- - - -- ~ - - "Oncewe've learnedthebasicsofWiccan beliefsandpractices,livingourreligion is,logically,thenextstep. Howweallowit to affectourlivesiscompletelyup to us. "I've written this bookasa guide not only toWiccanpractice,butto Wiccanlife.Still, itscontentsaremerelyideasandsuggestions. Eachofushas to find the perfectpath. May theGoddessandGodassistyouinthisquest." ScottCunningham, 1956--1993 ABOUT THE AUTHOR S cottCunninghamwasborninRoyalOak,Michigan J on une27,1956.HelearnedaboutWiccawhile still inhighschoolandpracticedelementalmagicfortwenty years. He experienced, researched, then wrote about whathelearnedinhismagicaltraining.Hethenrewrote it,asmanytimes asittook, togetitrightbyhishighstan, dards. Scott is credited with writing more than thirty books (bothfiction andnon-fiction). His style issimple and direct. He passed from this incarnation on March 28,1993,buthiswork andhiswordsliveon. L_ LLEWELLYN'S PRACTICAL MAGICK SERIES Living Wlcca A FURTHER GUIDE FOR THE SOLITARY PRACTITIONER SCOTT CUNNINGHAM 1997 Llewellyn Publications St. Paul, MN 55164~0383, U.S.A. Living Wicca. Copyright © 1993 Scott Cunningham. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from Llewellyn Publi cations except in the caseofbriefquotations embodied in crit ical articles and reviews. Cover Art: Robin Wood Cover Design: Chris Wells Book Design: Kelly Bell FIRST EDITION Seventh Printing, 1997 Library of Congress Cataloging..in..Publications Data Cunningham, Scott, 1956- 1993 Livingwicca : afurther guideforthe solitarypractitioner/ Scott Cunningham. p. em. - (Llewellyn'spractical magick series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-87542-184-9 1.\Vitchcraft. 2. Magic. 3. RituaL 1. TItle. II. Series. BF1566.C84 1993 133.4'3-dc20 93-24673 CIP Llewellyn Publications A Division ofLlewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. P.o. Box 64383, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383 TABLE OF CONTENTS A NotetoTraditionalWiccans xi Introduction xiii PART I: LEARNING Chapter1:ToolsofLearning 3 Chapter2: Secrecy......................................................... 15 Chapter3: ShouldIDoItWhileI'mSick? 23 Chapter4: MagicalNames 29 Chapter5: Self-Initiation 33 Chapter6: TheWiccanMysteries 39 Chapter7: EverydayWicca 45 PART 2: PRACTICE Chapter8: EffectivePrayer 53 Chapter9:DailyPrayersandChants 63 Chapter10: PrayersandRitesofThanksandOffering 67 Chapter11: SimpleWiccanRites 73 Chapter12:MagicandSolitaryWiccan 77 ix PART 3: YOUR OWN TRADITION Chapter13:CreatingaNewPath 85 Chapter14: DeityConcepts 89 Chapter15: Tools,Altars, DressandRitualJewelry I05 Chapter16:RitualDesignPart1 I I3 Chapter17:RitualDesignPart2 I27 Chapter18: Beliefs I35 Chapter19:Rules I39 Chapter20: WiccanSymbols I5 I Chapter21: TheBookofShadows.................................. I8I Chapter22: Teaching(WideningtheCircle) I87 Chapter23: LivingWicca I95 Glossary I97 AnnotatedBibliography 207 Index 2 I5 x A NOTE TO 'TRADITIONAL' WICCANS T hisbook, afurtherguideforSolitarypractitionersofWicca, isn't an attackonconventionalWicca, Wiccan traditions, covensor usual trainingprocedures. Itwaswritten(aswasitspredecessor) forthosewith out access to conventional Wicca, Wiccan traditions, covens or usual trainingprocedures. SomewillseethisbookasaninsulttotheirformofWicca,soIrepeat:this isa guide for Solitarypractitionerswho have no accessto your form of Wicca.ThisinnowaylessensitoranyotherWiccantradition. Read with an open mind and remember the time when you, too, wereseeking. xi INTRODUCTION T hisbookconsistsoffurtherinstructionsfortheSolitaryWiccanPrac titioner.Itassumesthatthereaderhasgainedsomeexperienceinour religionand,thus,doesn'tstopto defineeveryspecializedtermandritual reference.Foraquickreview,checktheglossary. PartIofthisbookcontainsessaysonavarietyoftopicofimportanceor interesttoSolitaryWiccans.PartIIisacollectionofdailyprayersandritualsof offeringandthanks,togetherwithguidestoeffectiveprayerandmagic.PartIII isarecommendedsystemforcreatingyourownWiccantradition. This bookhas beenwrittenwith a single premise: thatWicca isan openreligion.AllcancomebeforethealtarandworshiptheGoddessand God,whetheraloneorinthecompanyofothers;initiatedornot.Wiccais availabletoallinterestedpeople. LivingWiccahasbeenwrittenforthosewhohavebecomeenchanted by the moonshining through trees; who have begun to investigate the sublimeworldthatliesoutbeyondthefabricofdailylife,andwhostandin smoke-shroudedcircles,raisingalofttheirhandstogreettheGoddessand God as the candles flicker on the altar. It's writtenfor those ofus who, throughchoiceor circumstance, meetwithSilverLadyandtheHorned Godalone. ReadersofWicca: A Guidefor theSolitary Practitionerasked me to writeanother, similarwork, becauseso littleWiccanwriting isaimedat thesolitarypractitioner.Ihopethatthis bookfillsatleastpartofthis need. Untilnexttime, I'llsayBlessedBe. ScottCunningham LaMesa,CA July10,1992 xiii PART ONE: LEARNING