Llewellyn's 2008 Witches' Companion © 2008 Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN 978-0-7387-0560-6 288 pages Paperback $9.99 (U.S.)
$11.50 (Canada)
Once again, Llewellyn has come out with an annual filled with
thought-provoking articles. Although I only recognized four of the twenty
authors represented in the twenty three articles in this book, I found all
of the articles stimulating.
I have always felt that the annual publications from Llewellyn have been
among their strongest offerings. They present a variety of topics, by a
number of authors and, thus, a wide variety of viewpoints. While many
people object to the major offerings by this publisher, these annual
offerings always have to potential to stir things up.
This year's offerings include art by a number of artists in a variety of
styles. The article topics are loosely grouped into four broad categories
(Community Forum, Witchy Living, Witchcraft Essentials, and Magical
Transformations), and run the gamu6 from how to gain mainstream acceptance
to facts and fiction about Ouija ® boards; from how many phases of the
Goddess exist (three or four?) to the life cycle of magical groups; and
many
others.
The final section of the book is composed of the lunar calendar (with a
one
page article for each month) with Moon Void-of-Course information,
eclipses,
and Full Moon dates and times. This is not terribly detailed, but should
serve the non-specialist well enough to be useful.
It was interesting to see a number of authors in this issue whom I had
never
encountered before. Over the years there has been a slow movement away
from
reliance on "big name" contributors, and I applaud the continuation of
this
trend. Lesser-known individuals can certainly have valid points which are
worth consideration, and they often fail to get a fair hearing because
they
are not better known.
I encourage Llewellyn (and other publishers of compilation works) to seek
out new voices and help them, to be heard by a wider audience. Vigorous
discussion of controversial (or merely unconventional) topics may bring
new
life and new insights to our paths.
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