Book: Wicca The Complete Craft by Dj Conway
It's hard to imagine a more comprehensive or well-written resource for students of Wicca than Wicca: The Complete Craft. D.J. Conway, whose earlier books include Moon Magick and The Celtic Dragon Tarot, speaks about the Wicca religion with seasoned authority, making this one of the best guidebooks on the market. She begins with an overview of Wicca, explaining its historical roots and dispelling common assumptions. For example, the practice of magic is not the focus of Wiccan Religion, just a sideline, she notes. Conway also possesses a strong voice of integrity. Unlike some fad-feeding authors, she discourages teens from becoming involved in Wiccan magic without the explicit approval of their parents. In fact, even advises teens to avoid the practice of magic altogether, since "the vast majority of teenagers lack the life experience or emotional maturity to deal correctly with the ethics involved with magic." This sort of ethical vigilance is carried throughout the book. Conway offers over 500 pages worth of lessons and rituals, including the making of a witch (expect to study at least a year and a day), developing psychic abilities, protection and self-defense, puberty rites, breaking spells, Astral Projection, magical herbs, and ritual tools. This is the book for beginners, and is certainly a respectable resource for more mature witches.While this book certainly is not "the definitive" Wiccan book (as if there was such a thing), it certainly offers a wealth of information about this ancient religion. This book was mentioned to me as a great place to learn more about "the Craft," in fact the person who first told me about it called it a "Wiccan textbook." While someone not new to Wicca may find this book covers a lot of material mentioned elsewhere, someone new to this as I am will find this book fascinating.
What I liked about this book was that it provides a very nice overall reference to Wicca, which as someone new to this religion is something very important to me. There is a tremendous amount of information in this book, in fact at times it was almost overwhelming. Among areas covered are examples of rituals for various Sabats, handfasting, and Drawing Down the Moon and Sun, herbs, essential oils, candles, words and terms used in Wicca, pantheons of Gods and Goddesses of different cultures, nature spirits, and so on. Reading through this book gave me a sense that the information contained within it can be a source of "great power" if used correctly.
Popular pagan author D. J. Conway introduces readers to the religion of Wicca, or witchcraft, and dispels many common misconceptions about it. Conway offers a comprehensive overview of Wiccan philosophy and tenets and provides a useful primer for practicing Wicca as a spiritual guide. Wicca is an ancient nature religion that teaches respect for others as well as responsibility for one's actions. Conway emphasizes that it is not associated with cults, devil worship, or animal sacrifice. Wiccans believe in the sanctity of all life and recognize a dual deity, both a goddess and a god. Included are chapters on sacred space, ritual tools, holy days, meditations and visualizations, spells and the art of spell casting, as well as terms used in Wicca.
As I said before, this may not be "the one true Wiccan book," and those with some knowledge may already know most of what in here, but still I found it to be an excellent guide to Wicca.
Downloadable books (free):
Pino Longchild - Wicca Revealed A First Year Within The CraftReginald Scot - The Discoverie Of Witchcraft
Simon - The Complete Simon Necronomicon
Raymond Buckland - Bucklands Complete Book Of Witchcraft
