Rating: Summary: Good intro but... Review: This book is a good introduction to witchcraft and covers many of the basics. However, I feel as though she is trying to sell magick to the masses which, for me, cheapens the religious aspect. I am probably also slightly influenced by the fact that she put out a Teen Witch Kit ("Everything You Need to Make Magick"). I later read Green Witchcraft by Ann Moura which I enjoyed much more thoroughly. I felt as though she was trying to explain witchcraft, not sell it.
Rating: Summary: RIDDLED WITH MISINFORMATION Review: Silver RavenWolf's "To Ride a Silver Broomstick" is, like most of her other titles, riddled with misinformation and personal opinions that are presented as "facts." It is poorly researched and insulting to the intelligence. RavenWolf's attitude toward witchcraft seems to be "make it up as you go along and dispense with the facts if they happen to get in the way." Scott Cunningham is a better author to consult for more accurate info on Wiccan theology. And for folk-magick and spellcasting without emphasis on religion, I'd recommend Gerina Dunwich -- especially her "Exploring Spellcraft" which is excellent for both the beginner and intermediate occult student.
Rating: Summary: Basically, it's terrible Review: Very disorganized. Silver barely skims the surface of anything that remotely resembles a deep issue, and focuses mainly on shallow, "fluffy" issues. It does not present beginners with an acurate image of Wicca or Witchcraft, but further emphasizes he Hollywood representations of such. I gave this book one star not because I feel it deserves it, but because there was no lower rating to give.
Rating: Summary: Utter *insert expletive here* Review: I bought this book when I was ... just starting out in the Craft. I'd read Teen Witch and absolutely loved it (though I know think it's pathetic), so naturally I bought this book soon after. Even then I was disappointed. First of all, I dislike the way RavenWolf puts down the word Wicca. Very early on in the book, she says she uses the word Witchcraft because Wicca reminds her of that old movie The Wicker Man and furniture. ... Second, this book is so full of fluffy bunny [stuff] I want to vomit. It's really hard to put my finger on what it is about this book I dislike so much, it just doesn't strike me as accurate information about Wicca, it just seems like some New Age form of Witchcraft churned out to make some money. Either that or Silver is stupid, very stupid. Give it a miss. ...
Rating: Summary: pretty lame Review: ...getting back to this book, I mean, it just doesn't seem like Silver is a very enlightened or intelligent person. She is openly hostile toward other spiritual paths, most notibly Christianity and Satanism. While I am not a Christian, I believe that it is juvenile to assume that one's way of life is better than someone else's, which is essentially what Silver does. I also don't agree with her statement that men have somehow had a bad rap because of feminism. ... Anyhow, this book does not deal with anything of true importance, its all distractions and clutter. There are far superior books on Wicca out there.
Rating: Summary: an excellent book for the beginning wicca student Review: This is one of the three books I recommend for absolute beginners who study Wicca with me. Of course, I'm a fan of practicing, not just reading about things. But this book is an excellent source of learning materials, and gives a good general background on wicca and witchcraft. Like most books, it's not absolutely perfect, but it's a good place to jump off from, and to use as a guide and a reference.The first in Silver Ravenwolf's magic instruction series, this book gives some decent information from beginning to end. I would recommend this to any absolute beginner, and even to more experienced witches who want to get a different perspective on things. A note to beginners - don't just read the book. Use it to help you gain confidence to practice your own, unique rituals. Everything you need to know is inside you already, books like this just help to bring it out.
Rating: Summary: This "Book" is a Waste of Good Paper Review: This book is a travesty. It has done more harm than good to the Pagan community. Silver RavenWolf is a hack. She couldn't write her way out of a paper bag. Her "knowledge" of Wicca is even less impressive. If a novice were to come to me with information from this book filling their head, they would have a lot of unlearning to do. A witch worth their salt can see right through this "book". Save your money
Rating: Summary: Ok... Review: I have mixed feelings about this book. There is a lot of really good basic information in it for beginners...but then on the other hand...there is a lot that maybe I wouldn't recommend to beginners. There are phrases like: "If you want to worship and grovel before some Deity, you might as well just put this book away." (I'm paraphrasing, and maybe I'm being a little more harsh than it was actually worded.) And I don't know that I appreciate that. I'm not saying one SHOULD grovel...what I am saying is that one's relationship with the Divine is very personal and as fluid as Witchcraft is as a set of practices and beliefs...especially eclecticism, there is no room in the craft for..."If you do this, or think this, you can't be a Witch." A major component of the Craft is tolerance and letting people be who they are and connect to the Divine in whatever way feels most comfortable. It's a path of self-discovery. That is what most of us left religions like Christianity because of, thought policing. However, I have seen other sides to Silver...from what people who know her have said...and I think she is genuinely a good person and probably doesn't mean to come across that way...it may be my own personal issues talking and have nothing to do with her book. But I think that one needs to take what they can and leave the rest. And beginners tend to worry about "doing it right" and the "right way to be a witch...in 30 days or less." It's hard sometimes for the beginner to be able to see value in parts of a work without feeling they must agree with the entire thing. If you don't agree with everything Silver says...don't worry about it. None of us agrees with everything anyone else says. But despite what I don't like about the book, there were a lot of things the book helped me to look at and re-evaluate (like looking at WHY certain things about the book bugged me...and helped me to deal with some of my own issues and personal baggage.) I won't say: "Don't buy this book" or "Don't read this book" because that's silly. If you want to read it, read it...you will find value in it.
Rating: Summary: Great Starter book Review: This is the first in Silver Ravenwolf's extensive insight into magick. Being the core book.. Silver devides the book up nicely into three destinct parts. First: The first part of the book is a look at the history of the craft, the different trads, and the different gods/ess. Second: She goes into basic information about the tools, holidays, and ehtics behind the craft. Third: She steps into the beginnings of ritual and spell use.. (seems to be the push towards her next book).. Not only that but, she provides several listings of other books, covens, magickal writings etc... Overall for a beginner this is a great stepping stone and is very broad in contrast to her later books..
Rating: Summary: First a 4, now a 2, soon a 0 Review: I was much younger when I first read this book, I thought it was great. Now that I have been around a while, I have started to understand why so many people have gotten down on it. The author tells us that there is room for anyone in our fertility religion. That sounded great when I was looking for people to accept me. But now I am wondering about just what she means by anyone? What about child molesters? Also when I first read this book, I thought the Charge of the Goddess was beautifull. But now that I have read the original Charge of the Goddess, I have found that the version presented in this book was not only rewritten, great huge volumes were hacked out of the original for this book. Most notably, the original Charge of the Goddess had a line that is key to Gay and Lesbian Wiccans. In the original, the goddess speaks and says: "All acts of love and pleasure are my rituals". In the version presented in this book, that is entirely missing. Maybe this book is worth two stars, but having learned the truth about Wicca I wish I could give it a zero.
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