Of Green and Glass: After the 101 phase

Of Green and Glass:

Where Down to Earth Solutions and a Glass Edge Meet

By Goewin GreenWitch

Dear Goewin,

            I feel like I’m drowning.  I go to the bookstore and all I see are Wicca 101 books!  I’ve read most of them and own about half.  I get it already.  Earth is green, Air in the East, think before you cast a spell.  Where are the books for the “next step”?  I think I’m interested in Green Magic, but how do I know what’s good and what’s crap?  Seeing as you use GreenWitch as your last name, I figured I could ask you.    How do I know if this is really for me if I can’t find the right books?

-Next Not New

Dear Next,

            It’s okay, it’s not just you.  I’m pretty sure many people have a bone to pick with the publishing industry.  Authors get paid squat, and publishing companies can only produce what has already sold.  This is especially true when you are talking about a “specialty” topic like a non-mainstream religion.  They need to publish books on advanced topics, but they have to concentrate on what sells to make money.  Wicca, Witchcraft and Paganism are a small enough minority, and when you factor the number of newbies versus the number of experienced practitioners of any given form or Tradition, the seekers are going to outnumber us at any given point.  Is it fair?  No, but I never promised things would be fair, just correct.

 So, how do you know if a book is right for you?  Just because a book calls itself “everything you could ever want to know”, doesn’t mean it is.  Progressing past “101” to individual paths, practices and traditions is just natural.  Some great Authors of Green Magic themed books are Ann Murphy–Hiscock,  Judika Illes (Judika doesn’t get billed as “green magic” but she has a fantastic connection with plants and their uses, Ellen Dugan (who also happens to be a Master Gardener, by the way),  Scott Cunningham, Lexa Rosean, and Poppy Palin also have several books on Herb uses, in spell work.

Keep in mind, that no matter how much you read, nothing will take the place of real world experience.  Jump online and see if there are any shops around you, check out some Open circles!  If you’re out in the middle of nowhere, there are plenty of correspondence courses for things you can learn from home.  Susun Weed offers correspondence courses as do many other famous, ‘green’ authors.  I would however caution you against joining ‘online schools’ because there is no real way of checking credentials, much of that information is available in books.  You need to be able to see what you’re paying for.

            I know it can be hard to find the next step in your faith and your practice, but please don’t let this frustration take you away from your true purpose.  Besides, let’s face it.  If you can be pulled away from a religion by one bump in the road, it must not really be for you.