Author Sean Belachta claims to be an initiate of both Gardnerian and Alexandrian Wicca. He has written The Coven Leader’s Handbook – 13 Lessons in Gardnerian and Alexandrian Wicca as a complete neophyte training program for Gardnerian and Alexandrian Wicca.
As the title indicates, 13 chapters cover essential topics such as history, Sabbats, the God, the Goddess, initiation, magic, healing, working tools, and meditation. The book is about 200 pages and contains short paragraphs, large font, and lots of white space. It’s like the Wicca Cliff Notes.
The Coven Leader’s Handbook is problematic. In a chapter on myth, Belachta explains that Arthur and Merlin, worshippers of the Morrigan, travelled from Atlantis to Egypt, Greece, America, and Europe, founding Mystery schools. The appendix includes “Christos Awareness Techniques”, although Belachta says in the first chapter that it is impossible to practice Witchcraft and remain a Christian.
The biggest problem with Belachta’s book is that it probably won’t be helpful to coven leaders. An initiated and elevated Gardnerian and Alexandrian coven leader would have inherited the Book of Shadows and other materials for their coven. This handbook does not cover other topics that may concern a coven leader, such as dealing with group conflict, building team spirit, and spiritual mentoring.
Belachta refers to and suggests various books for further reading: The Spiral Dance by Starhawk, Wicca by Vivianne Crowley, The Rebirth of Witchcraft by Doreen Valiente, everything by Gerald Gardner, Leland’s Aradia, and the works of Dion Fortune, Aleister Crowley, Scott Cunningham, and the Farrars. If you read these works, you’ll have a far firmer grasp of Wicca than Belachta offers in this book. I suggest you opt for those and pass on The Coven Leader’s Handbook.
For the record, Belachta is a plagiarist, who stole the content of Paul Huson's classic work 'Mastering Witchcraft' and sold it under the title 'Hammer of Tubal Cain'. His work has been removed from Lulu.com, probably due to complaints from rightful authors. Likewise, belachta has been denounced by Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditionals for pretending to sell training in traditional witchcraft.Huson's web-page:http://members.authorsguild.net/paulhuson/Traditional wiccan alert:http://www.sitepalace.com/americanceltic/What%20YOU%20can%20do%20to%20help.htm
The book is amusing, but he keeps confusing diosil with wddershins. Perhaps it’s just a blind. (JK, I think not.) Aima 3°