Ben GruagachComments Off on Pagan Booklist: Witchcraft for Activists
When your life is a disaster and you’ve tried everything to fix things, and it’s just not working, where do you turn? For many throughout history the answer is: witchcraft. Witchcraft has long been the last resort of the oppressed. One of the earliest practical texts documenting this relationship was published in 1899 as “Aradia: or the Gospel of the… Read more »
There are lots and lots of books out there about Wicca. Which ones are good for beginners? Here’s a list highlighting some of the best. “Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner” by Scott Cunningham is probably the best book to start out with as it provides a solid foundation in the ideas that are the basis of Wicca, along… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Pagan Bookshelf: Witchcraft History
There are lots of books about the history of witchcraft. Many do not even mention modern practitioners, let alone witchcraft religions like Wicca. Some do mention modern practitioners but fail to fact-check claims resulting in some of the worst speculations being reported as fact. Here are some books about the history of witchcraft, ancient and modern, that tend towards being… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Pagan Bookshelf: Magickal Herbalism
Witches are known for their use of plants for working magick. Incenses, brews and potions, oils, powders, washes, even magically charged foods are all ways of employing Green Magick. One of the most popular books on herbs, their properties and uses was published back in the 1600s. The book proved useful to magickal practitioners as well thanks to listing the… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Pagan Bookshelf: Trance
Many magickal practitioners use altered states of consciousness, often called trance, as a way to tap energies and connect with beings that are usually beyond our everyday reality. Trance allows us to draw from the inexhaustible well of inspiration. It allows us to commune with the Divine, and to work wonders. In Wicca, Gardner taught that there were eight main… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Pagan Bookshelf: Biographies
We modern Pagans are a rather literate lot. In addition to the many handbooks, theoretical works, folklore collections, poems, songs, rituals, and workbooks in print, there are also quite a few illuminating biographies and autobiographies. Reading about the lives of others following magickal and Pagan spiritual paths can help us understand better what came before and where our community might… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Pagan Bookshelf: Traditional Witchcraft
Like with many categories of modern occultism, particularly among spiritual or religious groups, there is a lot of debate about what makes someone a part of the group and what excludes someone from that group. The category of traditional witchcraft sees its fair share of this type of debate – if you ask a group of thirteen witches to define… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Pagan Bookshelf: Spirit Work
Some magickal practitioners focus on working with non-physical entities, whether these entities are described as elementals, faeries, ghosts, ancestors, angels, demons, saints, loa, intelligences, or deities. Different systems have different ways of categorizing and classifying — some are very strict about putting anything they consider to be “other” as automatically evil, while some practitioners might see those same entities as… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Pagan Bookshelf: Spooky Fiction for Samhain
Samhain, or Halloween as it’s commonly known in North America, has long been a time for ghost stories and spooky tales. Some authors, like Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Clive Barker, have become famous writing horror. But when it comes to Halloween tales, there is one writer who is master: Ray Bradbury. Ray Bradbury has October in his bones, his… Read more »
Ben GruagachComments Off on Pagan Bookshelf: Communing with Nature
One of the reasons many people turn to modern Pagan religions is to seek a way to incorporate respect for Nature into their spirituality. Some religions, such as Wicca, have a decidedly Earth-revering emphasis. How can we enhance our understanding of Nature and build a deep connection with the flora, fauna, and mineral realms? There are quite a few books… Read more »
