01-25-2009
 

Crafting Wiccan Traditions
by Raven Grimassi

I enjoyed this book because of the concept.  I was surprised at the amount of material that Grimassi covers for this process.  The contents of this book puts it all together to show you how it's done. 

Tradition is the foundation of our spiritual system.  Each person sees the Wiccan path as a personal path.  Gardner did it, Buckland did it, even Grimassi did it; establishing a system of spirituality that worked for them, and enabling it to work for others. 

Raven Grimassi presents a “system” here to establish your own Tradition.  In it he also includes all the trappings and tools and beliefs and reasons to do so.  It is a complex method, with all the basics, all the elements and all the workings that we may want to include. 

The discussions on establishing a tradition are well worth the read.  Realize that by establishing a tradition, you will then be passing it along, and this will mean setting up a coven, working a teaching plan, examining all the basic beliefs and all the tools that will be associated with it.  

This is by no means as simple as it sounds.  While the spirituality can be simple, establishing a Tradition requires putting together many of the elements that are included in this book.  I did find that there was a lot of "stuff" that the individual can sort through and eliminate if it will not be appropriate to their own personal Tradition.  This may simplify the task, but it still requires more than just getting an idea. 

Grimassi included all the bits and pieces that someone may want to include, or wonder if it should be included, and then allows the individual to decide what to incorporate, what fits the Tradition.  The individual then chooses the elements of their tradition based on how close to the original traditions they want to be. 

Overall, a good book for those looking to establish their personal beliefs into a system and maybe pass it along to family, friends or others interested in their way of spirituality.  This is quite a volume of work, and one which will be appreciated by many.  boudica

Reviewed by Boudica