Recommended Reading List

[Nagaz]

I've found that just about anything by Aoumiel (spelt wrong) is pretty usefull.

ex: Grimior for the Green Witch
Green Witchcraft 1,2,3  

[Innocent Alice]

oops, I haven't updated this for a while.... sweatdrop  

[Keistera]

Nagaz

I've found that just about anything by Aoumiel (spelt wrong) is pretty usefull.

ex: Grimior for the Green Witch
Green Witchcraft 1,2,3

Ann(e) Moira?

Just be careful with her historical info. Other books she's done have received less-than-good-reviews from NFP on LJ. Actually, I don't think she's well liked. I have Grimoire (sp?) and it's... interesting. I'm sure I can use bits and pieces, at least.  

[Kryptic Insanity]

Depending on your intelligance/ability to sift through fact and fiction The 21 Lessons of Merlin has a few good lessons in it (is also very easy to read for any who like me are incredibly short of attention span)  

[AdelaMae]

Innocent Alice

Anything by Raymond Buckland. He has tons of good stuff out there, but watch out for that ego. Sometimes he likes to reference his own works in the footnotes.

Well, I haven't read much by Buckland, but I don't think his "Witchcraft from the Inside" should be included on this list. I've read it and pretty much all of the historical "facts" he includes are made up/just wrong. Here's the review I wrote on Amazon.com after finishing it...

AdelaMae

I'll just come right out and say it. The picture of history this book paints is almost completely inaccurate. Buckland references few of his claims about the "ancient" origins of witchcraft, and where he does list references, they're to sources that are questionable at best. He takes scraps of historical evidence out of context and twists them to fit his concept of pagan history, which is that Wicca is, quite literally, the religion of the Stone Age Celts. In the 1970s, when the book was originally published, his wilful misinterpretation of history would be understandable as a product of the times, but to republish it today and endorse it as "valid" is unforgiveable when there is so much good scholarship now available on the history of paganism. If you want to know what the ancient inhabitants of Britain *really* believed, try Ronald Hutton.

In addition to the glaring inaccuracies, I didn't see how whole sections of the book even related to the topic at hand. Buckland concedes that very few of the people burned as witches during the "Burning Times" were actually practitioners of Wicca, but then spends dozens of pages describing the witch trials (and especially the specific ways in which "witches" were tortured, with illustrations), using the confessions of these "witches" as evidence of the way in which Wicca was actually practiced! He then continues to refer to the "Burning Times" throughout the book as an era of widespread Wiccan martyrdom, even though, as he admitted previously, most of those killed *were not Wiccan*, or even witches for that matter!

He concludes the book with a chapter on "Witches and Fairies," making the rather lame claim that "many people associate witches with fairies" and going on to talk about the nature of fairies as if that was enough to relate them to the history of witchcraft.

In short, I would not recommend this book as a guide to history, or Wicca, or witchcraft, or anything but the inside of Raymond Buckland's head.

Also, about the 21 Lessons of Merlyn that someone mentioned... I haven't read it, but I heard that it claims the Druids came from Atlantis and held the pumpkin as sacred? And a bunch of other things that make me think it's probably not a reliable source?  

[godhi]

***applauds**

Damn fine book list!
The only additions I would make to the reading list are any good books on classical mythology, i.e. Norse, Greek, Egyptian, etc.
Read as much as you can on the pantheon of Gods and Goddesses that you worship, and if possible read books on other religions so you know what their beliefs are. Also, study the Bible, the Koran, and the Talmud just so you can understand why the followers of the "Big Three" believe the way they do.
Good work, Alice!  

[prettyXhateXmachine]

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a book on the Egyptian Goddess Bast (sometimes spelled "Batet"). All the books that I've come across have but a few paragraphs on the Goddess.  

[SlaineWildfire]

According to the site The Crooked Heath, the Farrar's are author's to avoid.

Just fyi: This site is recommended on the link list. I think more research needs to be done to confirm/deny.  

[SlaineWildfire]

prettyXhateXmachine

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a book on the Egyptian Goddess Bast (sometimes spelled "Batet"). All the books that I've come across have but a few paragraphs on the Goddess.

It's occasionally spelled Bastet, yes, but this is a bastardization of Her name.

And the reason why you'll only find snippets of Her in books is because there really isn't much written about Her. The best place to find information is at this website:
http://www.per-bast.org

It'll teach you all you need to know.  

[Yukinoko87]

I just wanted to say that while I hate Revnwolf, I think reading her material can be an enlightening experience into the mind of our younger croud. Once educated you can actually pick apart her books rather easily and thusly you know how to pick apart a fluffies argument. So there ya go, a piece of crap but very enlightening if you let it be.  

