Crafting a Tradition of Witchcraft

Thank you to NetGalley, Crossed Crow Books and Raven Grimaldi for this advanced copy. I’m pleased to leave the following review:

Crafting a Tradition of Witchcraft is a content rich guide on how to create and maintain a well thought out and well organized practice. I appreciate the author’s experience and credibility which was stated well in the foreword. As an intermediate practitioner of witchcraft, I did find this guide useful and I did learn things I will be incorporating into my practice. I would recommend this book to others who are interested in witchcraft, but aren’t quite sure where to begin. This book could also be used by practitioners of any level as it is always best to look at things from various angles and degrees.

This was a very interesting and enjoyable read. I think this is a perfect book for someone interested in learning about paganism. Factually, from someone who has studied the craft for 20 years, this book is historical and true to the path of a witch. I definitely recommend this to newcomers and those who might be wanting to turn their practice more personal.

Anything written by the late Raven Grimassi is a must read for those wanting to learn more about the craft. Raven Grimassi is an expert's expert, and His book shows you how to build a solid foundation for your practice. It explains the what, who, how, and why of Witchcraft. I think this is the Perfect book for new witches, but also for those who have been around a while might find it useful as well.

<i>We could plan a murder, or start a religion.
- Jim Morrison</i>

If you've ever fancied starting your own religion, this is the book for you. It's a guide to creating your own pagan tradition (which sounds weird, but I guess all traditions have to start somewhere: there's a great book called [book:The Invention of Tradition|505] about this very subject - but I digress).

Grimassi deconstructs all the elements of a religion: the supernatural beliefs and cosmology, the myths, the worldview, the ethics, the rituals, the spells, the initiation procedures, the hierarchy, even the rules and regulations. It's almost like an academic analysis of witchcraft traditions - but much more readable and accessible than an academic text.

What makes this really interesting to me as an anthropologist (and one who has dabbled in many different occult traditions) is that Grimassi makes no attempt to suggest that any one approach is right or wrong: he leaves it up to you to decide how you want to construct your cult/coven/tradition. For example, the attribution of elements to the four quarters doesn't have to follow any of the traditional systems: you can rearrange it to suit your local environment. Lake to the south of you, mountain to the north? Why not assign water and earth that way if you want?

I'm sure many people will find this book almost heretical, but I was fascinated. It got me thinking about how religions are expressed in thought, word, and deed, and what it would take to create a religion that's rich, consistent, and appealing.

It would also make a great sourcebook for fantasy authors who are trying to create believable religions. It gets you thinking about all the different elements of a religion and how they fit together. What are their seasonal rituals? How do they celebrate life events? How is this expressed in their myths or sacred texts?

A great beginner-friendly intro to the craft that's also thoughtful and well-organized for those who don't know where to start. Excellent overview of the lunar calendar and basic beliefs around the tradition.

A good book for those not quite sure where to begin, and also for anyone intermediate that wants to build upon their existing practice. I liked how this book was laid out and I want to purchase my own copy for reference down the line

Crafting A Tradition Of Witchcraft
By: Raven Grimassi


4 Stars

I feel like this is a book that will be a huge help in my home. Trying to practice as a solitary witch is hard. Books like this help me with the basics, some I know, some I don't. It also helps to build something new for me. I read through the book and can see myself using this often to reference, not to just read one time. Most books like this really help to grow (my spiritual) beliefs. This book was very knowledgeable and will be a great help moving forward.



*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review.*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews