Book review: The Path of a Christian Witch

Posted on Monday, April 25, 2011 in Book Reviews | 0 comments

by Adelina St. Clair

★★★★

Joyce called me to the center of the circle. I walked up to her, my heart pounding in my chest. Our eyes locked. She said, “Adelina, have you chosen your deity pair?” I answered, “I have.” She continued, “Who have you chosen?” I took a deep breath, bathed in the energy of this holy gathering and stated for all to hear, “Jesus of Nazareth and Mary of Magdala.”

If you’re reading this from a Christian perspective, may I make a suggestion about how to approach this book? Don’t read critically. Suspend disbelief, set aside your arguments, and enjoy the journey of this Christian-turned-Witch-turned-ChristianWitch as if reading a fantasy novel. As you approach the end of the book, gradually let it sink in that you’ve been reading a biography, the life-journey of a real person.

I know little about the Wiccan religion, but my take on the book is this: Adelina St. Clair, the book’s author, discovered two basic truths in life. Christianity is real. Wiccan magic and practice is real. Both are good, both are healthy, Adelina needed the connection both to Christ and to nature’s rhythms, but the two religions are oil and water. Christians teach that witchcraft is evil, and Wiccans are polytheistic in practice. So what did Adelina do? She embraced Wiccan truths, but chose as a patron deity the Christian God and His pantheon (Jesus, Mary, the saints, the patriarchs, the angels).

God is Love, writes John the Apostle. As a witch, Adelina agrees, saying “I believe in love, always and above all,” and hopes for a “new community of people, who will cultivate their light in a new-old way and spread a new wave of love into the world.”

She turned to me briefly, let out a sigh, and said, “The answer is to love.” And she went on her way. There was something special about the way my angel told me the greatest secret of my life. She did not take on airs of mystery or make dramatic pauses to emphasize the importance of the message. Her attitude seemed to say, “There. You have it. Why are you so intent on finding something else? That’s all there is.”