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9 reviews for:
Witch Alone: The Essential Guide for the Solo Practitioner of the Magical Arts
Marian Green
3.52 AVERAGE
9 reviews for:
Witch Alone: The Essential Guide for the Solo Practitioner of the Magical Arts
Marian Green
3.52 AVERAGE
I like that it doesn't have rituals and spells. Just some advice and you can take what you want from it. Definitely dated now, but still a good read.
A complete and pratical beginner's guide, in which the author actually explains why she chose Wicca - an unusual effort.
informative
i started reading this book at the beginning of the year, following the structure of reading a chapter per moon cycle. I really loved the first 2 or so chapters but after awhile it just started feeling like a chore to me, and i felt more disconnected from what i was reading. now i finished it just to get it over with and i found it was severely underwhelming... i don't know what else to say
medium-paced
As with most books on Neopaganism I had to DNF this one or risk throwing it at the wall; turns out it's chock full of the exact same problems as literally every other "Pagan" book on the market. Shocking, I know.
Barely into the introduction and the author's already playing up the Neopagan pseudohistory of the "burning times"- including conflating wisewomen and cunningfolk with Witches; in case anyone needs a reminder: Village healers, cunningfolk, wisewomen, and the like, were not only not considered Witches by their communities, but were largely spared from the events of the true burning times in most regions except in incredibly rare circumstances; the modern connotations of a Witch are, surprisingly, far different that the historical employment and meaning of the word (which is shocking to exactly no one who understands how to actually read and interpret history properly). It's well past time for Neopagans to stop perpetuating well-debunked lies and get over the need to hyper-romanticize and coopt the nonexistent persecution of a group that was never (or at least incredibly rarely) persecuted in the first place.
In light of this, their spiel about truth laid bare ("The inner worlds are not an escape, but a harsh training school where the will is forged, the soul laid bare to the light of Truth, and any weaknesses shown clearly by the wisdom of the ages") is quite funny given so much of Neopaganism is, in fact steeped in a heap of lies, misinformation, and pseudohistory so deep we've been trying to trudge out of it for well over 2 decades now.
And of course there's the ever frustrating and all too pervasive Neopagan obsession with conflating "Pagan / Neopagan" and "Witch" with one another- acting as if all Pagans are Witches, and that all of Witchcraft is itself a religion... There is, in fact, a very large difference, however; the practice of magic and Witchcraft is not in and of itself a religion simply because Witch Cults (such as the one formed by Gerald Gardner) practice it within a religious context. Neopaganism desperately needs to do far better at properly distinguishing the two instead of continuing to insist they're the same things when they're not.
Furthermore is her assertion that Witchcraft is specifically an ecocentric, earth worshipping religion is nonsense which ignores the fact that most pagan faiths are not actually ecocentric despite holding natural elements of import... Oh, but of course she goes on to directly contradict these statements by asserting that Witchcraft has "no dogma or priesthood" (despite the fact that there are plenty which do, in fact, have established dogmas and priesthoods).
And there is a certain kind of special irony in acknowledging that there are Christian Witches and the like which claiming Witchcraft as itself religious is precious. Oh, and the irony of claiming in one breath that the mythology of Witchcraft includes all Gods, then in the very next paragraph saying that Witches do not have any gods --- but yet they worship "Mother Earth and her Consort, the Lord of the Wilds" (don't worry, though, after that she claims there is no "have to believe" doctrine which states you must believe in or worship them) is also not lost on me.
It's like Pagan authors genuinely don't understand the hypocrisy and nonsense they regularly throw out into the world as if it makes perfect sense. But it doesn't. It makes zero sense. It's contradictory and flat out ahistorical at nearly every turn. And if Pagan media is constantly contradictory and full of lies and misinformation at every turn, then it's not worth the paper it's printed on; we need to do better, because I'm genuinely sick of having to repeatedly read this nonsense.
Frankly I gave up before even completing the introduction, though I did vaguely skim the rest of the book; it's not much better than the intro, honestly. And for the record, recommending your own books as "additional sources" is tacky.
Barely into the introduction and the author's already playing up the Neopagan pseudohistory of the "burning times"- including conflating wisewomen and cunningfolk with Witches; in case anyone needs a reminder: Village healers, cunningfolk, wisewomen, and the like, were not only not considered Witches by their communities, but were largely spared from the events of the true burning times in most regions except in incredibly rare circumstances; the modern connotations of a Witch are, surprisingly, far different that the historical employment and meaning of the word (which is shocking to exactly no one who understands how to actually read and interpret history properly). It's well past time for Neopagans to stop perpetuating well-debunked lies and get over the need to hyper-romanticize and coopt the nonexistent persecution of a group that was never (or at least incredibly rarely) persecuted in the first place.
