Witchcraft and Wicca overlap in many areas, making it difficult to distinguish the two, and building a indistinguishable Gray Area. Many don’t choose to take the time to understand the differences, but when you commission yourself to publish a book on a subject, one that beginners will read and refer to as a "definitive" resource, it is preferable to eliminate the Gray Area which is so renown for building misunderstanding.

Ravenwolf does an outstanding job of keeping the material interesting, both by relating personal experiences and adding helpful notebook exercises, designed to expand one’s mind, creativity, and knowledge. The book, however, is geared more toward Wicca, not Witchcraft, and predominantly rests within the Gray Area. Sections such as the "Formula for Holy Water" are Wiccan inventions; Witchcraft is not a religion how can it have holy water?

Before I go further, perhaps I should myself illustrate some of the differences between Wicca and Witchcraft. Ravenwolf labels a witch perfectly when she describes the "Kitchen Witch": "Basically, this is one who practices by hearth and home, dealing with the practical side… There are some who groan loudly at this type of terminology, viewing it as degrading or simply inappropriate. Just remember that the Old Religion started somewhere, and most likely the kitchen (or cook fire) was the hub of many charms, spells, healings, and celebrations." Excellent description, however, she inaccurately uses Witchcraft and Old Religion interchangeably when they are not synonymous. Witchcraft is a part of Wicca, but not the same… a ball is used in many different sports, but the ball is NOT the sport, only an aspect of it! She also goes quite contrary to her description in the rest of the book, much of the information is not the practical side, but the superficial and fancy side. Witchcraft did indeed start in the "kitchen", not of the noblemen, but of the "common" folk, the peasants! With this in mind, let’s move on….

Most Wiccans are extremely fond of the "ancient" practices of Candle Magick, indeed, it has become the unofficial hallmark of the religion. However, Candle Magick is not traditional Witchcraft as so many are fond of saying it is. Looking at it with our common sense caps on: In earlier times, candles were a luxury; a very expensive luxury at that! Even the smallest candles were sold at high prices and purchased by the nobility, and even then they were not often color coded. We can see how candle magick is not an ancient practice, the witches of the past could not afford them. Did this make them lesser witches? Or make their magick any less potent? Absolutely not! This is not to imply that candle magick is not an effective technique, but rather to diminish that nasty Gray Area between Witchcraft and Wicca. We can now see use of color candles during spells and ritual are a primarily Wiccan (and previously, Ceremonial Magic) application. Silver Broomstick includes both a Candle Magick section as well as listing the significance of colors which determine the spells focus. This is another error; it is the mind that determines the spells intent not the color of the candle. What effects would a pretty rainbow candle produce?

Similarly, she gives a list of "standard" magickal tools, implying that every proficient witch owns these "minimal" tools. I don’t own an Athame or a cauldron, or a broom. These are standard tools for Wiccans, not Witches. I suppose this would mean I am not a "true" witch? *smile* We’ll leave that one alone….

Her basic description of divination techniques are great, as are the range or techniques listed, albeit without detail one how to perform most of them. She does, however, go into depth on the Tarot, and her interpretations are far from accurate, but not inaccurate. What do I mean by this?

I say this not because I exactly disagree with her, but because she labels meanings of cards as if the meanings were constant for ALL Tarot decks. In truth, meanings vary in every deck, some more than others, but all are different in some respect. She also tries to give meanings to card combinations. Now, card combinations do hold a great significance in a reading, however, their meaning or importance are dependent on the reader, the questioner, and the question being asked! It is impossible to give a one time, absolute label to a practice that is as fluid as a river.

Overall, she makes specific statements in areas which must remain vague, since they are all dependent on inconsistent factors, and she leaves areas that can be clarified fuzzy and Gray. While more than a few of her ideas are fun to try and helpful on multiple levels, much of her information is formatted to sell and not to educate. Perhaps this is not her fault, it is the public that too often demands the Hollywood glamour stuff and not the practical, basic, down to earth information.

I am also told that her books contradict themselves multiple times. I have not yet had the opportunity to read her second publication, but we will see how accurate the hearsay is when I do get to it.

Wicca Rating: C
Witchcraft Rating: D

Blessed Be,
Markus Witchcraft Dawning Webmaster
witchdawn@hotmail.com