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megatsunami's review
3.0
I read this book many years ago, but here's my review from the time:
A very interesting and worthwhile book, albeit with a few flaws. This book is an in-depth examination of the four elements and the structure of Wiccan ritual. It could interest readers on many levels, from "beginner" to "advanced," and I really appreciated its thoroughness and depth. My main caveat is that, as indicated by the subtitle, this book is written from a specifically Wiccan perspective and may be a little frustrating for non-Wiccan Witches and Pagans (like me). Lipp clearly explains her reasoning, and her opinions are generally labelled as such, but I still found the book's attitude toward ritual a little narrow-minded. I've been to many powerful and moving rituals which did not follow the rules laid out in this book. (And don't even get me started on the athame and the chalice.) Nonetheless, this book definitely brings up a lot of questions about why we do ritual the way we do it; and even if you disagree with Lipp about a particular point, her questions and insights are still valid and intriguing.
A very interesting and worthwhile book, albeit with a few flaws. This book is an in-depth examination of the four elements and the structure of Wiccan ritual. It could interest readers on many levels, from "beginner" to "advanced," and I really appreciated its thoroughness and depth. My main caveat is that, as indicated by the subtitle, this book is written from a specifically Wiccan perspective and may be a little frustrating for non-Wiccan Witches and Pagans (like me). Lipp clearly explains her reasoning, and her opinions are generally labelled as such, but I still found the book's attitude toward ritual a little narrow-minded. I've been to many powerful and moving rituals which did not follow the rules laid out in this book. (And don't even get me started on the athame and the chalice.) Nonetheless, this book definitely brings up a lot of questions about why we do ritual the way we do it; and even if you disagree with Lipp about a particular point, her questions and insights are still valid and intriguing.
helenaliu's review
2.0
This book came highly recommended to me as a model of how Wiccan books should be written. I was assured that it provides the why in addition to the more readily available how of ritual, and thus expected an intelligent and well-researched document that enlightened its readers to the origins of Wiccan ritual practices. While The Elements of Ritual did not meet my lofty expectations, the book redeemed itself for me with the inclusion of unique and breathtaking ritual styles.
Lipp establishes the tone of the book by providing a detailed, interpretative exploration to the four elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth. She further structures her chapters so that each aspect of the Circle Casting ritual of Wicca is examined from a practical (Earth), theological (Air), mythological (Water) and mystical (Fire) viewpoint. However, it does not always remain in this order. As Lipp continually reordered the sequence in which the four aspects (practical, theological, mythological and mystical aspects) were explored, the structure lacked consistency, giving the book a generally free-form, interpretative feel that renders it unsuitable for the reference guide she suggested for which it could be easily used. While some historical or cultural variations to the four elements are briefly mentioned, on the whole, it revolves around the four elements of Wiccan tradition and Lipp’s personal interpretations of them. After a short introduction, The Elements of Ritual delves into Circle Casting, from preliminary preparation through to its Closing.
The attempt to structure the book with corresponding elements is symptomatic of a broader inclination to conflate disparate traditions and systems of magic. Most memorably, Lipp jarringly equates the four precepts of the Golden Dawn, adapted by Wiccans and renamed The Witches’ Pyramid—To Know, To Will, To Dare and To Keep Silent—with each of the four elements, forcing congruence and correspondence when there is none. Lipp’s preference for doing this often meant the distinct traditions and systems she attempted to match were reduced to their lowest common denominators and as a consequence, acknowledgement and appreciation of them as unique practices in their own right were lost.
The Elements of Ritual is frequently praised for its exploration into the why aspects of Circle Casting, as Lipp emphasises is a predominant motivation in writing this book (see p. 1). Her attempts to provide the background on the steps of Circle Casting remained interpretive and intuitive, and having raised the “why” question so early on, the lack of explicit, background information became all the more evident. For me, Lipp fell just slightly short of achieving that ambitious, although important, goal.
Lipp establishes the tone of the book by providing a detailed, interpretative exploration to the four elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth. She further structures her chapters so that each aspect of the Circle Casting ritual of Wicca is examined from a practical (Earth), theological (Air), mythological (Water) and mystical (Fire) viewpoint. However, it does not always remain in this order. As Lipp continually reordered the sequence in which the four aspects (practical, theological, mythological and mystical aspects) were explored, the structure lacked consistency, giving the book a generally free-form, interpretative feel that renders it unsuitable for the reference guide she suggested for which it could be easily used. While some historical or cultural variations to the four elements are briefly mentioned, on the whole, it revolves around the four elements of Wiccan tradition and Lipp’s personal interpretations of them. After a short introduction, The Elements of Ritual delves into Circle Casting, from preliminary preparation through to its Closing.
The attempt to structure the book with corresponding elements is symptomatic of a broader inclination to conflate disparate traditions and systems of magic. Most memorably, Lipp jarringly equates the four precepts of the Golden Dawn, adapted by Wiccans and renamed The Witches’ Pyramid—To Know, To Will, To Dare and To Keep Silent—with each of the four elements, forcing congruence and correspondence when there is none. Lipp’s preference for doing this often meant the distinct traditions and systems she attempted to match were reduced to their lowest common denominators and as a consequence, acknowledgement and appreciation of them as unique practices in their own right were lost.
The Elements of Ritual is frequently praised for its exploration into the why aspects of Circle Casting, as Lipp emphasises is a predominant motivation in writing this book (see p. 1). Her attempts to provide the background on the steps of Circle Casting remained interpretive and intuitive, and having raised the “why” question so early on, the lack of explicit, background information became all the more evident. For me, Lipp fell just slightly short of achieving that ambitious, although important, goal.
counciloffrogs's review
4.0
Lipp did a great job of analyzing each element of ritual thoroughly in this book. She makes sure to include options for adaptations, including noting ways to adapt a group ritual to a solitary witch, which as a primarily solitary practitioner, I appreciated greatly. I didn’t fully agree with every line of this book through my personal experience, but as stated in the beginning of this, Wicca is a subjective religion. Everyone honors it differently, and very few of the ways to honor it are intrinsically wrong. I thought The Elements of Ritual was very well written and a strong guide to ritual for anyone knew to leading them. Docked one star for my personal qualms with certain approaches, but this is one of the best religious texts I have read.
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