In Wicca before you join a coven or in your 1st degree in some traditions, most require you to do a year and a day studying to understand what it takes to learn the craft. I've been a solitary for a few years and learned little from previous book I have read. With Wicca: A Year and a Day: 366 Days of Spiritual Practice in the Craft of the Wise, I've learned so much more than I could imagine in 30 days. The book gives you daily exercises, connects you with many gods/goddesses and how to celebrate the Sabbats. A lot of people say they taken this book as a grain of salt. Or any book for that matter. This is simply my opinion on how I am doing my year and day. Don't make this book your first book. It lacks explaining the background of how Wicca became as it is today.
Some people have complained about how expensive some of the supplies are required. You don't have to buy them all. For example: instead of buying all the required herbs for incense you can use Frankincense resin and/or Myrrh resin to substitute. Both cost me a total of $3 for a half oz. Another example: instead of buying different colored candles, white is a substitute for any color. Cost me 75¢ each. Black candles are hard to find for me to buy locally. Essential Oils are the most expensive items. You don't have to go run out and buy every kind of Essential oil the book lists when you are working with a particular god or goddess. Buy 1 masculine and 1 feminine type of essential oil. I have no way of buying empty dark bottles to mix several oils together.
Some new pagans go all out and buy all their tools new or made by someone else. You can simply find a tree branch (thank the tree you harvested from) and shape it into a wand. If you like pink wooden tools or ink, you can make poke berry dye. Go to thrift stores and second hand stores to find other tools you can modify. The physical tools are used to help focus the mental intent to produce the spiritual outcome.
When I finish my year and day training, I will keep this book as a reference and use it to teach future members of my coven. Right now my coven is just my husband and I working on our traditions.
