Pagan, Shinto & Spiritual Book Reviews March 2016

Pagan Portals – Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft meets Celtic Ways, Mabh Savage

I really enjoyed the last Pagan Portals book I read on Brigid, so I was really happy for the opportunity to preview another in the series, Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft meets Celtic Ways by Mabh Savage, before its official release in April.

Like Morgan Daimler’s Pagan Portals – Brigid, Celtic Witchcraft is short, punchy and written in an accessible and friendly manner. But in contrast to Brigid‘s narrow focus on a single Goddess, Celtic Witchcraft attempts, in less than 100 pages, to introduce an entire system of witchcraft including rituals, symbols, practises and philosophy. This means that each topic is only explored at surface-level only. What’s more, the “Celtic” aspect of Savage’s witchcraft is really only touched upon, and most of the witchcraft described in this book felt like generic Wicca with occasional nods to Celtic beliefs and mythology, rather than truly “Celtic witchcraft.”

I thought the strongest sections in Celtic Witchcraft were the parts dealing with the use of poetry and song witchcraft. Poetry seems to be Savage’s forte, judging by some of the poems of hers she has included here (I really liked her Winter Solstice ritual poem), so I can’t help but think that perhaps she should consider developing her writing along this route. She also has some interesting ideas about how to use poetry and song in ritual, and this, coupled by the clear Celtic-bard link, would be worth exploring in future detail. Maybe we’ll see something more like this from Savage in the future?

For very new Wiccans with an interest in Celtic beliefs, Celtic Witchcraft may serve as a gentle, lightweight introduction to the basics of Wicca. However, I suspect that more experienced readers will be looking for a little more depth, especially regarding the Celtic angle.