The Outer Temple of Witchcraft

This is the second of a series of five books written by Christopher Penczak and to be published by Llewellyn.

In his introduction to this book Penczak talks of the need to take a more holistic view to the teaching of Witchcraft, and not to concentrate so much on the ‘recipe book' approach of many books, offering ready made rituals and spells. He also says that this second volume builds on the knowledge imparted in his first of the series, entitled The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, which is said to concentrate on inner work and meditation. Having not read his first book, it is useful to know that some of the techniques he covers In depth in his first volume and summarised in this book.

This book, however, concentrates on the application of ritual and the "artistic expression of the craft."

Having read the book I have to say that I was surprised with how much of Penczak's writing and practice I felt in tune with. However, he talks frequently of ‘magick', and of ‘spellcraft', and do admit that often made me uncomfortable - most who walk the path of the druid do not necessary subscribe to the need or desire to work magick in the terms he often describes. But many who practice the Craft of the Druid, also consider themselves witches, natural witches. And within this book there is information that, whilst not new or revolutionary, is well presented, well written and highly accessible. There are parts of the book I particularly like - for example where he talks of setting up an altar, and where he states:

"If you understand the concepts behind not only your tradition, but also the symbolic thinking behind many traditions, you have a greater appreciation for all aspects of the craft, even if one way is not your own way."

I found that very refreshing! And that theme flows through the book - that the idea is to learn not just how, but why, understanding the concepts and ideas behind why things are done a certain way. Because in that way the reader can begin to build their won meaning full practice, and not learn parrot fashion and under the rules that there is only one way to do things. Of course, that philosophy doesn't sit well within traditional Wicca, but then this book isn't about that specific tradition.

There are also parts of the book where I felt the author had attempted to cover too much material, particularly where we make a diversion into divination. To attempt to cover tarot, runes, scyring, psychometry and a number of other techniques within 19 pages did none of the subjects real justice.

Each chapter (or lesson) is followed by ‘Homework', allowing the student to test their own understanding and progress - a nice touch - and it is good to find a decent bibliography at the back of the book, with a number of real gems listed for further reading, and also a decent index! So often books like this are not indexed, and I find that very frustrating.

Overall, for someone interested in leaning more on Witchcraft, its form and practice, I found this book a well structured and informative read. It covers a great deal of ground and if the first volume is as comprehensive as this second then the two combined offer a good grounding for someone on which to build their own practice of witchcraft.

As I write, two other volumes in this series are reviewed here on The Druid Network - The Magick of Reiki and The Witches Shield.