Raising Witches: Teaching The Wiccan Faith To Children

by Ashleen O'Gaea

This is the first book that gives parents the means to teach their children Wicca in a more formal fashion. Featuring a Wiccan curriculum for each of the five age groups from infancy to young adulthood, O'Gaea shows parents how to effectively weave Wicca into a child's natural progression of learning.

Genres: Parenting, Paganism, Witchcraft, Wicca, Nonfiction, Religion, Childrens

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book is full of great ideas to use if you are trying to raise a Pagan (or even just an Earth-Centered) child. Certainly it would be each parent's responsibility to pick and choose what makes the most sense for their own child/ren and family, but that's always the way with parenting books.

The best aspect of this book is O'Gaea's concept of "Regency Parenting". That we are acting as our children's regents until the time that the are fully capable of taking care of themselves. This does not mean that we should be the despotic and controlling Regent Uncle of fairy tales (the one that keeps the Prince/ss locked up and rules absolutely) but that we should help our children take on their lives and responsibilities in a loving and supportive way.

And my favorite thought of all (paraphrased)": When an adolescent or young adult pushes the boundaries of appropriate or acceptable behavior, we should look at them and admire their courage. They are testing parental limits to see how truly unconditional that love is - they are taking the risk that the people they NEED to love them might not after this action they have chosen. This is tremendously brave and should be celebrated.

What a refreshing thought for adolescents!

[Briar 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to start off by saying I am not exactly the intended target audience for this book. I’m a Heathen and my family practices are generally pagan. We don’t follow a very specific path but recognize Wicca’s influence on neo-paganism. It’s influence on modern Heathenry as well. I bought the book used for around $3-4 shipped on eBay and figured it would help inspire me to make a more structured learning experience for my children. Using it as a guide to create the bones of something and not necessarily the meat of it. It was printed in 2002 (and I read was the result of years of work so possibly was started in the late 90’s?) and is outdated in some ways, has typos and is at times oddly put together. Some verbiage also makes me feel like I’m being talked at by someone who goes on and on without actually saying much. Could be I’m just imagining the voice of folks I would meet as a pre-teen pagan at circles with my mom. The author seems nice and generally cool from what I can tell so I don’t want to drag them. The tone is the tone of the time for many parts of it. These are things I expect from Indie published books of this time in this genre. They DO say they encourage diversity and inclusivity. They make a note on the type of gendered language, etc they will be using for ease but that the reader can adapt it. I found that forward thinking as I remember it didn’t feel like it wasn’t as generally understood and accepted at the time when the book was published. I found that aspect warmed myself up more to the book. You likely won’t enjoy the liberal attitude of the book if you’re more conservative (which I’m not) and the parenting style is what I would call: “attachment parenting.” We strive to be this way in our home personally but if that’s not your jam you may not enjoy the recommendations the author justifies by connecting it to various aspects of Wicca. All in all the book was just okay but I realize it’s been 18 years since it was published so I just took it with a grain of salt. I did find sone inspiration and if I ever found myself in a pagan group setting with children it may be even more helpful.

[Salem S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not Wiccan, but many books of Wiccan witches often focus more on the craft than the religion. This is not one of those books. There were many good parenting tips, but I was hoping for more general witch knowledge than I received, which I should have anticipated ahead of time. I will be donating this to a local group, though, because it's VERY informative!

[Amanda Goldben · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is full of great information!! Especially if your following the Wicca path. However while we honor their path it isn’t our path and many of the writings are specific for their teachings and traditions.

[✨Bean's Books✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful suggestions on how to introduce and explain Wicca/Paganism to your child. This book is very practical and helpful. I'd definitely recommend this to any Pagan with children.

[Kathy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was recently rereading this book, it has parenting advice that I feel is a bit new age. Along with chants, crafts, basic rituals, and ideas on how to teach your kids about wheel of the year, elements, and the directions.
I am uncomfortable about the idea of the child skyclad circle. that idea is introduced later in the book.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guided meditations,practical ideas for educational activities. It includes a glossary and a recommended reading lists.Detailed discussions. Raising Witches finally gives parents the means to communicate the rudiments of their faith to their children.

[Jaye Sudar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good companion book to Family Wicca. I would have really enjoyed having this book 15- 20 years ago. For me, it is much better than Circle Round.

[Andre]

i think this book would look good for my children,so then they don`t get the wrong idea of being a witch.

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well organized by age. I've already implemented some of the content of this book and will revisit it as my children grow.