Sons of the Goddess - A Young Man's Guide to Wicca

Sons of the Goddess A Young Man's Guide to Wicca by Christopher Penczak.

Wicca 101 for young men. Wicca is a spiritual path open to all. Yet young men may have trouble identifying their place in this seemingly female dominated religion.

Without many male role models, how can one become empowered as a son of the Goddess?

Christopher Penczak, who learned about Witchcraft and magick in his late teens, offers guidance to all the young men out there who are curious about Wicca. This much needed masculine perspective on the Craft discusses divine masculinity found in ancient myths, male energies, and rites of passage.

Penczak also describes the fundamentals of Wicca, including the rule of three, the Wiccan Rede, spellcraft, rituals, holidays, and Witchcraft ethics.

REVIEWS:
Publishers Weekly
Reviewed 2005-02-28

As women search for feminine inspiration in male-dominated religions, so Penczak seeks a place for men in Wicca, a largely female-centered tradition. Penczak, a practitioner of the craft and author of many books about Wicca and magick, explores masculine images, wisdom and practices within witchcraft to help men walk the "path toward empowerment as a son of the Goddess."

Readers interested in the masculine side of Wicca will enjoy not only a succinct cataloguing of gods and male ritual but also general rituals and spells associated with witchcraft (including an intriguing spell for binding bullies) and a detailed code of Wiccan ethics. Each chapter includes helpful sidebars that detail everything from the devil to the story of the god Horus, as well as a series of practical exercises, reflections and guided meditations designed to help the reader explore and develop his identity as a witch (the term Penczak prefers to warlock or wizard).

Penczak draws from his personal journey of finding Wicca to shape his discussion, sometimes successfully, and at other times reveals biases (in particular about feminism) that may be off putting to women readers. For men already interested in Wicca, yet who associate witchcraft exclusively with women, Penczak offers answers and a new angle for men to embrace the masculine side of this tradition. (Apr.)

Christopher Penczak approaches Wicca from the standpoint of the young man first finding his footing on this spiritual path. As he states in his opening Indroduction, Wicca is a religion with images of women and learned Sages for teachers and sometimes the younger man may find it hard to relate or find imagery with which he can relate. Christopher Penczak is very well equipped to tackle this job as well. He is a young man with many book credits to his name on the topic of Wicca. His series on the Inner and Outer Temples of Witchcraft is well known and admired, as well as his books on various types of Magick.

The book is divided in to nine chapters covering a variety of beginners topics on Wicca, including starting on your path, stories Mothers and Sons from mythology, and Men's Mysteries. Each of these chapters focuses on the young man approaching Wicca for the first time. From basic Wiccan beliefs to mythologies that focus on the relationship between the Goddess and her sons, to the man's place in Wicca, the topics focus on the young man, giving him place in a religion that can sometimes seem very Divine Feminine.

There is a chapter on Meditation Magick, something Mr. Penczak is very expert on and it focuses on basic meditation practices and once you have mastered this you can use this practice to work some of his basic magick exercises, such as his Protection Shield, a very good shielding practice, and also opening up yourself to speak with spirits of all kinds. Throughout the book, there are little dialogue boxes scattered in the margins of the book. These boxes discuss some questions you may have when reading the various chapters. From The Burning Times to questions about different Deities or stone properties or Voodoo Dolls. Mr. Penczak anticipates questions the reader may have and very expertly and directly answers them in a clear and concise manner.

The book also provides illustrations on various topics discussed in the book. The Chakra system is illustrated, poppets, wands, various symbols and tarot cards, all laid out as examples to compliment the discussions. Further reading will provide you with Roles and Responsibility, a discussion on the Wiccan Rede and a Code of Honor that Mr. Penczak includes as a basic guide to personal ethics. There is a discussion on taking your choice of religion public, how to approach your family with this decision you have made, and what is right for you! This is an excellent chapter and I found it to be very clear and some very good, solid advice for any beginner starting on this path.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
contents
List of Figures . . . ix
Introduction . . . xi
1. The Witchs Walk
First Steps on the Path . . . 1
2. Divine Sons and Mothers
The First Stories . . . 15
3. Mens Mysteries
Forgotten Wisdom . . . 33
4. Meditation Magick
The Power of Stillness . . . 57
5. Living in the World
Roles and Responsibility . . . 79
6. The Way of Ritual
Remembering You Are Sacred . . . 99
7. Spellcraft
The Tools of Life . . . 129
8. Walking the Wheel
Holidays of the Witch . . . 159
9. The Magickal Promise
Dedication to the Craft . . . 175
Bibliography . . . 183
Glossary . . . 185

EXCERPT: The Witchs Walk:
First Steps on the Path

One of the first things I learned about witchcraft is that you must walk your talk. Not everyone should go around calling himself a witch, but with so many personal and eclectic traditions of Wicca, there is no central authority, council, or agency that certifies people as witches. And most witches prefer it that way. I know I do. So then, how do you become a witch? I was taught that true witches know their stuff. They know their Craft, their history, and their science.

