Silver RavenWolfReviews

read awhile ago, no recall of characters or plot

This book had very interesting points in it. I really enjoyed learning where Halloween came from in history. The different celebrations and traditions are fascinating. Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year and all this information has increased my love of it. I will surely have to read more of Silver's works!

I expected this to be more a collection of correspondences -- more practical reference -- than general guide/philosophy. The second part, on practice, was the most helpful to me.

Every year, this book gets me excited for another season of haunting and slimy pumpkin guts. I love that this book dives deep into the haunting history of Halloween. Not only is there a history lesson that MAKES you want to pay attention, there are also crafts, games, recipes, and other traditions.

I hate this author but there was a good healing spell I used in this that worked.

This author is a fraud.

This author is a fraud.

I read this ages ago & while I recall there was a few bits of useful info regarding a look at a "non=traditional" religion there was also a lot of ridiculous things. The tone of this book was also quite troublesome as it read as if Ravenwolf was "talking down" to her audience instead of sharing information. As I said it's been a while since I read it (at least 10 years) so perhaps upon a second reading I might feel kinder towards it but I don't think I'll be picking it up anytime soon.

This, and the other Silver Ravenswolf books I own are rubbish. I bought them off ebay as a batch having been recommended them by several people on a UK pagan website, when I was exploring witchcraft/Wicca. Needless to say, I haven't accepted any recommendations from that site since! I can't even get rid of them 'cos anyone who knows anything about witchcraft knows they are rubbish :(½

Crap. Bought these ages ago from ebay, should have saved my money.½

What can you say, it's an almanac. There is fun stuff, serious stuff, historical stuff and lots of amusing ads.

I picked up this book expecting a clear, frank discussion of Wicca/Witchcraft with a focus on what teens need out of religion and magic. I expected clear instruction on meditation, astrology, tarot, and many other esoteric practices in a conversational manner. I expected to find an open-minded account of my own practice, not dumbed down for idiots, but explained in an easy-to-understand manner.

I didn’t find any of that.

I found author Silver Ravenwolf to be condescending and self-important. The whole book rubbed me the wrong way; I felt that I was being addressed as if I were in elementary school. In her “Introduction Just for Parents” she is sarcastic and belittling when she says, “this is an okay book for your children to read. There’s nothing bad in here,” in bold print. While I agree with her other points that teens will read what they want to read, I also wonder who is she to make that call for other parents?

To be honest, she did explain Pagan holidays, ritual basics, the Cone of Power, the Magick Circle, and some signs and symbols of the Craft. She also included some spell work (Crabby teacher spell, anyone?) that would probably come in handy for a teen. I like that she suggests teens use a divination tool to ask if doing a spell is morally or ethically all right so they don’t make mistakes, and that she is very careful about instructing teens to not do harm to others.

Seeing how Ravenwolf’s “To Ride a Silver Broomstick” was my own introduction to the Craft, I was looking forward to reading this book, but it was a disappointment for me. However, it does clear up some misinformation on Wicca and the practices thereof, albeit in a dramatic, biased, and overbearing way. I would recommend it to questioning kids age 14 who can think for themselves, and up with the caveat that they realize she’s a bit heavy-handed with the self-praise and written towards those a bit younger.½

A lousy introduction to modern neoPagan Witchcraft. The information is not well organized, and while it is ostensibly aimed at the young who are new to it all, it is a mishmash of beginner stuff with advanced stuff randomly inserted. Not long after it was published i began writing an annotated critique, but quit because it became such a long enumeration of its flaws and errors. I most certainly would not give this typical Llewellyn junk to a beginner.

Extremely useful book! Covers all area's of being a solitary witch, gives all the history and suggests to research more on everything you could have thought of! I've used mine enough it looks a lot older than it is!!

A great source book for all things wiccan.

This book was bought for me when I first started studying the craft by a friend that was also interested in the same things I was. While I used it as a reference book when I considered myself Wiccan, I rarely use it now. Occasionally I'll turn to it to look into certain things with a different spin on it but I prefer working without it. For someone who considers themselves purely Wiccan it is a great reference book but not one of my personal favorites.

This book was okay and is great for working on focusing your mind but I've found that the more I read Silver's works I don't like her as an author. She speaks of not hating other religions and respecting them but talks down about Christian's etc. She focuses entirely too much on complicated rituals and what real witches are and are not. Although I will not be getting rid of her books I will be taking all of her writings with a grain of salt.

Silver gets a lot of bad reviews but she is what I started out with. For some reason she's easier to find than most of the other writers. I found this book in my mentor's shop and fell in love with it. Halloween/Samhain is my favorite holiday ever but this is the only book I have on it. I'm hoping to find more books but in the meantime I loved this book because it is about my favorite holiday.

Not a bad book, but definitely geared towards pre-teens/teenagers, and because of that, it was hard for me to concentrate on reading it. Would I let my kids read it? Sure, if they were interested in it. When I was a teen, I was reading adult books and most likely would have passed right by this.

While Silver Ravenwolf has been trashed of late, I am sure most of us in the craft got our early start with her books. I find it sad that that so many choose to ignore the fact that this series is a wonderful introdudtion for those who have no other context. Nope - it ain't rocket science...but she opens the door and let's the reader make the decisions. I would (& have) recommend these books because they are so down-to-earth and easy to read.

Avoid at all costs.

September 28, 2002
Beneath a Mountain Moon
Silver Ravenwolf

Totally sucked in by this. Witchcraft, mountains, the whole bit. The protagonist isn’t bad, although her name is ridiculous – Elizabeyta Belladona. Gag. Anyway, she’s back in this small mountain town where her grandmother mysteriously died, and the story centers around two powerful covens, the Belladonnas and….can’t remember the other one. Anyway, the other one wants to destroy the Belladonnas and take their power. It was VERY entertaining, and I’d like to read other fiction from Ravenwolf (another absurd name).

Review located at http://lupabitch.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/a-witches-notebook-silver-ravenwolf/

This book is a classic and one of the first I recommend for people who are interested in learning about Wicca. She approaches the subject in a conversational tone, but with some of the best information available for those interested in learning about the religion. While occasionally, her writing tone comes across as condescending, for the most part it is a great book with invaluable information.½

This great big and huge tome is a great read. Silver Ravenwolf often gets flak from people, but she writes in conversational and engaging manner, while giving out some of the best information out there for those looking to learn the fundamentals of the craft, and great information for those who have been long time practitioners.