Family Wicca, Revised and Expanded Edition: Practical Paganism for Parents and Children

by Ashleen O'Gaea

More than 10 years ago, it was the first book written specifically for Wiccan parents. Now it's the 21st century's best reference for the still growing number of Neo-Pagan parents who want to introduce their children to the principles of their religion. Like Ashleen's other books, it's written from her perspective as a Wiccan, but it's easy for other pagan traditions to "translate" and use, too. In Family Wicca , priestess, wife, and mother Ashleen O'Gaea offers encouragement, shares her own family's experiences, discusses real-life challenges and how to deal with them, and provides a wealth of simple rituals and inexpensive projects that will enhance your family's life in every way.

Genres: Wicca, Paganism, Parenting, Childrens, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2006

Reviews

[Kathleen Garber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books for Pagan parents were rare only a decade ago but things are changing. Books for Pagan kids are being created and more resources for the parents are available. This book was originally published in 1993.

This is the second Pagan parenting book by this author I have read. Her other book, Raising Witches is actually more for those looking to run a "sun-day" school or otherwise teach a group. It is also for those running covens that allow children. It does have good info for the every day Pagan parent though too.

The chapter headings are always a good indicator of what the books is about so here are this books chapters: What is a Modern Wiccan Family, Between the Sabbats, Raising Children to the Craft, Magic, Answering the Hard Questions, Moons and Suns, Passages and Living Mythically.

The book was pretty good, it had lots of great info but I found that the author go off topic a lot. She's start talking about one thing and then by the next paragraph, was off on some tangent that didn't directly relate to the topic on hand. This results in less actual information than you would expect if you just look at how many pages the book is.

Until I read more books on the subject, I can't really say if this is a top pick for pagan parents but since there isn't all that much available yet on the subject, I do recommend you read this and all the other books you can get your hand on.

[Reese · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this at a secondhand book store and it looked interesting. I definitely learned a lot about Wicca and appreciated the interfaith perspective. Parts of it seemed a little preachy and there was a big focus on camping (which is not my thing).

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this topic, but O'Gaea really executes it better in her book Raising Witches: Teaching the Wiccan Faith to Children. The whole first half of Family Wicca is preachy, instead of practical. The second half didn't have as many concrete things as I'd like, although I did photocopy her sheet music and make a mental note of her anger releasing spell. Much of this book didn't apply to me as a Wiccan parent because it was written decades ago and because she lives in a completely opposite climate as I. I borrowed this book from a friend but will not be buying my own copy since I already own Raising Witches.

[Delia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was practical and sometimes comical view of Pagan Parenting and how we interact both with our children and the other non Pagan adults in our lives. There were some really insightful sections, I only hope that the next edition has a chapter on step families. I found the section on adoption to be great, and there were a large number of great activities to do with your children. Its nice to read advice from someone who has lived it, O'Gaea's honesty is refreshing.

[Jennifer James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks for the great book, Holling and Joell! I especially liked the Charge of the Child (based on the Charge of the Goddess) and the author's reframing of evil as poor choices based on fear, ignorance, or glitchy brain chemistry (although I would add selfishness). The section on answering children's hard questions was helpful.

[Ingrid Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for research purposes to get a feel for the Wiccan religion. It's a good book, informative but not as in-depth as I needed. If I were a practicing witch, it would be on my bookshelf as an insightful guide to family life.