Recommended Reading List

[TeaDidikai]

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... ^.^

Ooo! Oooh! Trancing the Witches Wheel and Tarot Journeys are great as well.

I know the gal personally- That is one Witch who gets the fact that we're people first, and she's not afraid to be honest about her thoughts and feelings- and she gets the difference between being honest and being an egotistical arse.  

[Kawaii Kokezaru]

[ Message temporarily off-line ]  

[StrawberryGumiho]

Kawaii Kokezaru

"LONG LIST"
Okay....

So with a few of these items, you will be well educated in the ways of Wicca. You?ll be able to start your own path, and also hold your own intellectually at any of your local pagan events

Only ecclectic Wicca and some outercourt knowledge... Not Wicca itself...  

[saint dreya]

anything by peter bellisford ellis. from what i've heard, he has been known to get a few of his dates messed up, but he's still very sound in his gatherings.

also, caitlin matthews with john matthews, celtic wisdom

john donahue (i believe), anam cara  

[WebenBanu]

I've received many requests for a book which provides a good starting point for beginners, and with this book I think I have come very close to finding it. Ironically, out of the entire book, it was the chapter on the gods Themselves which I found to be a bit lacking- not necessarily bad or wrong, but just not nearly as helpful or insightful as the rest of the book. So for now, I'd almost recommend skipping the first chapter of this book, but buying it anyway for the other four- which document quite nicely the way in which ancient Egyptian religion was applied to other areas of life, including politics, ethics, attitudes toward death, and art. I feel that this kind of framework is very useful for Kemetics- it gives us a model for living the religion, and does it in a way which is academically supported (and as an added bonus to those who want it, it is not subject to any particular modern Temple's influence- though it can be used with any of them, from what I've seen). This is the most important thing for anyone attempting the reconstruction of an ancient religion to obtain- a basic scaffolding, that's all. Here is an outline of beliefs and how they connect to the different parts of daily life, to which any further scraps of information which may be obtained from other sources may be attached- slowly filling in the spaces between these most basic and important concepts in a meaningful way. And while it's true that the political section ("The Egyptian State, Chapter 2") is probably not quite as applicable as the others, it is still very important to understand the role of the king in ancient Egyptian religion- because for those of us who perform the Daily Rite, we are in effect stepping into his shoes temporarily and acting in his name. Be sure that you get the year 2000 reprint by Dover Publications- this is an edited and corrected version of the original 1948 printing (which is now quite out of date). The book is relatively short, inexpensive, and easy to find- my copy is a paperback, 156 pages of text, 15 pages of illustrations, a very brief time table, and a 10 page index.

As you may be able to tell, in reading through this book I was getting very excited. There is so much useful information, and presented in a fashion which is meant to make the practical application of the religion easy to understand- which is very rare in an academic text, since they generally do not have reconstructionist Pagans in mind while compiling their data and their arguments. This is a continual sense of frustration to many Kemetics, as you have to piece together an understanding of the basics in Kemetic religion before you can most effectively identify which factlets from an academic text will be useful and appropriate, but you also have to use those academic texts to build this basic understanding because most non-academic texts are unreliable- unless you're already an expert in the field.^_^' It can be done- it just requires a lot of reading, and there's definitely something to be said for that. However, the purpose of this book seems to be to combat the notion of ancient Egyptian religion as a jumble of data fragments, and to seek to understand it as a real and powerful force in the daily lives of real (and at one time, living) people. This naturally makes it very useful for those who wish to understand it as a real and powerful force in the daily lives of real (and relatively modern) people.^_^

Some of the subjects covered within the book which particularly caught my attention were the importance of tradition or "eternal values" in ancient Egyptian religion, the method by which multiple approaches could be taken to a problem and all be considered appropriate, the nature of personal and impersonal relationships with the deities, a brief but informative discussion of several different parts of the body (here, the bA, kA, xAt, and Ax are treated in turn- but we're missing the shadow and the name), the role of myths in folk tales and literature, and an insightful discussion of the nature of the ever popular "Field of Reeds" as an expression of the afterlife.

I gave this book a four scribe rating mainly due to the disappointment of the first chapter. I'm currently working on another book to replace it (Hornung's Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt, which has looked wonderful so far), but if you must read Chapter One of the Interpretation, I suggest skipping the first five pages and starting at the first paragraphical indentation on page six. Otherwise, this book would have received top rating for the ease of its application to a reconstructionist effort, its easy availability, and the valuable framework it will provide for futher studies. I recommend this book to folks who already have a basic understanding of the religion, and who want clarification on some of the more complex details.

Rating: Four scribes (Great beginning book- but there are better sources than the first chapter)


Frankfort, Henri. Ancient Egyptian Religion: An Interpretation. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc., 2000.  

