The book is presented in a series of letters sent to two apprentices who wish to follow the path and are seeking guidance and advice. Rae Beth also manages to explain the key gods and goddess and how they fit into the spirituality of a Hedge Witch in a way that does not preach nor expects one to follow, merely to understand. The book potray's key festivals in the pagan and witch calender and the celebrations, rituals and spells that a solitary witch may wish to follow throughout the year. Why is this I wonder? Personally, I find Rae Beth's writing quite accessible and also inspiring. It is also a book I find myself returning too when I find I am feeling a little flat and uninspired. Hedge Witch was the first book I read relating to the subject matter, in fact the first book I read that related specifically to witchcraft that captured my imagination, spurred my creativity and set off a spark of inspiration for me. The trance work or meditations are lovely too and will help you hone your visualization skills. If you are looking for an intermediate guide to Wicca and some lovely Sabbat rituals this is the book for you. They were healers and earth lovers who worked magic out of their home and gardens. One thing she does get right about hedgecraft and hedgewitches is that the tradition is based on the old wise woman or man who lived on the edge of town, by the hedge rows. Rituals, if performed, are simple and simply honor the earth, dieties, and nature. Futhermore, hedgewitches are not overly formal and do not create and execute formal rituals like the ones found in this book. Hedgecraft is not a solitary Wiccan and Wiccan are not the only witches as Rae Beth seems to believe. However this book is about Wicca, not headgecraft.
While reading I marked passages dealing with the Sabbat rituals and trance work so I could easily find these later to reference. It took some getting used to but by the end it didn't bother me. Most people seemed to have hated the letter format.
A lot of the beliefs in this do not line up with my own personal experiences with the gods, and unfortunately, it wasn’t for me.Īnyway, I’m off to make string poppets. But, this book does do a great job of covering the basics of Wiccan beliefs and practices and if that’s what you are looking for, this could be a good place to start. Although it does cover some areas of witchcraft, it is primarily focussed on Wicca. The title and synopsis implies that this is a nonfiction book about witchcraft. In the way that there are too many men speaking on behalf of women, Rae Beth does not get to speak on behalf of all men.
Also there are several sweeping statements such as ‘Like all men…’ and ‘Like all young people…’ that I feel stereotype people based on gender, age and sexuality. I didn’t like how the book regularly implies that to be a spiritual person, (and ultimately a witch) one must embrace sexuality and sex. There were many things that I thought this book did well.
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