Editor: Michael Fallon
Trade Paperback, 288 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn
Publication date: February 2003
ISBN: 0738702943
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Llewellyn publishes a number of almanacs, but this is their first spring to spring almanac. The almanac section of the 2003 Wicca Almanac is just over 60 pages in the center of this 288 page book. Each day's entry lists the moon phase (and whether the moon is waxing or waning), the moon sign, and that day's color. Most days also list a festival or holiday from somewhere in the world. The almanac section covers from the spring equinox of 2003 to the spring equinox of 2004. Like other Llewellyn almanacs, almanac information is only a small part of the book.
The meat of the 2003 Wicca Almanac is in over 200 pages of short articles. There are about 25 articles, divided into five chapters. Nineteen authors contributed to this book, so there is a good variety of styles, lengths, and topics. The editorial aim was to be "edgy and timely and hip." As I'm well on the plus side of 40, some of the articles did not impress me at all, but most were at least interesting.
Here is a small selection of article titles to give an idea of the wide-ranging, eclectic nature of the articles in this book. From the "Lifestyles of the Witch & Famous" chapter: "Pagan Art in the Modern Age" by Julianna Yau and "Witchcraft at the Movies" by Peg Aloi. From the second chapter, "Witchcraft D.I.Y": "How to be a Thoroughly Modern Witch Mom" by Ellen Dugan, and "How to Conduct a Seance" by Susan Sheppard. The third chapter is on Pagan travel with articles like "Wicca Down Under" by Emely Flak and "Pagan Travel Tips" by Laurel Reufner. The fourth chapter talks about Wicca on the Internet with articles like Gwinevere Rain's "E-Witching: A Wiccan's Guide to the Internet." The fifth chapter is a collection of opinion pieces like Scott Paul's "The Best Wiccan & Pagan Books." The last chapter discusses Pagan consumerism with a pair of articles, one of which is "A Witches' Shopping Guide" by Kat Rodgers.
The 2003 Wicca Almanac makes interesting light reading and has a number of articles which would simply never appear in any of Llewellyn's other almanacs. While written for the teen and twenty-something reader, some of the articles are of more general interest. Like other Llewellyn almanacs, the 2003 Wicca Almanac is a very inexpensive book for its size, so it is worth a look -- and not just because Gwinevere Rain's article mentions The Cauldron's web site.
Reviewed by Randall
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