This handbook offers itself as a guide to the novice, particularly the solitary practitioner. Author Eileen Holland frankly addresses many questions beginners might have, clarifying that Wicca is not Satanic and that the Rede, the ethical code to which all Wiccans must adhere, prohibits harming any creature. (Read the Rede: no black magic.) Apart from worship of the Great Goddess and submission to the Rede, however, Wiccans are as diverse as they come. Holland notes that some are omnivores, some vegans; some are Dianic, others Gardnerian (following the path of Gerald Gardner, the 20th-century British man who developed Wicca); some are solitary like herself, and others perform magic only in groups, or covens. Holland comes across as extremely practical, advising new practitioners to use magic to complement other therapies such as medical science, not to replace them.
The bulk of the book consists of her suggestions for introductory spells and incantations, grouped thematically around topics such as fertility, healing, justice, love, money, sex, and protection. The final section introduces correspondences, or "relationships that can be used for magical workings." Several of these more advanced subjects, like the heavenly bodies and the Lords of the Watchtowers, are not adequately explained, while others, like the magical significance of various colors, are refreshingly clear.
