Hi, I started wicca 3 1/2 years ago. And the first book I ever picked up was "Teen witch" By silver ravenwolf. and ever since then I was so devoted to Wicca, but I found out recently that Silver Raven wolf is a fake. I've read all her books. It was so much fun to read, then I copied her spells and rituals word-4-word into my BOS. I did her rites. I used her spells, then I moved on to scott cunningham, and after i read Silver's books, I found him to be so boring, and also since then I hated christians for being so cruel to other faiths. She teaches people to hate. and i fell right into it.
I can't believe i fell into her trap. I feel like a disgrace to all witches.
Is guinivere rain a good author?
2007-08-30 05:32:16 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Disillusioning experiences are painful to go through but you will grow from this... Be not so hard on yourself. To be self taught is to go off on tangents. That is part of the way when teachers of true maturity are rarer than hens teeth.♦ blessed be. You will survive and recover and then thrive.
2007-09-07 03:05:26 · answer #1 · answered by surfnsfree 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are not a disgrace. And Silver isn't "fake", as in her ideas are fake. You are right in that she uses her books to cause Pagans and Wiccans to hate Christians, implying that all Christians are out to start the Burning Times all over again (if she were honestly that worried, she wouldn't be publishing books, nor going on tours). She has some issues she needs to work on... And I really dislike the fact that she uses false information, like "9 million women were killed during the Inquisition". First off, she never tells you which inquisition she's even talking about... normally people mean the Spanish Inquisition... to which they figure the number to be closer to 150,000 (huge difference between that and 9 million) and they weren't all women, there were men killed as well. Even after this type of info has been debunked she continues to use it.
Her spells aren't bad, though sometimes I think she goes overboard with the symbolism (which is why I really like Cunningham lol). As for Rain, I'm not sure... I haven't read any of her stuff. I like Poppy Palin, the Higginbothams... I enjoyed Spiral Dance by Starhawk (though our views on feminism clash greatly).... there's a few others, but I tend to stay away from anything that looks like Silver's books.... or "Wicca 101" books as they all pretty much read the same.
2007-09-04 05:41:38 · answer #2 · answered by River 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The trouble with all such books (collectively known as 'Wicca 101') is that they are all boring after a while. How many different definitions of 'athame' can you read without screaming? How many different pronunciations have you come across?
The problem is that Silver Ravenwolf writes for teenagers, and you have obviously outgrown your need for a writer of that kind. Same probably for Scott Cunningham, who writes for the adult beginner, but the beginner nonetheless.
You should move on to bigger, better, and deeper things. Here is a brief list you may want to start with:
"Drawing Down the Moon" by Margot Adler
The "Green Witchcraft" (Series) by Ann Moura
"When God Was a Woman" by Merlin Stone
"The Fall" by Steve Taylor
You might also want to learn more of some particular traditions by studying Greek mythology and lore, and the Norse legends, African folk traditions, and Eastern philosophy (Indian and Chinese).
Every path is valid, which leads to enlightenment, knowledge and self-improvement. I wish you well on your journey, and hope that you come to find peace with yourself.
Brightest blessings.
2007-08-30 06:01:32 · answer #3 · answered by Grey Raven 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I dunno about Guinevere but you should let go of your own anger at feeling deceived. If this Ravenwolf person's books are all about hate towards Christians, then she obviously has some issues to work through. Apparently, she's a talented writer and the stories are her way of venting.
That said, I would try Guinevere's stuff but I would try to keep an open mind. You often can't get the authors whole story of their life, or what motivates them, so I'm sure you'll be able to find ppl from all faiths acting according to misinformation. I can't tell you how many Xians I've come across that have 'good hearts', believe God is love but defend his killing all the firstborn of Egypt or that think Abraham trying to kill his son is OK. Or that the incest that took place and is implied (Adam & Eve and the two sons) is OK b/c that's what God had to do.
Just be glad you were able to realize any mistake you made, learn from it and then you can move on.
:-)
2007-08-30 05:51:44 · answer #4 · answered by strpenta 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The problem is putting faith in any popular writer. The purpose of writing such a book is to ride the wave of witchy fashion and make some money. The person may or may not be sincere, but the odds are against it.
