Publication Date:December 1, 2003 Shipping:Eligible for Super Saver Shipping Availability:Usually ships in 24 hours
Editorial Reviews:
Product Description This is the most radical work to date by Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, arguably the world's leading experts on the subject of Modern Witchcraft and the Neo-Pagan movement. It is nothing less than their detailed analysis of the way Witchcraft has evolved into the worldwide religion that it is today...and their vision of its future. The authors do not create or endorse a specific Witchcraft tradition, but rather identify a system that is at the root of all of the existing paths within Witchcraft. They show how Wicca is a modern, non-dogmatic dynamic tradition still in a state of evolution-a Priesthood based on connection with the Divine and service to humanity. Here is a book for anyone interested in Wicca, from seekers just beginning on the path of the Old Ways to those thirsting for more knowledge about its inner practices.
Progressive, as a complement to Traditional.March 3, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Some interesting thoughts, and insights into the 'early days' (ie 60's & 70s) of modern witchcraft from people who were in the thick of it.
Also, good concept with the 'progressive' label. The distinction between 'Traditional' & 'Eclectic' Wicca and Witchcraft, is a rather ridiculous one, given that Traditional covens are likely to be just as 'Eclectic' with say, the cultures or deities they use, so what is 'eclectic' really referring to? Someone who isn't 'Traditional' pretty much.
To clarify waters that other reviewers may have muddied, like the terms 'liberal' and 'conservative', the term 'progressive' is not referring to a Wiccan Tradition itself (apologies to David Rankine & Ariadne Rainbird, but it's not like we can take the word out of the dictionary) but using it as a descriptor, one that acts as a complement to the term Traditional. It's a pity it couldn't have been popularised a little better, because it is a useful distinction.
Anyway, a good deal of the negative reviews, are because Janet & Stewart Farrar, while controversial, did end up being spokespeople for what is now known as Traditional Witchcraft (or even British Traditional Witchcraft), and their books are often still recommended in such circles (a Witches Bible etc). So, imagine the shock when it turns out that they were probably never particularly 'Traditional' in the sense of, into holding with Tradition - which seems to mean using the same ritual scripts that were being used 40-50 years ago), they were just writing about what they were practicing *at the time*. And now they've moved on. It should be obvious really, because the people who were writing the ritual scripts 40 years ago, and coming up with the new techniques of the day, aren't exactly going to have settled down and continue doing the same thing for the next 40 years, they're going to continue writing new scripts from year to year, and learning, growing, changing, evolving, and basically - not holding to Tradition. Oh well.
Not saying it's better, but it is different.
So, most of the bad reviews are because of that. A few of the best reviews are probably just giving the book credit because it's 'shaken things up', and the worth of it probably lies somewhere in between.
If you do have an interest in the history of 1960s witchcraft, do read - there's some tidbits of hilarious gossip in there (mostly surrounding Alex Sander's narcissism, gotta respect a healthy ego!).
pushing new growth in WiccaFebruary 9, 2008 "Progressive Witchcraft: Spirituality, Mysteries & Training in Modern Wicca" is a valuable book from the talented minds of Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone. People will most likely remember Janet's previous books like "The Witches' Bible," "The Witches' Goddess" and "The Witches' God," which she wrote with her now-deceased husband Stewart. Janet and Stewart (and also Gavin) have proven to be leaders in Wiccan thinking.
The book is quite an important work. It's not a rehashing of material that is already available, but a valuable discussion of important foundational issues that should be of concern to all Wiccans, and indeed could be important to many who call themselves Witches as well.
Janet and Gavin wrote the book to encourage Wiccans and Witches to question the all-too-common assumptions on which our practice and philosophy is based. What is tradition and is it important? What about lineage and degree structures? What is meant by "mysteries" and what do they involve? Is it possible to experience Wiccan mysteries in solitary practice?
They go a long way towards demystifying topics which many Wiccans purposefully obscure for rather questionable reasons. Janet and Gavin deflate many of these reasons in rather straightforward ways, and point out that Wicca might have a healthier community if we acknowledge and overcome our shortcomings. They don't just criticize faults, but provide realistic alternatives, drawing on the past in order to direct us in a practical direction for the future.
