Originally posted by Gwendri
Fable, I have a couple of questions. Do you have any children? If so, how do you handle their religious knowledge? I have two children (14 and 10), they know that I am a Wiccan but I do not force them to participate. I answer any questions they ask about Wicca and any other religion and encourage them to follow what they believe.
No children, no. I've given some thought to the question of what I'd have done as far as "religious training" (the euphemism for stuffing one's own religious views down the throat of a child who isn't of sufficient mental age to consider its value) is concerned. FWIW, I suspect I'd have helped any child of mine learn meditation, develop all their senses, and keep in touch with their emotions. I would have invited them into the circle at an early age, but would have allowed them to make such choices about their religion as they saw fit when they grew up, even if I disagreed with them. At least, so I want to think I'd do. Not having had the experience, I can't really say with any certainty.
Also, are there any books or other material that you would recommend? I have found it very difficult to find good Wicca information aside from the fanatical.
@Gwendri, it was this question that had me thinking for a while. In the end, I decided not to recommend any specific book, but to recommend specific values to seek out and to avoid in any book you encounter.
1)
Look for books that set forth a reasonable historical scenario for Wicca as a modern, syncretic religion. Send up a warning flag for books that proclaim that Wicca is an ancient religion that has been passed down from coven to coven over the ages, and that the author has the Knowledge of the Ancients to provide. There is no evidence that Wicca fits this romanticized scenario--and I say that, despite being an initiated Gardinerian witch, which derives its "tradition" from Gerald Gardiner and Doreen Valiente's claims in the 1940s to being members of a surviving Celtic coven. I'd like to thnk that what we've got is really good, but that doesn't mean its ancient. More importantly, that doesn't matter.
My point is that if a religious book has to pride itself on its age, and its leaders have to pride themselves on their degrees, their coven numbers, or their vaunted wisdom, then they're not a religion: they're a carny show. And much as I enjoy an occasional ride, I don't like to be taken for one. Religion isn't about swirling a dark cape about one's shoulders and making vaguely ominous pronouncements in a voice like Charleston Heston.
2)
Go for books that identify with the positive. Watch out for books that spend a fair amount of time playing spite or hate games with Judeo-Christianity. It's perfectly okay to point out the differences between Wicca and monotheistic religions in a book, IMO. It's another thing to harrangue, or to engage in a kind of obnoxious triumphalism. A good Wiccan book isn't about what we're against. It's about what we are, what we believe, what we're for, and how we act. "When, Why, If," by Robin Wood, is a book worth pondering for purchase.
3)
Find books that don't thrust men and women into stereotypical roles, but instead, view men and women as equal partners in the universe, sharing in all its delights (save seeding, reproduction, lactation, and fairly obvious stufflikethatthere). Wiccans don't care much for partriarchal monotheism, and some of 'em have tried to get back at Western culture by creating a religion that glorifies the X chromosome. That's political dialectic, not religion, IMO. DJ Conway's "The Complete Craft" is an example of this, with its "peaceful matriarchy" in the prehistoric past where everyone worshipped the Goddess until evil patriarchalists came along and spoiled everything.
Starhawk is another very popular author with a very similar view, except that she's never made any bones about being a non-Wiccan, er, Feminist witch. (I know that sounds confusing, but then, it is.)
4)
Look for books that contain practical exercises for simple meditation, concentration, sensitivity, and emotional balancing. You can't work well in a more complex circle if you're personally out of control.
5)
Ignore books that promise to reveal the contents of someone's Book of Shadows--in other words, what they've been taught, all the rituals and other info that are supposed to be handed for copying only to other coven members. What they've got to share isn't worth taking. Anyone who professes to know it all doesn't know a steaming meadow heap. An example of this are the popular works of Silver RavenWolf, which are filled with factually demonstrable errors. But given her high profile publicity hype, it's fairly safe to say that she's in the writing game for the money.
If you come across a specific book that you'd like my opinion on, let me know. I've hardly read 'em all, but I might have some slight knowledge of the author, or the work in question. You might also want to check
this website. I've found the people who review the books on it to be very level-headed fellow Wiccans. (One decent book that's recommended there is Ray Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft, but give serious thought to their well-expressed reservations about it.)
Too bad you don't live in this area. You make me willing to start up a teaching grove.
(Wicca can be done by a Solitaire, but I don't think it's advisable to start that way. A good group, rather than a good group of books, is really necessary to begin work on the path.)
Good luck, and Blessed Be.
