Reddit reviews A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook
We found 10 Reddit comments about A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Phoenix Publishing
It's a good book by good authors. If you're interested in it, purchase it.
For reliable sources:
High Magic's Aid by Gerald Gardner
Aradia: Gospel of the Witches by Charles Godfrey Leland
1: Witchfather: A Life of Gerald Gardner: Into the Witch Cult by Philip Heselton
Lid off the Cauldron by Patrica Crowther
The Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton
Foundations of Practical Magic: An Introduction to Qabalistic, Magical and Meditative Techniques by Israel Regardie
A Witches' Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar
Witchcraft for Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente
Modern Magick: Eleven Lessons in the High Magickal Arts by Donald Michael Kraig
Magical Power For Beginners: How to Raise & Send Energy for Spells That Work by Deborah Lipp
Fifty Years Of Wicca by Frederic Lamond
For essential materials,
-An athame
-A wand
-A pentacle
-A chalice
-Incense and censer
> Would I be considered a true Wiccan if I hid it from those around me?
Yes, you would be considered a "true Wiccan." Most Wiccans since the inception of Wicca kept secret the fact they were witches. It's only in very recent times that people are so forward about the fact that they're witches. I myself keep it pretty well hidden. Only those in my coven and my closest loved ones know that I'm Wiccan.
>When choosing a patron/matron do you pick from literally any gods/goddesses?
The concept of a patron/matron deity is relatively new to Wicca. Originally, the Goddess worshiped by the Witches was the Lunar Goddess of Fertility - often called Diana, Aradia, Hekate, Isis, the Queen of Elphame, etc. The original God worshiped by the Witches was the Horned God of Death and Resurrection - often called Pan, Cernunnos, Janicot, etc. However, in recent times, Wiccans (myself included) have begun working with all types of Pagan deities. So in short, yes, you can pick any god or goddess you feel a connection with.
> Can you celebrate the Wiccan holidays and still celebrate things like Christmas?
Yes, most Wiccans still celebrate cultural holidays such as Christmas.
Laurie Cabat wrote a really great book on this subject called "Celebrate the Earth: A Year of Holidays in the Pagan Tradition" it really helped things make sense for me.
The other book that helped me a lot was The Witch's Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar. In it, they have combined two of their books into one big volume of info (the book is huge). One of those books is Eight Sabbats for Witches which is hard to find as a single book right now, but is 8 sample rituals as well as a lot of information on the different meanings to the Sabbats.
Candles from anywhere are fine to light the altar and the room. I recently got a huge pack of candles for $2 at ikea clearance.
Must-read books:
They wrote one of the most quintessential works on Wicca in the 70s. What Witches Do and Eight Sabbats for Witches were later combined into one work called A Witches' Bible, and it remains one of the gold standard texts of modern day Wicca.
The authors are/were initiates of Alex Sanders, who was infamous in Britain in the 60s for declaring himself/being declared in the media as the King of the Witches. He made phony claims of initiation by his grandmother, but as it turns out, he was either taught, initiated, or given the BoS by a Gardnerian priestess.
There are two main categories of practice that identify as Wicca and are sufficiently different that resources and advice that might work well for one doesn't always apply to the other.
Traditional Wicca is an initiatory pagan priesthood. It's orthopraxic, meaning there are specific ways that are maintained and passed from one initiate to the next (unlike an orthodoxy which requires maintaining a specific belief). Trad Wicca requires training and initiation via a recognized coven (or, at the very least, an elder). One example of practice within a Trad is "A Witches Bible" by Stewart & Janet Farrar ( it's actually two books in one). More of their books that are relevant to any variant of Wicca include "The Witches God", "The Witches Goddess", and "Spells and How They Work". Of course, there are also the books of Gerald Gardner who founded modern Wicca plus other classic authors up to modern day like Thorn Mooney's recent "Traditional Wicca: A Seekers Guide".
Eclectic (or Solitary) Wicca is not the above priesthood but a practice that was started externally and perpetuated by the book industry. It's the form you'll most frequently encounter as a person can declare himself one whenever they choose to. Basically, it borrows concepts from Trad Wicca (which ones and to what extent is entirely up to the individual) and blends them with influences from other sources (again, per the person's choosing) with any other personal innovation. Obviously, this creates a great deal of diversity. Subsequently, most eclectic-oriented books tend to fall into the "101" group as there isn't much authors can offer beyond basic Wiccan concepts other than their own innovations. Generally, you'll need to expand your knowledge and your practice by delving into specific subjects like herbalism, various types of magical techniques, divination types and so on.
This subreddit has a wiki that you might find helpful.
Are you talking about this one?
https://www.amazon.com/Witches-Bible-Complete-Handbook/dp/0919345921
Welcome to the community! There's really no right or wrong way to start, but as far as a "newbie"/beginner goes, there are a couple beginner's guides that I'd recommend any interested novice pick up. Wicca For Beginners is a great place to start for a general overview of the practice. A more extensive guide would be A Witch's Bible, and if you're looking for more Druidic/"Green Witch" type material, the Grimoire for the Green Witch is pretty extensive.
That should about cover basic/introductory stuff. I've been practicing Wicca my entire life, so feel free to PM me if you've got any questions. I'd be more than happy to introduce you to Paganism.
The most obvious book on traditional Wicca is Janet and Stewart Farrar's A Witches' Bible
There is A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook by Stewart and Janet Farrar.