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Contributed by Mike Gleason
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Sunday, 03 December 2000 |
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By reviewing THIS book HERE, I am sure that I am opening myself to a world of hurt, so please read the following CAREFULLY!
1) I am not a newbie; I have over a quarter of a century experience as a practicing member of the Pagan/Craft community.
2) I am not particularly a fan of the TV show "Charmed". I think I have seen about four or five episodes all the way through.
3) This book was purchased, not sent to me for review.
4) Short comments are welcome on the mailing list, longer letters should be sent to my personal email, to avoid wasting bandwidth and people's download time.
Having read the above, you should now be ready to read the following review: The Unofficial "Charmed" Companion The Book of Shadows by N.E. Genge c2000 Three Rivers Press, New York 176 pages paperback $14.00 What this book IS NOT: 1) It is not a training manual for Witches (or Wiccans) 2) It is not a "true" Book of Shadows. 3) It is not as bad as I thought it would be. What this book IS: 1) It is a reasonable explanation of how the "Charmed" universe differs from the real world. 2) It is a collection of story synopses and bloopers. 3) It is non-threatening way to introduce the subject of an interest in Wicca to your family. This book contains short lists of associations (colors, stone, herbs, etc.) as well as suggested exercises to put you in touch with "the otherworld". It also poses questions about how events in the TV show could relate to real life Witches and magicians. It contains assorted definitions, recipes, and illustrations; and even some sample charms. It even includes the, in my opinion, artificial division between Witches and Wiccans. While I may not agree with that split, it is a fact of life to many younger Wiccans and Witches, and this is not the place for me to go into my opinion on that. It is not a book I would necessarily recommend to a seeker, nor to a teacher for inclusion in source books. However, it would certainly be worth reading so that teachers may get some idea where the newbies are getting their concepts For those folks working in eclectic covens, I would suggest a copy in the coven library. If you know someone who insists that "Charmed" is the way it REALLY is, give them a copy of this book to read...it should straighten them out. If you know someone who insists that there is NO connection between "Charmed" and the real world, give them a copy of this book to read...it should straighten them out.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 21 October 2005 )
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