149 lines
7.8 KiB
Plaintext
149 lines
7.8 KiB
Plaintext
TALESPINNER'S NEOPAGAN READING LIST
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by J. Brad ("Talespinner") Hicks
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THE BEST FIVE:
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(Read these five first, they are by themselves the best possible intro-
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duction to Neopagan Witchcraft and practical magic that I've found any-
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where.)
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Starhawk, _The_Spiral_Dance_. (San Francisco: Harper & Rowe, 1979).
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Paperback, $10.95
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This is the essential first book for a new witch, Neopagan or other-
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wise. In fact, many new covens have been formed with no other sources
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than this book. Starhawk details the myths, legends, and magic of the
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Craft in a beautifully elegant, easy-to-read way. Often found in book-
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stores on the "Women's Studies" shelf, Starhawk's vision of the Craft
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emphasizes the Goddess as the source of inspiration, with secondary
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emphasis on the Horned God. Perhaps a bit too Feminist, but still the
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best introduction yet.
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Margot Adler, _Drawing_Down_the_Moon_. (Boston: Beacon Press, 1979).
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Paperback, $9.50
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Although it is now 7 years out-of-date, this is still the best his-
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tory of the modern, Neopagan Craft that has been published yet. In-
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cludes many valuable interviews with some of the people who gave shape
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to the Craft as we know it. While the book does include some instruc-
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tion in magic, its primary thrust is philosophy and history. Keep an
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eye out--there's an updated second edition due out some time in late
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1986.
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Marion Weinstein, _Positive_Magic_. (Surrey, B.C.: Phoenix Publishing,
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revised 1981). Paperback, $8.95
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I see-saw between this book and the next one for 3rd and 4th place.
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Both are good, detailed texts on magic and spell-casting. At the
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moment, I recommend _Positive Magic_ first for the following reasons:
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1) it is more practical, teaching actual techniques before tackling
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theoretical justifications, and 2) the language is a bit easier to fol-
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low for non-scientists. The topics covered include the karmic effects
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of magic, astrology, divination with tarot cards and the I'Ching, and
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general spell-casting. Its strongest point is the section on tarot,
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which is the best I've seen yet. Its weakest point (in my opinion) is
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that it under-emphasizes poetry and ritual.
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P.E.I. Bonewits, _Real_Magic_. (Berkeley: Creative Arts Publishing,
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revised 1979). Paperback, $8.95
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This is the other "best" book on magic. It covers a much wider
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variety of topics, including ritual, psychic self-defense, and many
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other psychic phenomena. Isaac's approach is scientific and rational,
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not "religious," and his language is often more that of a scholar than
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a witch, but this is nevertheless an essential book for any student of
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magic. WARNING: Make sure that you get the second edition (1979) or
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later, as the 1971 edition includes much material that is misleading,
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extraneous, and sometimes just plain false--the 1979 edition was
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heavily edited.
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Scott Cunningham, _Earth_Power_. (St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1983).
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Paperback, $6.95
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A good, reliable volume of spells and charms, compiled from the Fam-
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ily Traditions and other witchcraft sources. The magic in this book
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consists entirely of what scholars call "Low Magic"--the magic of vil-
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lage herballists, midwives, and healers--and as such, it is very prac-
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tical, simple, and unpretentious. Missing is much of the ceremony of
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Neopagan Witchcraft; in its place, a huge vocabulary of magic that can
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be used easily and quickly, regardless of where you are and what you
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have for tools.
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THE BEST OF THE REST:
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(Once you have a good background, from the previous five books, you
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will find the following all make good reference books, worth having on
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your shelf.)
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Stewart Farrar, _What_Witches_Do_. (Custer, WA: Phoenix Publishing,
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revised 1983). Paperback, $8.95
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This book is so good that it ALMOST made it into the top five, dis-
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placing _Earth Magic_. When its first edition came out in 1971, it was
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the only book on modern Witchcraft that was written for outsiders. It
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is surprisingly well-written, and very thorough. Its only serious
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problem is that it is very specifically Alexandrian Witchcraft (named
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after Alex Sanders, its first High Priest), and some of it doesn't
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generalize well. Nevertheless, it has the best-written chapter on
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initiation, among other things, that I've seen yet.
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Herman Slater (ed.), _A_Book_of_Pagan_Rituals_. (York Beach, ME: Samuel
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Weiser, 1978). Paperback, $8.95
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This is the complete Book of Shadows of a Neopagan tradition called
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The Pagan Way. It includes complete, very well-written rituals for all
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eight of the High Holidays (both solo and group ritual), plus a mixed
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bag of rituals for healing, trance work, and so forth. Requires some
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basic knowledge of the Craft and its symbolism, so its not for begin-
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ners, but it is definitely useful to any worthwhile fully-initiated
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witch.
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Ellen Cannon Reed, _The_Witches'_Qabala_. (St. Paul: Llewellyn
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Publications, 1985). Paperback, $7.95
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So far, only Book 1, "The Goddess and the Tree" has been published,
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but it's already the best book on the Qabala that I've seen yet, and
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the only one I would recommend to a new Neopagan Witch. The Qabala and
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its commentary to date contain a lot of sexist material, reflecting
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their Judeao-Christian origins. Ellen Reed strips all of that away,
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but in a way that is truer to the Qabala's origins and meaning than was
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the offensive material. Where she changes the traditional attribu-
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tions, she documents it, and includes the traditional ones as well.
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This book is almost a "must-read."
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Jack Schwarz, _Voluntary_Controls_. (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1978).
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Paperback, $7.95
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Jack Schwarz is NOT a witch, but don't let that stop you from
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profiting from the single clearest, most practical book on kundalini-
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style meditation that has been published in the West. If you are
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having trouble meditating, or wish to do serious trance work, turn to
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this book first.
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Camden Benares, _ZEN_Without_Zen_Masters_. (Phoenix: Falcon Press, 1977).
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Paperback, $6.95
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Out of print for almost 7 years, I am VERY happy to be able to
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recommend it again. This book is, among other things, proof that there
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is more to the Discordian branch of Neopaganism than just practical
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jokes. It is also the best practical book on Zen for the western world
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that I have seen yet. All of the best zen koans, including these, are
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also humorous (and therefore memorable). The book also includes MANY
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valuable exercises. As Robert Anton Wilson (see below) says in the
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Commentary at the beginning, "If you don't laugh at all, you've missed
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the point. If you only laugh, you've missed your chance for Illumina-
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tion."
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Robert Anton Wilson, _Cosmic_Trigger:_The_Final_Secret_of_the_Illuminati_.
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(New York: Pocket Books, 1977). Paperback, $3.95
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In this autobiographical work, Wilson details his initiation into
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and experience with almost every form of shamanic magick that is still
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practiced today, and draws some very surprising conclusions. Strongest
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point: this is a fantastic synthesis of magick, psychology, and
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physics. Weakest point: its central theme--that all of the great
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mystical societies and movements in history have been in contact with
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aliens from Sirius--is not taken seriously by Wilson (no matter how
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serious he seem sin this book), and should not be taken seriously by
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the reader.
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