As I said in my Basic Witches review, some books are easier to write about than others.

There are books that’re hard to review because they’re too damned boring to have strong feelings for them. There are also books out there where it feels like your reaction doesn’t really matter. After all, there are hundreds of reviews of these classics, what more can one reviewer add to a decades-old discourse?

My numpty-headed opinions, that’s what.

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham, 1988.

Wicca is a classic, and for good reason. There aren’t many books that are this flexible or this focused. Cunningham emphasizes that Wicca has no “bible”, and that potential practitioners should prioritize personal research and experimentation above the words of any one author. At the same time, everything Cunningham covers is specific to the Wiccan path. There’s no mention of chakras, angels, UFOs, totem animals, gris-gris, binaural beats, or any other miscellaneous New Age-adjacent stuff.

Saying Wicca‘s a good beginner book is like saying cake is tasty: It’s such a common opinion that the only people who’ll disagree are contrarians, or people who just don’t want what’s on offer. But the point of this blog isn’t to give you all a quick yea or nay, it’s to try and explain why certain books might be worth your time, and who they’re most useful for.

So first up, non-Wiccann witches: You’ll want to skip this one. Cunningham makes the effort to refer to “Wiccans” rather than making blanket statements about “all Real Witches”, but the fact remains that this is a strictly Wiccan book. Everything aspect of the craft is tied into the God/Goddess, and “Harm None”‘s so oft repeated that it might as well be part of the folio.

“Every deity that has received worship upon this planet exists with the archetypal God and Goddess. The complex pantheons which arose…are simply aspects of the two.” Pg 9.

Second, if you want to jump straight to spellcasting, you’ll find the book pretty slow. Cunningham’s main focus is on the faith of Wicca, and while there’s a hearty number of beginner spells, the first hundred-odd pages are focused on morality and mythology. This also means that if you’re versed in Wiccan lore, the first half’ll be old ground, aside from some odd musings about how Wicca may be connected to ancient shamanic religions.

“Dance is an ancient ritual practice. It’s also a magical act, for physical movement releases energy from the body, the same energy used for magic. This “secret” was discovered early, and so dance was incorporated into magic and ritual to raise energy, to alter consciousness or simply to honor the Goddess and God with ritual performances.” – Pg 41.

That said, if you’re leaning towards Wicca and this is your first or second witchy book, there’s a ton of useful information. Cunningham covers circle casting, magical tools, altar setup, Sabbats, self-initiation, ritual design, Wiccan lore, divination, and even some useful exercises for visualization and energy raising. While none of the info is particularly in-depth, it does enough to give the reader a solid foundation on which to build future research.

The second half of Wicca is devoted to Cunningham’s Book of Shadows, or at least an abridged version thereof. It’s the most useful portion of the book, and something I’m surprised doesn’t show up in more “Wicca 101” books. The Standing Stone Book of Shadows contains a hundred pages of correspondences, daily prayers, Sabbat rituals, useful herbs, simple spells, and some recipes for oils and incenses. It’s nothing ground-breaking, but having a beginner-friendly reference book is an absolute godsend (goddess-send?) Need a quick prosperity spell, or a simple chant for circle-casting? Boom, there it is.

The last thing I’ll cover is the book’s writing. Cunningham’s style has a wonderful authenticity to it, and everything is written in a congenial, almost gentle manner. There’s a sense of humility and self-deprecation to his words, as well as a generous sprinkling of wit. That said, this book was written almost thirty years ago, and it shows. Wicca can be wordy, and its semi-academic tone is sometimes very dry. Combined with the first half’s focus on theory, the writing leaves Wicca as a slow-burn of a book, to the point where it can turn some people off entirely.

If you can get past the book’s occasional slow moments, Wicca is an invaluable resource for any beginner Wiccan. Even those who aren’t Solitary will find the sheer amount of handy reference material incredibly useful. There’s not much more for me to say aside from the fact that I love this book, and I’m grateful that Mr Cunningham wrote it. Wherever he is now, I wish him well.

Thanks for your patience, and be well, my witches. ❤