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As Featured on The
Witches' Voice
and The Wiccan/Pagan Times
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First time in print!
The Witches' Sabbats
by Mike Nichols
Foreword by Wren
Walker
Illustrations by Heather Lloyd
ISBN 978-0-9710050-2-0
List price: $14.00
160 pages, paper, 21 illustrations
Wicca, Witchcraft, Folklore
Available from your favorite bookseller!
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About the Author
Endorsements
"Recommended Reading."
--Publishers Weekly,
"All Faiths Calendar" (Nov. '05 - Jan. '06)
"Mike has been an important and respected figure in the midwestern
Pagan community for over 25 years. His influence on many of the people
now active in Paganism was primarily transmitted through the 20 years
of Witchcraft classes he taught in Columbia and Kansas City, MO,
through his bookstore, The Magick Lantern, which was a haven for those
interested in Paganism during the eighties, and through his
publication, "The Lantern's Light," which was an excellent example of
Pagan writing and editing.
"Mike's abilities as researcher, writer, and teacher have included his
studies and publications in such fields as psychical research, the
occult, theology, mythology, folklore and music, as well as Witchcraft
and Paganism. His talents in song writing, music recording and mixing,
and computers round out his amazing resume.
"Many of Mike's articles -- including his beloved essays on the Pagan
holidays -- have been available in the file areas of various Pagan
computer bulletin boards since 1988, and have by now reached and
influenced a worldwide readership."
--Dallas Heltzell, online news
editor-producer, The Denver Post
"Mike Nichols is a rare treasure in our emerging Pagan community. His
feet are firmly placed on the terra firma of tradition and he holds a
wealth of knowledge and lore, while at the same time he embraces our
evolution, and the new people who join us, with an open mind and an
open heart."
--M. Macha NightMare, author of Pagan Pride: Honoring the Craft and
Culture of Earth and Goddess
and, with Starhawk, The
Pagan Book of Living and Dying; chair, Public
Ministry Department, Cherry
Hill
Seminary
"One
of the best books on the Wheel of the Year."
--Christopher Penczak,
author
of The
Inner... / Outer Temple of
Witchcraft
"As is true of many Pagan folk, I am a constant collector of
information... When I discovered the world of computer bulletin boards
many years ago, I found my sources of information and opportunities for
learning had increased a hundredfold.
"In collecting those files, I met Mike Nichols. It was years before we
actually corresponded, but I had come to respect him and his work long
before that. While my own tradition is not Celtic, his articles on the
sabbats helped give me a greater understanding of the depth of possible
meanings for them. I have handed out more copies of his 'Reflections on
Old Guard Paganism' than I care to count. His article on the ethics of
love spells has provided an excellent jumping off place for discussions
of ethics with my students. His article on the Watchtowers and reasons
Air should be in the North made me consider carefully the reasons for
the correspondences I use.
"That's one of the things I find most valuable about Mike's articles.
They provoke thought, make you consider how and why you do the things
you do. Be prepared, however, to have your brain cells exercised. You
might end up changing. You might not; but you will have gone through
your ideas, shaken them up, held them to the light, and learned about
the why's and wherefore's of the way you practice your paganism.
"You'll be the richer for it, believe me."
--Ellen Cannon Reed,
creator/author of The Witches Tarot and The
Witches Qabala
"Mike's essays and articles are not only carefully researched and
highly readable; they are extremely thought-provoking. Not only does he
give the reader permission to think about traditional things in new
ways, he practically demands it. As someone who's been advocating
'keeping your brain with you at all times' for many years, I find such
an attitude both refreshing and exciting!
"For those new to the Craft, read these essays. You couldn't ask for a
better explanation of what the holidays are all about. For those who
have been walking this path for many years, read these essays. You may
agree with everything Mike says, or you may disagree. But you are
almost sure to learn something, and to find yourself thinking about
these oh-so-familiar topics in new ways."
