Diane Sylvan's "The Circle Within": You Need This Book
It is a sign of maturity when one looks deeply at oneself and asks the tough questions, makes the hard assessments. When one moves to the point where a decision is made to actually walk the walk, rather than just talking grandly, then it can be said that “growing up” has begun in earnest.
Wicca may very well be doing just that.
Diane Sylvan's The Circle Within (Llewellyn Worldwide, copyright 2003) has not received a large amount of attention, oddly, but rest assured: when the first histories of this religion are written in a century or so, this book will be prominently mentioned as a milestone in Wicca's development. Clear and concise without being dry or preachy, this book moves well beyond the usual Wicca 101 books.
The book focuses on the creation of a practice to go with the religion. Written for the individual rather than the coven, it covers a range of topics from the cultivation of a deeper relationship with Deity to the creation of a sacred space. It covers the basics of a personal practice, and then offers a view of the Wheel of the Year that is so needed in a world where Yule isn't a “winter wonderland” in all places. Sylvan's a Texan; she recounts how Yule arrives with the temperature in the 60's F.
Sylvan, who holds a second degree in the Sybylline Order, does not come from a Traditional background, which may explain her willingness to tackle subjects that have long been considered to be the province of the coven-trained. Rarely do we find a book intended for the eclectic practitioner to give more than lip service to the subject of ethics, for example. Usually, it's given a very somber treatment in one chapter, and typically revolves around a series of warnings. We get a light brushing of karma, and the various activities that we are not supposed to do. Sylvan's approach is different. We get not just a chapter on ehtics, but a thread of explorations on ethical behavior all through the book. We are, of course, reintroduced to the Rede early on, but she returns to the concept of ethics in discussions of what she refers to as “graces”, the virtues of Wiccan practice. This is proper; a religion is supposed to inform its practitioners in matters of how to live, what values to hold. All too often, the old saw about a group of 10 Wiccans having 12 or more opinions on any subject is true even on the subject of ethical behavior.
If The Circle Within has flaws, they are few. The writing is engaging, and Sylvan has mastered the art of tossing in a light phrase or a joke to break up what might be a passage that would be too ponderous without it. These humorous words or phrases do not lessen the impact of her points at all, however, allowing the reader a moment to mentally “reset” before delving back into the serious work of self-examination. A warning to the potential reader: if bursting out into laughter while otherwise silently reading will disturb your housemates, you might want to give them advanced notice. Some of Sylvan's stories and anecdotes had me laughing so hard I had to stop reading for a bit.
The point of all this introspection, of course, is the focus of The Circle Within: the creation of a personal spiritual practice. The subtitle of the book is actually “Creating a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition”, and that is my only quibble with the book. The term “tradition” has specific connotations within the Craft, and this book isn't about creating a new lineage. Rather, it's about the personal activities that one should do every day, or every hour. Perhaps even every minute. It is an area which Wicca as a religion has had shockingly little to say. Thank Gods Sylvan was moved to say it in print.
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wicca
It is a sign of maturity when one looks deeply at oneself and asks the tough questions, makes the hard assessments. When one moves to the point where a decision is made to actually walk the walk, rather than just talking grandly, then it can be said that “growing up” has begun in earnest.
Wicca may very well be doing just that.
Diane Sylvan's The Circle Within (Llewellyn Worldwide, copyright 2003) has not received a large amount of attention, oddly, but rest assured: when the first histories of this religion are written in a century or so, this book will be prominently mentioned as a milestone in Wicca's development. Clear and concise without being dry or preachy, this book moves well beyond the usual Wicca 101 books.
The book focuses on the creation of a practice to go with the religion. Written for the individual rather than the coven, it covers a range of topics from the cultivation of a deeper relationship with Deity to the creation of a sacred space. It covers the basics of a personal practice, and then offers a view of the Wheel of the Year that is so needed in a world where Yule isn't a “winter wonderland” in all places. Sylvan's a Texan; she recounts how Yule arrives with the temperature in the 60's F.
Sylvan, who holds a second degree in the Sybylline Order, does not come from a Traditional background, which may explain her willingness to tackle subjects that have long been considered to be the province of the coven-trained. Rarely do we find a book intended for the eclectic practitioner to give more than lip service to the subject of ethics, for example. Usually, it's given a very somber treatment in one chapter, and typically revolves around a series of warnings. We get a light brushing of karma, and the various activities that we are not supposed to do. Sylvan's approach is different. We get not just a chapter on ehtics, but a thread of explorations on ethical behavior all through the book. We are, of course, reintroduced to the Rede early on, but she returns to the concept of ethics in discussions of what she refers to as “graces”, the virtues of Wiccan practice. This is proper; a religion is supposed to inform its practitioners in matters of how to live, what values to hold. All too often, the old saw about a group of 10 Wiccans having 12 or more opinions on any subject is true even on the subject of ethical behavior.
If The Circle Within has flaws, they are few. The writing is engaging, and Sylvan has mastered the art of tossing in a light phrase or a joke to break up what might be a passage that would be too ponderous without it. These humorous words or phrases do not lessen the impact of her points at all, however, allowing the reader a moment to mentally “reset” before delving back into the serious work of self-examination. A warning to the potential reader: if bursting out into laughter while otherwise silently reading will disturb your housemates, you might want to give them advanced notice. Some of Sylvan's stories and anecdotes had me laughing so hard I had to stop reading for a bit.
The point of all this introspection, of course, is the focus of The Circle Within: the creation of a personal spiritual practice. The subtitle of the book is actually “Creating a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition”, and that is my only quibble with the book. The term “tradition” has specific connotations within the Craft, and this book isn't about creating a new lineage. Rather, it's about the personal activities that one should do every day, or every hour. Perhaps even every minute. It is an area which Wicca as a religion has had shockingly little to say. Thank Gods Sylvan was moved to say it in print.