BOOK REVIEW - Cunningham's Book of Shadows
Mike
Traditionalist by Scott Cunningham © 2009 Llewellyn ISBN:
978-0-7387-1914-6 Hardcover $19.95 (U.S.) $22.95 ( Canada)
www.llewellyn.com
Having trained as an Alexandrian Witch at a time when it was accepted
that “…ye may not be a witch alone.”; having spent many years as a
member of various covens; and having seen the sloppiness that often
comes from eclectic “training,” I have sometimes been disappointed by
the writings of eclectic authors I have read. Scott Cunningham was
one of the most prolific, and often quoted, of those authors, with one
major difference. Where many authors take an approach which rejects
all traditional forms and teachings, Scott started from a traditional
base and modified aspects as they ceased to work effectively for him.
Looking at this book illustrates that aspect of his life and style.
From the very first page of this long “lost” book (actually it was
stowed away in a bookcase and forgotten), the traditional
underpinnings are obvious to those of us who have undergone “old-
style” training. It has been paraphrased and reworked with the intent
of making it more Americanized and thus more relevant to the large and
rapidly growing population of American Wiccans. It was assembled
during the early 1980s and reflects the prevailing attitudes of that
time.
Some of this material appears, often in a more polished form, in other
books Scott wrote, but this reflects the early orientation, when Scott
was able to teach students personally, before other concerns stole
much of his time. There are numerous echoes here of material I was
exposed to during my early days of training, including variants of
invocations I learned. There are also very obvious modifications made
to gently move away from the very ceremonial bias of the British
Traditional teachings of the time.
There has been some polishing of the material, and excerpts are
provided from some of Scott’s other writing, but it easy to see how
this formed the basis for all of Scott’s later workings. It serves
both as a workable Book of Shadows, and as a historical look at the
origins of much of what has come to be perceived as “American Wicca.”
I am grateful that this material was discovered and brought forth,
since many of the early writings have been lost through carelessness,
deliberate suppression, and sheer bad luck. This book is an
invaluable addition to the history of Wicca, and belongs in your
bookcase.
Evergreen
> Cunningham=92s Book of Shadows: The Path of an American
> Traditionalist by Scott Cunningham =A9 2009 Llewellyn ISBN:
> 978-0-7387-1914-6 Hardcover $19.95 (U.S.) $22.95 ( Canada)
> www.llewellyn.com
>
> Having trained as an Alexandrian Witch at a time when it was
> accepted that =93=85ye may not be a witch alone.=94; having
> spent many years as a member of various covens; and having seen
> the sloppiness that often comes from eclectic =93training,=94
> I have sometimes been disappointed by the writings of eclectic
> authors I have read. Scott Cunningham was one of the most
> prolific, and often quoted, of those authors, with one major
> difference. Where many authors take an approach which rejects
> all traditional forms and teachings, Scott started from a
> traditional base and modified aspects as they ceased to work
> effectively for him. Looking at this book illustrates that
> aspect of his life and style.
What's this "traditional teachings" nonsense?
Wicca is an artificial psuedo-religion created in the 1950's
by shoddy amateur scholars using the same sources that fantasy
fiction writers use.
Not one of them could make water wet with magick.
http://www.bcholmes.org/wicca/gardner.html
> From the very first page of this long =93lost=94 book
> (actually it was stowed away in a bookcase and forgotten), the
> traditional underpinnings are obvious to those of us who have
> undergone =93old- style=94 training. It has been paraphrased
> and reworked with the intent of making it more Americanized and
> thus more relevant to the large and rapidly growing population
> of American Wiccans. It was assembled during the early 1980s
> and reflects the prevailing attitudes of that time.
>
> Some of this material appears, often in a more polished form,
> in other books Scott wrote, but this reflects the early
> orientation, when Scott was able to teach students personally,
> before other concerns stole much of his time.
> There are numerous echoes here of material I was exposed
> to during my early days of training, including variants of
> invocations I learned.
And learning that stuff accomplished what?
> There are also very obvious modifications made to
> gently move away from the very ceremonial bias of the British
> Traditional teachings of the time.
More abuse of the word "traditional".
> There has been some polishing of the material, and excerpts
> are provided from some of Scott=92s other writing, but it easy
> to see how this formed the basis for all of Scott=92s later
> workings. It serves both as a workable Book of Shadows, and as
> a historical look at the origins of much of what has come to be
> perceived as =93American Wicca.=94
>
> I am grateful that this material was discovered and brought
> forth, since many of the early writings have been lost through
> carelessness, deliberate suppression, and sheer bad luck. This
> book is an invaluable addition to the history of Wicca, and
> belongs in your bookcase.
If only wiccans had magickal skills that matched their egos.
"Book of Shadows".
ROTFL
They do love their theatrics.
Sid
--
Sidney Lambe
Wiccan Priest and Apprentice Magician
http://tinyurl.com/7vs9zb
usenet4444 (at) gmail (dot) com