Timothy Roderick is a British Traditional Wiccan, and his previous books covered many aspects of Wicca, including working with the dark of the moon and the basics of Wicca. He is also interested in shamanic techniques and is the founder of the “Earthdance Collective,” a Wiccan community.
Wicca: A Year and A Day opens with the legend of the Cauldron of Cerridwen. Each person who looks into Her cauldron sees the wisdoms she will need to follow the “Path of the Wise.” From here we are taken on a daily journey of dedication, exploration, and understanding of this Path. It is a simply laid out book: each day we are given an exercise to do. They are simple, concise and packed with information. Day 180, for example, is a “Contemplative Day” and the focus is “Words of Power.” The reader is asked to light an orange candle and meditate on the question: what are words of power for 20-30 minutes. Throughout the text there are dialogue boxes that anticipate certain questions or create a side discussion for you to ponder.
Each day explores a new topic or exercise. The lessons grow increasingly advanced as we move through the year. The material is expertly explained, broken down to its simplest form, allowing the reader to keep up with the material without experiencing an information overload. Each month has a “Contemplative Day,” a day when the reader digest the material learned so far. While there are not a lot of illustrations, the ones included are very useful, especially those for hand motions.
I really love the idea of this book, but I have to say that I do not like how it is laid out. The progression was not intuitively logical for me (for example, we are learning the Sabbats before we are learning the elements). I liked the first couple of weeks, but then it started to get confusing. Besides, there is a lot of learning crammed into this year, and my head felt over-full after a fairly short time (and I’ve been doing this for decades now!) It very well may be that other readers will delight in the progression, however. Overall, I recommend Wicca: A Year and A Day.
~review by Lisa Mc Sherry
by Timothy Roderick
Llewellyn Publications, 2005
pp. 392, $19.95
