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Post by watergypsy on Dec 12, 2010 23:01:41 GMT
I have read a few of the Dummies series and they have rarely let me down, they are extremely good introductions to a subject. I haven't read this one. I used to be a great advocate of books on paganism, but in the past couple of years for one reason or another I didn't find time to read. Then Mr Brook formed the moot and to be honest, I have never thought about my own spirituality more. Through discussion I have understood what and worked out what I really believe (still, as always a working progress, but more defined). Books are good, but because of their lack of interaction give a you a limited view. ( I am now a little sad that I couldn't make it to any of the Birmingham moots) But as the subject is books two I have found that I think are good; 1. Is good for someone starting from scratch is: "Wicca" from the first directions series by Vivianne Crowley 2. Hopefully I am correct with my opinion of this book as it's been a while since reading it, "living Wicca - A further Guide for the Solitary Practioner" by Scott Cunningham The first book that ever really grasped me and made me think, yeah this is me, was "hedgewitch" By Rea Beth. As much as I hold great respect for books, I have generally lost interest in books about paganism as I personally find that they tend to concentrate a bit too much on the religious aspect of Paganism. There are few books that have rarely grabbed me recently. My beliefs have evolved and few books reflect what feels right to me.
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Post by Scruffy Brooky on Dec 13, 2010 12:04:33 GMT
My top three that kind of define my practice at the moment would be.
Hedgewitch - Rae Beth Treading The Mill - Nigel G. Pearson Magick Without Peers - David Rankine and Ariadne Rainbird
The first probably needs no introduction but is a beautiful collection of letters in effectively a correspondance course, collected by the teacher. It is solitary witchcraft that does not stand on ceremony and makes use of the natural surroundings. In my opinion it is fairly Wiccan influenced folk magic, with high value placed on social and environmental conscience. The key point to take away from this book is that if you can get yourself to natural surroundings, every tool of practice you need is right there.
The second is a generalised primer on Traditional Witchcraft, in that it does not focus on any particular tradition. It again focusses on outdoor practice and the use of what is around you, (in particular an area close to my own heart in my practice get a pebble from the land of your practice, rather than shiny gem mined unethically and flown halfway around the world with a trail of aviation fuel). Provides a different slant on things from the majority of Pseudo-Wicca books available.
The third is an interesting book on contemprary eclecticism, the like of which I haven't come across before, and provided me with some useful ideas that I have incorporated into my practice.
The three books are reasonably diverse, and I do not incorporate all elements without exception, indeed it would on occasion be deeply contradictory if I did. This list is just the shortest way I think of for defining what I do!
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Post by Scruffy Brooky on Dec 13, 2010 14:36:19 GMT
We do have a mutual commonality of some ideas. Hopefully we shall explore some of them in due course. The commonality is the glue that holds us together long enough to learn from each others differences.
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Post by OlympusMons on Dec 14, 2010 23:07:45 GMT
I'm glad this thread was made - Think I'll definitely be trying some of the books listed here. Mind you, I've had a look for a few on Amazon and the like and they seem difficult to get hold of.
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Post by Scruffy Brooky on Dec 14, 2010 23:09:41 GMT
Which ones are you struggling to get hold of?
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Post by OlympusMons on Dec 14, 2010 23:22:46 GMT
I can't find Vivianne Crowley's Wicca. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough. Found some of the others on Amazon though.
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Post by Scruffy Brooky on Dec 14, 2010 23:39:09 GMT
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Post by robur on Dec 15, 2010 6:12:30 GMT
The 'Wicca' by Vivianne Crowley that I have is yet another one!: www.amazon.co.uk/Wicca-comprehensive-guide-Religion-modern/dp/0722532717/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292390849&sr=1-8Actually all these books are only 1 penny each, second hand through Amazon, though you do need to pay postage, which is a couple of pounds. I've bought loads of used books through Amazon for 1 penny each, and they have all been sent promptly, and have all been in good condition. I've never been let down or dissatisfied. The reason that you can get good quality books for just 1 penny is that people do throw books out. They end up in charity shops, and the charity shops recycle them through various sellers on Amazon. They are not in it to make a big profit. The nominal postage charge is slightly more than the actual postage, so they just make a tiny profit on each item. The postal times for packages, right now, may take a week. But don't be too quick to rush off to buy all these books, we've got plenty more suggestions to come.
