{"id":30155,"date":"2020-03-04T18:41:37","date_gmt":"2020-03-04T18:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/agora\/?p=30155"},"modified":"2020-03-04T19:45:14","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T19:45:14","slug":"the-corner-crone-book-review-witchs-wheel-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/agora\/2020\/03\/the-corner-crone-book-review-witchs-wheel-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"The Corner Crone: Book Review \u2013 Witch\u2019s Wheel of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

In the Introduction of his terrific new resource work, Witch\u2019s Wheel of the Year<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, Jason Mankey<\/a> <\/strong>writes, \u201cMy most joyous and spiritual moments as a Witch have generally taken place during ritual.\u201d Mankey\u2019s joy in and deep knowledge of his Craft are threaded through every word of his book (including his sometimes Puckish footnotes).<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a compelling \u201cchoose your own adventure\u201d feel to Witch\u2019s Wheel<\/em>. In fact, Mankey encourages readers to feel \u201cfree to cherry-pick the parts you like best\u201d; he\u2019s designed the book precisely so that elements of Ritual, such as Quarter Calls and Circle castings, can be interchanged.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jason Mankey\u2019s new resource book is a must-have as part of your witchy toolkit. Background image by ThoughtCatalog<\/a> via Pixabay.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a result, readers who may not yet be confident ritual-writers are empowered to be active co-creators of whatever Ritual they are creating. This act of reader empowerment is at the core of what makes Witch\u2019s Wheel of the Year<\/em> an instant classic. Rather than spelling out pre<\/em>scriptive formats, he offers de<\/em>scriptive formats. In a way, it\u2019s like having Mankey alongside you as a mentor while you take your first steps in crafting your Ritual.<\/p>\n

This is not to say that only folx new to the Craft will benefit from this book. Seasoned ritualists will appreciate the collaborative tone of Witch\u2019s Wheel<\/em>, finding several \u201caha!\u201d or \u201cthat\u2019s a great idea!\u201d moments throughout its pages. Mankey\u2019s scripts offer springboards for your own ideas and phrasings as you write your rituals, which is in fact what happened for me when I read about his Practice of using a blessing bowl before Ritual.<\/p>\n

He writes:<\/p>\n

One of my favorite ways to begin a ritual is with a blessing bowl. Many Witches like to take a ceremonial shower or bath before entering ritual space, but I find a blessing bowl much more effective. [\u2026] It\u2019s a great way to remind yourself [\u2026] that what we do as Witches is magickal, holy, and divine, and that we ever walk with the Lord and Lady. (Witch\u2019s Wheel of the New Year, pp. 136-7)<\/em><\/p>\n

In my own Practice, I\u2019ve adapted this<\/a><\/strong> to be part of my daily morning Ritual. I use a few grains of sea salt and a couple of drops of Ylang Ylang oil added to some full moon water or filtered rain water. I\u2019ve found that, as I go through my day, when I taste the salt on my lips or catch a slight trace of the Ylang Ylang\u2019s scent I\u2019m viscerally reminded of my connection to my Deity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Reading Mankey has the feel of chatting with a knowledgeable friend over a couple of tumblers of single-malt Scotch. Photo provided by Jason Mankey.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The sections and chapters of Witch\u2019s Wheel <\/em>are arranged in a gratifyingly logical fashion. After a review of the basics and mechanics of Ritual, the sabbats are presented from Yule through Samhain. Each sabbat features a brief history followed by rituals written for Circles (large groups), Covens (small groups, often no more than 20 participants), and Solitaries. Size does matter when writing effective Ritual, and Mankey\u2019s years of experience and the insights he\u2019s gained serve him (and his readers) well.<\/p>\n

I particularly appreciate his discussions about the mechanics of large group Rituals, which are a leading edge for me in the development of my own Practice. There\u2019s a practicality about Mankey\u2019s written work that I find very centering. There\u2019s very little \u201cwoo-woo\u201d in his writing; in fact, his writing style strongly reminds me of Scott Cunningham\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> down-to-earth wisdom-sharing. I never feel like Mankey is talking down to his readers; instead, reading him has the feel of chatting with a knowledgeable friend over a couple of tumblers of single-malt Scotch.<\/p>\n

The flexibility of this new resource book makes it a must-have as part of your witchy toolkit. Far from a dry recitation of the nuts and bolts of ritual writing, Witch\u2019s Wheel of the Year<\/em> is engagingly pragmatic with flashes of Mankey\u2019s signature self-deprecating humor. Don\u2019t overlook the footnotes! Seriously, some of them are a hoot!<\/p>\n

Just a word about the book\u2019s cover\u2014the cover stock has a deliciously velvety feel that invites your fingers to explore further. Artist Kjersti Faret<\/a> <\/strong>has done a magnificent rendering of the Wheel of the Year, and her work appears throughout the text. Her illustration for Part Four\u2019s Section Page is a particular favorite, and I love that she has a cat making an appearance in each of her large illustrations throughout the book.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Witch\u2019s Wheel of the Year<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Publisher: Llewellyn Publications, 2019<\/strong>
\nISBN: 0738760919, 9780738760919<\/strong>
\nLength: 408 pages<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The flexibility of this new resource book makes it a must-have as part of your witchy toolkit. Far from a dry recitation of the nuts and bolts of ritual writing, Witch\u2019s Wheel of the Year is engagingly pragmatic with flashes of Mankey\u2019s signature self-deprecating humor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3077,"featured_media":30159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[606],"tags":[1466,342,538,25,26,39,56,2883,1827,185,191,104,175],"class_list":["post-30155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pagan-community","tag-jason-mankey","tag-magic","tag-magick","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-ritual","tag-seasonal","tag-the-corner-crone","tag-the-wheel-of-the-year","tag-wicca","tag-wiccan","tag-witch","tag-witchcraft"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Corner Crone: Book Review \u2013 Witch\u2019s Wheel of the Year<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The flexibility of this new resource book makes it a must-have as part of your witchy toolkit. 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