THE WELL-READ WITCH

I recently had the good fortune to be a guest at a small
coven of traditional Witches in western Georgia for their Summer Solstice ritual. The High Priestess of this group—a good
friend and business associate of mine—had impressed me with
her depth of knowledge and balanced perspective concerning
the old religion. Like many traditionalists, she and her coven
prefer to keep to themselves, so when the unusual offer to join
in their rites came, I did not hesitate to accept.
As it turned out, there were seven of us present that evening,
four guests and three coveners. We cast the circle, chanted the
Witches’ Rune, and shared cakes and wine in a serene and lovely
rite. After the circle, we gathered in the kitchen for a simple
feast of salads, breads, and cold cuts. As we stood around the
kitchen table fixing our sandwiches, I brought up one of my
favorite subjects: books.
The Well-Read Witch
10
I asked the group, “What was the first book you read when
you initially became interested in Witchcraft?” Among the
seven of us were elders who had practiced the old ways for
over 20 years, as well as students who had been in the Craft
only a year or two. As I suspected, each person had a different
answer. One of the students spoke first. “Well, my first book
was Scott Cunningham’s The Truth About Witchcraft Today.”
Someone else followed with “I think my first was Magical Rites
from the Crystal Well by Ed Fitch.”
Around the table we went. Among the books mentioned
were Sybil Leek’s Diary of a Witch, Raymond Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft, Gerald Gardner’s The Meaning of
Witchcraft, and Leo Martello’s Witchcraft, the Old Religion.
Finally I revealed my first book, Starhawk’s The Spiral Dance.
From there, the conversation veered off into a friendly, if
spirited, discussion of the merits (and failings) of each of these
books. We were a boisterous group, and no one lacked a point
of view. At one point someone said, “Gather three Witches together and you’ll have five opinions on a topic.” This certainly
seemed true about the books we were discussing. We all agreed
on one thing, however: each of us, from the newest student to
the most veteran third-degree initiate, had first answered the
call of the Goddess by reading a book. We may have had strong
(and differing) opinions about the books we hold in high regard, but without exception, we were all readers.