Although most Wiccans are theists of one sort or another, with most of us embracing polytheism and working with many goddesses and spirits, Stafford is a long-time practitioner of the ‘spiritual but not religious’ persuasion. In his friendly little book, he sets out to answer questions about the path of non-theistic Wicca. In part he also wanted to give a little representation of male practitioners and puncture a few stereotypes about Wicca. He began the Ask a Grey Witch website to share some perspectives, thoughts, and opinions on his practice, traditions, and related topics that might interest or help others a few years ago. The book brings together material from the FAQs of that website, although he substantially expanded on them.
His writing is clear and conversational. He places a great emphasis on intuition and intention in the selection of practices to engage in and spiritual direction. It’s not just ‘anything goes’ because Stafford has a good grasp of the large number of options and practices and why people may prefer one style over another. He does not talk as a grand expert but comes back to his own experiences and practices, while pointing out the variety of other options that are available.
He divides the book into three parts, each with a number of short chapters: The Craft, Inquiries of the Craft, and The Coven. He draws very substantially from Raymond Buckland’s Seax-Wicca tradition, with a strong focus on personal development and personal empowerment – self initiation, eclectic exploration of spirituality inside an overall Wiccan framework.
The first section is general advice. The second responds to specific questions that people have posed on his website (some truly silly, some quite reasonable). He takes the initial question as a starting place in most of these chapters and expands to related issues and stereotypes about witches. The third section discusses some public projects that he’s involved in – his website, Sacred Meadow Circle (with three layers – completely public online discussion, Public outer court meetings, and the private inner court), the metaphysical shop he co-owns (Soul Intention 1111 in Guelph, Ontario) and his personal Humanist Wiccan practice. And he ends off with a small reading list.
It clearly reflects the author’s personality – supportive, accepting, and fair-minded. Altogether an excellent, encouraging and supportive handbook for the beginner, which covers a great deal of concerns and answers typical questions of newcomers with kindness and in some detail. It ranges very widely, so it’s not the final word (and very clearly does not pretend to be, either), just an introduction to the whole range of Wiccan practices and ideas, from the more New Age end (my approach is more occultist and with a stronger Ceremonial Magick flavour).
He does not include ritual scripts or spell details, or other typical materials, because of his emphasis on personal exploration and discover, which some will be disappointed by.
~review by Samuel Wagar
Author: Bryan Stafford
One Thousand Trees Press, 2025
218 pg. Paperback £12 / $22 Can / $16 US
