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Wicca's Charm: Understanding the Spiritual Hunger Behind the Rise of Modern Witchcraft and Pagan Spirituality
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Item Description...
Overview
Traces the author's one-year journey into the Wiccan culture where she interviewed neo-pagans and witches in her quest to understand modern pagan spirituality, explaining the growing attraction of this religion that celebrates the wonder of creation and the life-giving energy of women. Original.
Publishers Description
How Wiccan Spirituality Is Filling a Spiritual Hunger in America
Hundreds of thousands of people practice Wicca and other forms of modern Pagan spirituality in America today, and journalist Catherine Edwards Sanders wanted to understand why such belief systems are rapidly attracting followers. When a routine magazine assignment led her to realize that her stereotype of Wiccans as eccentric spiritual outsiders was embarrassingly misinformed, her curiosity compelled her to understand the Wiccan mystique. With the support of a journalism fellowship, Sanders spent a year interviewing neo-Pagans and witches and found that the lure of this emerging spirituality was not the occult, but rather a search for meaning in an increasingly fragmented and materialistic culture.
With keen observation, challenging insight, and compassionate critique, Sanders produces a lively narrative about what she experienced and discovered during her travels: Halloween rituals in Salem, anti-globalization protests in New York, and the contrasts between what seekers find in neo-Paganism that they perceive as lacking in Christian tradition. In Wicca's Charm, Sanders explains the powerful attraction of an increasingly mainstream spirituality that celebrates the wonder of creation and the life-giving energy of women while also exploring why Christian churches often fail to engage these seekers, but how they can learn to tap into the deep roots of Christianity to nourish the hunger of so many who seek a holistic and authentic worship experience.
Wicca's Charm...is intended for adults trying to understand why others practice Wicca. Sanders was a journalist on assignment when she was forced to examine her own stereotypical views of Wicca; subsequently, she secured a journalism fellowship to spend a year learning about Wicca and what makes it so appealing to its practitioners; an objective view of the tradition results. Discussion questions at the end of the book correspond to each of the chapters. The result is a good, basic overview of the origins and theories of the religion as well as plenty of firsthand accounts from current and former practitioners of Wicca..—Library Journal
“Wicca's Charm is one of those books that charms and beguiles you even as it informs you. The reporting is seamless and the writing effortless. Catherine Sanders has made a brilliant debut as a writer on a spiritual matter that should be of deep interest to all thinking Americans.”
–David Aikman, former senior correspondent for Time magazine, and author of Jesus in Beijing, A Man of Faith: The Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush, and the novel Qi
“For Christians who want to understand the culture our own failures have sown and are now reaping, and for those who want to reach out persuasively to this emerging culture, Sanders's warm, clear, and helpful introduction to Wicca is essential reading.”
–Os Guinness, author of The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life
“Catherine Sanders's work in this book is careful, thoughtful, and respectful. It will enable many outside Wicca to understand it better, and it will also allow practitioners of Wicca and other similar ways to gain a deeper insight into the best of Christianity.”
–Frederica Mathewes-Green, author of The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation
“Catherine Sanders has provided an eye-opening, sensitive, and honest journey into the heart of Wicca. Ringing no false alarms, she has made an erudite contribution to understanding this contemporary movement.”
–Lilian Calles Barger, author of Eve's Revenge: Women and a Spirituality of the Body, and founder of the Damaris Project
“Wicca's Charm is a must-read for parents! A fascinating account full of stories and personal interviews, Catherine Sanders's book provides wonderful insights into why young people seek alternative spiritualities and what Christians should know about it!”
–Susan Alexander Yates, best-selling author of several books, including, And Then I Had Teenagers: Encouragement for Parents of Teens and Preteens
“Wicca's Charm is a fine demonstration of a rare Christian virtue: attentive listening. With a clear conviction that authentic Christian belief is a valid response to Wiccan yearnings, Sanders holds, in tension, a humble recognition that Christian compromise with materialistic rationalism and individualism in Western culture has driven many to take up dangerous alternatives.”
–Peter Harris, director of A Rocha International
“Wicca's Charm provides an accessible, thorough, and sensitive guide to understanding contemporary interest in Wicca and neo-Paganism. It will be of help to anyone interested in understanding how nature worship under various names is reasserting itself in the Western world.”
–James A. Herrick, professor of communication at Hope College, and author of The Making of the New Spirituality: The Eclipse of the Western Religious Tradition
“Catherine Sanders spent more than a year listening to Wiccans in an attempt to understand the growth and appeal of Wicca today. She encourages Christians to dialogue with neo-Pagans, clarifying points of common ground while simultaneously pointing out with compassion and sensitivity the inadequacies of Paganism to fulfill their deep and legitimate longings.”
