Pagan Culture - Pop Culture

Where to Park Your Broomstick: A Teen’s Guide To Witchcraft

Where to Park Your Broomstick:  
A Teen’s Guide To Witchcraft  
by Lauren Manoy
Fireside Original

 

Despite the cringe-worthy title, Lauren Manoy’s debut offering is enjoyable, perceptive and downright cool. I would call this book a dictionary of sorts, because Manoy has single-handedly scanned the vast horizon of everything Wiccan: the politics in collective religions, the art of name dropping, really neat and innovating spell-casting, political teen rights and ritual etiquette.

Read more: Where to Park Your Broomstick: A Teen’s Guide To Witchcraft

The Womanly Art of Alligator Wrestling

The Womanly Art of Alligator Wrestling:
Inspirational Stories for Outrageous Women Who Survive by Their Wisdom and Wit  
by Ana Tampanna
Silsby Publishing Company

 

Don’t let the “inspirational” part of this book’s title scare you. It isn’t New Age fluff. There are real and metaphorical alligators in here. What this book really contains is a diversity of stories about women solving problems, often without much regard for what they “should” be doing.

Read more: The Womanly Art of Alligator Wrestling

Crappy to Happy, Small Steps to Big Happiness Now!

Crappy to Happy, Small Steps to Big Happiness Now!
by Randy Peyser
Red Wheel/Weiser

 

Crappy to Happy is helpful, entertaining, and often intriguing. The author illustrates her steps to happiness with poignant, sometimes painful stories from her own life. Written with wit and wisdom, this book can either be read straight through from beginning to end or dipped into to gain insight or assistance when needed.

Read more: Crappy to Happy, Small Steps to Big Happiness Now!

The Power of Your Other Hand

The Power of Your Other Hand:
A Course in Channeling the Inner Wisdom of the Right Brain  
by Lucia Capacchione
New Page Books

 

Writing with your right hand isn’t always best. Consider writing with what’s left! Of course, if you’re a “lefty,” then you should consider what’s right. Confused? Read this engaging work by Lucia Capacchione and all will become clear.

Read more: The Power of Your Other Hand

About Peace

About Peace
by Scott Shaw
Red Wheel/Weiser

 

I set about this book with the idea that it would be a sort of meditative instruction guide, a collection of simple thought-provoking observances to induce a more peaceful state of mind (this is not an uncalled-for assumption after skimming the prologue). It’s not. I’m afraid to say I was a little disappointed in Shaw’s style — there is too much explanation of what peace is not, and very little help with the concept of finding out what it is.

Read more: About Peace

The Wiccan Web: Surfing the Magic On The Internet

The Wiccan Web:  
Surfing the Magic On The Internet  
by Patricia Telesco and Sirona Knight
Citadel Press

 

Having been involved in the online Pagan community for six years, I have been fascinated to see what authors would do with the splendidly diverse and organically home-grown community that is the Neo-Pagan Internet.

Read more: The Wiccan Web: Surfing the Magic On The Internet

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