[WebenBanu]

Siegfried Morenz's Egyptian Religion is a tough read. The first 37 pages are frustrating and for the most part meaningless as Morenz bends over backwards trying to convince us that a magical view of the world is naive and primitive, and nothing good can ever really come of it. He also frequently cites Biblical and rabbinical teachings and uses them to illustrate his points about Egyptian religion, rather than speaking about the subject material directly. If you can make it through that first part without throwing the book out the window, though, you're in for some excellent, in-depth information. The copy I have is a paperback version, containing 257 pages of text, a 12-page directory of ntjrw (each one having only a few sentences of description), a 6-page time line (following the development of AE religion from aprox. 5,000 BCE through 640 C.E.), 72 pages of notes, a 5-page bibliography, and a 22-page Index.

This is a book you really have to work for- it's written on a relatively high academic level, and Morenz is fond of resorting to Latin terms or quoting Greek in its original alphabet. There were times when I actually pulled out my Latin grammar and attempted a translation of his terms, and there were several times when I had to use my English dictionary as well, but for the most part you can figure out his intended meaning by paying close attention to context.

If you put the effort into it, however, you'll find that the returns are well worth it. Morenz treats his subjects very thoroughly, and he treats several subjects which will be of significant interest to the modern Kemetic- some of the sections which I found most interesting were the Daily Service for the images of ntjr (temple religion- pg. 87), the celebration of festivals (public religion- pg. 88 ), a discussion of the relationship between the ntjrw and Their cult images (pp. 150-158 ), a particularly insightful treatment of syncretic deities (pp. 139-142), an example of how personal piety interlaced with "official" religious approaches to the gods (in this case, Amn- pp. 104-106), and a relatively lengthy discussion of the nature of ma'at (pp. 113-126). Morenz ends his book with a section describing foreign influences on Egyptian religion, and Egyptian influences on foreign religion- most notably on Judaism, and through that religion, Christianity. It can be an interesting section if you're looking for a little common ground to share with those religions, which is a very practical attitude to take since we tend to be surrounded by them.^_~

As an aside, it would seem that at least one of the more fanatical Christian groups was even more annoyed with Morenz's comparisons between Egyptian theology and Judeo-Christian theology at the end of the book, as I was with the extensive quoting of non-Egyptian material at the beginning of the book. One of the websites I visited while looking for an image of this book's cover was particularly taken back by Morenz's comparison between the Christian Trinity and the Triad of Khpra, Ra, and Atm, and accused him of being a "flaming Modernist who doesn't even believe in the bible." ^_^' To me, there's something rather amusing about describing a man who has dedicated his life to studying ancient civilization as a "flaming Modernist."

I gave this book a four scribe rating mainly due to the difficulty of its reading level, and those short sections at the front and back of the book where he tends to wander off topic into comparative religion. Otherwise, this book would have received top rating for the excellent quality of Morenz's reasoning, attention to detail, and documentation. I recommend this book to folks who already have a basic understanding of the religion, and who want clarification on some of the more complex details.

Rating: Four scribes (A difficult read, and not really for the novice- but well worth the effort)


Morenz, Siegfried. Egyptian Religion. Trans. Ann E. Keep. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1973.  

[WebenBanu]

This is, without a doubt, one of the best books on ancient Egyptian magic that I have read thus far. The paperback version has 249 pages of text covering subjects as diverse as the traditional definition of magic and how/whether that applies to what the ancient Egyptians called "heka," who practiced magic, how they did it, how magical practices were viewed by AE society, and even what happened to the practice of heka throughout the various stages of Egypt's history. More interesting to the modern Kemetic, perhaps, are the two sections and eight chapters devoted entirely to the significance of various different ritual actions commonly found in the practice of heka.

There are a few nice pictures, but the main asset to this book is the extensive collection of footnotes- the footnotes are sometimes more interesting than the text itself, and they often take up 1/2 to 2/3 of the page. I've found both the notes and the main text have a relatively high incidence of rare mythological/magical information, and yet it maintains a strong enough academic standard for me to trust it as a source. There are also about 55 pages of cited works in the bibliography. The book restricts itself nicely to documented cases, and gives fascinating descriptions of actual sites where the relics of ancient rituals have been found. The author frequently quotes from ancient texts, and does a very good job- in my opinion- of allowing those texts to teach us about heka themselves, rather than trying to force them to confirm some hidden political or metaphysical agenda.

On the other hand, I wish the book had a more extensive index- there's a lot of information in there, and sometimes I want to look up a quote or a concept, and I can't remember where it was nor can I find it in the index. The author clearly tried to provide an index- since two versions are offered- but neither of them is more than 7 pages long. Compared to 249 pages of text, and 55 pages of works cited, that's not much.