–Mardi Keyes, codirector of L'Abri Fellowship in Southborough, Massachusetts, and author of Feminism and the Bible
Catherine Edwards Sanders is a journalist with experience in radio, television, and print journals such as The Weekly Standard, The Washington Times, Insight, World Magazine, and Coastal Living. She has written for The McLaughlin Group and was the producer of Janet Parshall's America talk-radio program. She lives in Virginia. |
Item Specifications...
Pages 256
Dimensions: Length: 0.75" Width: 6" Height: 9"
Weight: 0.75 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Sep 20, 2005
Publisher Shaw Books
ISBN 0877881987
EAN 9780877881988
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Availability 1 units.
Availability accurate as of May 24, 2012 09:33.
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About this Author/Artist Catherine Edwards Sanders is a journalist with experience in radio, television, and print journals such as The Weekly Standard, The Washington Times, Insight, World Magazine, and Coastal Living. She has written for The McLaughlin Group and was the producer of Janet Parshall’s America talk-radio program. She lives in Virginia.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | Objective? Consider the source material. Feb 20, 2007 |
I'm a Wiccan who formally practices within a traditional Gardnerian coven, but practices eclectically within my private practice. I read this book because I had heard that it was recommended to my local library by a Christian; purportedly, Wicca's Charm was written by an impartial writer. Immediately, you realize that this isn't true. Catherine Sanders has a clearly stated agenda: that Wiccans are simply misguided and misunderstand that what they long for is offered by Christianity.
I could write a long review debating the merits of Sanders' arguments. Instead, I suggest that you consider this if deciding whether to read this book which Sanders claims to have thoroughly researched. She relies on the writings of Margot Adler, Carol Christ, Starhawk and Phyllis Curott (with barely a nod to Scott Cunningham and Ronald Hutton) to draw many of her conclusions. Yet, missing from her notes are such writers as the Farrars, Merlin Stone, Raymond Buckland, Isaac Bonewits, Patricia Crowley, and the Matthews, to name just a few outstanding contributors to Neopaganism's base of knowledge.
Too often, Sanders relies on the statements of young Wiccans she interviewed who come across as silly and naive. In another case, she bases her thesis that women's spirituality (e.g., Goddess worship)is misguided and that Christianity fits the same spiritual needs that women are seeking via ONE speech that she heard Margot Adler give shortly after 9/11.
Sanders requests both Christians and Neopagans to read her book with an open mind. A fair request. But as you're reading, closely check out her endnotes and analyze for yourself if this book was truly researched with objectivity in mind, or whether Sanders limited herself to sources that would support her belief that Christianity has everything that a Wiccan desires. One needs to go no further than to consider that as Sanders attempts to persuade the reader that Christianity has always embraced the value of women that not once does she analyze the epistles of Paul. | | |  | Sincere But Flawed Jan 26, 2007 |
The author is a Christian who looks into Wicca from her own Christian perspective. I believe that she makes a sincere effort to understand those she interviews, but her outlook is flawed by her own reality tunnel. She seems to think her perspective is universal, or should be. She acknowledges that bad Christians and bad churches exist, but insists this is in spite of the religion, not because of it. She acknowledges good in neopaganism, but insists this occurs because neopagans were raised in a society founded by Christians. Whether she speaks historically or of contemporary times, she paints a picture of how Christianity brought/brings true civilization and compassion to the barbaric pagans.
Did a pagan demean women? Then all pagans do, or would if they adhered to true paganism. But did a pagan--like Gaius Musonius Rufus--espouse virtues similar to Jesus? Then he didn't exist or it was despite his being pagan. Did a Christian say something nice? Then put it in as a typical Christian. Was slavery abolished in pagan Ireland? Thank Christianity. Did Christian America practice slavery? Well, um...never mind. Did a Christian spread tyranny and terror? Then list him as an aberration. Reading her history of Christianity coming to the world and bringing something almost utopian (that's the feel I get from reading her) was at least as laughable to me as the idea that the world was a utopian paradise before Christianity came along.
In addition, she accredits Christianity with supporting feminism, caring for the environment, etc, but won't look at how Christianity also (historically and contemporarily) opposes these ideals. Or how the best selling Christian books are much more likely than otherwise to demonize the ideals of feminism and environmentalism, backed by Holy Tradition and Biblical verse. She also gives credit to the Golden Rule by Jesus for the Wiccan Rede, ignoring that the Golden Rule is universal to nearly all religions, and that Jesus wasn't the first to say it (some of those savage pagans in the ancient world said something similar at one time or another, too).
