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Book Review: The Heart of Wicca


© Karen Mitchell

Mar 24, 2005


The Heart of Wicca, by the late Ellen Cannon Reed, is not your typical Wicca book. There are no ritual outlines in this book. No spells. There are no tables of correspondences, lists of deities, or anything else you might find in scores of other books on the shelves. Rather, this is a book of advice and guidance from a witch who had been on her path for a long time. Ellen shares her thoughts and opinions within, and she doesn't sugarcoat a thing.

I wanted to take the time to review this book for two reasons. First, because it's one of my top-three recommended books here on Suite. Second, because the book sets out in 127 elegantly written pages many of my own ideas and thoughts about Wicca and where Wicca is headed. I highly recommend it to anyone who is Wiccan or seeking to become Wiccan.

The book starts with a bang as Ellen rails against some of the frustrating ideas she's heard about Wicca. I've heard them myself, and maybe you have too: that all Wiccans are "crystal-hugging, air-headed veganazis" (pg vii) , or that we all worship Moon Goddesses, or that "the Craft... is... a hobby, a social club, or a political movement" (pg ix). While this is true of some Wiccans, it most certainly isn't true of me!

Heart of Wicca is divided into twelve chapters and three appendix sections. The chapters delve into all areas of Wicca, including covens (Chapter 3), deities (Chapter 7), magic (Chapter 10), and the Rede (Chapter 11). The Recommended Reading appendix is a two-page smattering of resources ranging from general topics to books that are culture-specific. None have publish dates later than 1997, so some of these sources may be out of print.

In the Covens chapter, Ellen takes on some of the more enduring myths about group work and group leadership. The main purpose of a coven, she states, is "to serve the Gods and Goddesses" (pg 26). She then spends a few pages talking about the membership requirements of her own coven. If you are unfamiliar with group work, pay careful attention to these pages.

Chapters 4 and 5, focusing on Training and Initiation respectively, go deeper into these concepts. If you're unfamiliar with group work, or wondering what the big deal is with covens and initiations, pay close attention to these chapters. Chapter 5 also includes a short section on the importance of initiation standards, a hot topic in Wicca today.

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Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages
3.   Aug 23, 2005 5:38 PM
Sounds interesting. I haven't bought any new books on Wicca for a while, because they all seem to contain pretty much the same information. I might have to check this one out.

Kelly ...

-- posted by rainne
2.   Aug 23, 2005 4:46 PM
I find myself walking an interesting line between wanting to be more traditional with my Wicca and championing the eclectic. Like it or not, those definitions are changing within the community. If not ...

-- posted by terpette
1.   Jul 28, 2005 10:10 PM
I recently discovered this little gem. Like you, I don't agree with everything Reed says, but it was a refreshing read and it does reflect many of my own ideas about Wicca. It's amazing that she can p ...

-- posted by PandoraB



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