Covencraft: Witchcraft for Three Or More

This is a multi-title review. Titles include: 'A Community of Witches', 'Book of Shadows', and 'Convencraft'. Neopaganism, aka wicca or witchcraft, is said to be the fastest-growing new religion in the U.S. Although some writers and publishers think the movement is filled with airheads who ceaselessly issue silly spell-casting and inane incantation books, others have realized neopaganism's serious religious potential. Three books represent equally worthy, quite different approaches to the subject. Academic researchers, not unaware of neopaganism's sharp growth curve, have published many articles in recent years, but sociologist Berger's is the first book-length study. She spent 10 years as a participant-observer in East Coast wiccan groups and conducted a national survey of other participants. She focuses on the routinization of charisma and on the movement's new focus on family issues, and she defines wicca as a religion rather than a cult or subculture--definitions arguably more important to sociologists than to nonspecialist readers. She concludes that mixed pagan groups are more important in the movement than women's groups. This is somewhat puzzling, given her own data that show that pagans are more likely to be women than men, but overall she provides a good, readable analysis of the society of witches in today's America. The promotional material for Curott's book is enough to give a black cat pause. But once past the glamourpuss cover, readers will find it an extraordinarily well-written spiritual autobiography, in which a young feminist lawyer discovers how relevant ancient truths are to her contemporary life. Curott chooses to tell only the story of her first 'year and a day' as a wiccan initiate, ending at the point at which she is accepted fully into, and fully accepts, the faith. There are some awfully jarring anachronisms--or, perhaps, astonishing psychic moments--in Curott's rendering of speech. In them, 1970s women speak remarkably like 1990s wiccans. This does not, however, seriously detract from the rich story of Curott's personal journey. Covencraft is one of the most comprehensive, sensible, and good-humored of the many basic witchcraft texts available. Amber K, a regular columnist for several publications, is widely regarded as one of the wittiest wiccan writers, and the book certainly does sparkle. Where else will you find suggestions for slapstick rituals and Darth Vader nights as well as guidelines for appropriate interpersonal behavior within groups? Amber K is a respected elder of the craft, as sophisticated in her knowledge of group dynamics as she is knowledgeable about herbs and divination. She offers excellent guidance to anyone wishing to establish a wiccan coven.