BOOK REVIEW - Wicca The Complete Craft

Wicca The Complete Craft by D.J. Conway © 2001 Ten Speed Press 461
pages + Bibliography and Index paperback ISBN 1-58091-092-0 $22.95
(U.S.)



WARNING!! Extremely Long Review



I am not a fan of D. J. Conway's writing. I'm not sure I agree with a lot
of what she says. Having said that, I must admit that this book deserves to
be considered in its own right. It constitutes one individual's Book of
Shadows, in its broadest sense. It is divided into four sections: What is
Wicca?; A Course in Wicca; The Book of Rituals; and The Book of Spells.
That pretty much serves as a basic outline for a Book of Shadows.



What is Wicca? consists of a basic history lecture, including both the
definition of the Craft, the history of Wicca and Modern Wicca. It devotes
a mere twenty pages to this, which is woefully inadequate for the task, but
since the history of the Craft is the subject of numerous books this is not
a disadvantage.



"A Course In Wicca" devotes about 200 pages to what is essentially Wicca
101. This doesn't include the rituals, which are covered in the third
section, which also covers about 200 pages. It covers everything from
Casting a Circle to Seasonal Rituals, to Eldering Rituals, to Blessing and
Protection Rituals.



The final section covers all the miscellaneous information which is
essential to the practice of magic. It is, thus, a compendium of one person
's view of the training and work of an initiate. Not everyone will agree
with all of it.



Her perception of the history of modern Wicca is totally different from any
I have been exposed to. That doesn't make it wrong, just different. I don'
t know where she learned her Craft history.



Chapter Four is an exploration of words and terms encountered in the world
of Wicca. Some of her definitions are a bit out of touch with commonly
accepted ones, but not so far out of touch as to be totally unacceptable.
There are some omissions as well.



Her perception of karma, as outlined in Chapter Five is, like that of many,
skewed. She presents it as a negative phenomenon. She feels you should try
not to accrue karma. Karma is a result of every action undertaken by
anyone - both negative and positive (and she does correct that later in the
book).



By the time I read her suggestion, in Chapter Six, for breaking ties to
individuals you have a negative connection with; I knew I was going to have
trouble. Her suggestion is so very simple, and lacks any explanation of how
and why it is supposed to work that I was concerned about the image she was
presenting of magickal workings.



In Chapter Seven she describes choosing a Craft name as a ".privilege [that]
comes only with the formal initiation." I have never before heard that
choosing a Craft name is a privilege.



I had high hopes for this book, in spite of my misgivings about Ms. Conway's
previous works. Those hopes were not realized, however. Before I was fifty
pages into the book I realized that her version of Craft beliefs was
uniquely his own and at wide variance with mainstream thought. She sees
karma as predominantly negative, she accepts the "Law of Threefold Return" -
but only if the action is not justified (where mainstream ideology says that
both good and bad return). At this point I had pretty much given hope of
anything useful coming out of this book.



In her defense, I do have to admit that she states that others may disagree
with her. She makes it seem, by the way she presents it that the majority
of Witches agree with her while the opposite is actually the truth. So long
as the reader knows that Ms. Conway's opinion is in the minority, and keeps
that fact firmly in mind, her work is valuable as one source of thought.



She includes a list, and description, of several dozen deities from a
variety of pantheons in Chapter Ten. While she has, admittedly, made no
attempt to be comprehensive, it is a fairly extensive list (running 17 pages
in length). It draws from Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Nordic, Celtic, and Indian
pantheons. Anyone who studies mythology knows that books have been written
about each of these pantheons. This list is intended as a jumping off point
and, in conjunction with the bibliography at the end of the book, an
inspiration for further research.



In common with many other writers, both current and past, Ms. Conway falls
into the habit of stating categorically that a particular piece of
archeological evidence "means", or "proves", something specific (i.e.,
thirteen marks on an ancient bison horn [on a statue dating back 20,000
years] represent the thirteen lunar months in a year), when the most honest
assessment is that they appear to indicate that. We cannot know for sure,
since there is (obviously) no written evidence to back it up, and we have no
way of knowing what was in the mind of the sculptor. Archeological evidence
may imply meaning, or we may infer such meaning, but without extensive,
verifiable, objective proof of cultural meaning, we cannot know for certain.