The book provides a generous selection of suggestions for ways to conduct training programs within a Wiccan framework. It's not just about theory, but putting theory into practice. They also set an excellent example for the role of eclecticism in Wiccan practice.
There are some ideas which the authors need to research a bit more as they didn't seem to quite "get it" themselves. One instance that comes to mind is the difference between monotheism, duotheism, and the various forms of polytheism (which are often differentiated as "hard" or "soft" polytheism.) They used the Kabbalistic tree of life diagram to illustrate connections between how the various philosophies could interrelate, but in the text failed to make a distinction regarding what is essentially duotheism in the form of "all gods are one god, all goddesses one goddess" which is also sometimes called "soft polytheism." The authors seem to be unaware of "hard polytheism" which does not consider different deities to be aspects of something greater, but claims they are in fact distinct and separate entities.
"Progressive Witchcraft" is a book meant to make one think, to make the Wiccan community challenge basic assumptions. If enough people read the book and then spread the message that this is an important task of self-evaluation for our community, then we might see an interesting new development in our community.
"Progressive Witchcraft" is well worth buying and in fact should be considered recommended reading for anyone involved with Wicca. It's potentially the start of an interesting major force in the Wiccan community.
Jumping on the bandwagon! Why oh Why!May 8, 2006 8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Now this is something completely "different" as one of the other reviewers pointed out. However, how different exactly?
Firstly, I cringe at the thought that the authors who are so well known for their work on Witchcraft should decide to jump on the Progressive Witchcraft bandwagon. That is Progressive Witchcraft as presented more than a decade before the publication of this book by Ariadne Rainbird and David Rankine in their book MAGICK WITHOUT PEERS A COURSE IN PROGRESSIVE WITCHCRAFT. Now, if those of you thinking to buy this book reads Magick Without Peers first, you will understand why this incarnation of Progressive Witchcraft is so very ordinary.
Ordinary as not only does both the title of the book and the contents have predecessors in the work of Rainbird, Rankine, Lamond, Cunningham and many others - but also in the presentation. Poor throughout, badly edited, full of typos and one hopes that some of the very obvious mistakes in the book are also typos rather than mistakes of ignorance.
If you are looking for a book on Wicca or Witchcraft you can do much better. But this book does at least show that Ms. Farrar has grown in her own opinions and thoughts and that she has come to the conclusions many of us reached quite some time ago. Well done for finally making it to the world of "it doesn't all have to be like it says in the BOS"
Good ReadApril 25, 2006 3 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is a good read for any one who is interested in Witchcraft. It doesn't tell you how to do things. It explians why and what causes this or that to happen.
Same Old Same OldFebruary 3, 2006 10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I just finished reading this book and I just can't believe that the authors are being promoted on the back of it as the "leading experts on the subject of modern witchcraft and the Neo-Pagan Movement." I was very disappointed in this book, as it was the same old regurgitation of just about every other modern Witchcraft or Wicca book already out there, and when it wasn't telling us stuff we've already read elsewhere a hundred times, it was busy taking pot-shots at the origins of modern Wicca...mostly at people who can't "fight back" since they are deceased.
If you want to read about Jung, then get a good book about Jung. If you want to read about the Kabbalah, then get a good book about the Kabbalah. If you want to read about the chakras, then get a good book about the chakras. If you want to read about modern Wicca, then get a good book about modern Wicca...cause this ain't it.
It is not scholarly in any way, nor new, let alone "progressive." If anything, it is regressive because it spends an inordinate amount of page space on harping back to the origins of Wicca in an effort to "prove" that it has no real history. If relaying old lies and gossip and theories built up soley to support their own agenda of what they feel is the ONE TRUE direction that modern Wicca MUST go in constitutes "proof," then their definition of proof must be very different from most of the rest of the world.
It was also very odd how when they agreed with a precept of modern Wicca then it became a necessary "ethic" of modern Wicca and if they didn't like something and didn't agree with it, it became "dogma" and that mean it should be done away with the sooner the better. I guess they get to decide for everyone the difference between the two.
I would like to tell you to save your money...but (unlike the authors) I'm not going to tell you what to do, nor what it means, nor where we are going wrong, nor how we can fix it by listening to them.
