Hello Everyone!
Today, I find myself reading Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary
Practitioner by Scott Cunningham, a gift from a friend. I have never cracked
this book before now, even though I highly respect the author. I suppose there
are two reasons that I have never read this book. The first is that the
opportunity has never presented itself. My local library does not have a copy,
I don’t know anyone with a copy, and I’ve never seen it at a local book store.
The second reason is that it is called “Wicca.” I have
always been wary about the word “Wicca,” because a lot of Wiccans and
Wiccan-themed books are focused around coven work with a High Priest and
Priestess, with initations and ritual proceedings to “reach the next level of
Wicca…” I have never really agreed with or seen the point in that type of
practicing, and for that reason, I have oftentimes passed over titles with the
word “Wicca” in them.
However, Scott Cunningham’s Wicca is much different than,
say, Lady Sheba’s. He makes it very clear that there are no set rules to Wicca
and that his version of Wicca was learned through experience and may be changed
or practiced in different ways by others, because not everyone believes 100%
the same as he does. So far in this book, I have read things that I do and
things that I do not agree with, but he writes in such a way that I can take
away what I wish from his thoughts and leave what I do not believe behind. I
respect this because with the book that I am writing, I hope to do the same. He
educates others on his belief system, but he openly states that it is not only
alright but also encouraged to change what you wish.
While teaching what he believes, and what many other
practitioners believe, he also tells you to follow your intuition and your
heart. He refers to the Goddess and the God as just that: “the Goddess and the
God.” But he encourages the reader to use any deity names they might feel
comfortable with. While he talks about the Goddess and the God, you may be
reading about and practicing with Hera and Zeus, Artemis and Apollo, Hades and
Persephone, Shiva and Parvati, or any other number of gods and goddesses from
any pantheon.
I am only two chapters into this book and already I am
respecting Scott Cunningham even more than I already did. I am inspired and
gracious because of this book and I hope that someday, someone feels the same
about my own writing.
Until next time!
Be Seeing You!
-Anne Elizabeth
