Book Review: Modern Wicca

Recently I had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at a new book, Modern Wicca: Beliefs and Traditions for Contemporary Life, by Rowan Morgana, and I’m pleased to share my thoughts with you. Here’s a quick bit of full disclosure first—Modern Wicca is published by Rockridge/Callisto, the same publisher that I’m working with for my upcoming Herb Magic book. However, y’all know me well enough to know that I don’t say things I don’t mean, so this review isn’t influenced by my professional relationship with the publishing company. Anyhoo, let’s get started!

Modern Wicca is a refreshing guide to today’s Wiccan religion, featuring all the things that someone new to magical spirituality should know. Rowan Morgana takes readers on a personal journey, beginning at Wicca’s origins with Gerald Gardner, and moving forward into the modern, more fluid interpretation of the belief system. She covers important topics that are of interest to today’s seekers, including valuable tips on techie tools for practitioners, eating mindfully and compassionately, finding teachers/mentors, and safety tips for meeting up with people you’ve met online.

This book is designed primarily for solitary practitioners, although Morgana does take the time to discuss the pros and cons of coven life. There’s a comprehensive guide to the eight Neopagan sabbats in the wheel of the year along with the twelve full moons that fall each year, as well as an overview of spiritual practices found among today’s Wiccans. She also offers helpful tips on things like casting a circle, creating sacred space, visualization, and crafting your Book of Shadows.

Where Modern Wicca really shines, though, are the sections on spells and rituals. There are magical workings for a variety of purposes, such as spells promoting equality at the workplace and building personal power and rituals for consecrating your Book of Shadows and celebrating various stages of your lifetime. These are detailed and lovely, and provide a solid foundation for someday crafting spells and rituals of your own.

Overall, Rowan Morgana’s Modern Wicca offers an easy-to-understand framework for today’s seekers to learn about the rich history and origins of the Wiccan belief system, the tenets of the spirituality, and how to practice in a contemporary context. You can order a copy of your own here: Modern Wicca: Beliefs and Traditions for Contemporary Life.

Disclaimer: A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.