My piece on Paul Huson\u2019s Mastering Witchcraft<\/a><\/em> opened with some comments on the Huffington Post Essential Pagan<\/a><\/em> Reading list. That prompted Peg Aloi over at the Witching Hour<\/a> to ask me for my essential Pagan Reading List. I\u2019m always wary of lists like this. You\u2019ll never please everyone, and even if you try some old crank like myself will complain that you overdid it. (Which was essentially my problem with the HuffPo list since it contained 29 books.) <\/p>\n I\u2019ve divided my list up into three parts. Part one are \u201cover-view books\u201d which contain information that most of us would feel is \u201cessential\u201d to Modern Paganism. I\u2019m well aware that not all Pagans are Wiccans, but my list is heavily slanted that way since Eclectic Wicca is the predominant form of Modern Paganism. I\u2019m also a practicing Wiccan, and I\u2019ll admit to having a bias. Even people who don\u2019t like the terms \u201cWitch\u201d and \u201cWiccan\u201d have been influenced by it. This part of the list does contain a book discussing nearly every Modern Pagan tradition, so I\u2019m not totally ignoring other traditions (or saying they are less important, because they aren\u2019t). <\/p>\n The second part of my list is a bit more advanced, and could probably be looked at as my five \u201cless essential\u201d books. While Triumph of the Moon <\/em>remains an important book, I honestly don\u2019t expect everyone out there in Pagandom to read it. My wife, who is extremely intelligent, just doesn\u2019t have it in her to read history books published by Oxford Press. I suspect she\u2019s not alone; academic type reading is not for everyone, nor should it be, so consider the second five books to be for those who really love reading.<\/p>\n The third part of the list consists of classics from mostly long ago pagan days. We still build most of our rituals around ancient mythology, so what\u2019s wrong with reading some? I think a good working knowledge of the gods is an important thing, whether or not you even believe in them. Just like part two of my list, not everyone is going to have the patience to slog through all of Bullfinch<\/em>. However if you are someone who writes a lot of rituals or feels a particular affinity towards the Greek\/Roman Gods it\u2019s certainly something you should read. <\/p>\n All the links on this list will take you to Goodreads. I debated using Amazon, but if you can, you should probably support your local occult\/Pagan\/New Age Bookstore. Please leave some feedback on the list, you never know who might benefit from your book recommendations. Also, since i try to keep my posts here under 2000 words I didn\u2019t get into why some books didn\u2019t make the list. If you are curious about my choices I\u2019ll do my best to give you some insight into my thinking. <\/p>\n ESSENTIAL READING PART ONE<\/strong><\/p>\n The Spiral Dance<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Starhawk. The type of Witchcraft written about by Starhawk is not what I practice, but this book has influenced so much of Pagandom that it\u2019s impossible to ignore. Starhawk changed the game, infusing Modern Witchcraft with social activism and a deep feminist bent. Starhawk is also one of the most talented writers to ever pen a \u201chow to\u201d book. <\/p>\n Wicca: A Guide For the Solitary Practitioner<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Scott Cunningham. Most of us probably start out as solitaries, or at least do solitary work at home, as a result Wicca<\/em> has become an essential text. I know, two books in and it\u2019s all Witchcraft so far, but an essential reading list should be about books that are actually available at Barnes and Noble or your local used bookstore. I re-read Wicca<\/em> a few months ago and I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s aged well (especially the rituals), but it remains an excellent starting point.<\/p>\n Being a Pagan: Druids, Wiccans, and Witches Today<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Ellen Evert Hopman and Lawrence Bond (alternate title People of the Earth<\/em>). In my mind, BaP<\/em> is the most interesting overview of the various modern traditions that most of us think of as \u201cPagan.\u201d About the only unfortunate thing about this book is that it\u2019s destined to wind up as a \u201csnap-shot in time.