Alexandrian And Gardnerian Book of
Shadows
Athena Gardner
ISBN 0-595-12845-9
1999, 2000 Authors Choice Press
an imprint of iUniverse.com, Inc.
$9.95 US
“Bide the Wiccan Redes ye must,
In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust;
Live ye must and let to live,
Fairly take and fairly give;
Form the Circle thrice about,
To keep unwelcome spirits out;
Bind fast the spell every time,
Let the words be spoke in rhyme.” pg
23
From the title I can assume this book
revolves around the Alexandrian and Gardnerian school of thought.
However there is no forward, or personal information on the author to
assist in confirming this.
This book is based heavily on ritual
presenting the roles of the different Coven members.
The small black book is compiled from
several different personal and published Book of Shadows. From the
rules of Covens down to ritual, this could possibly be a handy
reference guide for a group looking to start a Wiccan coven. Where
as many solitaries have never experienced working in a group setting,
it gives a window into how some Covens work. There appears to be a
lot of information packed into these ninety pages, including the
following topics:
The Old Law
Security
Disputes
New Covens
tools
Conduct
Use of the Art
Training
Punishment
Casting the Circle
The legend of the Descent of the
Goddess
First, Second and Third Degree
initiation
Blessings
Invocations
The Witches' Wheel
This list represents only a sampling of
the information provided.
However I have a few concerns. My
first is some of the information in the Bibliography was incorrect, including a
book title by a well known author. Also I could find little on the Author
herself.
There is a lot of information listed in the contents
portion, yet personally I found the chapters too brief. Someone new
to the craft might even find some of the references confusing.
After reading this book, I realize
while it has it's place...much of the information I can find in other
more detailed sources. This is a bottom shelf book for me, being a
solitary, however someone interested in starting or joining a Coven
might find this useful.
For a list of the author's other books
visit:
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