In light of this, their spiel about truth laid bare ("The inner worlds are not an escape, but a harsh training school where the will is forged, the soul laid bare to the light of Truth, and any weaknesses shown clearly by the wisdom of the ages") is quite funny given so much of Neopaganism is, in fact steeped in a heap of lies, misinformation, and pseudohistory so deep we've been trying to trudge out of it for well over 2 decades now.
And of course there's the ever frustrating and all too pervasive Neopagan obsession with conflating "Pagan / Neopagan" and "Witch" with one another- acting as if all Pagans are Witches, and that all of Witchcraft is itself a religion... There is, in fact, a very large difference, however; the practice of magic and Witchcraft is not in and of itself a religion simply because Witch Cults (such as the one formed by Gerald Gardner) practice it within a religious context. Neopaganism desperately needs to do far better at properly distinguishing the two instead of continuing to insist they're the same things when they're not.
Furthermore is her assertion that Witchcraft is specifically an ecocentric, earth worshipping religion is nonsense which ignores the fact that most pagan faiths are not actually ecocentric despite holding natural elements of import... Oh, but of course she goes on to directly contradict these statements by asserting that Witchcraft has "no dogma or priesthood" (despite the fact that there are plenty which do, in fact, have established dogmas and priesthoods).
And there is a certain kind of special irony in acknowledging that there are Christian Witches and the like which claiming Witchcraft as itself religious is precious. Oh, and the irony of claiming in one breath that the mythology of Witchcraft includes all Gods, then in the very next paragraph saying that Witches do not have any gods --- but yet they worship "Mother Earth and her Consort, the Lord of the Wilds" (don't worry, though, after that she claims there is no "have to believe" doctrine which states you must believe in or worship them) is also not lost on me.
Which is it, Green... Witchcraft is either a religion in its own right with its own Gods and beliefs, or it's a dogma-less, godless practice combinable with other faiths... Make up your mind, because you can't have it both ways. It just doesn't work like that; at some point you have to open your eyes and see the idiocy of constantly contradicting yourself like this.
It's like Pagan authors genuinely don't understand the hypocrisy and nonsense they regularly throw out into the world as if it makes perfect sense. But it doesn't. It makes zero sense. It's contradictory and flat out ahistorical at nearly every turn. And if Pagan media is constantly contradictory and full of lies and misinformation at every turn, then it's not worth the paper it's printed on; we need to do better, because I'm genuinely sick of having to repeatedly read this nonsense.
Frankly I gave up before even completing the introduction, though I did vaguely skim the rest of the book; it's not much better than the intro, honestly. And for the record, recommending your own books as "additional sources" is tacky.
Note: originally published review under the wrong book by Green. Whoops.
A lot of Green's writing is poetical musings on how beautiful being Pagan can be. But there's a lot less actual information in this book than I was expecting, and it romanticizes the idea that Paganism has been one unbroken line for thousands of years (which is crap, in case you were wondering). I was expecting a well-researched book, but thus far this is not. The language is pretty yes, and there have been a small handful of useful insights, but I'm overall disappointed given what I expected when I started reading.
Overall, I'm disappointed. I'd probably qualify as an advanced seeker, and was told to expect a seriously researched book. Instead it's the very pretty language but far less focus on facts or deep musings.
A lot of Green's writing is poetical musings on how beautiful being Pagan can be. But there's a lot less actual information in this book than I was expecting, and it romanticizes the idea that Paganism has been one unbroken line for thousands of years (which is crap, in case you were wondering). I was expecting a well-researched book, but thus far this is not. The language is pretty yes, and there have been a small handful of useful insights, but I'm overall disappointed given what I expected when I started reading.
Overall, I'm disappointed. I'd probably qualify as an advanced seeker, and was told to expect a seriously researched book. Instead it's the very pretty language but far less focus on facts or deep musings.
"Do go out there and get to know some trees."
"A tiny point of living flame forms a sphere of illumination and it is the unconsidered symbolism of this which helps direct, protect and enhance our magics."
"A tiny point of living flame forms a sphere of illumination and it is the unconsidered symbolism of this which helps direct, protect and enhance our magics."