\u201d In twenty years much of it will read like ancient history, but in 2012 it still provides the best overview of a variety of Pagan practices. This is also my attempt to acknowledge Asatru, Druidry, and more in this list. <\/p>\n The Witches\u2019 Goddess<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Janet and Stewart Farrar. TWG<\/em> is full of goddess lore, rituals, and history. It\u2019s not perfect, but for a perfectly acceptable look at The Lady in all of Her forms it\u2019s hard to beat. I don\u2019t think we read enough about what we worship. Ritual instruction is fine, but who exactly are we lighting those candles for? <\/p>\n The Witches\u2019 God<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Janet and Stewart Farrar. Obviously this is a companion piece to The Witches\u2019 Goddess<\/em>, and it doesn\u2019t disappoint. Very few books talk about The God in all of his myriad forms, so to find a book that does talk about Him and does so intelligently and eloquently makes it one of my essentials. <\/p>\n FIVE POSSIBLY LESS ESSENTIAL, BUT STILL VERY IMPORTANT, BOOKS<\/strong><\/p>\n Triumph of the Moon<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Ronald Hutton. Triumph<\/em> stirs strong feelings in the Pagan Community. There are many who praise Hutton\u2019s rigorous academic approach towards shedding light on our origins, and there are just as many folks who have serious reservations and disagreements with it. No matter where one stands on Triumph<\/em> it remains essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the origins of Modern Paganism. <\/p>\n Wiccan Roots: Gerald Gardner and the Modern Witchcraft Revival<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Philip Heselton. No book makes a better argument for Gerald Gardner being initiated into a coven of Witches in 1939. I\u2019m not sure Heselton \u201cproves\u201d anything in Wiccan Roots<\/em>, but he does open a door of possibility, and he opens it very wide indeed. This and Triumph<\/em> (along with Doreen Valiente\u2019s Rebirth of Witchcraft<\/em><\/a>) are among the best books written on the origins of Modern Paganism. <\/p>\n A Witches\u2019 Bible<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Janet and Stewart Farrar. I really didn\u2019t mean to make this a list about Janet and Stewart Farrar, but I just couldn\u2019t help myself. What I love most about this book are how serious the rituals are. There\u2019s real meat (or tofu) in this book, something that\u2019s often lacking in other \u201chow to\u201d volumes. When I\u2019m writing an open ritual and looking for inspiration, this is the book I turn to. It\u2019s probably a little heavy and a little too British for a lot of folks, but the ideas in it are pretty adaptable to any situation. <\/p>\n Aradia or the Gospel of the Witches<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Charles Godfrey Leyland. (Since Aradia<\/em> is in the public domain there are several different editions of it. My favorite is the revised edition<\/a> by Mario Pazzaglini which contains extra information.) Aradia<\/em> contains the legends, mythos, and folk magick of an alleged group of Italian Witches. Aradia<\/em> has a hold on the occult community since it was first published in 1899, and many of the things Modern Witches do come directly from its pages. It\u2019s not always a comfortable read, but it remains an important one.<\/p>\n Bonewits\u2019s Essential Guide to Druidism<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Issac Bonewits. Hey, I\u2019m getting away from my Wiccan bias! It\u2019s hard to be a Modern Pagan and not have some interest in Druids or Druidry. Even if you have no interest in Druids, as a topic of conversation within Pagandom it\u2019s almost impossible to escape. Bonewits writes about both ancient and modern Druids, and does so while using actual facts (something a lot of \u201cDruid Writers\u201d have trouble with). <\/p>\n MYTHOLOGIES AND\/OR OLDER AND CRUSTIER BOOKS THAT MIGHT NOT BE ALL THAT FUN TO READ, BUT STILL REMAIN ESSENTIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n Bullfinch\u2019s Mythology<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Thomas Bullfinch. When I was in junior high I read the \u201cthree volume\u201d version containing the Ages of Fable (Mostly Greek\/Roman Mythology) and Chivalry (King Arthur), along with the Legends of Charlemagne. That\u2019s still the version I suggest, but the Age of Fable<\/em> portion is probably the most important for our purposes, and remains the most well known. The Age of Fable<\/em> also contains some Hindu, Celtic, Egyptian, and Norse myths, though those collections are far from complete. Bullfinch\u2019s retellings can be a bit bland, but they remain the most well known versions of many of our most cherished myths.<\/p>\n Penguin Book of Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/strong> by Kevin Crossley-Holland. There are several books of Norse myth available, this is a pretty basic one recommended to those whose understanding of Norse Mythology comes from the movie Thor<\/em>. I\u2019d be wary of picking up a bargain book on Norse Myth, much higher likelihood of mistakes and\/or inaccurate information. In other words, make sure you pick up a collection from a reputable publisher. <\/p>\n The Mabinogion<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Lady Charlotte Guest (and others, there have been many translations over the years). I\u2019ll admit to not being a big fan of the Mabinogion. Out of all the mythology listed in this section it\u2019s the one I find the most dull (and I\u2019ll use this opportunity to fess up to my Hellenism), but \u201cCeltic\u201d (or Welsh in this case) ideas and mythology infuse a lot of Modern Paganism. Because of that, it\u2019s something people should be familiar with. <\/p>\n