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A review by alexiasophii
Wicca by Scott Cunningham
4.0
I read this book almost 15 years ago when I started my path in Paganism and Witchcraft. My first book was actually the book that came after this one, [b:Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner|145564|Living Wicca A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner|Scott Cunningham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1172174031l/145564._SX50_.jpg|140463]. I was interesting, after these many years, to come back to this book. I read this for a book club of a Discord server that I mod for. It was even more interesting given that I would be recommending this book a lot... After this re-read.... Not so much.
I love Cunningham for his Folk Magic and his folk books ([b:The Magical Household: Spells & Rituals for the Home|180909|The Magical Household Spells & Rituals for the Home|Scott Cunningham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347503087l/180909._SY75_.jpg|174804] and [b:Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen|180908|Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen|Scott Cunningham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347699882l/180908._SY75_.jpg|174803] are still two of my favourite books!) and even in this book and in Living Wicca his resources for practical aspects, exercises and correspondences is fantastic. I also think that Cunningham has this fantastic way to show us how much he loves the Craft. Because truth be told, that man LOVED the Craft and you could see it in his words and all the way he spoke. I can clearly say that reading Cunningham talking about Wicca and the Goddess and God was one of the things that made me want to explore deity work as a teenager and that gave the sparkle for the love I have for deity and Witchcraft today.
But then comes the "Wicca is Xamanism" and "Reencarnation is Decided by the Individual" (opening up the can of worms that people suffering in this life decided to suffer, among others) and much more problematic situations. These were not problematic when the book was published (far from it!) and that makes it less bad. But still, as pagans and witches of today, we must recognize what is wrong in our books and the books we recommend, especially for beginners. And, unfortunately, this book calls more for nostalgia than for accurate information.
Currently, if I was to choose a book to recommend to someone who wanted a good introduction to Wicca I would suggest [b:Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice|408501|Wicca for Beginners Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice|Thea Sabin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348698293l/408501._SY75_.jpg|397805] for example. Or to check out [a:Thorn Mooney|17235503|Thorn Mooney|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1530189280p2/17235503.jpg]. I think Cunningham's book still has a lot of good resources, especially when it comes to exercises, bibliography, resources and the whole Book of Shadows section. We just need to be cautious that what he explains as Wicca and, above all, the History of Wicca is not correct. It was perceived correct when he was alive and when he wrote this book but today, in 2020's, we know that's not the case.
So will I recommend this book in the future? Maybe. Not as a first book, but as a book filled with resources and that should be read with another companion that fixes the errors that are present in this one.
I love Cunningham for his Folk Magic and his folk books ([b:The Magical Household: Spells & Rituals for the Home|180909|The Magical Household Spells & Rituals for the Home|Scott Cunningham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347503087l/180909._SY75_.jpg|174804] and [b:Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen|180908|Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen|Scott Cunningham|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347699882l/180908._SY75_.jpg|174803] are still two of my favourite books!) and even in this book and in Living Wicca his resources for practical aspects, exercises and correspondences is fantastic. I also think that Cunningham has this fantastic way to show us how much he loves the Craft. Because truth be told, that man LOVED the Craft and you could see it in his words and all the way he spoke. I can clearly say that reading Cunningham talking about Wicca and the Goddess and God was one of the things that made me want to explore deity work as a teenager and that gave the sparkle for the love I have for deity and Witchcraft today.
But then comes the "Wicca is Xamanism" and "Reencarnation is Decided by the Individual" (opening up the can of worms that people suffering in this life decided to suffer, among others) and much more problematic situations. These were not problematic when the book was published (far from it!) and that makes it less bad. But still, as pagans and witches of today, we must recognize what is wrong in our books and the books we recommend, especially for beginners. And, unfortunately, this book calls more for nostalgia than for accurate information.
Currently, if I was to choose a book to recommend to someone who wanted a good introduction to Wicca I would suggest [b:Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice|408501|Wicca for Beginners Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice|Thea Sabin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348698293l/408501._SY75_.jpg|397805] for example. Or to check out [a:Thorn Mooney|17235503|Thorn Mooney|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1530189280p2/17235503.jpg]. I think Cunningham's book still has a lot of good resources, especially when it comes to exercises, bibliography, resources and the whole Book of Shadows section. We just need to be cautious that what he explains as Wicca and, above all, the History of Wicca is not correct. It was perceived correct when he was alive and when he wrote this book but today, in 2020's, we know that's not the case.
So will I recommend this book in the future? Maybe. Not as a first book, but as a book filled with resources and that should be read with another companion that fixes the errors that are present in this one.