraft for daily usage as well as for working in ritual with others. While not specifically tailored to solitary practice, Starhawk's easy prose makes adapting group ritual and observance to the individual very easy. The only criticism I could possibly have regarding "The Spiral Dance" is choice of language. There are a couple parts of this book that made me -as a man- feel slighted and "left out". This said, it should be noted that Starhawk herself is in no way sexist and has taken pains to write that such exclusion is not be her intent. Still, male readers may find the tone of some passages to feel exclusionary. I encourage these people to read the book despite this and to learn from it. It was the first book I ever read on the subject of Paganism and it taught me much about the foundations of Wiccan theology. Reviewed by Sylvan SilverNight