Pagan Path discussion

Please post your favorite Pagan, Witchcraft, Wicca, Magic, Tarot or Herb book title. This will be the beginning of the group's book list.

My most used go-to herbal book is Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal. How-to's, recipes, and easy to navigate layout make this a household staple and one that would go with me if I ever had to evacuate in an emergency.

Solitary Witch, by Silver RavenWolf, while designed for beginners and seemingly directed toward a younger crowd, is a great reference book. Chock full of lists, correspondences, history, and information from alchemy to the wheel of the year. Some detail, not a ton on any given subject, but just enough to encourage further investigation beyond these covers.

Rosemary Gladstar is awesome. I haven't read that title but will put it on my wish list!

Suzanne, I have not read her "Solitary Witch" although I do own it. I bought it for exactly the reasons you described, a great reference. Along with the "Magician's Companion" by Whitcomb and "The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft" by Guiley it makes a great compliment and contrast to my library of references and correspondences.

Because much of the information in her books is shared among her various titles, I haven't read "Solitary Witch" by Ravenwolf cover to cover, but now I will.

For those in the group that have watched the Witchy Books Video posted in the discussions, I have similar opinions of RavenWolf's work. As controversial as she is (and often mocked by Brittish Traditionalists) I believe she has a great deal to offer, if only to make you think about what you do and do not agree with in her work.

I went through her "To Ride a Silver Broomstick" carefully and methodically, studying and meditating on the writing every day for a year. I learned a great deal. Then I went on to the next, "To Stir a Magic Cauldron" but much faster, finding a lot of rehashed material but still gleaning some jewels of insight within myself.

After purchasing a half dozen or so of her books and interviewing her in Omaha, Nebraska at the Next Millennium bookstore I felt I had learned a lot from her. Much of what I learned was due to researching the facts behind her writing, and delving within to discover what parts of her work resonate with me.

Even for those who don't like her writing, it is important to learn what the younger generation is reading when they first begin their quest in the Craft. Learning the new terminology and techniques is helpful in meeting others and in helping your own practice to be alive and growing.

I've wanted to put one of her books on the Witchy Classics list, but don't know which one to choose. I know I'll get a lot of flack for adding a Ravenwolf title, but I think she has earned a place with the greats, even if we all don't feel she is that great. She made Wicca approachable to so many and helped guide a new generation of Witches and Pagans on the first steps of their paths.

I haven't read any of her other books, but I would recommend Solitary Witch for the classics list only because of it's vast amounts of info in one book, very well laid out and easily navigated, especially if you are looking for an answer to a specific question.

I think my current favorite is Progressive Witchcraft by Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone. I think my favorite thing about it is that it allows for interpretation. So many times I've picked up books about Wicca and have felt preached to by the author. I feel like there are many, even in the Pagan community, that want to tell me how to practice Wicca and this book isn't like that. It's a breath of fresh air.

I think just about anything by the Farrarrs and Bone are worth reading. Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler may not be the most entertaining read, but I believe it is one of the few must reads for anyone walking a Pagan path. It contains interviews with many of the pioneers of Neo-Paganism.

Drawing Down the Moon is definitely a must read. I'd also add Starhawk's Spiral Dance.

Excellent recommendations everyone!

These are my favourite books relating to witchcraft:

" Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life " by Shakti Gawain;
" Art & Practice of Creative Visualization " by Ophiel;
" Art and Practice of Astral Projection " by Ophiel;
" 13 Moons: A Journal of a Natural Witch " by Fiona Walker-Craven;
" Liber Noctis: The Handbook of the Sorcerous Arte " by Gary St M. Nottingham; and
" Treading the Mill: Practical CraftWorking in Modern Traditional Witchcraft " by Nigel G. Pearson.

I have posted reviews here at Goodreads if you wish to know my thoughts on each.

You can read my complete list of preferred reading for the pagan paths I have personally explored via my blog at Ancestral Gael.

Ooooh some good ones!!!