Dedicant: A Witch's Circle of Fire Paperback – November 8, 2008

This, overall, is a very informative book. I like the way it is set up to allow for studying over time. This makes it great for a study group. While I can't say that I agreed with everything written, there is a lot of useful information here. However, if you are driven crazy by a book that was in desperate need of an editor, this book will get to you. The author has a tendancy to ramble, and spell check must not have existed in whatever format this was written in, but because of the content and presentation, I would totally recommend this book!

I was delighted when I finally had the chance to sit down to read this book! I have read hundreds of pagan books by all the big and small authors. I usually find myself reading, then skimming, then finding the "good stuff" and putting away on my bookcase to be treasured later. This book was different for me. I enjoyed Thuri's writing style and her organization. I found her very inclusive and honest in her writing. I attend a local "Witches' Night Out" at a metaphysical bookstore and brought in the store's copies to show my group. Needless to say, they sold them all by the end of the night. Although this is definitely a "beginner" book, I would recommend this highly to anyone interested in the craft - even if they have been studying for fifty years or 1 day!

Dedicant: A Witch's Circle of Fire (Course of Study in the Old Religion) This is a good beginner's book. I like the way the book has study questions, homework, pathworking exercises. This is a book I will use with my young people or any new seekers coming to our group. There are good illustrations and none of the fluff in too many 101 books. A great book for group study.

While the book in general is well written, I was disappointed that the author had a required reading of The White Goddess by Robert Graves. It is apparent to me that the author knows little about the Celtic belief system.The Celts were not Hebrews, Greeks, or Scythians. They didn't worship a Triple Goddess, nor did they have a tree calendar based on the Oghams. Robert Graves was not a Celtic scholar. His theories disagree wildly with the theories of his own grandfather, Charles Graves, who was a respected scholar.Robert Graves takes a little bit of Welsh myth, a little bit of Irish myth, a lot of Greek myth, a lot of Bible myth, some ogham letters, the reputation of his grandfather and makes up his own story.While the author's book has some excellent ideas and is a good read, it's not something that I will recommend to others.

I really think just about anyone could take something from this book. I love that she goes in a circular teaching style that follows each month of the year. She has some absolutely lovely guided meditations and very poetic writing for these, as appropriate. I am using this during my year and a day studies and will definitely recommend it to my one-day students when I am teaching. I think another great one is Wicca: A year and a Day by Timothy Roderick. These two books have a different style that really complement and build upon each other.http://www.amazon.com/Wicca-Year-Spiritual-Practice-Craft/dp/0738706213/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366958359&sr=8-1&keywords=wicca+a+year+and+a+day

I have read quite a few books on Witchcraft and have to say that this is, by far, the best book I have found! I love the concept of being able to jump in at any time and have lessons relevant to that time of the year. I look forward to completing the Dedicant lessons and hope to jump up to the Initiate section after that. I am so looking forward to the publication of the second book!

I just finished reading the first few chapters right before the monthly lessons and I don't know if this book would be appropriate for absolute beginners. I don't think this book is completely horrid, but anyone seeking to learn about Wicca would be better suited to read a few 101 books and a secular book or two on the history (Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton is a good start).My main issue is the little note after the reading requirements in Chap 4. She says that the student should study, live, and breath a book called The White Goddess by Robert Graves. So, I looked the book up on here (Amazon) and read the negative reviews (a practice that has been invaluable, especially when it comes to books). Though The White Goddess didn't have very many 1 star reviews, the people who wrote them each said that the book has absolutely no basis in actual fact. Though I do not consider myself a scholar, I do like to do research. The fact that Ms. Calafia is telling her students to essentially memorize The White Goddess left a bad taste in my mouth.Another issue is the mention of "the burning times." It just made me roll my eyes.Despite these, I will start working through this book because she does offer some interesting ideas and exercises (such as keeping an updated transcript of your path).All in all, it's okay. My advice for beginners would be to look at some academic and history books on paganism and witchcraft to get a well-rounded perspective.

I have been sharing this book with a friend and it is great to have my own copy of it for my studies so that i don't feel like i am hogging her book.