I'm an agnostic, btw, but I have close friends who are Wiccan, including a former nun that attended seminary before she left Christianity and became a Wiccan. I've studied the theology of both (and yes, I'm aware that both have many different, even incompatible, traditions) I'm just sharing this to give an idea to my own reality tunnels. ;-)
Short and sweet, I think that this is a good book for a Christian trying to understand Wiccans. It is refreshingly free of the standard fundie hysteria (and casual dismissal by most other Christians from other sects), and it's geared for their point of view, so that their mind is willing and able to accept it. But Wiccans will likely bristle at some of her commentary and roll their eyes at other parts (though all of the Wiccans she interviews, even the ones that "look bad," seem real enough, whether or not she seemed to truly understand them). Yet she does strike me as making a sincere attempt to understand and sympathize, and she did a better job of it than I expected. She also includes commentary by Aidan Kelly, a former Wiccan that returned to his Catholic faith (and still remembers what it was like, and IMO, is the best Christian to describe it to other Christians, or so I think after having read enough interviews with him on the subject). | | | | Surprising May 11, 2006 |
This book represents an analysis of Wicca from a Christian point of view, and it's surprisingly fair. Sanders does make several errors concerning Wiccan theology, but they are common errors that many people make, even academics and new Wiccans. That doesn't mean that she shouldn't be held accountable for them, but we cannot blame her Christianity. It is particularly difficult to study Wicca as an outsider, as many of us know and remember, and Sanders does a remarkable job. She grants Wicca legitimacy and respect. She openly acknowledges the shortcoming of the Church thanks to the prejudiced men who run it, but suggests that Wiccans reexamine the Gospel for themselves and try to find meaning. Fair enough.
The harsher criticisms against the Pagan and Wiccan community are fair. I've been Pagan for many years and I have made almost all of those same judgements myself. For example, Sanders observes that many Wiccans are morally inconsistent. She notes that many Wiccans cry out about environmentalism or animal welfare, but then use "magick crystals" mined under extremely damaging circumstances. This is very true. Wiccans tend to be morally inconsistent. That doesn't mean that Wicca as a religion is morally inconsistent. Most of the Wiccans and Pagans I've met are moral idiots, and these people are unfortunately the most vocal, so they're the ones who get interviewed for books like these.
Ther real shame is that Sanders didn't meet any Trad Wiccans. She interviews Caboteers, teen Witches, and Reclaiming people - all of which may or may not even be considered Wiccan. Again, as an outsider she could hardly be expected to know better. She probably couldn't have found any Trad Wiccans, anyway.
The fact is, books like these are a lot less damaging than most of the New Age, Wicca 101 drivel that's churned out every month from major publishers. Sanders treats Wicca very fairly (better than most academics) and offers her own Christian perspective in a respectful manner. She urges Christians who read the book to be kinder and more open with Wiccans and not to judge them (in other words, to be morally consistent).
Obviously if you have a persecution complex or no understanding of Christianity (or Wicca), you won't like this book. If you're open to legitimate criticism and up for a challenge, give it a whirl. | | |  | Wicca's Charm May 10, 2006 |
I picked this book up at my local library and started reading it because the cover art and categorization on the back of "Occult/Witchcraft" made it appear to be pagan-friendly. Unfortunately it turned out to be a Christian primer on how to understand and convert pagans.
Despite the author's year-long immersion in pagan culture and stated intention to be unbiased and non-condescending, her writing style and arguments are both. She is frightened by the rituals she observed. She describes practitioners as "shouting" during rituals, and former catholic priest Matthew Fox as "bellowing". She also says that she experienced such a "dark and oppressive" atmosphere during Matthew Fox's meeting that she had to leave. I've never met Matthew Fox, but I've read some of his stuff and he seems really mild in his efforts to unite pagans and Christians. Perhaps it was making too much sense?
I could go on and on about my problems with this book, but they boil down to these points: Ms. Sanders main beef with paganism seems to be that without Christian beliefs such as people being created in god's image (and more valuable than the rest of the cosmos), and Christian morality, that humans would quickly devolve into unrestrained sexuality and murder. She believes that this was the state of the world for all of prehistory, and that pagans believed then (and now) that people were not worth more than rocks or trees, which led to human sacrifice and pretty much anything else bad you can think of as perpetuated by the Greeks and Romans.
Ms. Sanders then trots out everything kooky about the contemporary Wiccan movement to prove her point - that Wicca is recently made up rather than historical, that some founders were nudists and into drugs and sex magic, that it's been exploited by retailers, etc, etc. She misses the essence of current pagan beliefs and her arguments are weak - how exactly did humanity survive for the 30,000 years before Christianity according to her? No-one ever helped each other? Life was nasty, brutish, and short? No works of art or architecture - no meaningful philosophies or religions were created? Archaeology indicates otherwise - Crete, Egypt, India, Prehistoric Britain, Native American and South-East Asian cultures for example.
