Real Wicca for Teens

By Anna Franklin and Sue Philips

In recent years there have been a number of American TV series and movies featuring witches and Wicca, and this has sparked off an unprecedented interest in modern witchcraft [also called Wicca or the Craft] and magic. Many teenagers are getting involved or seeking information about the Craft, often from dubious sources. While some of the TV programs are hugely entertaining [we love watching them ourselves] they give a distorted or completely false idea of what Wicca is really about. While the Craft does not admit the under eighteens to covens, we Wiccans must recognise that younger teenagers are becoming involved and are practising a form of Wicca, whether Craft elders like it or not. We must acknowledge that their interest is genuine and provide the guidance that they actually need to find out what Wicca is about, and to work safely and effectively.

Craft elders are disturbed by some of the material aimed at teenagers on the Internet and in many books, which is often misleading and sometimes dangerous. Sue and I have been horrified to find internet sites aimed at teenagers, with instructions for conjuring up entities and spirits with no indication at all that this could be both perilous and frightening. Some sites seem to suggest that spells are a method of getting something for nothing with no price to pay [untrue] and that this is all that Wicca is about. It is not. These sites and spells are written by people who know very little more about magic than those they are trying to inform, or by people who do not believe in magic but who are cynically trying to make money by giving people what they want- not what is true.

This book aims to give real information about Wicca, including methods of working real Wicca, to teenagers. It also aims to answer their parents' and friends' questions about the Craft. There are plenty of books available that cover the various aspects of Paganism and witchcraft for adults, but for younger people a lot of this information is irrelevant or unsuitable. When we looked around we discovered that there is very little information written especially for young people who want to work real Wicca, rather than the Sabrina the Teenage Witch playacting kind. This is a guide especially for this fast growing section of the Pagan community. You’ll learn what Wicca is, what you need to do, and what you don’t. You’ll also learn how to avoid common mistakes that can cause unnecessary problems. Things that many books don't tell you.