Weighty Tomes

By ComfyMom

The pagan book section is well filled these days. There are more beginner books than you can shake a broomstick at and the intermediate and advanced categories are growing. There are books on just about every pagan type subject out there. Now, if you are interested in paganism or wicca or just herbal spells there are several books for you to choose from and an internet full of people for you to make contact with. This is a big change from 20 years ago.

My interest in the Goddess began developing in 1990. My ability to connect with like minded people was limited to Prodigy & CompuServe. There were no pagans on my local BBS, at least none that admitted it and I knew none in real life. There were few books available. Scott Cunningham had some small ones out but they lacked depth and they left you wanting more. The other, and most recommended options, were the dense, weighty tomes, appearing as intimidating works of scholarship & somewhat overwhelming to a grad student already struggling against a tower of tomes of her own. Everyone recommended The Spiral Dance by Starhawk, Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler and, if you could find it because chain bookstores did not always stock it, A Witches’ Bible by Janet & Stewart Farrar.

Drawing Down the Moon was the first I was able to find. It’s a long 400+ page book crammed with information, plus notes, appendices and resources. My copy is from 1986 and is incredibly out of date now as far as ‘current’ information. But it is a wonderful treasure of history. It is full of stories about people and events, with lots of background information about modern paganism in the later 20th century. Adler is an observer, attending rituals and interviewing the participants. She gives detailed reports of events and addresses many of the then prevalent stereotypes and misunderstandings about neopagans. It took me months to get through. Adler presents a lot of detail and it can get a bit dry, but it covers so much, so well, that it really is a must have book in your collection, if you are at all interested in the modern history of US paganism. There was an updated version released in 2006.

I found The Spiral Dance next. My copy is the 1989, 10th anniversary edition. There is a 20th anniversary edition out as well. This book, more than any other, was THE book to read. “You have to read the Spiral Dance!” “You haven’t read the Spiral Dance yet?” were said on every thread about books. It has history, it has information, it has exercises for the reader to try. There are spells, invocations, meditations and rituals. This book is a real challenge to the reader to think about and act on their beliefs. It’s not just dry detail, it’s active & participatory. She has exercises for all sorts of workings – circle visualization, consecrating tools; spells and charms for creating safe space & to attract love. There is also a full commentary on changes to the previous edition. Some of the history has been called into question and there is a strong feminist bent to it. Even if the current edition is 10 years old I highly recommend it to anyone who with an idea of where they want to go, not really beginners looking for a path, but people who have started down this one.

A Witches’ Bible took me the longest to find. The local branches of Coles & Waldenbooks would not order it for me. Barnes & Noble and Amazon did not exist yet. I eventually found it in a little witchy shop in a beach town. Mine is the 1984 version. The most recent edition is 1996 I believe. This book is packed with information, in small print, all the things you need to know to be a witch, complete with photos. A Witches Bible is 2 books in one. The first part is the book Eight Sabbats for Witches, which covers the holy days and how they are celebrated in the Farrar’s traditional coven. Each sabbat is covered in detail, the history and the ritual. The second part is the Book of Shadows. This is another highly detailed collection of initiation, ritual, rites and ways to live you faith. It discusses myth, symbolism, beliefs and working as a coven. If you are a Wiccan this book has a lot to offer, even if you are not traditional.

These books are heavy reading & can be slow going at times but they will reward you for your effort. If you are building your pagan library, consider giving these space.