Out of the Shadows: Myths and Truths of Modern Wicca

by Lilith McLelland

Explains the origins and rituals of the Wicca religion, includes tips and guidelines for modern-day observance and practice, and provides information to assist Wiccans facing discrimination.

Genres: Wicca, Nonfiction, Religion

245 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[Natasha Snyder · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I had a really difficult time with the book, because she writes (at times - more about that later) in the stereotypical "Wicca is KewL!" teenage blog post writing style. It is overly conversational and filled with pop references. I assume that many Wiccan authors these days feel like they must emulate Silver Ravenwolf, because their readers are assumed to be younger and new to the craft. She also is extremely negative and highly opinionated; however, after reading her personal accounts of some of the things she has experienced in Wicca, I can see why. Her MO for writing this book seems to be to burst the bubble of all fresh faced new pagans with a dose of reality.

Even with these caveats, this book is worth a read.

The book is a hodge podge guide to McLelland's opinions and experiences with modern Wicca. From the title, I was expecting it to be more about the history of Wicca and all the inaccuracies that are commonly spewed. There is some historical information, but this book is more a practical, common sense guide to surviving as a Wiccan in the modern world. I think her views are skewed to the negative because she lives in Salem, Mass., which has become a ridiculous "Wiccan Mecca". (Ridiculous because the Salem witch trials had more to do with puritanism and the madness of crowds than anything regarding ancient witchcraft.) I can see why the crowds of wanna-be witches that are into the costumes and make-believe parts of the witch image would make your head explode after awhile. The stories she tells in the book of "Witches Behaving Badly" are just sad examples of immaturity. For example, she makes the claim that "All witches are drama queens." Yes, most PEOPLE are drama queens, but then, I know quite a few (even witches!) who aren't.

The highlight of the book for me was when she was talking about Wiccan civil liberty cases and successful Wiccan activism. She writes very well about these topics, and obviously is very experienced and well-educated about them. She goes out of her way to describe what you have to do to avoid looking like an idiot in front of the public, and she gives pointers about how to be taken seriously. Her advice about dealing with witch wars, conflicts in the Wiccan community, abusive covens, and discrimination is very well described and valid. The sad part is that any of those things have to be mentioned at all.

The distilled advice for being a Wiccan from this book is simply:
Act like an adult
Read a lot of books
Volunteer to help in your community


These are things that we can all get behind, as Wiccans, and as generally decent human beings.


Edited to add: OK, there wasn't a good place for this in my review. There really wasn't a great place in the context of the book for it either. She has a chapter on deities, and why you should be careful about choosing which deities to work with, and to take it seriously. OK, I'm with her there.

However, then she goes on to say that no one but the Asatru should work with Norse Gods. Whaa? really? She goes on to explain that they are very intense, serious, often violent deities. How is that different than Set, Hades, Zeus, the Morrigan and dozens of other gods of other cultures - some of which she promotes the worship of in the same chapter? I just don't understand.

Wicca is a modern religion, and we aren't going to be worshipping ANY deities in their original ways, so as long as you take it seriously, do your homework, and pay homage to the deity, I think it's up to you who you want to work with. She does point out that, if you are working with a death Goddess like Kali, then yes, you had better be prepared for some serious life change. Don't take the Gods lightly, no matter what pantheon they are from.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so sad to see that this wonderful book has gone out of print. This isn't a Wicca 101 book, or a primer for the religion, though it does contain a lot of solid information that would be useful and beneficial for new seekers and the curious. It's a series of well thought out essays about some real world issues that Pagans and Wiccans will most likely have to deal with. There's a whole chapter devoted to exploring First Amendment rights and the court cases which have established useful precedents for Pagans should they run into workplace discrimination or bigotry that seeks to trample on freedom of religion.

There is also information on the various traditions within Wicca, as well as a few NOT of Wicca, such as Feri. Practical advice for getting a study group up and running, and tips on finding reputable teachers. A smorgasbord of historical information that lays to rest some of the misinformation that still pervades Wicca, as well as explores the historic "witch trials" and why those trials weren't really about witches at all.

Lilith McLelland's writing is so much fun to read. She has a very witty sense of humor and I was entertained as well as educated.

[Lauren1012 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting because the main premise is something I find myself thinking about often, and that is basically: if we want to be taken seriously we really have to knock it off with the ridiculous outfits and jewelry and interviews given in "spooky" settings. Of course it goes deeper than that but that's the main gist. I found that there was a lot of common-sense type advice, such as: don't scrub your High Priestess's bathroom floor because she tells you you need to learn humility before you can earn your initiation and be told the Great Secrets. Errr.... that's kinda a no-brainer. Or one would hope that it would be. I guess not, if the author is mentioning it. Then again, I don't live in Salem.

Overall I found it very no-nonsense, and something more people should consider. Unfortunately the writing style is a bit on the unpolished side, but I suppose she did that in order to give it a feel like she was sitting right there talking to you. Hey, whatever works.

[Gwynalda Shadowalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding at clearing up the myths and misperceptions that crop up in a lot of Wicca 101 books.

[Tsukiori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it is truly one of the best book on Wicca out there. I am so glad I read it!