--Robin Wood, bestselling
creator/author
of The Robin Wood Tarot
"Much of the
material available today on Paganism and Wicca is a
disappointment, consisting mostly of unreflective repetition of
familiar ideas. Mike Nichols's essays are a refreshing departure from
that pattern. Well researched and carefully articulated, they blend
sober historical awareness with a deep personal understanding of Pagan
practice and sensibility. The sabbat essays should be required reading
for anyone pursuing the Pagan path."
--Tom Little, coauthor
with Mary K. Greer of Understanding
the
Tarot Court; dean, Ardantane School of Magickal Arts
"Mike
Nichols is one of those unique scholars that has the ability to
make historical and advanced information accessible to everyone - and
he makes it all great fun to learn. Over the years, I have turned to
Mike's articles for ideas about Sabbat celebrations. I trust his
information and value his insights. His musings provide a wealth of
topics for adult discussion as well as for teaching children.
"Mike
really is a legend in his own right. I have met very few pagans
that have not enjoyed his articles and benefited from his research. He
has had a tremendous influence over the pagan community and has forced
a great many of us to think outside the box of what we were taught or
read in a book."
--Kristin Madden, author of Magickal Crafts;
dean,
Ardantane School of Shamanic Studies; and Druid and tutor in the Order
of
Bards, Ovates, and Druids
"To say that
the works of Mike Nichols are of tremendous value to the
modern Pagan movement is somewhat of an understatement. Especially now
when it seems that so many Pagan authors are merely repackaging the
same old (and often ill thought-out) ideas and concepts of our magic
and our practice, Nichols strives to examine the reasons why we do the
things we do… and in doing so he often challenges those notions by
exposing the shaky foundations upon which they are built. His work is
at once both traditional and innovative… the perfect alchemy for a
Witch
of true power."
--Storm Faerywolf, editor of Witch
Eye zine, and author of The
Stars Within the Earth
"Multi-decade,
Craft Veteran Mike Nichols's work on the Pagan Holidays
is quickly becoming the
standard on the subject."
--Wren Walker, The Witches'
Voice
"[A]rguably the finest
Sabbats writing in the modern craft today."
--Fritz Jung, The Witches'
Voice
Reviews
“[A] worthy addition to any pagan’s bookshelf.”
--New Witch
magazine
The Witches' Sabbats
is a state-of-the-art handbook for practitioners.
--Chas Clifton, editor of Pomegranate and Llewellyn's Witchcraft Today series, and author
of Her Hidden Children
"Mike’s essays are considered the classic historical explanation of the
Wiccan wheel of the year. . . There are quite a few other books
available today that examine the
Wiccan sabbats. Most of them owe a debt of gratitude to Mike Nichols
and his original sabbat essays, which started the journey for so many. The Witches’ Sabbats by Mike
Nichols is a must-read for anyone involved in Wicca, and should be on
the required-reading list for training covens. . . The additional
materials alone are worth the price of the book."
--Ben Gruagach, columnist for MysticWicks
Magazine, contributor to Circle
Magazine and Northumberland
Mystical Gathering
Newsletter, and Web crafter of witchgrotto.com
"Nichols is famous for his writings on the Witches' Sabbats which have
recently been collected as a book for the first time. I find Nichols'
reminiscences about the early days of American modern Paganism highly
enlightening. It shows a very different view of 'Pagan community' than
we experience now. . . . This new book should be an excellent tool for
those seeking a good understanding of how modern Wiccans conceive their
holidays."
--Jason Pitzl-Waters, The
Wildhunt Weblog and former columnist, New
Witch magazine
"Mike has finally put out a book that covers his original material. He
has done an excellent job defining, tracing the history, and giving
both the beginner and the experienced pagan a good resource for the
Wheel of the Year outside the Internet experience. . . .
"As Mike was when we first found him on the web, so he is today in
print: a wonderful teacher, a man who has some interesting insights,
musings worth sharing and does his homework. He also spells it out and
makes it clear so anyone can understand. This is the mark of a good
author, one who has withstood the test of time, and he is now available
to those who have never wandered into cyberspace, or touched the
magical mouse."
