Thea Sabin

Between this and the other two "for beginners" type books I read, I think I'm starting to triangulate my relationship to Wicca. I'm definitely going to continue studying and working on becoming a Witch, but I think a lot of the binaries that bother me are so baked in to Wicca that it might not end up making sense to call myself a Wiccan per se. I'm not ruling it out, but yeah.

Meanwhile, more cultural appropriation and more identifying practices as "Native American" (call people by their own show more damn names for themselves and don't generalize this isn't rocket science).

I did appreciate that this one was a bit more dense, but some of the recommendations I've seen of it were that it presented more options and variety than the average beginner book, and that honestly wasn't my experience at all? And specifically, the chapter on energy work tells you to visualize over and over and over, and... I have aphantasia, you guys. I LITERALLY cannot.

I have some of my own ideas for how I can adapt things for myself, no worries there, I just think these things are often written assuming you're white, straight, cis, neurotypical, and abled. Which, for a religion that prides itself on being different and full of outsiders... I'd really like to see better. Especially in books literally marketed towards beginners. Meet people where they're at.

(Note, this is the third "for beginners" book I've read in a row, so this and the cultural appropriation note are both a cumulative complaint rather than limited to this specific book.) show less

After reading the travesty that was [b:Wicca's Charm: Understanding the Spiritual Hunger Behind the Rise of Modern Witchcraft and Pagan Spirituality|408522|Wicca's Charm Understanding the Spiritual Hunger Behind the Rise of Modern Witchcraft and Pagan Spirituality|Catherine Edwards Sanders|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1433822070s/408522.jpg|397826], I picked up Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin hoping for a more balanced look. I was not disappointed.

Told from the point of view of a true show more believer of Wicca, Wicca for Beginners is more than the fluffy teen Wicca books that were so popular a few years ago. Sabin explores what Wicca - her religion - means to her, and how she feels that the magic and worship inherent in Wicca contributes to her own feelings of self-empowerment and giving her life purpose. Unlike Sanders, who treated Wicca as a phase or hobby, Sabin's belief shines through.

While I may not believe Sabin, I believe she believes, and I can respect that. She never denigrates Christianity in the book - or any other religion, for that matter - and actually is surprisingly sensitive to hot topics like cultural appropriation and respecting boundaries. Neither does she espouse wild, discredited beliefs, such as the idea of one linear matriarchal religion that was stamped out by Christians and preserved in secret by bands. Though this has been discussed, Sabin freely admits that this is without basis. What strengthens her book is that her exploration of what Wicca means to her doesn't need that backstory to support it; it's strong enough on its own. And that's what Sanders never seemed to grasp. She thought that saying Wicca was a new religion was a devastating blow, but Sabin shows that that isn't necessarily so.

Sabin gracefully ties the pattern of Wicca's belief system, then supplies the threads that make it up: the altar, meditation, visualization, spells, etc. These are secondary, and act as props to the main belief system. In fact, Sabin highly encourages her students - and readers - to focus on the big picture rather than the threads. Some people, I suspect, become interested in Wicca because they want to play with the threads and ignore the pattern, but if you do that, all you end up with is a big knotted mess.

Sabin isn't writing an academic discussion of Wicca here. She specifically means this for beginners who are interested in the Wiccan belief system. Her writing, and its devout tone, may turn some readers off, but I found it to be more informative than Sanders's screed by far. show less

She begins with the philosophy of Wicca, to set the stage, rather than to jump right into the practices. The history is more accurate than other intro books. “The Wiccan path is based on the Earth not on the Heavens” is a succinct statement of the book’s thesis. After philosophy, she goes into energy, meditation, trance, shielding, and journey/pathwork – the work of preparing the mind and body for the ritual work to come. Orderly progression to Circle casting, the Elements and then show more the Goddess and God as being two branches of the same tree. She offers a simple practice for someone to begin that relationship with the Divine which is a thoughtful step most books skip. Tools, the Wheel, and only then does she show how to incorporate all that came before into ritual. Approachable style. Recommend for someone new to Wicca show less

This is not a what to teach. You learn that from your own teachers. This is learning to think about how to teach. The practical aspects of where, when, and whom. Excellent chapter on screening students which, for any coven leader, is a critical skill to develop. Giving priority to the group welfare in covens and small groups. The importance of bringing in individuals who will fit with the group, and also the importance of dismissing those who prove they do not fit. It also addresses teaching show more publicly, where attendance is open and screening is impossible. Definitely a book I'll incorporate into our degree program at the appropriate level. We teach this but this book is a hands on complement. show less