Rounding the Wheel of the Year: Celebrating the Seasons in Ritual, Magic, Folklore, and Nature

Starza’s latest addition to the Pagan Portals series (after Scrying) takes readers through an unremarkable tour of “magic and lore... as well as a pagan celebrations and folkloric customs” tied to each season of the year. Steering clear of detailed deity studies, Starza mines the work of such scholars of paganism as Ronald Hutton to explore the eight holidays commonly recognized by modern Wiccans, including the Spring Equinox, Samhain, and Winter Solstice, and practices that align with each season’s rhythms, including a “magical spring cleaning” intended to make “room for new energy in your life” through counterclockwise sweeping with a traditional witch’s broom. Starza outlines a solid monthly structure for the solo practitioner, and evocative guided visualizations for each season facilitate introspection (for the winter visualization, readers are invited into a shimmering frozen garden and asked, “What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear?”). Unfortunately, the spells tend to be bland (including one that involves tying three knots into a piece of string while setting resolutions), and the discussion of ritual trods familiar ground. Magical newbies seeking a straightforward approach to seasonal practice may find this handy, but those looking for more depth will be disappointed. (Nov.)