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Post by Mysti on Jul 4, 2007 7:50:28 GMT -5
Here is our Reading list.. The info herein may have come from this list or our own experience.. In any case .. a good read is always helpful
Title Author A Practical Guide to the Runes Lisa Peschel Magical Herbalism Scott Cunningham Elemental Power Amber Wolfe Wiccan Warrior Kerr Cuhulain Guide to the Fairy Ring Anna Franklin Faery Wicca Book Two Kisma K. Stepanich The Craft Dorothy Morrison Full Contact Magick Kerr Cuhulain Animal-Speak Ted Andrews The Spiral Dance Starhawk Creative Visualization Shakti Gawain Tarot Spells Jenine Renee Tarot Unveiled: The Method to its Magic Laura Clarson West Country Wicca: A Journal of the Old Religion (Pre-Gardnerian Craft Rhiannon Ryall Ancient Ways: Reclaiming Pagan Traditions) Pauline Campanelli The Chalice and the Blade: Our History/Our Future Rianne Eisler, Ph.D. When God Was A Woman Merlin Stone The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets Barbara Walker The Law Enforcement Guide to Wicca Kerr Cuhulain Energy Ecstasy (Author Unrecalled) Kything: The Art of Spiritual Presence Louis Savary and Patricia Berne A Pagan Book of Rituals Herman Slater, Editor A Witches Bible Compleat Janet and Stewart Farrar Herbs and Things Jeanne Rose Language of the Goddess Marija Gimbutas Bullfinch's Mythology (Classic collection of mythological stories of the Greeks, Romans, Norse, Celts, the Age of Chivalry, and more) Psychic Self Defense Dion Fortune
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Post by Mysti on Jul 4, 2007 7:52:19 GMT -5
Lady Ursula's Library Picks
Part 1
Several in the community have asked me what books I recommend for Wiccan/pagan study. Although there are many other good books out there, these are the best that I can recommend for the purposes described.
INTRODUCTORY WICCAN PRACTICE
Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft Raymond Buckland (1975, Llewellyn Publications, $14.95) Buckland was an original student of Gerald Gardner, the founder of Gardnerian Wicca. Buckland's Complete is what I consider to be a good beginner level overview of Gardnerian Craft. He briefly addresses the history of the Craft, explaining it's neolithic roots and charting major changes through the burning times to the current reemergence of the open faith and practice. He gives a good introductory explanation of Wiccan beliefs including the Gardnerian view of the Goddess and the God, and aspects such as reincarnation. He discusses the basics of the tools and the magickal name and initiation, and provides exercises for magickal skill development. He gives an overview of the Wheel of the Year and it's Sabbat meanings in the Gardnerian trad. He covers related disciplines of divination, herbalism, Magick and Ritual, Runic Writing, and basic healing work. He also provides a brief description of a variety of different established traditions within Wicca and discusses their differences and similarities. As a writer for beginners I prefer Buckland to Gardner personally, because Buckland is a more straight-forward writer than Gardner and he does a good job of breaking down Gardner's big sweeping points into understandable kernels of information. Buckland is a traditionalist in this work, though, and some people have had responses to what they call the "tone" of the writing. I did not experience any issue with it myself and I do think it's a good book for imparting a good beginning foundation to this tradition.
The Spiral Dance - A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess Starhawk (1979, Harper-Collins, with a 10th Anniv. ed. published in 1989, and a 20th Anniv. ed. in 1999, around $18) This was the book that mobilized my own generation of Witches. Starhawk gives a more academic tone and a little deeper introduction into the practice of modern Wicca. She too addresses the Wiccan concepts of Goddess and God, and the basics of Magick and Ritual. She provides a great set of meditations and exercises to develop the foundational skills for magickal workings. The Table of Correspondences in the last chapter is excellent and extremely useful as one learns to design spellwork themselves. She covers Sabbat rituals for the Wheel of the Year, as well as Esbat Rites for the Full and New Moon nights, and provides excerpts from her own Book of Shadows and her various coven experiences, including chants and invocations. She explains a newly birthed tradition of Wicca called the Faery Tradition which is different from Gardnerian in many ways but remains true to Wiccan beliefs and practices. Between the exercises, the Table of Correspondences, and it's historical significance in igniting the modern Wiccan movement, I highly recommend this book as a 1st or 2nd resource to newcomer pagans. (This was my first book on the Craft personally).