--Boudica, The Wiccan/Pagan
Times
"Throughout my time writing and teaching on
the Internet and in real
life, I have referenced Mike's works multiple times. His articles are
among those I recommend to everyone I teach, without exception. His
good humor and clear writing style, as well as his solid scholarship,
make these articles the benchmarks that many strive to achieve.
Articles such as 'Rethinking the Watchtowers' and 'The Death of Llew'
give the reader pause to reconsider much of the standard teachings of
many groups in a new light. I'm glad to see this resource published so
that a new generation of Wiccans can find Mike's excellent work of use
in their life."
--Daven, Daven's Journal
"An excellent collection of essays with a treasure trove of information
coupled by the strong backdrop of Mike Nichols' thirty-plus years of
involvement in the Midwestern Pagan community. You don't get our living
history better than this! Whether you are a new student or a seasoned
practitioner, you'll love his personable writing style, the
well-researched information, and his bold and interesting theories..."
--Silver Ravenwolf, bestselling
author of To Ride a Silver
Broomstick and Halloween
"If you need a really good resource
on the history of the eight
sabbats, this is your book! I’ve seen a number of books published in
recent years on specific sabbats, but they always seem to be stuffed
full of prefabricated rituals. This is a wonderfully streamlined book
that will be an excellent addition to both beginning and experienced
pagans’ libraries; beginners will get a good overview of the origins of
the sabbats, while more experienced folk can breeze past the books of
pre-written rituals and use the information in The Witches’ Sabbats as inspiration
to create their own rituals from scratch.
"I won’t fault the book for not having in-text citations because the
earliest drafts were written nearly 40 years ago. However, the lengthy
bibliography promises many wonderful book hunts, and is additionally a
cornucopia of nonfluffy sources. . . Additionally, for those of us
raised on books rather than computers, and whose optical systems are
thus conditioned for the visual setup of paper rather than a very long
webpage, this is an ideal format. And it won’t run out of power,
doesn’t need to be turned on, and is a heck of a lot easier to carry
around.
"Oh, and for those of you who are in the habit of skipping the foreword
and preface? Don’t, especially not with this book--there are some
really good pieces of information in them. . . .
"[O]verall I think this is an awesome book. I can definitely see why
the writings are considered classics in the realm of neopaganism, and
this is a great way to not only have a convenient, easy-to-navigate,
portable version of these writings, but to also give something back to
the guy who did all that hard work and who often goes uncredited.
"Five celebratory pawprints out of five."
--Lupa, author of Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone: A Primal
Guide to Animal Magic and A
Field Guide to Otherkin
"Mike Nichols is not only a longtime and well-respected writer on Pagan
subjects, he is also a thinker who induces thinking in his readers. His
elemental attribution of the directions may be controversial to some,
as may his view of the appropriate names for the Greater and Lesser
Sabbats. But he makes these statements with a sweet reasonableness that
invites discussion rather than conflict (an unfortunately rare
occurrence in Pagan discussion). One gets the feeling that Nichols is
not ego-involved in pushing a particular view of the Craft, simply a
man deeply in love with it, who is sharing his discoveries with his
Craften sisters and brothers. His essays are written in a gently
accessible style which can be enjoyed by everyone from the newbie to
the seasoned Witch, and which can educate them all."
--Valerie Walker, Throne of
Compost Coven and author of The
Compost Coven
Disk of Shadows
"Mike Nichols is not only a extraordinary writer but a most valuable
resource for texts relating to many Pagan/Witchcraft Based Studies... I
have yet to find any of his works that were less than exceptional. I
have referenced to his materials many times within my classes, my books
and my websites. The Witchcraft Community has been truly blessed with
his profound thoughts and writings on many subjects.
"Mike does not repackage the ever growing dogma that has become the
norm, instead he writes from his own experiences and his heart which
sets him apart from many of the more whitewashed writings I see today.
"Mike Nichols is a remarkable man, writer and friend. I am so pleased
to see his writings being placed into print. His works are most
definately a blessing and inspiration for all who read them."
--Starrfire Price, author of The Journey Into Witchcraft
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