I've been a mostly solitary practitioner for 20 years. I've also never participated in sex or drug magic, or anything hurtful. The essence of magic is personal responsibility - I believe I am god in the sense that everything in existence is, and that I can personally access or channel the divine, and that everything I do comes back on me 3 times (at least). How then could I consciously hurt another (divine) person or creature? I don't need external morals, because I'm intrinsically moral. But I'm also humble, since being part of a huge and divine universe is inherently humbling. I know that I'm small in the larger scheme of things. I know I'll make mistakes and sometimes need help from others to forgive myself for them. Ms. Sanders descriptions of pagan practitioners as motivated by pride are mistaken. Of course there are some big egos, as there are in Christianity or any other religion (think Billy Graham). But these people are not representative of the larger pagan movement.
To illustrate the problems with pride, Ms. Sanders goes so far as to say that what she perceives as paganism's "focus on self" and desire for enjoyment can lead to violent acts such as rape. "A woman knows that unchecked pride and unbridled desire for enjoyment from a man can result in rape. "(p. 183) Hello-o-o what century is this? Doesn't everyone pretty much agree now that rape is an act motivated by violence rather than normal sexual pleasure? Again, the assumption is that without Christian morality we would all kill each other tomorrow. This reliance on morality outside of the self weakens a person - it lets the possibility of evil actions become more real, since control is not assumed to be within the individual, but in some outside force which they can either "follow" (God or Jesus), or "be tempted by" (Satan). The concept of something like Satan has no meaning in the pagan world view because there's no evil except what's created in the human mind, and humans are held ultimately responsible for their thoughts and actions, rather than blaming an outside force.
The other weak argument against pagans used by Ms. Sanders is that practicing pagan rituals is "occult", and "dangerous". She never really explains what this means, but uses the idea as the final word in many discussions, especially as to why young people should not practice paganism. The only danger I see in witchcraft is that many potential practitioners have mistaken ideas - as unfortunately perpetuated by Ms. Sanders - about witchcraft being evil. Any meditative practice is powerful - if you meditate on evil, wish bad things to happen to others, read horror movies or watch a lot of violence on TV, and then bring that energy to your practice, you will attract bad happenings because you are willing them into existence. None of those things are part of my life or my practice, or part of any real pagan practitioner's practice. The true power of magic is to use meditation and ritual to help make positive changes in one's own life and in the world. Is it real in a supernatural sense, or only the power of positive thinking? It doesn't matter to me - it works.
And finally, the be-all and end-all argument against pagans for Ms. Sanders is the acceptance and love of Jesus. I've studied lots of religions and think that they're all variations of the same thing - paganism/animism just happens to work best for me. So I'm happy for her that she's experienced the feeling described in all religions as enlightenment - when you feel connected to everything else, feel love for all, and loved by a higher power. But I'm sorry that she can't see that the concept of accepting Jesus is not the only way to experience this. I'm sorry that she's so afraid of other ideas. I'm left with the impression that Ms. Sanders was a bit more intrigued than she would like by her study of pagan ideas and culture, and that her interest is what she's really afraid of.
The only positive thing I got from this book was an interesting (if frightening) overview of what Christians think of pagans, and some tips on pagan websites. Unless you're a former anthropology student like me, don't bother reading this book to find out about the history of modern pagans. | | | | Not neutral, for sure, but not bad either Apr 29, 2006 |
Yes, this is a difficult read for a Neo-pagan, but I'm a Pagan, and I still liked what I read. I was raised Catholic, and reading the book, I realized that I agreed with her views on why people tend to leave Christianity for Wicca and other Neo-Pagan traditions. I certainly did for half the reasons she explores in the first few chapters. If I knew about Gnosticism or Christian Kaballah before I converted, I might have gone to that instead, honestly, though I'm extemely happy as a Pagan.
However, readers must realize that this book is not really meant for Pagan readers. It's for a Christian audience. The point of the book is to say "These people [Wiccans] aren't bad, but if you don't want your whole church to leave for this, then you have to realize that there's something spiritually unfulfilling with it and fix it." Sure, it has biases with Wiccans; the mention of Laurie Cabot and Salem's Samhaine festivities never fit well with me as an introduction to Wiccan culture. But, it still is a big leap for many contemporary Christians, to say that witches, Wiccans and Pagans can be good people and that if you want to convert them, do it with kindness and not peaching. | | | Write your own review about Wicca's Charm: Understanding the Spiritual Hunger Behind the Rise of Modern Witchcraft and Pagan Spirituality
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