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Post by OlympusMons on Dec 15, 2010 12:06:33 GMT
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Post by Scruffy Brooky on Dec 15, 2010 18:44:31 GMT
There is in my opinion a severe problem with a lot of literature written on Paganism and that is that a lot of it is a cash in on the success of Charmed and Buffy etc and has very little to do with real Paganism. Beyond this a lot of the half decent books are, I am led to believe, made more marketable by the publishing houses by including material that the author themselves doesn't believe to make the subject more accessible.
Basically there is a lot of dross written on the subject of Paganism. That doesn't mean don't read it, and it doesn't mean don't read the dross. I have read the dross, and I have never discarded a book on Paganism. They all serve a purpose even it's to sit on my shelf and remind me what I don't want to be.
It just means whatever you read, read it critically and question it in your own mind. Where possible discuss it with other Pagans both more and less experienced. Meditate on subjects you are unsure of and let your unconscious mind and your Gods guide you.
I have to disagree about the value of the reviews on Amazon too. You have to read them very carefully, and read between the lines to discern anything of value from them. I cite the example of To Ride A Silver Broomstick by Silver Ravenwolf, which I regard as the epitome of the issue: 136 reviews, averaging 4 stars (76 5 star reviews). The book is dreadful in my opinion.
The key is to read widely and employ discernment as you do so. Discuss the subject where possible, and consider the opinions you encounter. Reflect on all you have read and heard. Ultimately we all have to take responsibility for are own path.
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Post by Scruffy Brooky on Dec 15, 2010 19:01:34 GMT
I cite the example of To Ride A Silver Broomstick by Silver Ravenwolf, which I regard as the epitome of the issue: 136 reviews, averaging 4 stars (76 5 star reviews). The book is dreadful in my opinion. Just a quick note to say that my reason for putting this is not me saying that I am right that the book is dreaful, other people may think its wonderful. Just that if I had bought the book based on these reviews I would have been disappointed as I don't rate it in my personal opinion. For this reason I don't rely on reviews too much.
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Post by robur on Dec 16, 2010 8:23:33 GMT
If you come across a book which did not meet your expectations, and everyone else who read it thought it was wonderful, then you ought to post a review of your own saying what you thought. Then other potential readers will not be misled too.
And you have to give some reasons, on there, why you thought that book fell short. A lot of people did like those books, and said so, and gave their reasons.
I find the reviews on Amazon very helpful.
Only a few books have the 'look inside' option. For books that do not, you are completely in the dark. You can't judge a book by it's cover. A book may have an intruiging title, but how can you tell what is actually inside. I don't want to spend £15 a time playing a lottery.
Often by reading through the reviews you can get a good idea of the contents. Sometimes the key ideas in a book will be completely explained in the reviews, so you might then decide that you don't need it.
I sometimes also check out the reviews for the same book on Amazon's US site. The US reviews are sometimes a different set of reviews. Because Amazon US has far more customers, you can sometimes find reviews on there for books which are not reviewed at all on Amazon UK.
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Post by Scruffy Brooky on Dec 16, 2010 10:22:06 GMT
Fair enough Robur! We'll just have to agree to differ. It's all opinion and it's all valid.
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Post by robur on Dec 16, 2010 11:21:50 GMT
Well said! I was beginning to appreciate the meaning of the word 'bicca'. Let's move on to a different kind of book... The Sea Priestess, by Dion Fortune, is written in the form of a novel. It's not particularly wonderful in terms of literature, but is good on imagery and ideas. There are two principal characters, a man and a woman (in various guises), and the story is about what happens between them. Views about the story differ. Some readers think it's the man's adventure; others think it's the woman's. One episode involves an incident where, in order to become a Priestess, the woman asks her male artist friend to make a statue of her. The making of a statue is a metaphor for the way in which a man can help a woman to fulfil her life, and vice versa. Dion Fortune was a very interesting person in her own right. And to some extent, this story is hers. She worked professionally as a psychoanalyst, and was a great admirer of Jung, although they never met. You can read a lot of this book on-line at Google books: books.google.co.uk/books?id=uZl4DKIB5WoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=sea+priestess+dion+fortune&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDQQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
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Post by Scruffy Brooky on Dec 16, 2010 12:18:02 GMT
Well said! I was beginning to appreciate the meaning of the word 'bicca'. LOL No my friend. There's no animosity with me. I find conflicting opinions quite regularly between Pagans, because of the nature of the beast (i.e. Paganism being non-hierarchical). The fact of me disagreeing with anyone on something is never meant confrontationally. It's just me putting an alternate opinion out there. Ask 100 Pagans the same question expect 100 different answers! Got anymore Dion Fortune recommendations? Its always someone I've meant to explore and never quite got round to yet!
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