Rating: 
Summary: Great for beginners and high priestesses alike
Review: Starhawk has created a beautiful, personal book about Wicca. Her writing allows the reader to realize why people are drawn to this religion and that they are not alone. Spiral Dance is a good book for beginners who are not sure about their spirituality. She goes into explanation about the mental processees of ritual and the general ideology of the craft. This book is not designed for practical magic, but for those who are trying to figure out what this religion is all about. Starhawk allows the reader to gain something new about the Craft each time they read it. From a novice, to one who has been in the craft for 20 years, Starhawk creates a book that everyone can gain knowledge from.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Start With This One
Review: I would not recommend this book for someone starting out because it doesn't go in depth enough about meditation and witchcraft as a science. If you have a bit of experience and want more ideas for rituals this book is handy to have around.
Rating: 
Summary: good in ways, irresponsible in others
Review: _Spiral Dance_ would be a fine introductory book for people interested in Wiccan and neo-paganism if Starhawk had the discipline to confine herself to the topic. Unfortunately, this eminently public pagan author considers it acceptable to use this opportunity to preach her particular version of ecofeminism. The implication for the person new to paganism is clear: "These are the orthodox social, political and ecological attitudes of the modern neo-pagan, and if you want to be a pagan and they aren't your attitudes, you'd better acquire them." This is as much a socio-political book as an introductory treatise, and I'm disappointed at the disguise. She has written other books which are unabashedly political and with these I have no quarrel. I happen to share a fair number of Starhawk's views, but I believe that one can be a responsible pagan and disagree with Starhawk's personal take on society.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent if you want to start a coven/circle, but...
Review: This book was not my first "witchy" book, but I did find it very inspiring in many ways. However, I am a solitary, and so much of this book seemed geared towards group/community settings. Excellent ideas, and I think that this book is great for mix-and-match...no one book says it all. I am very glad I own it; it is a permanent fixture in my bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: My first ever witchy book .. but...
Review: It is true. Like many others this is the first ever Witchy book I laid my eyes and mind upon. The Creation Myth within the book is what did it for me .. it was beautiful, poetic, inspiring. Even tho' I am now (after 3 or so yrs) no longer Wiccan (per say) I still use it for the Elemental Meditations and other various exercises. It's well worth getting not just for the information and insights but for the exercises which have helped me more than once!
Rating:
Summary: Good testament of American spirituality
Review: When I read this book, I loved it and if it was then I would be giving this book 5 stars. There are many reasons to love this book. It presents a tolerant decent religion that does not judge, yet has structure. It seeks to bridge the extroverted Western religions with the introvereted Eastern religions. It is utterly peppy and feminist. I will always consider this book an important tome in my spiritual development. However, it does have its drawbacks. In the search for tolerance it falls into waffling and "whatever you want to do" ethos. The author admits that the Wiccan practices which she sets down are not so much tradition as they are rituals made up in a women's study group. The myths presented are too friendly, completely ignoring some of the harsher realities. Much of the religion and rituals presented from the monthly cycles to the title dance (aka the Hora) are stolen from Judaism. In fact there are places where one cannot distinguish Wicca from Reconstructionist Judaism (especially since the music sucks in both religions). Besides that, this is a great book for people interested in Wicca and American spirituality. It will go down as an important document in American religious history.
Rating:
Summary: My first Craft book ... and it changed my entire life!
Review: I first read The Spiral Dance in 1991. For me, it was like coming home. It was the voice that gave me the language that enabled me to interpret exactly how I feel spiritually. Starhawk writes with great skill and wisdom. Her writing flows to the reader and allows them to understand what witchcraft TRULY is. I use the Spiral Dance as a valuable reference often. I always refer anyone looking to become "enlightened" to the Spiral Dance. Starhawk offers a comprehensive look at what the world of witchcraft is and exactly what it is not. Unlike other books on the subject of Wicca, the Spiral Dance has not one oxymoron in it. I would suggest to anyone wishing to find out what wicca is all about... please treat yourself to a book that will change your life.
Rating:
Summary: The Goddess is alive and kicking
Review: If you know anything about Wicca, you probably know that the way a lot of people begin on this religious path is by reading The Spiral Dance. Most seekers are told to read it - and for good reason. In this book, Starhawk recognizes the God and Goddess and gives a complete description of the way witches worship. It is my opinion that it is impossible to go away from this book unchanged. Even if you do not accept her teachings or the God and Goddess, you will find that you can never look at the seasonal changes and moon phases the same way again. This is because she does a wonderful job of showing the seeker the Wiccan world view. Starhawk's prose and poetry brings the spirits of nature to life and inspires the seeker to call out to them as well as the moon, the sun, the earth and everything in it as we reclaim our Father and Mother of pagan heritage.
Rating:
Summary: An EXCELLENT Beginner's Guide
Review: The Spiral Dance was the first book I read on Wicca. It is straightforward and concise, with how-to's and information that is essential to the beginner Wiccan. It's like having a teacher right there to help you through ritual. No other book I've read so far is as detailed in delivering information about the Craft as The Spiral Dance.
Rating:
Summary: An excelent book.
Review: THE book for anyone interested in learning about witchcraft. This book changed the way I see the world we live in.
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