Paganism Books

The Witches Almanac: Spring 2009-Spring 2010 (Witches Almanac)

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Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Earth-Based Religions -> Wicca

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Excellent topics this year! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This year's almanac contains much information on Plants & Healing herbs.... They just keep getting better and better!

Much Love & Many Blessings,
Thorn Nightwind

just ok 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I was looking for a potential Xmas gift for my occult-loving cousin. However, this book spends a lot of time on plants, plalnts throughout history, and plant uses; so it's perhaps less intriguing if you aren't really a practicing Wiccan (which I'm not). On the upside, this is apparently published annually so there's always a chance the next one will have more engaging content.

Editorial Review:

The Witches' Almanac is an annual source for thousands of readers, Wiccan and non-Wiccan alike, that includes information on the lunar calendar, pagan legends, spells, interviews.

Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavory Notions

Dorothy Morrison

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Hexes, curses and other unsavory notions. Most magical practitioners won't even discuss them. Why? Because they'd much rather find a positive solution that benefits all concerned. And, there's nothing wrong with that. Occasionally, though, our problems are such that nothing in the positive solution arena will handle them. It's time to make a decision to stand tough, be strong, and take definitive action to defend ourselves. And, if you're ready to do that-if you're ready to own that action and take responsibility for it-then Utterly Wicked is the book for you! Jam-packed with more than one hundred rituals, incantations, hexes and curses, this book is the quintessential primer for learning all those magical tricks that no one wants to talk about. Do you know the proper way to enter a cemetery? Utterly Wicked tells you how, as well as the proper methods for collecting and using graveyard dirt. Explore the little known secrets of the 11" fashion doll and see why it's become such a valuable magical tool. Then learn to prepare Hot Foot Powder, Four Thieves Vinegar, Goofer Dust, and other magical components specifically designed to obliterate your toughest problems. Most important, though, you'll also find the tools to protect yourself, your family, and your home from ever being bothered with these sorts of difficulties again. A must have for any Witch's bookshelf!

Pagan Christmas: The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide

Christian Rätsch, Claudia Müller-Ebeling

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

An examination of the sacred botany and the pagan origins and rituals of Christmas

• Analyzes the symbolism of the many plants associated with Christmas

• Reveals the shamanic rituals that are at the heart of the Christmas celebration

The day on which many commemorate the birth of Christ has its origins in pagan rituals that center on tree worship, agriculture, magic, and social exchange. But Christmas is no ordinary folk observance. It is an evolving feast that over the centuries has absorbed elements from cultures all over the world--practices that give plants and plant spirits pride of place. In fact, the symbolic use of plants at Christmas effectively transforms the modern-day living room into a place of shamanic ritual.

Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling show how the ancient meaning of the botanical elements of Christmas provides a unique view of the religion that existed in Europe before the introduction of Christianity. The fir tree was originally revered as the sacred World Tree in northern Europe. When the church was unable to drive the tree cult out of people’s consciousness, it incorporated the fir tree by dedicating it to the Christ child. Father Christmas in his red-and-white suit, who flies through the sky in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, has his mythological roots in the shamanic reindeer-herding tribes of arctic Europe and Siberia. These northern shamans used the hallucinogenic fly agaric mushroom, which is red and white, to make their soul flights to the other world. Apples, which figure heavily in Christmas baking, are symbols of the sun god Apollo, so they find a natural place at winter solstice celebrations of the return of the sun. In fact, the authors contend that the emphasis of Christmas on green plants and the promise of the return of life in the dead of winter is just an adaptation of the pagan winter solstice celebration.

To Ride A Silver Broomstick: New Generational Witchcraft

Silver RavenWolf

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 398 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Review of To Ride A Silver Broomstick 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is an awsome book! Sliver Ravenwolf keeps it real! I must read for someone who is just learning about witchcraft.

Do not read until you have read... 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

To understand many of the negative critisims this book you must read a few other books first: Witchcraft Today, An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present, Fire Child: The life & Magic of Maxine Sanders 'Witch Queen', A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches Handbook, and Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (Includes Author's Book of Shadows).

Editorial Review:

Silver RavenWolf is one of the most widely recognized names in circles of witchcraft, and with good reason; she has written some of the best guides to contemporary Witchcraft available. To Ride a Silver Broomstick is a handbook aimed at the beginner, and doesn't get bogged down in history, dogma, or gender roles. It is a workbook for the individual, whether one is a solitary practitioner or part of a coven, that covers the basics of the craft--from useful vocabulary to setting up an altar--and briefly delves into more advanced concepts such as astral projection and telepathy. To Ride a Silver Broomstick may not be the most comprehensive single volume on the subject of witchcraft, but RavenWolf focuses on the aspects most important to a beginner, and keeps her introduction to the craft approachable and easy to follow. --Brian Patterson

The Faeries' Oracle

Brian Froud, Jessica Macbeth

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Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> New Age -> Divination -> Fortune Telling

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 86 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Author and illustrator Brian Froud offers believers a chance to consult with the magical wee folks. Using a deck of 66 "oracle cards," believers conduct readings as if interpreting Tarot cards. Each of the cards features Froud's signature faery pictures. Some of the cards have specific faeries, like the naked leaping "Spirit Lancer"--a feminine card that represents "self-expression, freedom, and exploration," according to the accompanying text written by Jessica Macbeth. Others are more abstract, like the "Guardian of the Gate," a blue- tinted card with splaying silver-white streaks that look like tendrils of faery hair.

