Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin
Reviewed by Mike Gleason
Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin © 2006 Llewellyn
ISBN 0-7387-0751-1 262 pages
Includes Further Reading List and Index
Paperback $12.95 (U.S.) $18.50 (Canada)
Okay, I can hear it already. “Another “101” book? Who needs it?” Well, I certainly don’t And maybe you don’t, but you can bet any amount you like that at some point a student of yours, or an acquaintance of yours, someone you bump into at an open ritual; will say “Well, The Sabin said…” or “Wicca for Beginners says…” So, if for no other reason than being familiar with what newbies are reading, you should read this book.
This book contains both things I agree with and things which give me some problems. Sometimes it is fundamental, sometimes it is merely cosmetic, sometimes it is a matter of interpretation. On page 12 she says “As one of my teachers put it, Wiccans aren’t trying to “get off the wheel” What she means by the “wheel” is the “wheel of the year,” a term that Wiccans use to describe the cycle of the seasons through the eight major Wiccan holidays, or sabbats.” Um, probably not. The “wheel” is a reference to the wheel (or cycle) of existence, or reincarnation. Some Eastern religion aim to transcend the “need” for reincarnation and thus get off the wheel of birth, life, death, and rebirth. At least, that is how it was explained to me.
One the other hand, on the very next page, she lets the reader know that “Wicca is an experiential religion.” Well, duh! Wicca isn’t about studying and knowing, it is about doing.
I know there are individuals out there (I have worked with some of them over the years) who feel discussing what Wiccans aren’t and what we don’t believe is counter-productive. They subscribe to the theory that people will assume that out denials are actually a cover-up. I don’t happen to think this way, nor does Ms. Sabin. Those who disagree with this discussion won’t like its inclusion in this book, especially in the early stages.