Wicca
Reading List



"Every ending is a beginning and for Witches this is Law.
Where they enter in, from there they must withdraw."
Laurie Cabot, Power of the Witch

Here is my suggested reading list. of course it is highly subjective and based on what I think are good and wonderful books. For example, I haven't read the Scott Cunningham books for solitary practitioners so I can't comment on them. I will be adding to the list over time as I check out a few more titles. Meanwhile, if there are books you think I seriously need to read, please e-mail me.

The Witches of Oz by Matthew & Julia Philips, Published by Capall Bann, UK, 1994
ISBN: 1 898307 180
A practical guide to Wicca based on a blend of the Gardnerian and Alexandrian crafts. This is an especially good book for Australians and those wishing to know more about the Australian way of doing things.

Celebrating Times of Change: A Wiccan Book of Shadows for Family & Coven Growth by Stanley J.A. Modrzyk, published by Samuel Weiser Inc, USA, 1995
ISBN: 0-87728-820-8
A very nice book of rituals from the First Temple of the Craft of W.I.C.A., one of America's oldest legal coven churches.

A Witches Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook by Janet & Stewart Farrar, published by Phoenix Publishing Inc, USA, 1996
ISBN: 0-919345-92-1
Probably the best known resource for the Gardnerian/Alexandrian tradition of Wicca. This book is very comprehensive I especially like the chapters on the Rationale of Wicca and the advice given for running a coven, as well as other important aspects of Wicca. (After all, Wicca is not ALL about spells and rituals!)

What Witches Do by Stewart Farrar, published by Phoenix Publishing Inc, USA, 1995
ISBN: 0-919345-17-4
First written and published in 1971, Stewart Farrar's book is a good primer for those interested in pursuing the faith of Wicca or those just wanting to know more about what witches do.

Power of the Witch: A Witch's guide to her craft by Laurie Cabot, published by Arkana (Penguin Group), UK, USA and Australia, 1989
ISBN: 0 14 019368 5
I really like the down to earth nature of Laurie Cabot's writing, and the way in which she links modern witchcraft to the shamans and natural healers of the past. When I first read this book, her technique for attaining a meditative state - Alpha - was really useful for me.

Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler, updated edition published by Arkana (Penguin Group)
UK, USA and Australia, 1997 (previously published by Viking in 1979 and Beacon in 1986)
ISBN: 0 14 01.9536 X
An excellent history of the neo-Pagan movement in the USA, with a section updated in 1985. This book will give you a good grounding in the different traditions alive in the USA and which filter to other places.

The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess by Starhawk, published by Harper & Row, 1979 (this is my edition, I know it's been reissued since then by Harper Collins Publishers in the 10th anniversary edition)
ISBN: 0-06-067535-7 (this may have changed)
The Spiral Dance was instrumental in the revivial of the old religions and continues to be one of the most important resources for pagans and witches. That of course is my opinion, and I'm sticking to it. This is the book I always recommend to those new to Wicca.

Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Millenium by Vivianne Crowley, published by Thorsons (an imprint of Harper Collins), UK and USA, 1996
ISBN: 1 7225 3271 7
Another of those books that looks at Wicca today, religious history and current practice. I like Vivianne Crowleys' particular version because it is well written and easy to digest. I like her way of looking at the archetypes of deity. All in all, it is a good resource.

The Pickingill Papers: The Origin of the Gardnerian Craft by W.E. Liddell and Michael Howard, published by Capall Bann, UK, 1994
ISBN: 1 898307 10 5
A bit of a controversial book, but it does give a good recent history of the craft since Gardner, and the place from which Gardner took his influence and initiation.

The Sabbats: A New Approach to Living the Old Ways by Edain McCoy, published by Llewellyn, USA, 1994
ISBN: 1-56718-663-7
I recommend this book because it has some nice outlines of the Sabbats, and rituals for solitaries and groups. The resource section looks like it could be good for the USA and the outline for ritual construction in the Appendices is good too.

Witchcraft for Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente, published by Robert Hale Limited, UK, 1978. (I know, my copy is ancient and it has been published elsewhere but I'm not sure where.)
ISBN: 0-312-88452-4 (this has probably changed too!)
What can I say about the woman who wrote a great deal of Gardner's Book of Shadows? This is an important resource which, although it may appear a little old fashioned in style, really lays the groundwork for the practice of modern Wicca on the line.

Also by Doreen Valiente:
An ABC of Witchcraft Past & Present
Natural Magic
Once again, I do not have the current publication information for these books. Please e-mail me if you can help.

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I'll give you permission to reproduce anything on my page if you ask, provided it is mine.
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