What makes this book different from those teaching girls how to be witches, is that it looks at things very much from an adolescent male's point of view, with more emphasis on going out and doing stuff than on staying home and brewing herbal remedies.

I would definitely recommend The Way of the Horned God as a great book to give a teenage boy who wanted to learn more about paganism. It is well written and explains often quite complex subjects in a clear and succinct way. It offers useful suggestions to help an adolescent explore their own spiritual path and develop their own relationship with the pagan gods and with nature.

This book is aimed at the young male Pagan (or Pagan wannabe) who is still living at home with his parents and, as such, is a very low-key, non-ceremonial approach. It won’t suit everyone, but it is a book which has been needed for quite a while. It deals with the young man growing up in a modern urban environment.

I think it is important to mention that I started my path in Wicca when I was a young teenager, and now I am a parent of a teenage boy. I feel this book is a must have for every parent of a teenager that is venturing into paganism, and for the teen starting their path. This book will give any pagan a strong base to build their path on. I have seen some writers that produce books just to get a buck, It is NOT the case with this book, Dancing Rabbit gives very sound advice and guidance to the young teen starting their path and covers things that every young pagan goes through and will have to face. This is a book NEEDED to be done, and I am glad Dancing Rabbit did it.

Dancing Rabbit has done an incredible job with the underappreciated Way of the Horned God, one of the few books that speaks to the pagan male, and the only one that specifically covers the challenges and issues faced by young men. My initial fear was that the book would take a philosophical approach, without practical knowlege, but this is anything but the case. Beyond being merely a religious tract, Dancing Rabbit's work addresses the issues of growing up male, dealing with puberty, schoolwork, unsupportive parents, trying to connect with nature, and initiation and manhood rituals (something our society has lost, consequently leaving boys to engage in dangerous behavior to try and prove their manhood, like drinking, drug use, etc). This is something I wish I could have had in my teen years, and something I'd want my son to have.

As an extremely feminist belief system, Wicca tends to appeal largely to women, with most books and media about Wicca either gender neutral or appealing to the fairer sex. That’s why works directed at males, especially young males, are rare, and good works (that is, non-derivative, with something to actually say) even more so. Dancing Rabbit’s Way of the Horned God fits into the very rare category.

Far from being another Wicca FAQ/philosophical discussion (and we have plenty of those), the work provides a thoughtful take on the pagan male’s journey to adulthood. Included are rituals for spiritual growth and development, practical advice for dealing with puberty, schoolwork, unsupportive parents, and ways to connect with nature. The author notes how rites of passage, especially for males, have been discarded or made so mundane as to be almost meaningless (getting a driver’s licence, graduation ceremonies, etc), leaving adolescents to prove their manhood to their peers by engaging in drugs, sex and violence, something the book seeks to correct.

At no time does the material come off as preachy, and instead provides an active guideline for living as a Pagan, rather than a stale helping of passive theology. Even as a 26-year old, I came away with new ways to incorporate my path into my daily life. This is a book that’s long overdue, and something I would recommend to any Pagan male.

I do really like this book, and would recommend it to anyone with a young lad searching amongst the ‘wannabe witches’ books in the mind, body and spirit section of the local book store, or indeed if you are the boy searching amongst those suspiciously pink tomes. It is, as it purports to be, a guide to young men seeking a natural spirituality. The wording is simple, the rituals simplistic, and the intentions basic, which is as it should be. There’s little here for the older established pagan, although even then there may be simplifications that one would find useful in conversations with folk of other religions. It’s a toolkit, a word horde and a pointer toward greater understandings.

The Way of the Horned God is Awesome! 04 Aug 2010
As a practising pagan male, I found this book to be absolutely brilliant. Reading The Way of the Horned God makes me wish that it had been written 15 years ago. Even though the information published within appears to be written for the young man, just starting out on the path of Paganism. There is a great deal of content that also applies to the more experienced practitioner. With simple rituals for the beginner and in-depth explanations of the mechanics of said rituals makes for an easy to understand text that captures the true essensce of what it means to tread the path of paganism as a son of The Horned God. As it also covers the scantilly touched topic of paganism from a male perspective makes it (in my humble opinion) a must have for any male pagan, regardless of age. Horns raised to Dancing Rabbit on a job well done.