This fascinating deck will keep Froud fans delighted for hours. Once seekers are ready to actually start communicating with faeries, they will also be delighted with Macbeth's whimsical, yet highly informative, guidebook. She is quick to sympathize with the self-consciousness that comes with talking to faeries, yet she also has the ability to jolly people out of their embarrassment. Macbeth is at her wisest when discussing how to ask for guidance and interpret specific layouts of oracle cards. But if you find yourself succumbing to giggles in the midst of all this faery woo-woo, take heart. Writes Macbeth, "Giggles are the grace notes of faery music." --Gail Hudson

Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions

River Higginbotham, Joyce Higginbotham

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Very Good, Especially for Beginners 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

While books on Wicca and Rituals abound, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions provides a unique source for Paganism in general. This book proves to be a good source for those just starting on the Pagan path, or those simply wanting to learn about Paganism.

The book is set up in a sort of workbook or textbook format, each chapter (and some sections) has activities and questions that prompt the reader to evaluate and build his/her beliefs. There are even sections for "if you are having trouble" for some of the deeper, more controversial topics, such as the concept of Satan.

What also makes this book unique is that it isn't a chapter or two on theology and then six chapters of Ritual. Instead, it looks at Paganism as a whole and covers beliefs, concepts, and activities in quite a bit of detail, taking more of a scientific or logical approach to help explain things like Magick and Deities. It is also, for the most part, an easy read. The authors do a very good job of putting everything into concepts (complete with diagrams) that the everyday reader can understand and grasp easily. Even the section that talks about magick in terms of theoretical physics is fairly easy to understand (even if the concepts themselves are difficult to wrap one's head around).

So while the more experienced Pagans may find this book mostly review, it is still a good one to add to anyone's library.

Editorial Review:

A comprehensive guide to a growing religious movement

If you want to study Paganism in more detail, this book is the place to start. Based on a course in Paganism that the authors have taught for more than a decade, it is full of exercises, meditations, and discussion questions for group or individual study.

This book presents the basic fundamentals of Paganism. It explores what Pagans are like; how the Pagan sacred year is arranged; what Pagans do in ritual; what magick is; and what Pagans believe about God, worship, human nature, and ethics.

·For those who are exploring their own spirituality, or who want a good book to give to non-Pagan family and friends
·A hands-on learning tool with magickal workings, meditations, discussion questions, and journal exercises
·Offers in-depth discussion of ethics and magick

A Complete Guide to Faeries & Magical Beings: Explore the Mystical Realm of the Little People

Cassandra Eason

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

If you have ever believed in a world beyond the everyday, this is the book to help you find it.

A Complete Guide to Faeries and Magical Beings is a wonderful companion for those who wish to tour an enchanted world. Cassandra Eason begins with the myths, legends, and real evidence surrounding the origins and existence of fairies and then takes us on a journey throughout the world to introduce us to the many different varieties of these mysterious beings.

From fairies to viking giants, selkies to gnomes, fey beings abound. In this spritely volume, Eason shares fascinating anecdotes of people who have actually seen them. And if you’d like to meet them yourself, Eason also provides simple techniques, exercises, and rituals to attract, find, and communicate with the little people. Hang silver bells by a window. Keep potted plants in your home. Or sit quietly between two oaks at dusk or dawn.

Fairyland mirrors universal human issues: fortune versus misfortune, fate versus free will, perfection and imperfection, illusion and objective reality, different time scales, the existence of parallel dimensions, and the duality of human nature. Some people even believe that fairies are becoming more visible again, as they were in pre-industrial days, to remind us of the consequences of consumer society — the danger of being seduced by our own versions of fairy gold.

"If you want to be happy, be."
— Henry David Thoreau

To Stir a Magick Cauldron: A Witch's Guide to Casting and Conjuring

Silver RavenWolf

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 106 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Bunk again 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Silver had a tendency in the beginning to write garbage. In this book she also attacks Christianity as a vial religion that will not accept your faith, and even recommends keeping your beliefs hidden from your family. (its all about personal happenstance if your family will accept your beliefs or not, no matter what faith they are)

I would not recommend this one either as all th info in this can found in far better books.