The truth is you need to learn the Craft from a mentor who is knowledgeable, and it's not easy to find such a person. They say when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. If I were you, I'd surf the Internet for pagan and witchcraft sites, use your good judgment on what to believe, and build your craft slowly.
Start by learning to meditate, learn the symbolic colors for candles, check out a lot of different sources. Buy a pack of Tarot cards and a serious book on Tarot, or whatever seems to you to make sense. I was initiated some 25 years ago, and I'm still developing my craft.
2007-08-30 05:42:00 · answer #5 · answered by auntb93 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
First of all don't feel so bad about the Silver Ravenwolf stuff. Lots of people new to Wicca and Paganism start out with her just because her books are so widely available and marketed to younger people who wouldn't know any better. It's alright, really. At least you did wake up and realize that she's bad news.
I haven't heard of Guinivere Rain so I couldn't tell you how she is. Really the main authors I recommend for Wicca are the Farrars and of course Gerald Gardner. http://wicca.timerift.net also has a list of books on their website that they recommend, as well as books they urge people to stay away from.
2007-08-30 05:39:38 · answer #6 · answered by Abriel 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Not Wicca - Runesinger here. The Christians were particularly nasty to the Old Norse Ways (Forn Sidr), but like you, I think carrying bitterness and hatred is pointless.
I don't think that you made a mistake by reading those books. If nothing else they will teach you to study in a more critical manner.
You might try looking into the Hermetic and esoteric references that were the basis for Wicca (link below). Study along these lines will help you to approach your practice of Wicca in a more intellectual manner, and make you a more valuable member of your coven.
2007-09-06 19:14:41 · answer #7 · answered by Robin Runesinger 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I've never heard of the author you mentioned, but I would HIGHLY recommend Janet and Stewart Farrar, Phyllis Curortt, Christopher Penczak and Deborah Lipp. There are other good ones out there, too, of course - but these are superlative in my experience.
Don't beat yourself up about S.R. Her books helped you when you needed it and now that you've matured spiritually you can see where there were severe biases in her material. It obviously didn't adversely effect you for very long and you've grown beyond the need for the sub-101 material and can start looking in the big-kid books now. ;) Cunningham was great for his time (being one of the only authors writing on the subjcet) , but there are soooo many more books out now that have much more detailed and useful information.
I would just set you anger aside and move forward. Everyone makes mistakes on their path, and they are some of the best teaching tools that there are! So feel blessed that you found info that brought you to your path, and feel blessed that you've grown to a point where you can see beyond it.
If you can find a teaching locally, that would be ideal, but I realize this is difficult or impossible for some people depending on their location and situation. But if you really really apply yourself to the good books out there (the Penczak books provide a really excellent foundation in training if you earnestly apply yourself to all the lessons in the Temple of Witchcraft series) and keep your heart and mind open as you continually learn, you will be really well off!
Many blessings on your path!
2007-08-30 06:38:30 · answer #8 · answered by prana_devi 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I'm an author myself, and I ended up writing my first book on animal magic because I got sick of not finding anything besides totem animal dictionaries and decided there needed to be something more.
And there IS more out there. We all start someplace. You started with SRW and now you want something new. Nothing wrong with that. The good news is that there's a LOT out there; the folks who have answered thus far have given a lot of good suggestions.
Read, read, and read some more. AND network with other people (http://www.witchvox.com , http://groups.yahoo.com and http://www.meetup.com are all good starting places). Books give you information that you might not get otherwise (since the authors can only meet so many people) and you can trade notes with other pagans online and in person. If you choose to remain solitary, not to worry--I've done so for my entire time as a pagan (over a decade) and it works just fine for me. On the other hand, if you find other people to work with, no harm there, either.
Also, if you're curious, my book review blog is located at http://lupabitch.wordpress.com and the left sidebar has links to other reviewers. Amazon.com reviews are good ways to judge the quality of a book, too.
2007-08-30 07:38:36 · answer #9 · answered by Lupa 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Personally I liked Scotts books. But its true, the books give you a path a way to see things. You will know by what you feel if it is right. Always trust your feelings they rarely let you down.
Since the spells you cast is energy that you move and use you will sense / feel what is right or wrong.
Side note, there is no good or bad magic it just is. Its the people who use them that make the difference.
Just my 2 cents.
BB MM
2007-08-30 05:41:28 · answer #10 · answered by tannum2000 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