True witches, as opposed to those just playing with the idea of being a witch, not only know these things, they live them. True witches strive to live a life of balance, harmony, health, and magick. Some of us are truly witches at heart, but if you want to be a true witch, you should seek to know your history and traditions and learn the skills to put them into practice.

If you come across people who only talk about putting spells on others or talk about how powerful they are, then they are not walking the witchs path. Powerful people don't need to tell you how powerful they are. They simply are, and they know their greatest power is over themselves and their own reactions, rather than their power over other people.Witches walk a path of wisdom, and wisdom tells us when to use magick and when to wait and watch.

What is Wicca?
"Wicca" is a word that causes a lot of confusion today. Usually, it refers to the modern revival of the Old Religion, the religion of witchcraft. The root of the word "witchcraft" can be traced to the words wicca and wicce. Some scholars believe the root means to "bend or shape." This refers to the witchs ability to do magick, to bend or shape the energies of life to create spells and healing. Others think the word means "wise," relating to the root of the word "wizard," and they think of witches as the keepers of wisdom. The more you study the Craft, the more you will find differing opinions among witches, scholars, and experts.

Modern witches often use the word "Wicca" and "Wiccan" instead of "witchcraft" and "witch" in order to prevent the bad feelings that the word "witch" can conjure in people. Alternately, some think "Wicca" refers to the religion and "witchcraft" to spellwork. Many others use "Wicca" to refer to formal traditions of witchcraft, such as Gardnerian or Alexandrian Wicca, and they think of eclectic practices as simply "witchcraft." I use the words "witch" and "Wiccan" fairly interchangeably, depending on those around me, but I prefer the word "witch." I think it is important to make that word less scary to people, and if they see loving, happy, helpful witches, then we can break those old stereotypes.

Many practitioners also use the word "pagan," from Latin. It refers to the people of the rural lands and, historically, the word became associated with the Old Religion duringthe rise of Christianity. All witches/Wiccans are pagan,

ARTICLE:

Finding the Sons of the Goddess
New Worlds Isse: NW053
By: Christopher Penczak

A lot of pagan men find it tough to be a man in Wicca. The popular misconception of Wicca, one among many, is that it is a Goddess religion only for women. Such thoughts are simply untrue. Though there are some traditions that focus on the Goddess exclusively, most honor both the Goddess and the God. Both schools play a prominent role in witchcraft. I think the zeal people have for the Goddess comes from wanting to restore her to her important place in spirituality, where we have been dominated by major religions that have had a decidedly male bias.

Wicca is really about balance. In Eastern medicine, the terms yin and yang are used to depict this concept. Balance in all things, including male and female energies. We all have male and female energies, regardless of our gender. The relationship between both is an important mystery in the traditions of the craft.

I came into witchcraft right after high school, after going to school in traditional religious institutions. I didn't know what I believed, but I knew that Roman Catholicism was not my path. I came into witchcraft excited and skeptical, but as I studied, the more I found a home for my heart and soul. I felt the call of the Goddess. I had an excellent spiritual relationship with the feminine, trying to get away from the masculine Biblical god, but didn't know how I fit into the tradition. All the people who trained me were women.

The vast majority of witches I knew were women. Almost all the authors I read on the subject were women. The initial teachers I trained with didn't place much importance on Gerald Gardner, Alex Sanders or Raymond Buckland. If it wasn't for Scott Cunningham's books, I'm not sure I would have had a positive male role model in the craft. As I continued, I found more men in the craft, from elder high priests to guys my own age seeking a new path. The concept of a male witch became less remote for me and I made many new friends.

When I came into witchcraft, I trained with my mother. She didn't teach me, as many people assume. She was training right alongside me. She feared I was joining a cult of some sort, and came along to make sure I was ok. Even though I was legally an adult, I was still her son and she looked out for me. We have a very strong spiritual bond. She later gave up Catholicism to follow the path of the witch. In my first informal coven, our celebration circle consisted of the two of us and another family friend who I consider my spirit sister. Since then, my mother and I have both had an interest in any mother and son pairings, from other witches to the mythology of Goddesses and their sons.

Together we studied the stories of mothers and sons. We looked to the stories of Isis and Horus, Rhiannon and Pryderi and Balder and Frigga. We saw how often the God is seen as developing through child, youth, lover, king, death and underworld god, only to be reborn again as the child. The goddess was more eternal, ever present. She shifted through the regenerative cycles of maiden, mother and crone, in a similar, yet fundamentally different way. Together, they made the whole of creation. Together mother and son, queen and king, Goddess and God, kept life in balance, and witches are their priestess and priests, their sons and daughters, helping keep the balance.

As I practiced the craft and was eventually asked to teach, I found more and more young men coming to me at class. Yes, there is a general trend of more and more young people coming to the craft, but my workshops found a lot of young men, ranging from teenagers to post collegiates, seeking their place in Wicca and understanding their role as a man. Perhaps in me they see someone already finding that place. Though I've taken on the responsibilities of home, marriage and ministry, I'm not that much farther down the path of life. I was eventually asked to bring these myths and traditions together in a format that can be shared not only with men, but with all those in the traditions of the witch. The result was Sons of the Goddess: A Young Man's Guide to Wicca.

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