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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in Pagan books

Posted by on in Culture Blogs

Every religion is both a product of its times and, to the degree its vision takes hold of practitioners, transforms those times.  Ours is no exception. I think Pagans interested in our larger significance within American society as a whole will want to take a look at my new book, Faultlines: the Sixties, the Culture War, and the Return of the Divine Feminine, published last month by Quest. 

It was as a guest at a NROOGD Midsummer Sabbat many years ago that I had my first and most powerful encounter with the Wiccan Goddess. After that encounter my life existed in a context I had not even imagined possible. It would be years before I began to grasp how different.

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Recent Comments - Show all comments
  • Gus diZerega
    Gus diZerega says #
    Thank you Jamie. I think you will like the larger context, ultimately spiritual. in which I put the very accurate points you are
  • Jamie
    Jamie says #
    Mr. diZerega, I'm a fan of your writing, and your book made it onto my gift list shortly after I became aware of it. Spot on. Ev

Posted by on in Culture Blogs

How about a list of books for absolute beginners?

After I posted my very long list of recommended Wicca books, a couple of people asked if I would post a list just for beginners. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order.

The Spiral Dance by Starhawk

The Spiral Dance was written around 1979, when there were almost no beginner Wiccan or Pagan books on the market. Many, many people were introduced to the Craft through this book. It’s well-structured and full of great information and extremely useful exercises, meditations, and rituals. I have some quibbles with Starhawk’s view of the Goddess in history, and this book is a bit female-centric, but it is gorgeously written and can help women and men alike build a strong foundational practice. Get the most updated version if you can.

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  • Terence P Ward
    Terence P Ward says #
    Nice, diverse selection! (But I believe it's "Bonewits.")
  • Thea Sabin
    Thea Sabin says #
    Doh! Fixed. Thanks!

Posted by on in Culture Blogs
Goddess Travel Books

I frequently find myself inspired by the books I read, and sometimes, a good memoir can even encourage my wanderlust.  I wanted to share three titles with you today that have me itching to get up and go experience the goddesses of these places:

Savage Breast by Tim Ward

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Posted by on in Culture Blogs

I’m new to Wicca/I have been studying Wicca for a few years. What books do you recommend?

I am asked this question a lot! These are books I have liked myself and/or recommended to students. If you're a beginner--or even if you're not--don't feel like I'm telling you to read all of them. This is a starting point for further exploration. Pick what interests you, and leave the rest. 

Per the suggestions in the comments, I will put together a top ten for absolute beginners. The books below are for everyone, not just newcomers.

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  • 1
    1 says #
    If I might make further suggestions? Much of modern paganry, in my experience, comes to us from Celtic and British sources. The
  • Thea Sabin
    Thea Sabin says #
    Excellent choices!
  • Anne Newkirk Niven
    Anne Newkirk Niven says #
    I echo Piparskeggr's recommendation: "Positive Magic" was the first how-to book on Magick I ever read, and one of the most down-to
  • Thea Sabin
    Thea Sabin says #
    Totally agree.
  • Chris Hershey-Van Horn
    Chris Hershey-Van Horn says #
    I'm also new to the study of paganism and witchcraft. The following book has proved as fascinating as it is informative: - The In

Posted by on in Culture Blogs

As we roll around to a new year, I find myself reminiscing, thinking over the many many novels, anthologies, poetry collections, and graphic novels which I have read over the course of 2012. Most have faded, reduced to scattered scenes or memorable lines. Others remain more coherent, plot lines complete. A few notable books remain completely intact in my memory, characters permanently etched into my consciousness. 

Life is too short to waste on bad books. As such, here are my literary discoveries of 2012. Some are brand new books, just published; others are new to me; still others qualify as rediscoveries, books read many years ago and mislaid or forgotten.

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  • Rebecca Buchanan
    Rebecca Buchanan says #
    Kyrja and Michael -- Thank you for the recommendations.
  • Michael Zimmerle
    Michael Zimmerle says #
    I would like to recommend a series of books for you to have a look at. They are the Caitlin Ross books by Katherine Lampe. Caitl
  • Kyrja
    Kyrja says #
    Hi Rebecca ~ I must, of course, invite you to read "Rupert's Tales," a growing series written for Pagan children. They are, I sh

Some girls had a lust for Led Zeppelin, but I got my thrills by visiting metaphysical book stores.

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This month we’ll take a look at pagan elements in children’s fiction, beginning with the popular classic The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. Part of what makes this book a treasure is the magical aspects that exist right alongside the contemporary world. Cooper uses pagan symbols, like the number seven, magical names, and a one-horned man to weave her tale. Let’s look closer at the origins of these ideas.

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