Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (Llewellyn's Practical Magick)

Got to keep the witch occupied, keep her out of my hair for a spell.

A great starting place for the solitary witch looking to find their place in the ever diversifying landscape of wicca and paganism in general.

The item arrived well packaged and no visible signs of damage BUT it skipped/hacked in my computer so a new one was promptly sent. I have the paperback version of this (which I HIGHLY recommend if your a reader!) and I love it. I decided to purchase this item so that my wife and I could listen to it in the car; on the train to/from work or just around the house. It is is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED listening for anyone who is interested in learning more about WICCA (aka The Modern Day Craft). It covers a broad spectrum of information - everything from origins to traditions, rituals, alter items, "proper" dress, Holy Days, moon phases and much more. In my opinion, Scott Cunningham is one of the best writers when it comes to The Craft. His books are easy to read and understand. He explains things simply yet thoroughly without talking over the readers head. My only wish is that they would put more of his books in audio form!

Paperback, measuring around 15 cm x 22.5 cm, with 240 good quality pages. From the back cover: 'Cunningham's classic introduction to Wicca is about how to live life magically, spiritually, and wholly attuned with nature. It is a book of sense and common sense, not only about magick, but about religion and one of the most critical issues of today: how to achieve the much needed and wholesome relationship with our Earth. Cunningham presents Wicca as it is today: a gentle, Earth-oriented religion dedicated to the Goddess and God. Wicca also includes Scott Cunningham's own Book of Shadows and updated appendices of periodicals and occult suppliers.'

Informative without being judgemental or condescending, really enjoyed the different views and points as a currently solo practitioner of wicca

I enjoyed this book, it gave me insight and connection to nature and the natural world.

Long ago, when I was a much younger person and afraid to truly admit even to myself that I was meant to follow a different Spiritual Path than most, I borrowed a book from my friend Anton that changed my life. It was "Wicca, A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner", by Scott Cunningham. I read many more of Scott's books and his written presence helped me so much when I had no person in the real world to turn to. So I decided to write to him and say thank you. I was devastated to discover that he was no longer in this life. I felt that I lost a friend I never met. I offered my feelings to the Goddess and the God and to the Spirit of Scott Cunningham. I still Bless his Soul. Scott is still helping me on this Path. I know that my thoughts reach him. I vowed then that I would always remember him on his birthday and light a candle in my Astral Sacred Space for him.

When I opened the Amazon package I could smell sage straight away I don’t know if that a coincidence or what straight feel hooked to the book

