This book gets at the heart of what it means to be wiccan outside of the sabbats and esbats. But I don't think its message is limited to those in the pagan community. The probing questions she asks and examples of religion in action can and should apply to people of all faiths. Just substitue the word wiccan with the religion of your choice. This one will be permanently in my prayer collection and has really transformed the way I view and experience spirituality in my daily life. Amazing that an author so young can be so wise. May we all be so blessed. ( )

Excellent book on starting your own tradition, or enhancing your own practice.

Things I Learned: I have to read it again.

Comments: It was a well thought out book. I have to read it again because I don't remember too much. Re-read: 8/1-8/4/2010. This book focuses on creating your own tradition. She provides three points at the end of each chapter. She has some exercises throughout the book. There's a Book of Moonlight (instead of Shadows) at the end of the book, which provides invocations and prayers and affirmations and rituals for your own spiritual practice. I found those helpful. I think I would have to make adjustments for this geographical area, though.

A bibliography rounds out the conclusion of the book, with helpful comments on each text from the author. I found her take on "festival Pagans" to be interesting (since I never go to festivals, and now I think that may be a good thing) and her commentary on "pop" Wicca is pretty accurate. Overall, I enjoyed this book and found it helpful. ( )

A thought provoking well written book. It even uses humour. I liek this author, she makes this subject quite interesting and entertaining. Most just review prior works and say the say things over and over, but this author takes a different approach. ( )

I had seen this book on the bookshelf at Borders and thought it sounded like yet another make-your-own-coven or design-your-own-ritual books. On further flip-through, I realized it might be much more than that and decided to pick it up. I'm sure glad I did! I loved this book. I found every chapter to be thought-provoking and insightful. For me it stepped in and put back a connection between the religion I had chosen and the spirituality I somehow had lost over the years.

While I am a pagan and not a wiccan per se, I still found the book to be wonderfully relevant and very engaging. I'm planning to go back and read it again after my husband is finished, to give more thought into how to incorporate her ideas into my daily life. I also want to say that her prayers in the "book of moonlight" at the back are very beautiful, some of the best I've seen. ( )

This is a typical example of a book that literally fell into my hands when I most needed it. I was getting more than a little frustrated with my own progress in wicca, which seemed to slow down after so many esbats and sabbats and nothing more. And behold, in comes this treasure.

This book inspired me to set up my own daily spiritual routines, to turn everyday and otherwise mundane things into deeply significant sacred activities. In its inspiring simplicity and its beautiful use of language I found "The Circle Within" a rare gem, and a very good step from the "This is what you do as a witch" to the "This is who you are as witch" stage of development. Highly recommended to all who want to live the life of the witch!