Editorial Review:

In her sequel to To Ride a Silver Broomstick, Silver RavenWolf leads us to the next step in craft practice, focusing on intermediate-level magical practices, such as the proper mechanics of circle casting and 10 ways to raise power. However, To Stir a Magick Cauldron is not just a rule book, it is also a candid companion on the road to discovery. Sure, RavenWolf delves into the nitty-gritty of conjuration, but she also encourages us to see the craft as more than a dusty curiosity and reveals how to incorporate our newfound power into our 20th-century lifestyles. --Brian Patterson

Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America

Margot Adler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 123 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Alternative Theology 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I picked this book up in a local thrift store for $1.99, intrigued by the beautiful red and black cover design with a mysterious witch standing against the backdrop of an ocean expanse, within a circle of flames. The title of the book was equally enigmatic to me, not knowing the relevance or meaning of it within Pagan history or practice. Flicking through the pages I noticed that there was some discourse on the RDNA (Reformed Druids of North America), the ADF and Isaac Bonewitz, and I guess that this was the crucial factor in deciding to part with the best portion of two dollars in return for some practical knowledge.

Before I read this book I saw modern Pagans as crack-pots, foundationless cults, weirdo's and overgrown hippies. I was at a stage where I could accept the slightly eccentric but practical spirituality of `OBOD' and the AODA but found even the notion of polytheism beyond my understanding. My mind was absolutely closed to this book in the beginning, the 1 ½ inch's of solid paper suggested a good door-stop and I lay it down in a corner of the room where it gathered dust for several months. Visions of naked feminist witches haunted my dreams, strangely effeminate men on LSD staring into glass globes on a wayward camping trip whispered profanities behind my back. I secretly made private jokes about people with names like `Ferret-Raven Wolf Prancer' and `Moon-Swirler.' !!!!

This book actually scared the hell out of me, literally. I clearly saw the book for what it was; a genuine account of modern American Paganism and this frightened me, maybe because I didn't want to come to the realization that such a thing actually exists. I was too wrapped up in the comfort of a semi-gnostic, spiritual haven of abstract and unspecific wandering. I began reading with a heavy sigh, expecting complete penta-grammatic nonsense. After reading the three chapters of the first section; Paganism and prejudice, a religion without converts and the Pagan world-view I began to feel a sense of shame for my previously held beliefs.

This is a first hand experiential account of modern Paganism. The author didnt sit in a silent room of academia pondering the subjective and objective implications of alternative theology... she went out and got totally involved, met totally intriguing and often eccentric people, participated in rituals and 'walked the walk.' I am glad I forced myself into this, otherwise I would be a complete and utter ignoramus!

Editorial Review:

Popular demand for this clear-sighted compendium of information about the rebirth of Pagan religions hasn't waned since its initial publication in 1979. Distinguished by the journalism of National Public Radio columnist Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon explains this diverse and burgeoning religion's philosophies and activities while dispelling stereotypes that have long been associated with it. Most people don't realize that pagan simply refers to pre-Christian polytheistic nature religions, such as the various Native American creeds, Japanese Shinto, Celtic Druid, and Western European Wicca. Originally, the word pagan meant "country dweller" and was a derogatory term in Rome in the third century A.D., not unlike calling someone a hick today. If you find yourself feeling queasy when you hear the words witch or pagan, a healthy dose of reeducation via Drawing Down the Moon could be the cure. --P. Randall Cohan

Christianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees

Blaise Pascal

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Let's not get carried away with Kreeft 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

I have used this book in my college classes for several years. The reason why is that Kreeft knows how to get the students going. He is, and sounds like, a crotchety old Catholic. He is very opinionated - which is good (and bad). If you like that, then you will love his book on apologetics. But this does get him in trouble several times when he states somewhat imperiously that "Pascal REALLY means this..." (or that). He does this contra Pascal himself who is obviously being subtle. But a good teacher lets the students decide, and often they decide against Kreeft. The other major problem with Kreeft is that in spite of his (imperious?) pronouncement in the beginning of the book that he only included the truly worthy Pensees he nevertheless managed to leave out some of my big favorites. In spite of these somewhat minor criticisms this book is still a classic commentary and can be a terrific way to get in on Pascal.

Editorial Review:

Peter Kreeft believes that Blaise Pascal is the first post-medieval apologist. No writer in history, claims Kreeft, is a more effective Christian apologist and evangelist to today's uprooted, confused, secularized pagans (inside and outside the Church) than Pascal. He was a brilliant man--a great scientist who did major work in physics and mathematics, as well as an inventor--whom Kreeft thinks was three centuries ahead of his time. His apologetics found in his Pensées are ideal for the modern, sophisticated skeptic.

Kreeft has selected the parts of Pascal's Pensées which best respond to the needs of modern man, and offers his own comments on applying Pascal's wisdom to today's problems. Addressed to modern skeptics and unbelievers, as well as to modern Christians for apologetics and self-examination, Pascal and Kreeft combine to provide a powerful witness to Christian truth.