Hm. Shadow Master’s World. Not really sure how I came across this one, but I thought it was worthy of review.

Starting with the front page…. It loaded almost instantly on my broadband. The background is lovely. It’s not distracting. It’s not hard to read against. The color of the text against the patterned background is lovely. Only downside is, the title graphic doesn’t fit with the background. I don’t think the Celtic knot horizontal rule serves any real purpose, either, but it just doesn’t fit.

First page content: Not bad. The author points out that Wicca does not equate witchcraft. Only quibble I have (aside from the odd typo here and there) is that she says “Most Wiccans are Witches, But there are many Witches who have never been part of Wicca Practices.” I would have said “All Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan.” But, then again, I also periodically get called a pagan fundamentalist.

A fairly minor quibble, and off to a good start. This time, I don’t dread clicking links to the interior of the site.

The ancient beliefs page is beautifully written, but is written in a tone that seems like “fiction/fairy tale” writing. It assumes facts not entirely in evidence. Sources would be *really* nice in this case. Still, if it’s her own personal views, I can’t really gripe. It’s just very Dianic/Z. Budapest/Starhawk-ish. And so, if you like them, you’ll love this.

On the “Becoming a Wiccan” page, I would have used witch instead. This doesn’t really say anything about Wicca per se. Charge of the Goddess and Charge of the God are also on the site, but they are uncreditted. I’m disappointed. I also suspect that the “Coven or Solitary” page is written by someone who has never been in a coven.

The “Ethics and Morals” section is… disturbing. It’s not heinously ignorant, but it’s just… It strikes me ass “off”. And it refers to those 8 words in the Wiccan Rede as the Witches Rede, which is just plain incorrect and irritating. I think it’s the repetitive use of the word “evil” that is bothering me about this page. It’s too black and white of a word, though the author does deserve credit for pointing out that what is good for one isn’t necessarily good for everyone. It’s just the word “evil” is used. Excessively. And that’s evil.

The “One Version of Wicca History” strikes me more as a creative writing exercise. Yes, of course, there is some documentable fact in there, but when you start talking about the “Religion of witchcraft” some 25,000 years ago, you lose some credibility. Again, there’s no sources anywhere on this site. “What is Wicca” is equally flawed.

All in all, I must say that I’m disappointed. I was actually hoping to review a *good* site today, but instead I found this site to be poorly researched and generally a waste of time. On the bright side, though, at least it was easy to navigate and easy on the eyes. I just wish it had been easier on the stomach.

Link: Shadow Masters World
Score: 3/10
Reviewed by Enyo Perseus
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