[Tsuzuki]

Anything by Peter J. Carroll (chaos magic)

Postmodern Magic, by Patrick Dunn (basic)

Pagan Anger Magic, by Tammy Sullivan (for a wiccan audience, but I would class it as basic)

The Great Secret, by Elipas Levi - This should be read by every single fluffy on the face of the earth. He was an accomplished occultist and a devout Catholic at the same time, and his work influenced just about every modern occult society in the western world. Even Wicca can trace its history back to this Catholic occultist.  

[TeaDidikai]

Keistera

I'm not a fan of Buckland. I read "Scottish Witchcraft", and it came out like a fantasy novel. He does have some interesting little tidbits that may be useful to some, but I'd suggest being careful with his work.

Buckland's ego isn't my main problem. His raceism is. For some reason it keeps slipping his mind that the Rroma live in the 21st century and wear jeans and tshirts and live in apartments just like everyone else. That and he pulls a lot out of his arse and calls it historical. Pictish alphabet would be the number one on my list (see Buckland's big blue book of bull) and the idea that he brought witchcraft to America- I would love to have Tituba's opinion on that and I would also like to ask some of my long dead ancestors who brought witchcraft to Europe, because I can tell you now it wasn't Gardner.

AdelaMae

In addition to the glaring inaccuracies, I didn't see how whole sections of the book even related to the topic at hand. Buckland concedes that very few of the people burned as witches during the "Burning Times" were actually practitioners of Wicca, but then spends dozens of pages describing the witch trials (and especially the specific ways in which "witches" were tortured, with illustrations), using the confessions of these "witches" as evidence of the way in which Wicca was actually practiced! He then continues to refer to the "Burning Times" throughout the book as an era of widespread Wiccan martyrdom, even though, as he admitted previously, most of those killed *were not Wiccan*, or even witches for that matter!

He concludes the book with a chapter on "Witches and Fairies," making the rather lame claim that "many people associate witches with fairies" and going on to talk about the nature of fairies as if that was enough to relate them to the history of witchcraft.

See above. Of note- they not Wiccan- Wicca wasn't around then! I really wish some self respecting Rroma would tell him in person where he could step off.

SlaineWildfire

According to the site The Crooked Heath, the Farrar's are author's to avoid.

Just fyi: This site is recommended on the link list. I think more research needs to be done to confirm/deny.

I find the Farrar's to be okay authors. A little too black and white for my taste, but at least they do their homework. I wouldn't suggest someone base their belief structure on their books, but I wouldn't use their books for TP in the woods either.

Now, I like Telesco. She's had some stinkers- but her Magick 101, while on the surface is a little fluffy, it has more good to it than bad in my opinion, and I think it is a good start for teens. The info is easy to understand without being totally asinine.

Now, fiction. Disc World! Great humor, and while the rest of us know that I drive a car and not a broom, the Good sense the characters have is wonderful.

My pointy hat is off to you Granny!

Peace and Tea, Tea and Peace

~Tea  

[TeaDidikai]

Drats!

I forgot one of my favorite authors. Yasmine Galenorn. Great author. Grounded, honest. She tells you what parts of the stuff she writes are of her own creation and explains subjects well without talking down to her readers. And she gets that magick in not the answer to everything! So refreshing.

Crafting the Body Divine (Body Modification and spirituality)

Dancing with the Sun (The Sabbats and other holidays along with some mellow coming of age rituals)

Embracing the Moon (Magick 102 in my opinion. She has some great recipes as well!)

Sexual Ecstacy and the Divine (Nice take on sex magick drawing from a number of perspectives)  

[Amber Ocean]

TeaDidikai

Drats!

I forgot one of my favorite authors. Yasmine Galenorn. Great author. Grounded, honest. She tells you what parts of the stuff she writes are of her own creation and explains subjects well without talking down to her readers. And she gets that magick in not the answer to everything! So refreshing.

Crafting the Body Divine (Body Modification and spirituality)

Dancing with the Sun (The Sabbats and other holidays along with some mellow coming of age rituals)

Embracing the Moon (Magick 102 in my opinion. She has some great recipes as well!)

Sexual Ecstacy and the Divine (Nice take on sex magick drawing from a number of perspectives)

I've got two or three of her books.

I absolutely love the style of her writing. Wow. It's amazing... ^.^  

[Drucillia]

*poses question* Um, for novels (fiction and all...) what about the sweep series? I know that, obviously, most of it is not even remotely real- but some things I have found uncanny...and I think Cate Tierman did her research... stare But that is just my opinion.