Christopher Penczak has created a series of impressive guidebooks for those beginners who are taking their initial, tentative steps along the Wiccan path. The first book was called ‘The Inner Temple of Witchcraft’, and this dealt with meditation and the inner work required for magickal practice. It covered the historical and philosophical concepts of Wicca, and included an understanding of the terminology used.
The next book in this five-volume series is ‘The Outer Temple of Witchcraft’, and this focuses on creating sacred space, Wiccan rituals, understanding the elements, and learning spellcraft. It’s set up as 12 lessons (a lesson/chapter for each month of the year) culminating with a test and a self-initiation ritual to the level of priest or priestess. I like the sense of discipline that he encourages, and the book is filled with lots of examples and stories of his personal experiences. The ritual chants at the end of the book are also a welcome inclusion.
Unlike many books that simply tell you that a witch must have this or that, in order to really be a witch, Christopher’s approach is more simple, practical and meaningful. For example, when writing about altars, he states: “It reminds a witch that everything is sacred. It represents what the witch is working on, in the inner and outer worlds. If you leave a candle burning for a current spell, that is where your sacred attention is focused. If you put something on it to represent your inner learning, such as a particular herb or stone, you are emphasizing those lessons in your own inner sacred world. You see it every day, and every day, you rededicate yourself to the spiritual path simply by acknowledging it. By making a space for it in your home, you are symbolically making a space for the life of a witch in your life. Every action is powerful and symbolic, not only affecting our subconscious mind, but also energetically affecting us and our environment for the better.” Beautiful!
And there’s a sentence in lesson six (Divination of True Will) that I really like. It goes like this: “Divination, like meditation, is a form of learning to listen.” But that’s the only sentence that I like in that chapter! I don’t have a problem with authors wanting to include a chapter on divination in their guidebooks, but why do they think that in one chapter they can teach their students how to use all forms of divination? It takes Penczac only 9 pages to explain all there is to know about tarot, and many of those pages had me growling with frustration at his lack of research on this subject. Grrrr!
The Outer Temple of Witchcraft has more substance than Silver Ravenwolf’s beginner guides for teen witches, and this series is probably even better than Scott Cunningham’s respected titles! I liked the meditations, exercises and homework at the end of each chapter - I feel that these would definitely deepen the reader’s understanding of each lesson. But there’s not a lot of new material here – not much that you can’t find in other books, however the author does package the information well. You’d have trouble finding a more comprehensive workbook for a newcomer who is wanting steady guidance into do-it-yourself Witchcraft training.
Author: Christopher Penczak
Published by: Llewellyn
The next book in this five-volume series is ‘The Outer Temple of Witchcraft’, and this focuses on creating sacred space, Wiccan rituals, understanding the elements, and learning spellcraft. It’s set up as 12 lessons (a lesson/chapter for each month of the year) culminating with a test and a self-initiation ritual to the level of priest or priestess. I like the sense of discipline that he encourages, and the book is filled with lots of examples and stories of his personal experiences. The ritual chants at the end of the book are also a welcome inclusion.
Unlike many books that simply tell you that a witch must have this or that, in order to really be a witch, Christopher’s approach is more simple, practical and meaningful. For example, when writing about altars, he states: “It reminds a witch that everything is sacred. It represents what the witch is working on, in the inner and outer worlds. If you leave a candle burning for a current spell, that is where your sacred attention is focused. If you put something on it to represent your inner learning, such as a particular herb or stone, you are emphasizing those lessons in your own inner sacred world. You see it every day, and every day, you rededicate yourself to the spiritual path simply by acknowledging it. By making a space for it in your home, you are symbolically making a space for the life of a witch in your life. Every action is powerful and symbolic, not only affecting our subconscious mind, but also energetically affecting us and our environment for the better.” Beautiful!
And there’s a sentence in lesson six (Divination of True Will) that I really like. It goes like this: “Divination, like meditation, is a form of learning to listen.” But that’s the only sentence that I like in that chapter! I don’t have a problem with authors wanting to include a chapter on divination in their guidebooks, but why do they think that in one chapter they can teach their students how to use all forms of divination? It takes Penczac only 9 pages to explain all there is to know about tarot, and many of those pages had me growling with frustration at his lack of research on this subject. Grrrr!
The Outer Temple of Witchcraft has more substance than Silver Ravenwolf’s beginner guides for teen witches, and this series is probably even better than Scott Cunningham’s respected titles! I liked the meditations, exercises and homework at the end of each chapter - I feel that these would definitely deepen the reader’s understanding of each lesson. But there’s not a lot of new material here – not much that you can’t find in other books, however the author does package the information well. You’d have trouble finding a more comprehensive workbook for a newcomer who is wanting steady guidance into do-it-yourself Witchcraft training.
Author: Christopher Penczak
Published by: Llewellyn
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