Wicca's Charm by Catherine Sanders (2005, Paperback)

This book is not for the Christian who is faint of heart. You should have an open mind in order to be able to analyze the data presented here. The author interviews many people, but has missed many of those who are not attention-seeking wiccans or pagans. Paganism draws more of the rebellious, attention-seeking, in-your-face, folks than the serious seekers. Or maybe those are the ones who draw, and are drawn to, media attention.
Leaders in the pagan community seem to like the limelight just as *some* leaders in other religious communities seek it. Elder in the pagan community usually lead quiet lives in tune with nature. They are sought out by the serious seeker who has been burned and battered by the extreme pagan community or their former religious experiences.
Most of those who come to paganism are young and feel powerless in their lives and in this society. As the author notes, without proper leadership, any magickal acts they perform will cause their lives to spiral downward and it's difficult to help them out of the trouble they've caused themselves.
I am a third degree Wiccan priestess who grew up in the Baptist church and participated as a Baptist, born-again Christian, for 35 years.
The demise of my faith in the Christian church was due to Biblical laws of divorce and remarriage. I mourned my former religion mightily before I moved on to Wicca.
This book is a very good source for both Christian and Wiccan/Pagan. It addresses many issues that the majority of pagan people have experienced or witnessed. I especially liked the Celtic Christianity and wished I had been involved in that instead of what I grew up with.
Take heed Christian parents. The world is not what it was when you and I were growing up. There are no morals or ethics taught in schools, and those taught in church don't matter if the parents do not practice living morally and ethically.
And to those who would enter paganism, please do not enter it to gain power, popularity, or inflate your ego. That is the way to desolation. Talk with someone you respect who has Biblical knowledge and see if you believe the basic precepts of your religion. If you do, and still cannot stand going to your church, then find a different one.
And those who really wish to enter paganism, do not follow a young leader. Young leaders have no experience of the craft and they have little experience of life. Find an older teacher... 50 years old or so and you *may* get a balanced and positive learning experience.
If you have questions, you may email me at susannkae@yahoo.com
I am an elder in Hearth & Grove Fellowship, Hostess to Witches Night Out, and co-hostess to the Kalamazoo Pagan Community Brunch.
Again, I cannot stress how important it is to be very, very cautious about spellwork and magick. It is real and you can really, really mess up your life if your intentions are wrong.