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A review by alexiasophii
Traditional Wicca: A Seeker's Guide by Thorn Mooney
5.0
“I can only ever teach what I know and offer what experience I have. What I wouldn’t do, I told them, was be their mother, their foreman, or their therapist. I’m not any of those things. As a third degree, I had made a commitment to my gods and to my community, and all I could do was show them how and why I did those things. If other people felt called to this as I did, I could show them the way as it was shown to me. I wouldn’t be a mediator between them and the gods; I would simply model the techniques for reaching those gods so that they could do so themselves. In turn, they would respect that experience. If they had felt they could do it on their own, presumably they wouldn’t have asked me to begin with. Should they change their minds, they could leave at any time. If anything, my real position in the hierarchy is the one of service. My initiates don’t serve me; I serve them. I may be the high priestess, and I may call most of the shots, but I’m also the one cleaning the toilets.”
““Orthopraxy” derives from Greek and means “right practice.” In usage, it stands in contrast to “orthodoxy,” which means “right belief.” Traditional Wicca tends toward orthopraxy. Belief is not enough. You cannot simply think or feel a certain way. It’s not a matter of reading about certain ideas and holding them to be true in your heart. An orthopraxic perspective demands that adherents take action. For traditional Wicca, that means performing the rites of the tradition. (...) There’s something about the Mysteries that transcends language, or so practitioners often insist. In short, traditional Wicca isn’t something you can simply read about. It’s not just something you believe in. It’s something that you do”
I loved this book. This became one of my favourite books about Wicca. I already loved the author, so I had that in my favour. But her writing is simply amazing. So... this is not a book to teach you Wicca!. This is a book for those who already know they want to be part of a Wiccan coven and it's a guide to those seeking said covens. How it works, how to apply to the groups, advices, reflections, etc. It's fantastic really. It's fantastic to see Wicca through the eyes of a Gardnerian Priestess. It completely changed my views on Gardnerian Wicca and it helped me deal with a lot of uncomfortable stuff I had inside regarding group work.
I highly HIGHLY recommend this book, it's the best I've read this year!
““Orthopraxy” derives from Greek and means “right practice.” In usage, it stands in contrast to “orthodoxy,” which means “right belief.” Traditional Wicca tends toward orthopraxy. Belief is not enough. You cannot simply think or feel a certain way. It’s not a matter of reading about certain ideas and holding them to be true in your heart. An orthopraxic perspective demands that adherents take action. For traditional Wicca, that means performing the rites of the tradition. (...) There’s something about the Mysteries that transcends language, or so practitioners often insist. In short, traditional Wicca isn’t something you can simply read about. It’s not just something you believe in. It’s something that you do”
I loved this book. This became one of my favourite books about Wicca. I already loved the author, so I had that in my favour. But her writing is simply amazing. So... this is not a book to teach you Wicca!. This is a book for those who already know they want to be part of a Wiccan coven and it's a guide to those seeking said covens. How it works, how to apply to the groups, advices, reflections, etc. It's fantastic really. It's fantastic to see Wicca through the eyes of a Gardnerian Priestess. It completely changed my views on Gardnerian Wicca and it helped me deal with a lot of uncomfortable stuff I had inside regarding group work.
I highly HIGHLY recommend this book, it's the best I've read this year!