Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft

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Summary: This is a great book for the beginner.
Review: I found Wicca over 14 yrs ago, and Bucklands book was one of the first I read. It gave me a strong foundation on which to grow. It gives you a brief but good history of the craft. I also like the fact that he emphasizes a balance between the god and goddess; which a lot witches have forgotten. The rituals are written for covens but they are easily adapted to the solitary. It is a great book for the beginner, and is laid out in a workbook fashion. If you want a more goddess oriented books, you should read Starhawk, Z Budapest, Marion Weinstine. In my opinion their off balance. For the beginner, forget the negative criticism for now; Read all you can get your hands on, the good and not so good. Give yourself a broad base on which to build. Blessed Be

Rating:
Summary: A great place to start
Review: if you are intrested in the magikal arts this is a great work book to get a general idea of what "witchcraft" is about i sugest it to all beginers

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Summary: Who needs valium?
Review: This book is rather dry, dull and boring to read. It's geared mainly for his creation of Seax-Wica, and isn't a great book for those of an eclectic path. However, it does contain some good reference information, so it's not a total loss to buy.

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Summary: It could have been better.
Review: The book to me could have been a little more open to other crafts other than seax-wiccan, but if that is all he knows then that is all he can write about. It was very informative if you want to be in a coven and want to study seax-wiccan. but it did provide a good, if boring, history lesson.

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Summary: Buckland needs some help
Review: I would probably use this book if I were writing a ritual and wanted a variety of ideas (there are some good tidbits). I would definitely NOT use this book as a guide for someone just beginning to seek into Wicca. It's pedantic, dry and dull. Buckland can't get past his own tradition of Seax-Wica, and although he does plenty of grousing about other traditions incorporating Ceremonial elements he seems to have a real ceremonial hangup of his own. It was also patently dangerous and very irresponsible for him to reccommend Culpeper as a guide for those wishing to practice *modern*, *medical* herbalism. Misguidance like that is the last thing the Craft needs, which is why Buckland should have been extra-careful to avoid slipups. Well, he wasn't.

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Summary: Uncle Bucky's Blue Book
Review: This book does provide good background history and information that new-comers to the religion would find necessary to become "functional" within the Craft...however, Buckland does not keep in mind that many members of the Craft today are solitary members, writing the ritual only for groups. The rituals themselves are rather dry, but can be used as outlines for writing your own in the future. The chapters, while containing useful information, were unfortunately written in a manner that made it hard to sit still and read through. Once again, rather dry. Also, he does focus more on the English version of wicca than any of the others. While this would be good for reference, I would suggest you augment it with other books for beginners, and use this simply as a back-up reference.

Rating:
Summary: this book is a good way to start out
Review: This book is a good way to start out with witchcraft. It includes a handfasting ceremony and many other things of interest. But for me I like things that are more simple. Some rituals are very elaborate and for a solitary like myself, too much work to rewrite. I use it as a reference most of the time, and not word for word. But Ray Buckland is one of my favorite writers.

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Summary: This is a great book for ritual Wicca!
Review: I like Buckland's idea of bringing ritual back to Wicca. After all, the very purpose of ritual is to enhance focus. He does, however, present a series of rituals that would be difficult for a beginner to follow. I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who is new to Wicca, but for someone who has been studying for a while and would like to bring ritual back into their practices, this is an excellent source of ritual information and ideas.

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Summary: the pros and cons of.....
Review: I have been in study of this subject (wicca) for about 4 years now. I found this book to be one of the most complete I have encountered. It was especially enlightening due to the initial history lesson in the first chapter. It is very step by step and laid out well. The only thing i considered to be seriously lacking was that a few chapters merely grazed a subject with no real information given. It is an excellent book for beginners and even for those of us already involved. It teaches a balance of god and goddess which i believe is crucial. It is worth the money, even if it only pique's your curiosity on some of the more arcane subjects it mentions.

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Summary: This is a very good book for reference.
Review: This book is one of the best I have read. It is informative, not boring, and infinitely useful. This is a definite must for anyone of the craft.