I'd recommend this book strongly to anyone with an interest in heka, of course. It may also be of interest to folks with a strong, but more general, interest in AE religion- since religion and heka are so closely integrated in Kemetic religious traditions. Most of our sacred stories are magical in origin, and are therefore reflected in or reflected by AE spells. However, it is a long book, so those who want to find a quick summary would be better served elsewhere.

Rating: Five scribes (Hunt this book down, if you have to- it's worth the search)


Ritner, Robert. The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 1993.  

[Lila Malvae]

For religious fiction, might I suggest Lynn V. Andrews? She has a few books out, one of which I own. The Woman of Wyrrd: The Arousal of the Inner Fire is a book about past-life regression, initiation, life, compassion, and confrontation with death. It talks about restoring your power and potential as a woman to find a life without fear. It's a great read, even for the menfolk.  

[iRTsuki]

Here is a book of stories collected from various pagans what is just good to read just because. Its called Cakes And Ale For The Pagan Soul: Spells, Recipes, And Reflections From Neopagan Elders and Teachers. That being said there is one chapter in here that doesnt quite fit with the rest of the book (its about 4 pages) but the overall appeal is great and i highly recomend it to anyone. heart  

[Keistera]

Banu, thanks for posting those (two months later). I'll see if my library has them when I make it through the stuff I currently have. 3nodding  

[Lila Malvae]

A decent book on Faery folklore I have found is A Witch's Guide to Faery Folk by Edain McCoy. It includes some interesting meditation techniques, correlations with faeries and deities, and a comprehensive faery dictionary of 230 faeries. The dictionary format is something like this:
[Name of Faery]
Land of Origin:
Other Origins:
Other Names:
Element:
Appearance and Temperament:
Time Most Active:
Lore:
Where to Find Them:
How to Contact:
Magical and Ritual Help:

While I personally have a quarrel with some of McCoy's listings and meditations, I think it is a great start for anyone interested in faery folklore.

Also, Druid Magic by Maya Magee Sutton, Ph.D and Nicholas Mann and Druid Priestess by Emma Restall Orr are great books to check out. I also have a quarrel with some of the accuracy presented in Druid Magic, however, it gave me a great start. I continue to referrence Druid Priestess primarily because it is a great resource for seasonal practices and themes.

Again, for novels, I've found a very inspiring book called The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea. It's great. I've read it so much and so often that my copy is in very poor shape. I need another copy.  

[Salahare]

eek Oh dear... All Ravenwolf's books... Unfortunately, they make up the bulk of what is available on non-fiction wicca at my local library, and I have read them all. Buckland, I have read as well, so I guess all is not lost. sweatdrop Looks like I'm off hunting again!

On a book I found: The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes. It is a very good collection of spells that are not truly intended for use, but placed inside for the simple point of knowing they are there. The disclaimer: "Any reader uses the spells entirely at their own risk and the author and publisher accept no liability if the spells do not have their desired affect or if adverse effects are caused."

After looking through it myself, I have found that most of the spells listed should never be used, but the fact that they are there is enough to let you be weary of them. It is 1108 pages long, including the index, glossary, and appendices.  

[saint dreya]

A History of Pagan Europe
by Nigel Pennick and Prudence Jones

The Idiot's Guide to Paganism
by Carl McColman

the second is a little...well, too focused on the four elements for my taste. also, there are some things that perhaps a beginner wouldn't know weren't exactly true unless they had some experience with paganism, and for those with experience with paganism, it's a bit redundant. but still worth the time and effort...fairly quick read.  

[queertastrophy]

I bought a book by Buckland, and I'm more than likely going to return it. It's that "Witch Encyclopedia" one...stupid, stupid me. *bangs head on desk* I was hoping for more Norse/Germanic entries, and less...I don't know...Wicca. That's mostly what the book is--Wiccan tools, Wiccan altar items, Wiccan yadda yadda yadda. Not what I wanted.

Not to mention his use of the dreaded G-word, right in the first few pages to describe his own heritage. Goodness. And then the entry in the book about himself.

Welp, I've learned my lesson. I should learn to take a bit more time in my book shopping. ninja  

[natas_kitty420]

For the suggested reading, I think The Craft by Dorothy Morrison is pretty good.

I also like Grimoire for the Green Witch by Ann Moura. The coolest thing about it is the activity suggestions for the Sabbats... I found that very cool. And there are several different suggestions for casting a circle in that book, which I found helpful.

And in fiction, I really do think the Sweep Series should be on it. Even though a lot of that stuff could never, ever happen, I still thought they were good books, on the entertainment side.