Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner

In "Wicca, A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner," author Scott Cunningham has delivered an in-depth study of the practices of Wicca, as well as comprehensively discussing the philosophies of this nature-based religion. His first section, entitled "Theory," looks at the central deities, ritual tools, and other fundamentals of practice, while also providing a deep look into the religion for those who may not have prior experience with its viewpoints. He explains in detail the sabbats (solar rituals), esbats (full moon celebrations), the basics of magic, and examines closely the spiral of rebirth, showing us how Wicca sees death as the door to new beginnings, as is seen with the passing of the seasons.Central to the endless "turning of the wheel" (passing of the seasons), Mr. Cunningham explores the myth of the god and goddess, which celebrates love and honors the female perpetuation of mankind, and the endless cycle of death and rebirth in nature: the god is born of the goddess at Yule (winter solstice), gains strength (lengthening of the days), reaches his zenith (summer solstice), and dies (shortening of the days), to once again be born of the goddess next Yule. This speaks to the death and rebirth of plants based on the time of year, and reminds us of the dependence we have on the seasons, sun, moon, and Earth. What is especially significant is how he stresses the duality of the male/female aspects of the deity. Some other books on Wicca overemphasize the goddess/feminine side of Wiccan philosophy, and relegate the god to back burner status. Not so here. The god and goddess are equal partners in Mr. Cunningham's view.Exploring the endless cycle of rebirth brings up the subject of reincarnation, a basic tenet of Wicca. Mr. Cunningham teaches that reincarnation enables us to learn unique lessons during each life. According to him, Wicca seeks to strengthen the soul to further spiritual evolvement in each lifetime. This encompasses decisions that each individual must make for him- or herself. Wicca believes that we are responsible for our lifetime achievements, or lack thereof. Reincarnation then raises the subject of karma, which Mr. Cunningham sees not as a system of punishment and reward, but which instead encompasses the learning that occurs in each lifetime: if a negative belief or action was not resolved in a past life, the opportunity to resolve it will arise again, giving another chance to rise to the challenge. We see how one of the goals of Wicca is to know the self.He also examines ritual in detail. Mr. Cunningham's philosophy does not encompass strict, inflexible ritual. He bestows the freedom of unique interpretation on the practitioner, and teaches that tools are accessories, rather than necessities. He asks us to consider the hand: it can become a cauldron (it can cup water), an athame, or magical knife (it can be used to direct power), and also a wand (it can invoke). His gentle guidance advises us we need not collect all the common tools, or even rigidly follow his suggestions for practice, as he explains there is no singular true and right way to follow Wicca. His philosophy grants the autonomy upon the practitioner to write his or her own rituals. In Wicca, "rituals are ceremonies that celebrate and strengthen our relationships with the goddess, the god, and the Earth." They do not need to be preplanned or strictly adhered to. Improvisation is a valuable tool, and newly written rites can be just as effective as traditional ones. He explains that Wiccans believe in joyous ritual, not obligation, and success is defined by achieving awareness of the deities.Mr. Cunningham's second section, "Practice," gets down to the nuts and bolts of Wiccan workings, providing hands-on exercises and discussing magical techniques. In this section, he talks about such techniques as breathing, meditation, visualization, and raising energy, as well as discussing rituals, rites, and invocation. The third section, his own book of shadows, is a very hands-on guide detailing applied practice. In this section he provides a blueprint for chanting and invocation, casting the magic circle and dispersing it, and rune magic, among many other detailed methods.Mr. Cunningham's conversational style feels like you are listening directly to your teacher. He strikes me as a very gentle man. His personality shines through his prose. Mr. Cunningham illustrates the beauty in this religion: the reverence for nature, the respect for the Earth, the joy and love of the richness in life, while also providing a practical, hands-on guide. He gives the reader a multifaceted appreciation for the old ways, these remnants of pre-Christian European tradition. He gets at the "whys" of things, so you can make your own decisions. The passing of this gentle man was a loss for us all. Fortunately, he left behind a large body of work that will continue to illuminate this path for many. This book is highly recommended for those interested in the neo-pagan Wiccan path."Live fully, for that is the purpose of life."

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.

I bought this as a gift, and the recipient appreciated it. It seems to have very positive reviews and is a very informative book on the subject.