West Country Wicca - A Journal of the Old Religion Rhiannon Ryall (1989, Phoenix Publishing, $8.95) I loved this book but I also only discovered it about 5 years ago. Ryall was somewhere between her late 60's and early 80's when she wrote this book and it is the only work published by her. She grew up in a farming village in Cornwall, England, and was taught the Craft in the 1940's from the point of view of it's practical, agricultural roots. In Ryall's tradition the Sabbats are only 5 rather than 8 holidays and she discusses those in some depth. She also acknowledges the Great Rite as an act of sexual union between Priest and Priestess, which is something few authors seem to be willing to do. She also discusses the philosophical basis for the Great Rite in some depth, dispelling some of the more common misconceptions about it. She also offers a great section on the Cornish Wiccan folkways practiced by her family including folk spells, recipes, and herbal remedies. This book appears to be a unique perspective on the Craft and while there are major differences between her work and the authors who published before her, her writing has the spirit of an offering rather than a criticism - another legitimate way to look at Wiccan practice. I recommend this as a must for the personal Wiccan library.
A Book of Pagan Rituals Herman Slater, editor (1978, Samuel Weiser, Inc., around $15) Slim little classic volume chock full of information, some more detailed than what is offered in the 3 above. There are explanations of pagan worldview, Goddess and God, the Elements, etc. but as the title suggests there is MUCH practical information on ritual, and specifics of "how-to". Part One, Basic Ritual, includes the overview information and rituals for purification, divination, healing, the Sabbat festivals, the Handfasting (marriage), the Parting of the Ways (divorce), the Rite for the Dead (funeral), and Solitary Rituals. Part Two, Advanced Pagan Rituals, covers meditation, rhythmic breathing, planetary knowledge and basic astrology, in-depth study of the Elements, Days of the Week, more advanced healing work and basic herbalism. The Suggested Reading list at the back reads like a bibliography of the oldest and best respected books on the Craft. A great resource for any new pagan.
WICCAN/PAGAN LIVING
The Wicca Cookbook: Recipes, Ritual, and Lore Jamie Wood and Tara Seerfeldt (2000, Celestial Arts, $19.95) This book was a birthday present from a friend last fall and quickly became a favorite of mine. The Wicca Cookbook is mostly that - a cookbook with traditional and medieval recipes for Sabbat feasting. Each of the Sabbats is explained in depth, each of the recipes (food AND beverages including mead and a variety of wines) ascribed to the Sabbat are explained as to why they belong as part of that particular feast, herbs are used and explained for their culinary and magickal value in each of the recipes, and this book also offers activities, meditations, and kitchen-witchery spells for accomplishing specific purposes at each seasonal turn. Great little reference and great food too!
Sabbats Edain McCoy (2001, Llewellyn Publishing, $17) I like McCoy's work. Of the breed of new authors I seem to like McCoy the best. This volume focuses on the Sabbat celebrations with explanations of the meanings and suggested rituals for each. Contains recipes and activities for solitaries, families, and covens. Good stuff and a good reference book for integrating pagan living into our lives through the celebration of the Wheel of the Year.
Ancient Ways: Reclaiming Pagan Traditions Pauline Campanelli (1999, Llewellyn Publishing, $14.95) Campanelli had 21 years in the Craft when she published this title. The book covers the Wheel of the Year and Sabbat celebrations. For each Sabbat she gives good definitions of the meanings and symbolism of the holiday itself, and provides great information for rituals for each, recipes for seasonal feasts, activities for the solitary, covens, and families to celbrate together. What I like about this book is the emphasis she places on the value of integrating true celebration of the Sabbats into our daily lives in a myriad of ways. Not a terribly thick book, but very dense in it's information provided for no bigger than it is. Good resource for beginners learning to celebrate the Sabbats or experienced Witches looking for new ideas to spice up their celebrations.
