The amount of material available on Wicca and Witchcraft these days is almost mind-boggling. I know it's impossible for a new seeker to wade through it and figure out what is valuable and what is best kept as birdcage liner. Even us experienced folks have a constant influx of new material and authors to become acquainted with. Only through a heavy dose of critical thinking and good networking skills can we hope to keep abreast of what's being published. With that in mind, this week's article is all about how I evaluate authors, books, courses, and other materials. Keep in mind, though, that any opinions I present here are strictly my own. For every book or author I despise, I'm sure there are 20 of you out there who will swear it's the best book you've ever read. I'll do my part to keep my opinions of specific material out of our discussion and just focus on my methodology.
Let's start with books. They may say you can't judge a book by its cover, but I'll readily admit that the cover is one of the determining factors in my opinion of Pagan books. Is the title silly? Is the cover all sparkly and pink? Would I be embarrassed to be seen with this book? Who has lent their name to the blurbs on the back? Are they credible authors or Pagan figures themselves? Although I realize that oftentimes authors don't have control over how their book is covered or marketed, I don't wish to support publishers who put out books that I feel make Wicca look silly.
If the book passes the cover test, I'll flip through it, pausing to read snippets here and there. I look at the Table of Contents to see the sorts of topics covered. If it's a "Wicca 101" book, are the topics arranged in a logical order? Are all the topics there that I feel should be covered? Do any chapters on spellwork or healing include a discussion on ethics? If not, is there a discussion on ethics anywhere in the book? Does the author "talk down" to me? Does the author sound like an "intellectual snob"? I don't tend to buy books where the author is condescending in either manner. I also don't purchase or recommend books where the author jumps into spellwork without talking about ethics, or glosses over important basic "101" material to get to the glitzy stuff.
