The Circle Within: Creating a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition »

Dianne Sylvan (Austin, TX) has been a practicing Wiccan since the age of sixteen. She is co-founder and President of Blessedways, a Wiccan educational and spiritual organization based out of Central Texas. Through Blessedways she teaches classes on Wicca, the Runes, spiritual magic, and ecstatic dance.

In addition to her books, Dianne's work has appeared in Circle Magazine, NewWitch magazine, and the Llewellyn Wicca Almanac and Witches' Calendar; she has also been interviewed by the Wiccan Pagan Times. More of her articles on living Wiccan spirituality can be found on her website, Dancing Down the Moon.

2004 COVR Award 2nd Runner-Up!

The Circle Within is your guide to creating a personal spiritual practice for daily life. The first section is a thoughtful examination of Wiccan ethics and philosophy that explores how to truly live Wicca. The second section includes devotional prayers and rituals that provide inspiration for group or solitary practice.

Topics include: cultivating an ongoing personal relationship with deity, ethics and standards of behavior, concepts of sacred space, elements of a daily practice, tuning into the Wheel of the Year and the elements, and creating meaningful personal rituals.

Move beyond the basics of Wicca and enter the sacred space of the circle within.

Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Preface ix
Introduction xiii

PART ONE
1 ~ Stepping into the Circle 3
An introduction to personal spiritual practice
2 ~ In Search of a Mystery 19
Our relationship with Deity
3 ~ Living the Path 41
Ethics and standards of behavior
4 ~ The Temple Hearth 63
Concepts of sacred space
5 ~ Building a Practice 87
Elements of a daily practice
6 ~ The Turning Wheel 109
The Wheel of the Year and the elements
7 ~ The Dance of Life 129
Creating personal rituals

PART TWO
The Book of Moonlight 151
Rituals, prayers, et cetera
Recommended Reading and Bibliography 179
Index 185