What Was Your First Pagan Book?

Clan of the Cave Bear by Jane Auel

Laura Tempest Zakroff (A Modern Traditional Witch) While I can think of many “young adult” books that fed my imagination and general consciousness, I read Jane Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear series at a very young age, 11 or 12 I think? Which set me off on reading a slew of “pre-history” fiction (for better or for worse), particularly ones that spoke of nature-based religion and whispers of the divine feminine.

At 14, my brother’s girlfriend introduced me to both Nick Bantock’s Griffin & Sabine series and The Mists of Avalon. The former inspired my sense of art and magick, while the latter broke into my brain telling me that Pagan beliefs weren’t exactly ancient history or that nature deities/animism weren’t exclusive to Native American belief. Which led me to Margot Adler’s Drawing Down The Moon and the wide-world of Neo-Paganism.

Humbug Witch by Lorna Balian

Spiritscraft (Star Made Witch) My first book on witchcraft was when I was just a little girl aged 3. Mommy would have to read to me over and over again the Humbug Witch about a wee little child who made potions and did spells with her black kitty Fred. We had to check it out from the library repeatedly. I was so taken with the story that I dressed up just like the girl in the book as a witch often. I had a big hat with shiny glittery cats, moons and stars on it.

Somehow the book ended up temporarily lost under the refrigerator and so my family paid for the copy I still have. The old card system was still in use and I can look at the dates we took it out from the library on the slip in the back. As I got older we located children’s witchcraft themed books for my advancing grade levels. It is great fun to see how some know even from a very young age who they are and just need to rediscover it as young adults. But you can look back and find what you have lost.