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Book Reviews

Book Review: The Truth About Witchcraft

Ashleigh NicSidhe
Cover of Scott Cunningham's The Truth About Witchcraft (Amazon images)

by Scott Cunningham – 3.0 out of 5 stars 

A good product – FOR ITS TIME – nearly 40 years ago

The Truth About Witchcraft, First published January 1, 1987

Scott Cunningham wrote a very useful book for its time and era, the time of Satanic panics and moral pearl-clutching-parents who needed assurance that witches were not some sort of baby-sacrificing cultists. At that time Witches and Pagans and others were in serious danger of losing jobs, their children, and sometimes their lives.

While much has changed in the ensuing 35+ years, there are some things that have not, but it is time for a fresher look at what Witchcraft is, and it’s time to retire this book to the archives of the Pagan libraries.

In that regard, I’m looking forward to October when Thorn Mooney has a successor book being released that will certainly replace this one on my lists.

As someone who has been in the Craft for over 50 years, raised children through the Satanic Panic, and led a coven for over 45 years, this book was a good resource. But it has served its purpose. Now give it a rest and stop making it your #1 recommendation.

[Originally posted on NemedCuculatii.org]

Inward clockwise spiral beneath the Anglo-Saxon 'ash' rune (ᚫ), representing descent into the Otherworld and spiritual thresholds (spiral), combined with the ash tree's symbolism of rootedness, ancestral connection, and liminal authority (rune). The spiral represents the Sidhe raths or fairy mounds. Combined it is a representation of "Ash McSidhe,

Ash NicSidhe

Ash NicSidhe has been a voice in the Pagan and Traditional Witchcraft community for over fifty years, writing under this name and its evolving magical lineage. Her work explores Witchcraft, folklore, Tarot, and the esoteric arts, weaving scholarly insight with lived ritual experience and initiatory tradition. As Elder High Priestess of Nemed Cuculatii, she continues to serve as a guardian of the old ways and a trickster of the spiral path. Her writing has appeared in The Witches’ Almanac, The Crystal Well, and other Pagan publications back into the 1970s. She has also contributed to books including The Small-Town Pagan's Survival Guide, Reflections in Diana’s Mirror: A Devotional for the Queen of Heaven, Which Witch is Which, and more.

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