Customer Reviews
Slightly dissapointing - By: Newander, 07 Jul 2008 
I bought this book on the recomendations of other buyers & was slightly disappointed really. I am a complete novice & found it all a bit long winded & complicated for a beginner. It was interesting, but she not very suitable for beginners IMO. Will finish it an & wait for another book i ordered to arrive.
A good introduction - By: flingthecow, 10 May 2008 
I am a beginner, & have found this book very helpful. It is well written, & very intelligent. I like the letter format, as there is a huge amount of information, but it isin bitesize chunks. Beth writes well about the context & history of witchcraft, interspersed with practical information such as how to cast a protective circle, & suggestions for (very poetic) spells for each pagan celebration.
The only thing that I haven't enjoyed is the huge amount of focus placed on worshipping the Triple Goddess, & Horned God. I know you can't just do spells, without there being spiritual meaning behind them. But I know (from talking to people who know alot more about this stuff than I do), that Beth does concentrate alot on HER particular idea of the Goddess & God. For someone who doesn't like being told what to believe, I found this quite offputting. It is good to get a groundingin these beliefs I think (historically, they are important), but from what I know of Paganism, it is much more flexible than this.
Disappointing - By: stola peridot, 23 Oct 2006 I found this book very hard to get on with due to it's format as letters. I think that the idea behind it is great, you learn along with the original letter recipients. Unfortunatelyin practice it completely lost my interest. I by far prefer her second book 'The Hedge Witch's Way: Magical Spirituality for the Lone Spellcaster' which is an excellent beginners book.
An informative and encouraging introduction to the craft - By: ramblerose, 08 Aug 2005 There are many books on the subject of the Craft, many of which are aimed at providing an overview for beginners, or explaining what witches do, how they do it & why. Rae manages to write books that are something else entirely - the reader is able to learn just as much as they could from a manual-style book, but from a writer willing to give her personal & unique insights.
This book is written as a series of letters to Rae's apprentices. A beginner could learn alongside the apprentices, as though having Rae as a mentor. For the experienced witch, Rae's work is a refreshing format & we are invited to share her experience & knowledge.
It is a staple of many pagan bookshelves & one of the reasons that solitary witches call themselves hedgewitches at all. If you are reading this because you feel drawn towards an ancient path then I recommend this book to you unreservedly.
Hedge Witch - By: Clare, 22 Feb 2005 
This is probably Rae Beth's most well known book. A book writtenin the form of letters to her students learning the path of hedgewitchcraft.
A lot has been said of Ms Bethin that her path of hedgewitchery is not very far removed from Wicca, this path isin some ways similar to Wicca, just not I feel as strict. This book is not a how to, it is very interesting & anyone wishing to learn more about this path will find so much beneficial from this book. Anyone new to the path will also possibly need another book that goes more in-depth, that said there is so much to learn from this book from the beautiful sabbats & the lovely meditations it is so much more than just letters written to a student.
This is a book every Solitary Witch should read, it was one of the first books I read when I discovered my path, & inspired me immensely. Rae Beth is a wonderful author & writesin a very easy to understand way. She is always very high on my recommended reading list & will continue to be.
