This one is lucky to get 2 stars from me. I loved the concept of exploring the meanings of the couplets of the Rede and applying them to your life. However, after reading the book I was disappointed that it did not meet it's potential.
The author imposes some unusual interpretations onto some of the couplets, gets alot of information wrong, and espouses some personal views that are not of the majority in the Wiccan/Pagan community. He fails to give any accurate history of the Rede or any reference to who is generally thought to be it's author (or authors) and continually asserts that the Rede is "ancient" (it was first published in the 1970's). He also makes several references to his connection to Raymond Buckland, possibly in an effort to legitimize himself, his views, and the poor research he's presenting to us. However, anyone who's read Buckland's books will know that he does not share in the views that this author expresses.
Their is no doubt that Mr. Ventimiglia is passionate about Wicca or the Rede...but to use it to judge and alienate the GLBT community is abhorrant. In one section he actually claims that "homosexuality" is an afront to the Goddess and that gay people are somehow giving into a sexual whim by "doing what feels good". And here I thought that the Goddess said, "All acts of love and pleasure are my rituals"?
In another section he makes the bizarre assertion that only Native Americans are somehow allowed to consume meat...the rest of us are going against the Goddess, yet dairy is apparently okay because "milk is a perfect food"...huh?
Another big problem is his chapter on "the Witches' Rune". He mistakenly interprets this to be about Runology and spends alot of time trying to explain a complex form of divination...when "The Witches' Rune" is simply a beloved chant used in the Gardnerian tradition to raise power. Apparently he's never been introduced to it in any of the several publications it's appeared in. He even kicks that dead horse by rewording it to "the Seax-Wiccan Runes" to fit it into his own tradition and as an opportunity to, yet again, make reference to his connection to Raymond Buckland.
Despite the negatives...there were some decent things. I liked the chapter on wind direction and the Weathervane...I found that refreshing. I liked the layout of the book and the concept. The cover art and graphic design were appealing, and I loved the smaller size, and the fact that it was hardback...it's difficult and rare to find hardback books anymore in the New Age section.
So despite some of the yuck on the inside...it was presented well in a very classy-looking package. Apparently, you CAN polish a turd.
Nowadays, of course it's terribly unfashionable to be homophobic, and no self-respecting author who's made a lot of money from another book on witchcraft is going to admit it publicly, but Mr. V is just keeping up the original line of the 2nd generation Wiccans (the founder of Seax Wicca and the dude who helped make Mr. V famous). There may be a lot of new people interested in the Seax path who are unfamiliar with the stance towards homosexuality of it's founder, rapidly publicly changed to help shift books! Three cheers for honesty.
