Judy Darrow, Wicca Covens: How to Start and Organize Your Own. Most useful for: | Intermediate seekers interested in group work | Content: | Provides basic but detailed information on group dynamics, especially as they apply to coven work; discusses the particular issues specific to parents in covens; discusses the different roles--magical group, support group, "family" group--a coven can play for its members; suggests material that might be taught within a coven; discusses the working partnership between coven leaders; suggests ways to screen potential coven members; discusses community building tools. | Commentary: | There are a few things I particularly liked about this book. One is that the author's background in psychology and group dynamics enables her to not only describe what can go on during group work (good or bad) but to tell why it happens and make good suggestions for dealing with it. Because of this, the book may get a little heavy in places but it's never a difficult read, and definitely worth the extra effort to get the information. I also liked the author's extensive use of quotations from others (I always feel it's good to provide a variety of points of view if possible). The book does refect, to some degree, the author's own personal coven experience (she has never worked solitary, and the covens she has been in have been of the one-priest-and-priestess-led sort rather than of the shared-leadership sort) but that's very apparent and much of the information would be applicable to different coven and group structures as well. | | Recommended | |