The Wheel of the Wiccan Year

Rider Books
ISBN: 0-7126-1230-0
£9.99

As the title suggests, this book is about the Wheel of the Year. It looks at each of the eight festivals in turn, giving the reader information about them.

At first it seems like just another book that says the same thing as dozens of other books out there, but it's more than just a pretty face. It devotes around 25 pages to each festival, and not only does it tell you about the dates and names for each, but it also tells you the meaning of the festival in relation to one's personal life, in relation to nature and the seasons, and in relation to the God/Goddess cycle that is played out through the year. On top of that, this book gives you information about the folk customs and traditions associated with each holiday, such as 'Trick or Treat' for Samhain, 'Brighid's Bed' for Imbolc, and 'Greenwood Marriages' for Beltane. It also gives you some ideas for things to do for each festival: crafts, recipes, songs, chants, and activities, not to mention various meditations and/or mystery plays for each one. Finally, the book gives a sample ritual for each Sabbat, which is intended to inspire your own or be used and molded to fit your own purposes.

One of the good points of the book is that it can be used by people who celebrate in groups or as solitaries without a problem. Even the sample rituals given can be easily changed depending on where and with whom you are celebrating, so instead of force-feeding everything down your throat this book really inspires you to think about each festival and celebrate them in a personal way.

It is great for beginners, as it explains the basics in the first chapter: how do prepare for ritual, create sacred space, etc, aswell as discussing the basic tenets of Wiccan belief. But it also has something to offer the more advanced practitioner, since the ideas given for each festival are highly creative and inventive.

I would highly recommend this book to anybody wishing to learn more about the eight Sabbats, or to anybody looking for a bit of inspiration to help them spice up their Sabbat celebrations.