Bud, Blossom and Leaf: The Magical Herb Gardener's Handbook Dorothy Morrison (2001, Llewellyn Publishing, $14.95) Morrison is another of the new breed of authors that I really appreciate. She practices in the Georgian Tradition of Wicca and her style is both serious and fun-loving at the same time. This title offers a variety of holistic methods to gardening in a pagan way. She offers holistic concoctions for fertilizers and pesticides that you can make yourself, offers some interesting solutions to keeping rabbits and other critters out of your garden, offers ritual and incantations for blessing your seedlings and planted gardens, offers insight about which plants to plant close to what other plants to keep them happy and yield the best results, and offers recipes for a variety of things including one for Absinthe liqueur, which is no longer available on the U.S. market. Great reference work for those who want to grow, harvest and use their own herbs either for culinary or magickal use.
The Sabbat Series by Llewellyn Llewellyn Publishing has contracted with 8 of their authors to produce one volume each, dedicated strictly to the celebration of one of the Sabbat holidays. Silver Ravenwolf has Halloween, Dorothy Morrison did Yule, and there are six others. These are worth having for anyone who wants to really get into the Sabbat celebrations as each presents very in depth information about the significance of that holiday and traditions for celebrating it from cultures around the world. Each contains family activities, recipes for feasting, rituals and other activities for integrating the holiday into our lives with depth and richness. Of the 4 that I have collected so far, I have liked them all and the writing is a little on the lighter side making them accessible to pagans at all levels of practice. Each comes as an oversized paperback and they average $15 each.
FOR PAGANS AND NON-PAGANS ALIKE
The Law Enforcement Guide to Wicca Kerr Cuhulain (1989, 3rd Ed. 1997, Horned Owl Publishing, $9.95) This author totally rocks and basically anything by him I would give a thumbs-up to! He is a Wiccan HP and a law enforcement officer in BC, Canada. This particular work was written for law enforcment people, social workers, judges, psychologists and others involved with "The System". It is an in-depth explanation of what Wicca is - and what it is NOT - for outsiders to have a better, and less-threatening understanding of our ways. He provides much academic support to dispelling many of the myths held about Wiccans by those uninformed about us, and dispells some of the myths you hear from people who practice. I myself learned some new things after 18 years in practice by reading this work. If someone has family members or other significant people in their lives who want to understand more about what you are or aren't involved with as a pagan, this is a great resource to give to them. The book is rather short (around 115 pgs) but it is written with true economy - no wasted words anywhere and a no-nonsense tone. Cuhulain also provides footnotes like an academic paper citing his sources of information provided. Outstanding work and an asset to any working pagan library.
Drawing Down the Moon Margot Adler (1979, rev. 1986, Beacon Press, around $16) Margot Adler was a journalist who took on the task of investigating the resurrgence in pagan practice at the start of the modern wave in the late '70's. To write this book she surveyed and interviewed pagans from the Wiccan paths and others as well. Then in 1986 she resurveyed and reinterviewed people to see how the neo-pagan movement had changed, and to get a sense for where we are heading. This is a meaty reference book that is useful for educating non-pagans about what we do, and also gives excellent historical information and a good understanding of what it is that pagan people seek out in these paths that we can't seem to find elsewhere. She gives explanations of a variety of Wiccan traditions, Druidism, Shamanism, and other related neo-pagan paths. Another essential, classic, scholarly work for the well-equipped library.
What Witches Do: A Modern Coven Revealed Stewart Farrar (1983, Phoenix Publishing, $9.95) Farrar covers all the important bases of Wicca with thorough explanations for pagan students and for the curious non-pagan as well. This work covers the Roots of Modern Wicca, What Witches Believe, The Great Rite, The Seasonal Festivals, Clairvoyance, Magic, Healing, the Elements, Astral Projection, and more. Another good resource for explanations of What Witches Do.
ã Lady Ursula Grey and Mystic Forest MSN Community, 2003
Do not duplicate without express permission. So mote it be!
