#witchtwt #witchesoftwitter

why everyone should stop recommending 'Wicca by Harmony Nice' to beginners:

my review for this book is 2

open this thread to see why:

- she emphasises in parts of the book, to utilise what you have, and how you don't need to spend money to buy lots of shiny new witchcraft objects.
- she makes a point to say that if you're getting into witchcraft (wicca in this case) for the aesthetic or fashion, then stop

(oh there's a lot of these lol)
- page 15, "many pagans believe in one god and one goddess as they tend to believe in balance" = wrong. many WICCANS believe this. Also, the idea of a dual divine and masculine & feminine energy is not mentioned in her definition of wicca ??

- the editing in this book is awful. also, why is divination chapter 2?? like, before the 3fold law, wiccan rede and magick chapters? it should be in her "part 3 how to get started" section
- really informal writing (some may find it easier to read) but i dont like it

- page 68-69. "mental health benefits [of wicca]."
to me, harmony should've been more careful here.
she writes as though shes talking about depression and/or anxiety having benefited from being a wiccan. which don't get me wrong, that's amazing.
but it may be damaging to -

()
present that wicca can "heal you" when she has no idea what the effects of certain intricate practices in religion and spirituality (e.g. spirit work?) can have on mental health disorders involving psychosis e.g.? is she trained to make these bold generalised statements?

- there is absolutely no background information or contextual explanations anywhere in this book. Concepts like the oak & holly king are thrown in there randomly. what are they?? origins?? significance??
there's too many things left unexplained in this book for me to point out

- page 164.
this girl, is ACTUALLY recommending people to LITTER!
to literally throw a glass jar into a river or a beach. "place or throw the jar into the water, and then turn your back onto it".
we worship our earth , not litter it and cause damage to ecosystems............

- page 182.
she presents the "runic Elder Futhark alphabet".
then includes a picture of the Anglo-Saxon futhorc.
not only is she presenting *WRONG* information, she doesn't even mention: the origins of these runes, their actual magical significance, how to use them ??

- there's no bibliography! okay, there's a resources section. but 3 out of the only 4 books shes listed are Scott Cunningham books. has she not read anything else?
surely all the background info on herbs, deities, crystals, days magick, runes, doesnt come from those 4 books?

my final thoughts and conclusions about this book are in the attached image!

thank you for reading this review, feel free to share or RT this thread.

In my pinned message I've made a "Beginner Witch Resource Document" which you're welcome to read and share!