Scott Cunningham one of the foremost experts on Wicca has written a book geared towards the beginner and solitary practitioner of Wicca. Not every practitioner of Wicca will join a coven. Another piece of good news is that Mr. Cunningham has injected a spirit of individuality and freedom into the craft that does not bind one strictly to on way as the only way. The book covers alot of ground. It covers Runes, rituals, Sabbat and different meditations. It is a good companion for Silver Ravenwolf's "Teen Wicca" What I liked about the book is that it gave you the freedom to make your own way into Wicca. Included in the book is an herbal grimoire, knowledge of Runes and what they mean, all of which In plan on photocopying before I return it to the library. I have included some notes I have taken on the book below. Excellent book. Wicca was formerly closed off to society at large. Now a days things are beginning to change. Anyone who can read has access to the knowledge of Wicca. The religion of Wicca is based on SHaminism which is one of the oldest religion around. Shamnism came before societies were formed. Shamanism enabled people to access altered states of consiousness via such tools as fasting, music, dance, herbs etc. The Shaman or person who accessed these states often kept the information to himself and shared only a bit of what he knew. The religion of Wicca is based upon the reverence of the two deities. The Goddess and God both are equal and one cannot have one without the other. The same would go with both good and evil. In nature there is this duality male and female. The Goddess has many different names across a variety of different religions as does the God. Ussually the Goddess is represented by the moon at night and the God is represented by the Sun during the day. A good time to connect to the Goddess is when viewing the moon at night and saying a little prayer. The same could also hold true for the God. The Goddess goes through three stages, as represented by the moon. First she is the maiden as young woman in the full of life. Her second stage is that of the Mother someone pregnat with life and giving birth. Finally she is the crone advanced in years, nurturing and full of wisdom. The Male God goes through three stages as well represented by the changes in the solar year. First he starts off as a young boy being birthed on December 21 the time of Yule. A young baby comes to manhood during the Beltane holiday and finally passing on dur9ng Samhain. THe cycle repeats itself on the Yule. Wicca is a religion that embraces magic. Magic is the projection of natural energies to produce a desired effect. There are three kinds of energies or power. The first type is Personal power. This is the power that exists inside each and everyone of us. The second power is natural power. Natural power is the power contained in nature. All elements in nature have power be they stones, fire or water. Finally there is divine energy an energy that comes from the God and Goddess. To perform magic one needs certain tools or at least the tools are helpful. The first on is a broom. Brooms dispel negative enrgy and protect the home from bad vibes. The next is the wand. THe wand is used for invoking deities or powers. At first a wand can be made of any material later on more specialized forms of wood produce a more beneficial efect. The next is a censer. A Censer is what burns the incence. You can take a vessel fill it with sand or salt to absorb the heat from the charcoal. Sprinkling incesnce on charcoal is the preferred way. THe next is the cauldron where many potions and things are made. It is the most important and it represent the Goddess. Your next tool is the athame or magical knife which is used to direct energies raised during your ceremony. A white handled knife of Boine is used to carve your ritual item. Other items include a pentacle, crystal ball, bell and book of shadows. Through out the year there are several days of power. Every full moon there are Esbats. There are 8 Sabbats during the Years. These are important. The first Sabbat is the Yule which occurs on December 21. This is the birth of the male god. It is said that the Persian God Mithras was born on this day and the Christians merely appropriated it. This is also tghe shortest Day of the Year. Next is Imbolc. This occurs roughly around the beginning on February. It is meant to mark the Goddesses recover after giving birth. In this Holidya the god is a young boy who fertilizes the earth. It also acts as a purification from being shut in all winter. It is known by several names and some Wiccans wear a crown of candle in celebration of this this holiday. Ostara Occurs around March 21 which is the Spring Equinox. In this Holiday te Goddess awaken from her winter rest. This is a time of expansion. Animals and people are encouraged to reproduce. It is a good time for doing spells that involve future gain or tending garden. Beltane occurs on April 30 This is symbolic of the Goddess becoming pregnatn from the God. Phallic symbol are erected mostly May poles. People would awaken at dawn gather flowers and there is dancing around the pole. Mid Summer Solstice on June 21 is when the powers reach their peak. Both God and Goddess are awash in fertility.. People leap over bonfire to encourage fertility, love health and love. This is the perfect time for all sorts of magic. Lughnasadh happens on August 1 this is the first harvest. It was when crops whiother and drop their seeds. THe male God is losing his strength and the Goddess is feeling sadness.This is also known as August Eve or Feast of bread. Mabon occurs Septemeber 21 during the Autumn equinox and the day and night are equal. Nature declines and her crop, bounty and goodness are being withdrawn. The Male god wanes while at the same time growing in her belly. Samhaim which we know as Halloween occurs October 31. This marks the death of the male God . This is ussually a time of reflection when peopl look back over the year and reflect upon what they have done and trhe concepts of life and death. During this time animals are sacrificed in oreer to gurntee food for the winter. Most Wiccans believe in reincarnation as the God is born dies and then is reborn. There are 8 step to perfroming a ritual. THe first one is purification of the self. This is usualy done by bathing and getting one self cleaned. Some can use music or allow themself to let the wind blow on them.This gets rid of the negativity. THe next step is to purify the space. This is more difficult if the ceremony is being done indoors. First one can sweep the area clean with a broom and can also sweep it symbolically using a witches broom. One can also sprinkle salt along with different herbs to help purify a space. Incense serves the same purpose. Next is to create the sacred space. This is done by creating your circle calling your corner/ Next you invoke the deities to join you, observe the ritual, raise the energy, Earth your power, Thanks the Deities and then break your circle.

Seja você um praticante da Wicca ou apenas um estudioso do tema, este livro cumpre o seu papel como referência no tema. O conteúdo é apresentado de maneira clara, desmistificada e o autor é bastante sincero, apresentando a verdade sobre esta religião de maneira clara e direta, deixando de lado tentativas de convencimento do leitor.

Utilissimo per chi vuole studiare le basi, consigliato

One of the best book ,it's have details about shaman,Wiccan, their rituals , description of elements ,colours, book of shadow , evoking spells ,and other spells

beautiful words, every chapter has a lot of information and written in a non bias fashion. Excellent for new wiccans, good information based on his experience; herbs, Gods & Goddess, Positive practise, norms of a wicca, what to avoid! ,symbols, songs, rituals.. for me a real complete guide with practical information. excellent buy! love this book.