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Post by Mysti on Jul 4, 2007 7:52:54 GMT -5
Part 2
PRACTICAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Energy Ecstacy This book has twice disappeared from my personal library and I have yet to replace it again, but have found it on Amazon.com. I can not now recall the author or the publisher, but this is an excellent foundational book on the nature of energy working. Gives a great explanation of the Chakras or energy centers within the human body, and provides easy but effective excercises for consciously connecting with each one. Also covers auras and exercises to strengthen and cleanse them. An easy to read manual that provides basic training in all manner of energy work from an Eastern point of view. Highly recommended.
Kything: The Art of Spiritual Presence Louis Savary and Patricia Berne (1988, Paulist Press, $12.95) Kything is something I'm planning to do a future Meadow posting about. Kything is connection and communication with another through sending your own spiritual body to be present with theirs, wherever they may be. Somewhere between meditation and astral projection this book provides a clear cut 3 step process to executing the skill. Great exercises and explanations are delivered in straight-forward language and the ethics and mechanics of the skill are fully explored. This book is not an easy one to find but I have had some success on Amazon.com and I am told it can be ordered by your local bookstore though it is unlikely you will find it on their shelves. Great book and one that I will use for in-person classes on this skill.
Creative Visuzalization Shakti Gawain (1978, Whatever Pubishing, $9.95) "Creative visualization is the technique of using your imagination to create what you want in your life." So begins Gawain's excellent volume fully exploring this most valuable foundational skill. Gawain offers thorough explanations in straight-forward language and simple exercises to develop this skill from the ground up. How-to's are clearly provided for the 4 basic steps of the process: Setting Your Goal, Creating a Clear Idea or Picture, Focusing on it Often, and Feeding it Positive Energy. Meditations and affirmations are provided as well for programming your life with your own positive energy. Excellent basic tool book not written for Wiccan practice but for everyone's use. After reading it you will see why the skill of visualization has long been called one of the foundational skills of Wicca.
Psychic Self-Defense Dion Fortune (1930, Rider & Co., reprinted 1997 by Weiser, $9.95) Fortune is a trusted classical witchcraft author. Her material can be a little dense and boggy and is a sort of a fusion between Wicca and Kaballa, but is good information if you can wade through it. This work is a thorough study of the various means of psychic attack, how to identify psychic attack and distinguish it from other kinds of "bad days", and offers a variety of methods and techniques for self-defense. For years this was the only resource we had for this specialization. Recently I saw 2 more new books on the subject. This volume though, is a good foundational work for the self-defense information and covers methods that range from basic shielding to High Ceremonial Magick invoking angelic protection. A classic that I have had to replace in my own library twice - and still consider it worth it.
Tarot Unveiled: The Method Behind the Magic Laura E. Clarson (1998, U.S. Games Systems, Inc., $9.95) U.S. Games is the company that produces about 80% of all the Tarot decks on the market. Who'd have guessed that of all the Tarot books I had gone through dealing with the New Age/Esoteric meanings of the cards, this little volume from such an unlikely source would be the book that held the system for reliable reading for me. My personal Tarot teacher advised me about this book when we were working together and I found when I finally bought it that it gives the explanation of the system I was taught. This system breaks down the meanings of the cards by their number system in the elemental suits of the Minor arcana, and the story of spiritual awakening told in the Major arcana. We called it "Tarot by Numbers" but it has proven to be a reliable system of divination using the Tarot. The best and easiest-to-understand presentation I have ever found on the cards in writing. Herbs and Things: A Compendium of Practical and Exotic Herbal Lore Jeanne Rose (1972, 2001, Last Gasp of San Francisco Publishing, $16.95) This book is exactly what it says it is. Very complete reference on herb lore, magickal, medicinal, and culinary. Rose is a scholarly practicing herbalist and has numerous books that cover everything from homemade herbal cosmetics, to aromatherapy. As a resource I trust her work implicitly and if a person could only have one book on herbs and their uses, this would be the one I'd recommend.
Sexual Energy Ecstasy: A Practical Guide to Lovemaking Secrets of the East and West David and Ellen Ramsdale (1985, 1991, Bantam Books, $16.95) This book should have been called Tantra Made Easy. It's a great resource for adults wanting to bring a more spiritual connection and emotional freedom into their sexual relationships. This is not pagan sex magick but frankly, I think it's better. The concepts, techniques, and exercises are based in Tantric Yoga but are presented here in ways that Westerners will be able to embrace easily. The exercises are fun and the practice can bring a whole new dimension of depth into a pagan couple's relationship, as partners learn to consciously raise and exchange energy through sexual expression.
