Review: First Steps in Witchcraft by Teresa Moorey

I was in my local public library the other day and had a look at the shelf labelled "Religion" to see what books were there. Something that caught my eye was First Steps in Witchcraftby Teresa Moorey.

I'm always interested to see what new books are out aimed at beginners to the Craft. And I'm also interested in what public libraries stock on the subject, as I usually recommend that anyone curious about witchcraft should pop down to their local library and get out a book on the subject (or borrow an e-library book online). It is much cheaper than buying a book, after all.

First Steps in Witchcraftwas actually published about a year ago, under Hodder Education's Flash imprint, although this was the first time I had come across the title. It is a small, slim volume - always good for a complete beginner's book in my opinion.  I borrowed it to see whether the information inside it was also good - it is.

The book starts with an introduction about what a witch is - an individual who worships nature, is aware of unseen natural energies and who does spellworking. At least, that's a very brief summary of the description, Teresa goes into a lot more detail.

In fact, for a beginner's book, there's a lot of depth to be found throughout. It covers the history of witchcraft, the theory of how magic works, various sorts of spells - with practical examples to try out, a whole year's worth of rituals following the cycle of the seasonal festivals and even an initiation ritual that could be used to dedicate oneself as a solitary witch.

The spells and rituals in the book are written so that they can be done by single person on their own, or by a couple. The final chapter offers advice on how to find other witches to work with or covens to join should one want to.

So, if you are looking for a basic but not over-simplified introduction to witchcraft and your library has a copy of this on the shelf, borrow it. Mind you, seeing as the RRP is only £5.99 and you can get second-hand copies for less, you could just buy it.

Links and previous related posts
First Steps in Witchcraft (Flash)
http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/Home.aspx
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/01/wicca-witchcraft-finding-out-basics.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/11/review-green-wiccan-book-of-shadows.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/01/review-book-of-mirrors.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/09/initiation-just-bit-of-game.html