The Inner Mysteries: Progressive Witchcraft and Connection to the Divine

by Janet Farrar, Gavin Bone

A look into the underlying principles behind modern magic in Witchcraft, this investigation provides an integrated training system for both solitary Witches and coven-based trainees in the form of magical energy practice and cosmology. By fully explaining the values of Witchcraft, this work makes numerous Wiccan practices approachable, including Circle casting, raising energy, elemental work, and drawing down the moon. Illustrating how Wicca is a modern, nondogmatic, and dynamic tradition still in a state of evolution, this book also features a history of the spirituality of Witchcraft.

Genres: Wicca, Religion, Witchcraft, Spirituality

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2012

About the author

Janet Farrar, along with Stewart, is author of many books on witchcraft, and a well known witch who has appeared frequently in the media. She currently lives in Ireland and regularly tours the U.S.A. giving lectures and workshops.

Reviews

[Constantinos Nterziotis · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the backcover prof. Ronald Hutton writes about Janter that she is one of the most prominent writers of history and nature of modern Witchcraft. He continues that the collaboration with Gavin Bone is dynamic and interesting. The Witche's Voice characterizes the book as a refreshing honest look into the Witchcraft of both past and future. For me the book provides a progressive view in Wicca regarding both initiatory and self-initiatory. The writers teach in the whole book using logic, experience and wisdom. Their views are trully refreshing for the community not just because they are two well respected Witches, but also because the base their work on actual things, following good tendencies and currents in Witchcraft today.

I follow a centered Deity approach as they suggest and I felt really having this view written and analyzed from both of them -in not just one chapter. They give ideas of how to work with one Deity, which I have used and found them working fine in practice. They don't afraid of comparing the old with the new tides in Witchcraft and explaining why things are different now and why in the past some beliefs were certain while others were not, but are now. They share their ideas of evolving Wicca using techniques of other polytheistic religions, how to connect with one Deity, how to incorporate a progressive mentality and they give a lot of advices of how to move on with your practice.

I didn't like two things from the book. One is the removing Hermetic Kabbalah idea, which is an option of the writers and the other is the compressed text with little borders. I suggest this book to any serious practitioner of the Craft.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book that will answer nearly all of your questions about wicca-witchcraft.

[Andrea Casarotto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessante, approfondisce alcuni argomenti che negli altri libri non vengono trattati (o lo fanno superficialmente). Particolarmente utile per chi cerca uno studio più approfondito di questa materia.

[Megan Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a fellow Wiccan when I was searching for a book that went deeper than your typical "Wicca 101". For the most part, it does the job. This book gave me high hopes when, in the introduction, the following quote was written.

"If Wicca is to survive the next millennium, it must now come of age and accept the importance of its core spiritual beliefs in the scheme of things; beliefs that can unite true religions of healing in understanding and tolerance. It must also accept the truth of its origins as a new religion based on old wisdoms rather than a surviving remnant from the Middle Ages, if it is to truly become a spiritual path for a modern world. " -- The Inner Mysteries: Progressive Witchcraft and Connection with the Divine (xxii)

This book touts itself as being fully progressive in its teachings. In chapter three, titled "At the Heart of Witchcraft: Spirituality and the Mysteries", Janet and Gavin go into detail about the connection between modern Wicca and witchcraft with psychology, freemasonry, and the Fellowship of Crotona. They explain quite well that Wicca is a "mystery tradition", but not in the way that many people think. They reinforce their idea that Wicca is a mystery tradition because the feelings and spirituality that is inherent within Wicca is a mystery to be experienced, not taught through a book.

I really enjoyed that the authors, Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, made it known that Wicca is progressing and evolving, as it should, to ensure its survival as a modern faith.

"One of the markers of an advanced spiritual practice is that it is never static but is always evolving." -- The Inner Mysteries: Progressive Witchcraft and Connection with the Divine (Preface)

I do have at least one issue with this book, though, and that is the lack of separation between Wicca and witchcraft. Janet and Gavin say this in chapter two.

"We, personally, do not actually believe there is any difference between the words Witch and Wiccan [...] The two main traditions refused to accept those from outside their traditions as Wiccan or even as 'real Witches'. For many years, this divided the Witchcraft movement into two camps and has blurred the meaning of the words Witch and Wiccan purely for the sake of political expediency. This division has been perpetuated with the statement 'All Wiccans are Witches, but not all Witches are Wiccans.' Some of us who have been around for a while find this amusing..." -- The Inner Mysteries: Progressive Witchcraft and Connection with the Divine (29-30)

Witchcraft is not exclusive to Wicca, and there are many cultures and religious groups around the world that practice some form of witchcraft. This paragraph by Janet and Gavin is misleading because it gives the allusion that you must be Wiccan to practice witchcraft. Just because the two words might have a common etymological root does not make them the same word with the same meaning.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. It has loads of good information and thought-provoking questions and theories. It also has several appendices that contain some "standard" correspondences that can be used as is or to build upon based on your own preferences.

Note: This review is cross-posted on my website.

[MeriBeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Inner Mysteries, an updated version of a previous book called Progressive Witchcraft, is a decent enough introduction to the more modern variation of Wicca outside the strict hierarchy of the Gardnarian and Alexandrian Traditions. However, this volume has one major drawback to it. It is full of opinion, often stated as “in our experience” and “in our opinion”, rather than scholarship. When it does reference other published works, those works are either by the authors themselves, their teachers in the craft – most often Doreen Valiante – or others from their original tradition before they branched off into their own studies. Despite its claim to be about progressive witchcraft, much of this book simply reinforces the ceremonial aspects of there early years of the rebirth of witchcraft over the more recent trend of eclecticism in the the craft. The only truly progressive stance in the book, in my opinion, is that the authors acknowledge an openness to learning via the internet, modernizing the traditional teachings to include record keeping via computer, and that yes, you can be a witch without having coven training… but then they reiterate that the best way to be a witch is to be trained in and remain a member of a coven. Thus, I don’t see anything truly progressive in this book. It is merely a new text repeating old adages in a simpler form for a 21st century audience.

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

I consider this a decent, modern introduction to a style of Paganism that seems more attuned to the present thinking that permits more elasticity in practice and is less dogmatic about what must (and must not) be included in a healthy practice.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davvero bello.
Il primo libro che leggo sull'argomento e devo dire che mi ci ha fatta avvicinare bene. Non spiega tutto nei dettagli, mancano delle indicazioni più precise, ad esempio, sulla ruota dell'anno ma ho avuto una bella infarinatura di tutto ed è proprio il motivo per cui l'ho preso.