On page 158 she says ".Satanists have adopted the reversed pentagram, with
one point downward, thus making it into a negative symbol." I have to
disagree with that statement. This may have made it a symbol with a
negative meaning, but that is not the same as a negative symbol. Any of the
Gardnerian or Alexandrian derived sects of Wicca will tell you that the
inverted pentagram is a symbol of the Second Degree. Indeed, Ms. Conway
mentions as much in this book. Therefore it is a symbol, like many, with
both positive and negative meanings associated with it, depending upon
usage.



Many chapters consist of a few introductory remarks, followed by a few pages
listing various items (stones, herbs, etc.) with short explanations of each.
None of these go into any depth, but since this book is in the form of a
broad overview, this is not a problem.



I do have to concede that Ms. Conway is consistent in reminding the reader
that her way of doing things is not the only way. She is also consistent in
her reminder that, as one gains in knowledge and confidence, it is all right
to make changes in what you do and how you do it.



Part III The Book of Rituals consists of all the basic rituals a new-comer
should have at their disposal, as well as a few that shouldn't be needed for
quite a while, if ever. It starts with casting the circle and progresses
from there. It includes basics for the Sabbats, as well as New and Full
Moon rituals.



Her ritual style is her own and, while different from how I was taught,
remains consistent. When she deviates from "standard" practice, her
reasoning is either stated up front, or else is obviously a result of
previously explained reasons. None of what she does is likely to cause a
new-comer any trouble.



I have been initiated into several groups over the years, and have never
been expected to sign a "Coven Charge" as a "promise to obey certain
principles and rules." I have signed my name into a Book of Shadows, but
never to a "Coven Charge." I'm not sure where this idea comes from. If you
are sure that a prospective initiate will take a promise to the Goddess and
God seriously without asking them to sign a physical paper (even if you do
intend to burn it afterwards), maybe you shouldn't be initiating them.
Also, some of the phrasing she has chosen strikes ma as unacceptable (i.e.,
".never leaving the sacred path or repenting of my decision."). One should
always be free to change their mind without an implied consequence. And
promising to master the art of magic also strikes me as wrong. Magick is
not intrinsic to the Craft, except in broadest definition.



I have made a habit, of late, of overlooking the assorted typos I encounter
in books I review, but some other errors need to be noted. In Chapter 37:
Drawing Down the Moon and Sun, on pages 258 and 261 (Solitary Drawing Down
the Moon and Solitary Drawing Down the Sun respectively), under the heading
"Extra Items Needed" is the statement "The Priestess needs a crown with a
crescent on it, while the Priest needs a crown with antlers on it." While
these are nice props, and many covens use them, they are not NEEDED, and to
imply that they are may discourage some from attempting these rites.



The Sabbat ritual outlines are certainly adequate. They each run about two
pages and contain some basic invocations which can be easily modified as the
reader's experience level goes up.



She includes a table of substitutions for herbs and oils, which is something
which has been lacking in many of the currently available books. Although
it is not extensive, it is a good start and may inspire personal research to
fill in the gaps.



She gives a number of recipes for magical powders, herbal brews and teas,
and incenses. She includes an incense for each Sabbat, as well as a Solar
and Lunar, recipe, and assorted others. There are 36 recipes for incenses
and a further 28 for oil mixtures.



There are simple candle spells, as well as a correspondence list of colors.
Considering that candle magick is one of the most basic skills any magician
should have, this is an important chapter. There could be, and should be,
more information included, but all the basics are here.



She also includes data on cord magick, talismans and amulets, poppets,
chants, and a few miscellaneous spells.



It is a wide-ranging book and, in my opinion, is not really all that
valuable. If someone has absolutely no other access to training materials
and teachers (and I find that difficult to believe in this day and age), it
would certainly be acceptable as a starting point, but I would prefer not to
recommend it unless that were the case.