Let my start by saying that I do enjoy this book and I will probably be getting next years Witches Companion as well however there is a very, very big problem with this book, IT IS NOT AN ALMANAC!!! Now for me personally this is not a problem as I know what this series of books is having bought it last year to and I actually prefer the information and articles in here to a almanac, however it is a problem that the cover say almanac, the subtitle of the book say almanac, this is not an almanac and mislabeling it is just going to annoy customers who are looking for an almanac and loose Llewellyn sales from those customers who are looking for what this book is, an anthology of articles on everyday Pagan life. In essence this book is a magazine in book format with short articles written by a number of well known Pagan authors, and as such is is a good book, this is however not an almanac, so please Llewellyn for the love of everything holy check a dictionary and familiarize yourself on what the word almanac really means!
With any collection anthology book you will find some good articles and some not so good, most of the articles in this book however is quite good. Here is a list of the book's contents:
*Cannabis and the Environment--Basically an informative article about the very nature friendly material hemp and how that is not a drug even if it share the same scientific name as marijuana.
*Syncretism Versus Eclecticism--This is a good article on the difference between just mixing and matching whatever systems and path strikes your fancy and actually fitting elements from different paths neatly together.
*But You Don't Look Like A Witch--A very whiny piece about the horror of having some Pagan snot balls claim your cooperate look is not witchy enough, get over it.
*Witch Parent--This is an interesting article on how having a child might change your religious practice.
*Reconsidering the Spectre Of Pagan Standard Time--Whining about Pagans not showing up on time.
*Should You Do Magic For A Cause Or Donate Money--The article do attempt to get you to donate more money to charity but it do it in a non preachy way and is well written.
*Ten Minute Magickal Meals--This is a great article full of little spells and ideas for making plain food magickal and for a way to practice your Craft in the kitchens without a big fanfare.
*The Sun Also Rises, Dealing With Grief--This is a nice article about grief and dealing with it from a Wiccan point of view.
*Being Pagan In A Bad Economy--This is a interesting article about how to use Pagan ideas and practices to get a job.
*Making The Most Of The Moments--This is a article about Pagan time managing and how to make those little moments of spare time one get now and again count.
*Starting A New Moon Group--This article is full of tips and ideas for how to start a monthly Pagan study group.
*The Art Of Magickal Care Packages--This is an article about care packages they be for friends and family or sent to soldiers and how to add a bit of magick to them, this is a good article.
*Dancing The Morris Where The Old Meet New--This is an article about Celtic folk dances.
*Healing Tree Damage--This is a useful article, many of us Pagans have close relationships with trees and this give information on how to both magically heal them, but also what one should physically do with a tree get wounded.
*Witchcraft On A Shoestring--Here are some good advice on how to do magick on the cheap, for example cheaper substitutes for more expensive tools and so on, this is a great and very practical article.
*Needles, Threads and Pins--I really loved this article, it is about how to add magic to mending clothes, the symbolic meaning of the various tools used in sewing and also how those symbols could be used for general magic, great stuff.
*Shopping For The Magickal Amid The Mundane--Basically this article give hints on how to find witchy good in your everyday supermarket, there are many such articles out there but it is still a useful thing to have in the book.
*Rituals For Open Circles--Just what it sounds like, how to host an open ritual.
*Necklace Numerology--This is my favorite article in the whole book, it describes how one can make a charm by beading a necklace according to the wisdom of numerology, this is great stuff and I really want to try this out.
*The Snow People--This is an interesting article about spooky tales concerning snow based creatures, faeries and ghosts.
*Being The Change--This is about how affecting change in your life and affect change in the world around you as well.
*Reclaiming The Wise Woman And The Cunning Man--this is an article about the modern meanings of these roles.
*Hibernation Embracing Winter--How can you magickally prepare for winter.
*Magical Ecotourism--Basically how to do good from a Pagan perspective while you are out traveling.
*Making Space Sacred--How to create sacred space you want to worship. This is a useful article.
*Lunar Calender, some Astrology stuff and some astrological tables (Though this section is a very small one despite this book being presented as an almanac.)
Now like I said most of these articles are good, I would however recommend that you wait with buying this book until next year, then it will be cheaper and really expect for the tiny Lunar calendar section nothing in this book is specific for the year 2012. These articles give good advice for how to live well as a Pagan, but the advice is general and is applicable at any time. I enjoyed this book for what it is, but if you are looking for an almanac then look somewhere else.
I also want to note that there are many nice illustrations all through this book and that I think you do get good quality for your money with the 2012 Witches Companion. Just look at it as a small, chubby magazine and you will be all set for a good read for there is some gold in here.
