2006 COVR Awards Book of the Year Wicca 101 for Young Men Wicca is a spiritual path open to all. Yet young men may have trouble identifying their place in this seemingly female-dominated religion. Without many male role models, how can one become empowered as a son of the Goddess? hristopher Penczak, who learned about Witchcraft and magick in his late teens, offers guidance to all the young men out there who are curious about Wicca. This much-needed masculine perspective on the Craft discusses divine masculinity found in ancient myths, male energies, and rites of passage. Penczak also describes the fundamentals of Wicca, including the rule of three, the Wiccan Rede, spellcraft, rituals, holidays, and Witchcraft ethics. 2006 COVR Awards Book of the Year "...[S]ome very good, solid advice for any beginner starting on this path."― Wiccan/Pagan Times "...For men already interested in Wicca, yet who associate witchcraft exclusively with women, Penczak offers answers and a new angle for men to embrace the masculine side of this tradition."― Publishers Weekly Christopher Penczak is a Witch, teacher, writer, and healing practitioner. He is the founder of the world-renowned Temple of Witchcraft and the Temple Mystery School, and he is the creator of the bestselling Temple of Witchcraft books and audio CDs. Christopher is an ordained minister, serving the New Hampshire and Massachusetts Pagan and metaphysical communities through public rituals, private counsel, and teaching. He also travels extensively and teaches throughout the United States. Christopher lives in New Hampshire. Visit him at ChristopherPenczak.com . Introduction When I became a witch, I was just learning what it meant to be a man. In fact, I think I became a witch before I became a man. I began my study of Wicca when I started college. I was only eighteen when someone introduced me to the idea of the Goddess and God. Although I found witchcraft and magick very interesting, they didn't click with me right away. I was very skeptical. I appreciated the ideas but didn't understand the spirituality that goes along with witchcraft. Even when I began, I focused on the science of the witchcraft, but truly it's a science, art, and spiritual practice. Now, years later, I realize the spirituality is more important than the spells, and that the spells lead you to understanding your spirit. As I continued on my journey, I realized that so much of witchcraft―the "Craft," as witches call it―focused on the Goddess and the feminine power; I wondered where I fit in as a young man. My teachers were all wonderful, wise women, but I wondered if Wicca was really my spiritual home as a young man. Even the popular male images were of old wizards and mature kings to whom I didn't relate. I learned that witches are walkers between worlds, grounded with one foot in the physical and another in the spiritual. In many ways, I felt like I was indeed between worlds but not very grounded. I was stuck between the dreams of a child and the responsibilities of an adult-playing with the idea of magick, focusing on the science of witchcraft, but not knowing a spiritual path. Even though I thought of myself as a sensitive guy, I was still a male identifying with so much female energy in ritual, that it left me a bit confused spiritually. Although I had great role models, Craft teachers, and parents who shaped my evolving morals and character, I didn't have any male role models in my world of witchcraft. So I had to seek out male images of spirituality in the Craft, and they were there right before me. I wanted to find teachings that included the God as well as the Goddess, so I looked to the ancient myths to show me the divine male. I looked not only for images of masculine divinity but also for examples of the relationships between masculine and feminine divinity. Since I started my studies in the Craft with my mother, the stories of mothers and sons as Goddess and God particularly fascinated me. During my days in college, I also looked at the ever-changing relationship of the Goddess and God through the Wheel of the Year―how the young God is born as a child, grows into adulthood, takes on responsibility as king, and gives back to the community. I used that changing image as my role model as I went through my own changes. Through these role models and my practice, I learned to honor both my masculine and feminine energy to find balance. Through witchcraft, I learned how to be an adult. By embracing magick, I embraced both my personal power and my sense of responsibility to myself, my family, and my community. Through the spiritual path of magick, I learned how to be a true witch and a true man. When the idea of this book was suggested to me, I wasn't sure what I thought, but my teaching had recently surrounded me with a lot of young, male witches. So I talked with them about it.We all thought it would be great to have a book that was different from the traditional Wicca 101 book―a boo