MORE ADVANCED READING/REFERENCE BOOKS
The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets Barbara G. Walker (1983, Harper & Row, oversized paperback, around $32) Barbara Walker is an academic researcher in Womens' Studies and Religion. This enormous volume (1200 pgs.) is written with encyclopedia-style entries and gives origins and mythological references for literally hundreds of gods and goddesses as well as relevant places and practices. An amazing work full of scholarly bibliography and cross-references between entries. Like the internet, you can look up something in this book and spend hours following the chain of cross-references, like following web-links, learning more as you go. The work has a generally feminist flavor and personal value-judgements slip into the narratives from time to time, but it is an exceptional and unparalleled reference for the inter-connectedness of the ancient roots of religious beliefs all over the world. Another must-have.
When God Was A Woman Merlin Stone (1976, 1993, Barnes & Noble Books, $9.95) This book was the one that finally helped me to break the mental chains I was still carrying from the imprinting of Christianity on my psyche. Stone used archaeological information to make the case for the predominance of Goddess-centered cultures in the Fertile Crescent region of the mediterranean in ancient times. She explores the "flip" which occurred over several centuries' time through a series of invasions into that region by the indo-european male-dominant tribes who later evolved to write and sanctify the early books of the Christian Bible. Very interesting exploration of the motivations behind the writing of the Bible, and an exploration of how those writings have effected women and Goddess worship from ancient times to the present. She specifically explores the relationship between Goddess cultures and the Adam and Eve story in Genesis (which is interesting!). Of all the books in my pagan library, this one which is not about Wicca or modern practice of witchcraft, was the most liberating for me so far. Well researched and documented, it is a convincing argument and an easy read. If you are practicing pagansim today and still find yourself hindered by the interference of old Christian teachings, this enlightening little book may help you to resolve your conflict. It did mine.
The Witches Bible Compleat (sic) Janet and Stewart Farrar (1981, Magickal Childe Publishing, $19.95) Magickal Childe has gone defunct now but at one time was the premier source of magickal information in the U.S. This book has been picked up by another publishing house but I am not sure who that is. Stewart Farrar was a student of Alex Sanders and the Alexandrian Tradition. He and wife, Janet, founded their own tradition but it is so closely connected to it's Alexandrian and Gardnerian roots that in reading the work I'm not sure what sets this tradition apart from them. This work is the combination of 2 books previously published separately - hence the name "Bible". It is, as the title suggests, very complete. Good information about traditional practice and practical information for the how-to. Complete with diagrams and photographs, this work is a good reference for anyone who wants to have traditional information in one concise resource. It is a thick book with tiny print and pretty deep work. Great for people who are already acquianted with Wiccan ways but again, probably not the best volume to begin study with.
Magick in Theory and Practice Aleister Crowley I am not at all even remotely a fan of Aliester Crowley, but I read this volume somewhere in my first 3 years in the Craft, and I think this particular work is worth checking out - if only as a reference for comparison. Crowley and Gardner studied together early on in their lives. The Crowley fans will tell you that Gardner was Crowley's student, the Gardnerians will tell you that Crowley studied under Gardner. Whichever way it went, they had a split which propelled both of them down different paths from their same starting place. Gardner went on to establish what we know as the Gardnerian tradition of Wicca, and Crowley went on to establish his hermetic/Thelema path. Basically it seems to me that Crowley thought Gardner was a wimp because of the "Harm none" clause in Gardner's Wiccan Rede. Crowley's rede states, "Do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" - and that fundamental shift in attitude creates a much different (and more dangerous - to my mind) philosophical base for magickal working. Crowley's work focusing on reinterpretation of Kabballic teachings, and obsessed with High Ceremonial Magick, is too deep for most people and his addiction to cocaine informs too much of his writings for me to feel they are valid for following. However, because Crowley remains such a big player in the reemergence of occult practices and beliefs over the past century, it is not a bad idea to review this particular work so that in discussions where his name will invariably come up, one may have first-hand information to participate with.
Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders The founders of the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions, respectively. I recommend any and all of their works for a more in-depth perspective on the traditional practices and for "going to the source" on practical information on these trads. However, for the modern audience I think that the books listed above in the Introductory Practice section are better resources for beginner workings, and that these source authors make a better second-wave of educational readings.
Sybil Leek, Lady Sheba and Paul Huson Three classic authors on pagan witchcraft who are worth reading for their historical perspectives on the practice. The wicked humor in their writing is often lost on the modern reader and may be misunderstood as "corny", but if you can get past that there is much good material in their works - some of it not found elsewhere. I do not recommend them as first-wave reading, however.
Scott Cunningham A wildly popular modern author that I have mixed feelings about. There is nothing harmful in his work but my elder friends and I refer to him as "The Father of the Fluff Bunnies." Although Cunningham had classical training he was the first of the popular authors to take a "do whatever feels right to you and call that Wicca" approach to his practice, often referred to as "Eclectic Wicca". He is very widely read, usually by people new to the path, and he does not indicate which parts of his practice are traditional and which are his own. I consider him to be the quintessential New Age Wiccan. While there is nothing wrong with his work, I believe it has served to misinform a generation of Witches who believe that in following him they are practicing traditional witchcraft when traditionalists will tell you otherwise. Read him if you feel so moved, but if you want to practice Wicca, read the more traditional and hardcore authors as well. Somewhere between them you may find a balance that is comfortable to call your own personal Wiccan practice.
Part 3
VIDEOS
Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth - PBS Video The late, modern master of Jungian psychology discusses the role of the gods and goddesses as archetypal figures in our lives and discusses the value of honoring them as such for a personal spiritual journey of healing.
Love in the Ancient World - A&E Video Kathleen Turner narrates this 2 hour documentary tour exploring the roles of men and women, the "sacred brothels", and Goddess worship in the ancient mediterranean Goddess-cultures. Filmed on location in Greece, Crete, Turkey, and more.
Mother Wove the Morning Carol Lynn Pearson Pearson gives a tour-de-force performance in a one-woman stage production which she also wrote and directed. In an "inspired" performance, Pearson takes on the roles of 16 women throughout history, from a neolithic cave-woman to a modern psychologist. The common thread that each story shares is connection (and the fundamental human need for it) with the Mother god. Sometimes hilarious and sometimes horrific, the stories and Pearson's delivery of them will not fail to move you. This tape was filmed during a live performance of the show and is only available through Pearson herself. Pearson can be contacted for a copy of the tape ($25 at last check) by writing to her at 1384 Cornwall Ct., Walnut Creek, CA 94526
NOVELS
Harvest Home Thomas Tryon (1973, Fawcett) A young New York family moves to a secluded farming village in New England and are drawn into the center of a mystery driven by the ancient pagan rites of Cornwall, England. Made into a movie in 1977, Bette Davis was unforgettable as the Widow, the crone High Priestess of Cornwall Coombe. Good story and well written with visible ties to a true pagan heritage. This title may be out of print at this time but if you run across it in a used bookstore, grab it for a good read!
Practical Magic Alice Hoffman (1995, Putnams Sons) Yes, this is the book that inspired the movie, but the movie was so completely different from the story in the book that they could almost be 2 separate stories. In the book, the sister's trials with the heinous, dead ex-boyfriend stretch across an entire summer and the adolescent daughters are coming into magickal understanding in their own right. The ending is signficantly different as well. The movie was great fun. The book is even better!
The Burning Times: A Novel of Medieval France Jeanne Kalogridis (2001, Simon and Shuster) Sybille is an hereditary witch whose destiny involves bringing an end to the power of the Inquisition in medieval France - with the help of her consort, her magickal equal and lover. Extremely well-written with a plotline that draws you in quickly and keeps hold of you to the end.
ã Lady Ursula Grey and Mystic Forest MSN Community Do not duplicate without express permission from Lady Ursula Grey or Mystic Forest Management. So mote it be!
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