What Should I Read? A Guide to Evaluating Information

As Wicca and Witchcraft grow, so do the amount of folks seeking these paths alone. Without a group to teach and train, these seekers turn to books, the Internet, and various sorts of online and correspondence courses. Perhaps you’re one of those folks. How do you know which books and courses are worth your time and money? How do you know the authors and teachers are actually knowledgeable about their material? The amount of material available on Wicca and Witchcraft these days is almost mind-boggling. I know it’s impossible for a new seeker to wade through it and figure out what is valuable and what is best kept as birdcage liner. Even us experienced folks have a constant influx of new material and authors to become acquainted with. Only through a heavy dose of critical thinking and good networking skills can we hope to keep abreast of what’s being published. With that in mind, this week’s article is all about how I evaluate authors, books, courses, and other materials. Keep in mind, though, that any opinions I present here are strictly my own. For every book or author I despise, I’m sure there are 20 of you out there who will swear it’s the best book you’ve ever read. I’ll do my part to keep my opinions of specific material out of our discussion and just focus on my methodology. Let’s start with books. They may say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but I’ll readily admit that the cover is one of the determining factors in my opinion of Pagan books. Is the title silly? Is the cover all sparkly and pink? Would I be embarrassed to be seen with this book? Who has lent their name to the blurbs on the back? Are they credible authors or Pagan figures themselves? Although I realize that oftentimes authors don’t have control over how their book is covered or marketed, I don’t wish to support publishers who put out books that I feel make Wicca look silly. If the book passes the cover test, I’ll flip through it, pausing to read snippets here and there. I look at the Table of Contents to see the sorts of topics covered. If it’s a “Wicca 101” book, are the topics arranged in a logical order? Are all the topics there that I feel should be covered? Do any chapters on spellwork or healing include a discussion on ethics? If not, is there a discussion on ethics anywhere in the book? Does the author “talk down” to me? Does the author sound like an “intellectual snob”? I don’t tend to buy books where the author is condescending in either manner. I also don’t purchase or recommend books where the author jumps into spellwork without talking about ethics, or glosses over important basic “101” material to get to the glitzy stuff. And if it’s one of those “spell cookbooks”… one of those “get revenge, get the man of your dreams and make him your love slave, make piles of money at your dream job” books? That goes right back on the shelf. While there are spell books that I find worthy of recommending and purchase, these sorts are only good for a laugh, and maybe scaring folks who peruse your bookshelves. Save your money. But above all, you need to look at the information presented in the book. Here’s where that critical thinking comes in. Does the information sound correct? Does it contradict stuff you already know? If so, does your prior knowledge come from a reputable source? A prime example of this is the myth that there were millions of Witches killed during the “Burning Times” of the Inquisition. While many thousands were killed (not millions), most (if not all) were not Witches. They were Christian. And they weren’t all burned, either. In Salem, for example, all the accused Witches were either hanged or pressed to death between heavy stones. Some authors will still tell you the revisionist story of the Burning Times, but a good history book will be able to tell you otherwise. Which is a better source to believe? Also, be on the lookout for any biases the author may have. Take a look at Starhawk’s “Spiral Dance” for a good example of this. It’s a great beginner book that I highly recommend, and yet Starhawk’s strong eco-feminist political views are easy to pick out in the writing. Every author (myself included) has biases that influence his or her writing. The trick is to be aware of when those biases bleed through, and when that hampers the quality of the information. Starhawk’s politics, while they may be annoying if you don’t happen to agree with her, don’t really hamper the informational quality of the book. Finally, check any bibliographies or “further reading” sections at the back of the book. What are those sources like? Does the author use many of his or her other published works to support this book? Are there academic sources listed for any mythology or history discussed in the book? Are the sources current for the time the book was written? This last question is especially important for any book that tackles the history of a Pagan religion such as Wicca. In Gerald Gardner’s “Witchcraft Today”, he talks about a witchcult that has roots in the Stone Age, claiming that there’s been an unbroken line of goddess worship since then. This theory, based on Margaret Murray’s anthropological research, has since been disproved. However, in the 1950s, when the book was originally published, this theory was widely accepted. As tedious as those steps might sound, books are easy compared to evaluating information on the Internet. The quality of Wiccan and Pagan websites ranges from excellent to “did a monkey put this site together?” Many of the same points I explained earlier still apply. Is the website pleasing to look at? Are there distracting graphics or sound files? Is there a good ratio of information to decoration? Is everything spelled properly? Do all the links work? Is it obvious that the information has been copied from books or other websites? Is the text on the site condescending in any way? Does the Webmaster make a lot of crazy promises, things that sound too good to be true? This last point is one of the key ways I evaluate online Wicca or Witchcraft courses I see advertised. How does the teacher market his or her course? Do they make wild promises, like I’ll learn everything I need to know about Wicca in a month? Is the price reasonable? Do they offer sample lessons so I can see what I’m getting into? How easy is it for me to get my money back if I decide I can’t finish the course for some reason? Anyone can slap up a website and promise you the secrets of the universe for six easy payments of $29.95, but how do you know you won’t just end up with a giant hole in your bank account? Networking. Good networking skills are essential to evaluating the flood of Pagan information out there. Join email lists and message boards. Read online newsletters and book reviews. Talk to the sales clerks at your local occult stores. Talk to other local Pagans you might know. What opinions do you find about authors, books, websites, or courses? Do a lot of folks have issues with a certain person or source, and are those issues widespread? If people have the same critique of a book on Amazon, an independent Pagan website, and your local occult bookstore, chances are the critique is a valid one. Networking like this is also a good way to get evaluations of the teachers of online courses. Seek out folks who have taken and are taking the course. Are they satisfied? Are there complaints that are widespread issues? I’ve run across a few online courses that seemed promising, until I talked to my friends online. According to them, the teacher/website owner doesn’t really have one clue what she’s talking about, and may have actually copied an entire course from someone else. I feel pretty fortunate that I asked around before paying for the course, especially since she doesn’t offer any sort of refunds! There are a few things to beware of while networking, though. Watch out for personal issues. If it’s apparent that someone has an axe to grind with a particular author, teacher, or Webmaster then their opinions may not be valid… unless, of course, they’re backed up by more neutral sources. Remember that people have biases. I cannot stress this enough. Even the most trusted, neutral, informed person has biases. Keep an eye out for those biases in their opinions. Also, be aware of the debate in the Wiccan community over whether one should charge for teaching. Many Wiccans feel that it is unethical to charge for teaching Wicca. Others feel it’s appropriate to charge enough to be compensated for space rental or materials provided. And others feel it’s appropriate to charge for anything you feel like, as much as you feel like. For this reason, I caution you against the mindset that the more expensive a resource is, the better. The best online Witchcraft course I’ve ever seen, found at Annwn’s Cauldron (http://www.annwnscauldron.com/temple/les. is 100% free. Out of all the online courses I’ve found, this is the one I’m taking, for many reasons. It’s free. It’s taught by someone I know is reputable… I know the teacher online, and I know a lot of others who know her online and share my opinion. Through my critical evaluation of the material that’s presented, all of which is online for your perusal at any time, I can see that it’s original. The teacher provides feedback through her free message board at every stage of the course. She doesn’t make a lot of wild promises, and her information doesn’t contradict things I’ve learned from other reputable sources. The site is heavy on information and low on flashy decorations. In other words, I get a lot of value for my time, and not a lot of headaches and bad information. I realize this article got a bit long, but I hope these tips help you in your own journeys through the plethora of information on Wicca and Witchcraft that’s out there. At the very least, I hope it helps you avoid some of the pitfalls I stumbled into in my earlier days of seeking.