Living Wicca was the second ever book I read on the subject of Wicca. The year was 2004 and I was 15 or had just turned 16. I had been introduced to Wicca earlier in the year, and been lent the book Teen Witch by Silver Ravewolf (I might discuss that one at some point) which I read cover to cover. In my eagerness to learn more about this religion that held such a calling for me, I entered the library with as much courage as I could muster. I was scared that if I asked for books about Wicca my parents, who did not approve, would find out. But despite that fear, and the fear of being reprimanded by older women, I went and I asked.
The librarian who helped me found one book that she could get me. It was located in Oulu - which felt like the opposite end of the country - and asked if I was willing to pay the reservation fee for them to mail the book between our cities. I happily paid my weeks allowance (I did not have a huge allowance), and waited for Living Wicca by Scott Cunningham to arrive. Once it did, I fashioned a faux cover from colored paper for it and read it at night under the covers by the light of a flashlight. That is how secretive I had to be. I also made coded notes from the book that I still have to this day.
That was the backstory of my relationship to this book. I eventually read more books, and now own quite a few Wiccan titles myself. I purchased Living Wicca for myself late last year, but did not get around to reading it until recently. Here I will give my thoughts of the book.
Living Wicca - a Further Guide to the Solitary Practitioner
Living Wicca is dedicated by Scott Cunningham "to solitary practitioners everywhere". After the success of his book Wicca: A Guide to the Solitary Practitioner he worked on bringing about further instructions to solitary Craft practitioners. Wicca was emerging as a religion and demand for information was growing, especially information for Wiccans practicing alone.
Living Wicca consists of three main parts. Part one deals with learning, of how to teach yourself and learn without a coven or teacher to guide you. Cunningham states that every book is a teacher in itself, and urges the practitioner to read everything. He does however stress, that one should always be critical and not accept everything one reads, as books just as well as the people who wrote them, can be in the wrong. This part of the book also deals with the questions of taking magical names, of self-initiation, Wiccan mysteries and Wicca in everyday life.
Life itself can be seen as a ritual to the Goddess and God.
- Cunningham, p. 35
Part two of the book deals with different practices of the Craft. The first thing that Cunningham tackles here is prayer. I truly enjoyed this chapter as Cunningham talks of prayer almost like a conversation with the Gods. Some Wiccans I have spoken with have great trouble relating to prayer because of the subservient stance Christian practitioners have to it. I think this is simply a stigma that needs to be broken, and Cunningham tackles the subject in a very down-to-earth manner.
This part also deals with some parts of rituals, such as circle castings, and invocations to the Goddess and the God, as well as a chapter on magic and why the Circle is needed.
The moon illuminates the earth
With wondrous silver rays;
Illuminate me through the night
And through the sun-lit days.
- Evening prayer, Cunningham, p. 53
The third part, and indeed half the book, centers around how to create your own Wiccan tradition. Cunningham breaks down the process into a comprehensible and easy to grasp method, giving concrete advice on what to include and how to write your own material. With a firm starting point in the basics of Wiccan beliefs, morals and practices, he provides a framework upon which one can create a working Wiccan tradition. Each chapter within this part of the book contains a comprehensive list of suggested further reading (I have myself taken many clues from here).
He deals in deity concepts, tools of the Craft, ritual design and different ceremonies, and symbols, to name just a few. Here he also writes about teaching, weather one should teach, when and whom, as well as what ethics govern teaching. At the end of the book there is a glossary of terms, and then a bibliography.
My thoughts
I always enjoy reading Cunningham's works. His language is easy to read and there is good flow to it. Beacuse I had read the book before I new what it was about, but as 15 years have gone by my memory was rusty. Re-reading it, however, felt like coming back home to a warm meal after a long day out in the cold.
Cunningham writes in a manner reminiscent of an uncle teaching a child in the gentlest of manners. He is not judgmental in any way, but he is firm when he for example states that certain things have to be a part of your new tradition for it to be counted as Wicca, but leaves the possibility to the reader to formulate their own beliefs upon the previously existing framework.
Wicca is a religion that teaches specific beliefs. We should be fully familiar with them if we're to practice this religion. It may take time for you to completely accept some of these beliefs. Study, think, pray and experiment. Wiccan beliefs are the heart of Wicca.
Cunningham, p. 114
I really like this approach, and maybe it stuck out to me because I have heard so much of the "you can take whatever beliefs you want into Wicca" that I have grown sick of it. Yes, you can include a lot in your Wiccan practice and beliefs, but without the core principles of Wicca, it ceases to exist and becomes something else. This is something that irritates me extremely in a book I am soon going to review, but I will take that discussion then.
What I really enjoyed is that Cunningham has included so much suggested reading. I especially enjoyed the suggested reading in the third part of the book, as he sometimes not only lists books, but even the relevant pages. I feel like he has been very thorough in his research and made an effort to make the study of the Craft as easy as possible for the (new) practitioner.
Cunningham has a very positive tone throughout his writings. He on one hand encourages the student to read as much as possible, from as many sources as possible, and on the other encourages the student to just go out there and do it, to not think too much, but rather just start practicing.
In conclusion I would say that I like this book very much, and I would recommend it to both beginners and more advanced practitioners of Wicca. It is an easy read with good information, and with merely 168 pages it is amazing how much good information is in it. I would however suggest for the beginner that at list a slight grasp of what Wicca is about is needed before reading this book. If looking for one, I can recommend Wicca: A Guide to the Solitary Practitioner.
If you have read this book, or if you have questions, leave your comments down below.
Blessed Be!
~Stella
A thoughtful and well-written review, thank you for sharing it! I got really intrigued to read something by Scott Cunningham, but I will first take on my newly bought (but second hand) "Pocket Guide To Wicca". I've also read it before, but it was some years ago and I could do with a re-read.
ReplyDeleteCunningham is a wonderful author. I own four books by him. The way he writes feels really good to me and the things he writes are well thought out. I strongly recommend his books.
ReplyDelete~Stella