The Wiccan Prayer Book: Daily meditations, Inspirations, Rituals, and Incantations

Author: Mark Ventimiglia
Publisher: Citidel Press - Kensington Publishing Corp, 850 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10222
ISBN: 0-065-2131-7
Subject: Meditation
Subject: Prayers
Subject: Wicca
Price: $12.00

reviewed by Neal Levin

Let me start off with saying that I have a problem with the title of this book. I’d like to know if it was the author or the publisher that titled this one. Likely it was the publisher. I truly hate when something like this is listed as "The", it should be "A", since it isn’t the definitive work on the subject. Definitely not enough research to show it is definitive of anything.

This is however a very good book. It came to me during a period where I was looking for inspiration. But one should look into the subtitle of this book as well. Daily meditations, it definitely has these, and well done. This book is the first in what I hope to be many more on this topic. Faith and inspiration are not solely a province of Christianity, they belong to all faiths.

But rituals and incantations? What, no "Double Double Toil and Trouble" in this book? That’s correct. There isn’t much of the standard ritual and ritual poetry in this book, why did it get listed in the subtitle? I think someone in the publishing staff needed to actually read this book before titling it.

I’d like to ask the author why he interchanges So Mote It Be and Blessed Be as synonimus terms. Or if he doesn’t consider them synonymous, just what is the differentiation that he uses, so that others can understand his usage and develop their own prayers?

I would have liked to see more developed prayers, but I do like the crisp clear wording and understanding of the promise of the prayers. Perhaps I may use some of them. But more likely I will just be inspired to write down my current prayers and decide if there is anything I’d like to add to them as a result of having read this book.