Desire to Learn

[Melissa Leoncre]

Hello, I'm Melissa and I'm very new here. I've put my name on the list for a mentor and I understand there is probably a waiting list. I've also read the list of books to read and still have no idea where to start.

I would appreciate any suggestions as to which book is best to start with. A book for someone who knows absolutely nothing about Paganism or any of the other topics here. Something basic that would give me an idea of which path is right for me.

Thanks for all your help.  

[Jishin]

Hi, Melissa! Welcome! mrgreen

Is there a particular path that intrigues you, or do you need an overview of paths? I can recommend Which Witch is Which? A Concise Guide to Wiccan and Neo-Pagan Paths and Traditions, by Patricia Telesco, as a starter for looking at various paths.  

[Melissa Leoncre]

Jishin

Hi, Melissa! Welcome! mrgreen

Is there a particular path that intrigues you, or do you need an overview of paths? I can recommend Which Witch is Which? A Concise Guide to Wiccan and Neo-Pagan Paths and Traditions, by Patricia Telesco, as a starter for looking at various paths.

Definately an overview would be welcome. I have bits and pieces of things that interest me, I just have no idea if they fall in anywhere. I figure if I can read overviews, something will click for me.

Thank you, I'll see if I can get it at my bookstore. I may have to order it or go to a bigger city. I'm hoping that as I read I will be able to ask questions.

Thanks for the welcome.  

[LadyEladrin]

You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders, Melissa. That'll help you out a lot around here. Don't be afraid to ask us questions if you can't find the answer somewhere else or are really confused about something.

Jishin: That sounds like a great book! Maybe I"ll pick up a copy too; expand my horizons a bit. ^^  

[Melissa Leoncre]

EladrinStarmist

You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders, Melissa. That'll help you out a lot around here. Don't be afraid to ask us questions if you can't find the answer somewhere else or are really confused about something.

Jishin: That sounds like a great book! Maybe I"ll pick up a copy too; expand my horizons a bit. ^^

*laughs*

I suppose being older than what I'm assuming the average age on Gais is helps immensely. Thus saying, I still have so much to learn and have no issues learning from those younger and as I've learned, quite a bit wiser than I am.

I've done the organized religion route, I'm baptized Mormon. It isn't for me. I finally admitted to myself that no 'God' would want me to belong to something that made me feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. I'm by no means saying this isn't the right path for some people, I just know it isn't for me.

I believe in reincarnation, no god or goddess or higher being or parent figure would give their child only one chance at learning in this life. I'm still not sure on who that higher power is or where it is that we go between lives, but I know there is too much to learn here to do it in one life.

I'm drawn to the water and the moon, though where this fits in I haven't a clue. I find peace in both of them. Both calm and comfort me.

My life has not been an easy one, like many others I'm sure. I'm looking for something that will help me find peace within myself.

I'm not sure that makes much sense, but I'll get reading and see where it leads me. Learning is always an adventure and I plan to make the most of this one.  

[Cerulean Crayon]

Okay, I may be able to tell you a bit. I started with Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon. Well, actually, I started-started with a Time-Life book about the medieval witch-hunts that included a short blurb about Wicca. I've been taking bits and pieces of beliefs that resonate with my own, and mixing them into the Jewish rituals that I feel comfortable with. My dad calls himself a paganistic-rasta-jew, but I just call myself...Helen.

For me, this guild is to see what other people believe, and to test those beliefs against my own. "Harm none" naturally fit, and I've worked my way around from there.  

[Kal Eldritch]

In addition to Drawing Down the Moon, I recomend Embracing the Moon by Yasmine Galenorn. If you're into wicca, pick up the Gardenarian Book of Shadows by Gerald Gardener (Hell, you can get a free pdf of that. http://www.hermetics.org/ebooks.html ). If you're into norse paganism, get the Elder Edda, translated by a couple different people xp .  

[LadyEladrin]

For other good reads, try "The Triumph of the Moon" for some excellent history.  

[Melissa Leoncre]

Thanks to all the suggestions, I'll get to them all as quickly as I can.  

[TeaDidikai]

Yasmine Galenorn's Books are awesome. She's got a good head on her shoulders.

As much of a classic as Drawing Down the Moon is- Adler's history has been contested, and in some cases- proven out and out incorrect.

I'm all for Cunningham, as long as you can put in a mental filter that reads every time you see the word "wicca" as either "my path of eclectic paganism" or "outer court Wicca"- take your pick.

Poke around and see if there are any good occult shops in the area.

If you read Buckland- take his stuff with a salt lick- his racism and historical revisionism compounded by his ego can be a hard thing to swallow.

Ravenwolf is pretty much good for evening out short legs on tables and the like. She's more annoying than Buckland because in some cases she out and out suggests children lie to their parents- and where as Buckland is guilty of racism, Ravenwolf is an anti-Christian bigot.