8 replies to this topic

[GhostWhispers]

Does anyone know any good books to read about paganism? I'm starting to study it and wanted to know what you would recommend for me to read.

[aloha_spirit]

Are you looking for a book to teach you how to follow a Pagan path, or one just to better understand Pagan beliefs?

[mooboo]

And pagan is a broad term. It,more or less,means unorganizrd
religion,as opposed to organized
So wicca ,rosicrucian,santeria,voodoo,satanism, et al are all pagan.

Miss

[aloha_spirit]

Pagan comes from paganos, meaning fields or country side (the last places to convert to the "major" religions). It is very broad.

[Vampchick21]

Well, as has been pointed out, pagan does indeed cover a broad swath of earth based, unorganized (generally, some are organized) non-Christian religions.

Wicca dominates most bookshelfs in the stores. For that I personally recommend anything by Scott Cunningham as a kind of starter, he's pretty classic. I own a copy of Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practioners and have nothing bad to say about it at all. There is a workbook of sorts on Wicca by Raymond Buckland, mainly Gardnerian Wicca. I had a copy, loaned it to a friend and haven't seen it since. It's called The Complete Book of Witchcraft.

Thea Sabin has a book called Wicca for Beginners. Fundamentals of Philosophy and Practice. I've not personally read it, perhaps another member here can give their thoughts on it. Starhawk has The Beginners Guide to Wicca.

I saw in the store the other week the Complete Idiot Guide Paganism by Carl Mccolman...lol.

For non-Wiccan paganism, that's where things get really, REALLY broad. We're talking just about every culture on earth having a modern interpretation of pre-Christian, pre-Judaic and pre-Islamic faiths. Some are pretty out there I must say....lol. The most common you'll find in North America and Europe would be Celtic, Druidic, Norse, Roman and Greek, and you'll find more info on them than others (you can also count Native American, but if you ask me, most of what you will find is not proper Native American but rather an appropriation of those beliefs and spirituality mixed in with Eastern mysticism and some strange New Age stuff practiced by people of European descent).

The web has thousands of sites out there, most Pagan books are general rather than specific. Some sites, and some books, are far better than others as I'm sure you are aware. Use your best judgement and common sense to sort the wheat from the chaft.

[seakla]

As everyone here has said, pagan is a broad term and there are hundreds of different religions/paths under the pagan umbrella. Its like saying "I'm Christian." Well, you get the general idea of their beliefs but don't know if they are PRotestant, Lutheran, Nazarene, Baptist....etc.

But as for books, I would recommend Llewellyn's Magickal Almanac. One comes out every year and even though they primarily seem to be Wiccan based there are articles in there on a variety of religions.

Also, I have a book published on Kitchen Witchery (see my signature for details). It explains the path of Kitchen Witchery. (Magick for the Kitchen Witch by Deanna Anderson)

I've heard "the Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft" is good but i haven't read it myself.

[starkiss]

GhostWhispers, on Mar 31 2009, 01:23 PM, said:

Does anyone know any good books to read about paganism? I'm starting to study it and wanted to know what you would recommend for me to read.

dont no what type your looking for....teen witch is a good one....

[Cryscat]

What kind of paganism? Like its been said, broad category.

The Celtic Druid's Year (Seasonal Cycles of the Ancient Celts) by John King is a scholarly look at exactly what the title says, the Celtic year. King is a neo-druid as well.

The Way of the Shaman by Michal Harner - introduces us to core shamanism. Harner is an anthropologist who pioneered the modern shamanic renaissance and is a bona-fide shaman himself.

[Corey]

If you are indeed talking about Wicca, I would agree with VampChick. Scott Cunningham's Wicca For The Solitary is a great place to start.
He gives great explanations as far as the basics go.
He's written quite a few books that go into the specifics of things, but Solitary is a good primer to see if Wicca is something that you'd be interested in getting involved in.
He also has a book called The Truth About Witchcraft Today that's another good primer on the basics of what Wicca is about.
I've read quite a few books about the Wiccan faith, and Cunningham seems to be one of the few that mentions how personal Wicca is and should be. I've found that far too often authors will say (not in so many words) that there is a certain way to do things, and that can be true, but Wicca is a very personal thing. If someone states that you must use a gold candle on your altar to represent the Great Mother, but that's not what feels right to you, then whos to say that you can't make your own choice?
It would be like asking for advice about a good pair or running shoes. If someone states that Nike's are the only shoes to buy, and you do, but you find them uncomfortable, running won't be much fun will it?
Remember something. If you are indeed interested in Wicca, it's YOUR path. Do what you feel is right. Never accept what someone says as gospel as far as how you should practice. And never listen to someone who says that "YOUR DOING IT WRONG!"