Wicca: What's the Real Deal?: Breaking Through the Misconceptions [Paperback]

This review was originally published on The Magical Buffet website on 9/1/11.

I first became aware of Patricia Gardner when her apartment exterior was vandalized in 2007. I wrote a little piece about it. What readers don't know is that shortly after I wrote that article I spent an evening with Patricia (High Priestess) and got to meet Dayna Winters (Priestess) and other members of the Dragon Warriors of Isis Coven. As I was coming to expect from meetings like this, the group was filled with friendly and sincere spiritual seekers that welcomed me into their gathering with open arms. And this is why I was thrilled to learn that Schiffer Publishing has recently released "Wicca: What's the Real Deal? Breaking Through the Misconceptions" by none other than Patricia Gardner, Dayna Winters, and Angela Kaufman.

These three ladies endeavor to navigate the murky waters of attempting to define and describe Wicca and its practices, which as most of you are aware is a journey fraught with peril as Wiccan practitioner's perspectives and philosophies vary greatly. Overall I think the average Wiccan would feel the book adequately represents them, and at the end of the day, the three authors are Priestesses of their own coven, so it definitely reflects their own beliefs.

The bulk of the book concentrates on the misconceptions about Wicca with the first chapter being "Misunderstood Terminology and Erroneous Perceptions" and the second chapter being "Misunderstood Practices and Historical Misconceptions". These chapters use the simple format of stating the myth, stating the truth, and then offering a detailed explanation. They discuss a variety of myths, such as: "All Witches follow the Wiccan religion", "Wiccan revere nothing", "Tarot cards are evil and their use attracts evil spirits", "Witches use an athame to cut people or animals during their rites", and "The Horned God that Wiccans worship is Satan".

Next they discuss "What Wiccans Do". Here is the basic description of rituals, a listing of holidays and other events like Handfastings and Esbats with a concise overview of each, some discussion of Wiccan tenets and principles, and even a look at the advantages and disadvantages of being a Wiccan. They share the vandalism incident that brought them to my attention within the disadvantages section.

Lastly is a fascinating chapter entitled "When Magick is Sane". Very few books I've come across have so openly and frankly discussed that often times people who believe in magick are considered to be crazy. Since author Angela Kaufman is a licensed clinical social worker with experience working with individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues there is an extra weight of authority behind this chapter. They discuss spirits, divine guidance and hallucinations, a comparison of religion and culture versus diagnosable illness, and the difference between magick and self-delusion. From there it flows neatly into examining teens wishing to study Wicca, handling discrimination and intolerance, and some of the negative behaviors that can be found within Wiccan communities.

"Wicca: What's the Real Deal?" could easily be mistaken as another "Wicca 101' book at first glance, and with most Buffet readers being well versed in Wicca or practicing Wiccans themselves, you may find yourself dismissing this book a bit too soon. With its straight forward myth/truth format and easy to follow explanations of the basics of Wicca and being Wiccan this book is, in my opinion, a must own for many people. High Priests and Priestesses should consider having a copy around for loaning out to concerned family members of those in their coven, or for a teenager interested in pursuing Wicca for them and their family to read together. With its discussion of what Wiccans do and the pros and cons of being Wiccan, anyone considering taking up the study of Wicca would benefit from reading this book. Also, anyone looking for an easy to digest introduction to Wicca would find use in owning this book.

The book, "Wicca: What's the Real Deal?" is three witches attempts to dispel all the negative connotations and myths surrounding the religion. Was their attempt successful? A resounding "yes" is my opinion. The book is organized into three sections: the first two chapters begins to dispel myths surrounding the religion; the second part tries to clarify what Wiccans really do, and why they do it; and the last section, in my honest opinion, ties in all the myths together at the level of the individual and their view of the world.

I found the book exceedingly informative. The book pulls no punches or tries to fill space with airy language. Each sentence and paragraph was carefully placed to convey the authors' views concisely and articulately. The first section trying to dispel myths surrounding the faith is organized by stating a common myth and then stating if the myth is either true or false. The authors do not expect readers to simply take them up on their word - they follow up with a well-researched summary exposing the myth. The summaries at times may feel too academic for some readers who may be looking for a quick bedtime reading. However, I do appreciate the attention to detail and citations the authors provide - something other books on the religion rarely do.

After all the common myths have been dispelled, the next section attempts to clarify what Wiccans actually do. This section is great for non-Wiccans to understand why Wicca truly is a different religion, rather than the antithesis of Judeo-Christian beliefs. This section goes through the major Wiccan holidays, based on the solar cycles, the worship of nature, and the belief in everyone's innate psychic abilities and the tools that help one sharpen those abilities to enhance a practitioner's life. It also goes through the main Wiccan principles from reincarnation and consequences Wiccans face in the form of karma.

The last section is my favorite. It is the first book I have seen that thoroughly touches on Wicca, the role of individual perception and past and present views of the faith from the mental health profession. Many of the common myths surrounding Wicca are rooted in belief that it is not a healthy religion for an individual and therefore our collective society. The latter concern for society is what has enabled more organized religions to define Wicca in mainstream society, unfortunately for the negative. The case made by this section dispels that foundation that Wicca is maladaptive for an individual and society with compelling examples and thoughtful, exquisite logic. The role of religion is decomposed in this section to an individual's perception, and personal responsibility, to perceive their religion in ways that bring positive change for the practitioner. A Christian who believes the end of the world is imminent and therefore chooses to lock themselves away from the world, neglecting friends, his health and his home has harmful views of the religion that bares no resembles to the religion's teachings. The fault does not rely on his faith, but rather his perception of his faith. Given the widespread acceptance of Christianity in our society, our culture accurately sees the fault with the Christian follower than the religion, itself. For a faith like Wicca, society has not yet given the fair consideration it is adieu, that separates the religion from the acts of few individuals who claim to be Wiccan without upholding its tenets.

Overall, this is a great book for those who want to understand the religion, or for beginners of the faith. One of the myths surrounding the faith (page 25) is the belief that "Most witches are uneducated." The authors' research expertise, thoughtfulness, and eloquent but concise writing should put rest to at least that myth even if certain readers may disagree with the books overall conclusions.

I finished reading this book over the last few days, and I was impressed with its authors depth and honest belief in Wicca. They have a genuine compassion for people that other religions would do well to emulate. While I felt the book spent a bit to much time in the question and answer format, I did learn a lot about the Wiccan belief system from this section. The sections on magick (as they call it to emphasize its realness in their lives, the word magic seems to be relegated to fantasy tales) I found the most interesting. The mechanics of their belief system seem to pull the best out off most major religions, such as the belief in Karma (Buddhism) and Reincarnation (Hinduism). But at the same time they levan it with their belief in magick that is wholly their own, and the authors show how it comes together in a fulfilling way that works in their own lives.
The most interesting section was when the authors discussed mental health and the Wiccan faith. Wiccan's just like any other religion or belief system will attract the mentally ill who may never join the faith, but will read a book or two and claim membership of it. Once they do this any crazy crime or action they do will instantly be associated with their claimed faith. Wiccan's have been hurt more by this phenomena than other religions due to their centuries of persecution and negative beliefs held by others about their faith. But while the actions of some claiming to be Wiccan have terrible consequences I have yet to hear of a Wiccan crusade or suicide bomber...
In closing while the Wiccan faith is not for me, I do have friends who believe in this faith. And while it is different in some way from major faiths it is also much the same. Wiccan ideas are no stranger than Catholics believing wine turns into blood when blessed by a priest in the proper way.