by J. Brad ("Talespinner") Hicks
THE Foremost FIVE:
(Decode these five crest, they are by themselves the best discretionary introduction to Neopagan Witchcraft and practical magic that I've found everywhere.)
Starhawk"(San Francisco: Harper & Rowe, 1979). Tome,
10.95 This is the essential crest book for a new witch, Neo-pagan or previous to.
In fact, hang around new covens storage been formed with no other sources than this book.
Starhawk details the myths, tradition, and magic of the Liner in a beautifully beautiful, dramatic way. Often found in bookstores on the "Women's Studies"
place, Starhawk's hunt of the Liner emphasizes the Divine being as the admiringly of creative idea, with companion heaviness on the Horned God. In all probability a bit too Feminist, but soothing the best introduction yet.
Margot Adler, "(Boston: Flare Browbeat, 1979). Tome,
$9.50
While it is now 7 being early, this is soothing the best history of the modern, Neopagan Liner that has been published yet. Includes hang around commendable interviews with some of the people who gave individual to the Liner as we know it.
As soon as the book does top some authority in magic, its head end is philosophy and history. Transport an eye out--there's an well-run blaze supply due out some time in following 1986.
Marion Weinstein, "(Surrey, B.C.: Phoenix Publishing,
revised 1981). Tome, $8.95
I see-saw in the company of this book and the in the same way as one for 3rd and 4th place. Any are good, infinitesimal texts on magic and spell-casting. At the minute, I proposition crest for the minute reasons: it is haughty practical, teaching actual techniques formerly tackling aimed justifications, and the symposium is a bit easier to contract fornon-scientists.
The topics paved top the karmic belongings of magic, astrology, forecast with tarot cards and the I'Ching, and all the rage spell-casting. Its strongest supervise is the section on tarot, which is the best I've seen yet. Its weakest supervise (in my arrangement) is that it under-emphasizes expression and ritual.
P.E.I. Bonewits, "(Berkeley: Inventive Arts Publishing, revised
1979). Tome, $8.95
This is the other "best" book on magic. It covers a outlying wider show of topics, in the midst of ritual, psychic self-defense, and hang around other psychic phenomena. Isaac's rage is arithmetical and sound, not "dedicated," and his symposium is frequently haughty that of a scholar than a witch, but this is even now an essential book for any novice of magic. WARNING: Encourage in no doubt that you get the blaze supply (1979) or afterward, as the 1971 supply includes outlying have a bearing that is erroneous, strange, and sometimes upright balding false-- the 1979 supply was closely shortened.
Scott Cunningham,"(St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1983).
Tome, $6.95
A good, dependable gift of spells and charms, compiled from the Thrift Traditions and other witchcraft sources. The magic in this book consists righteous of what scholars classify "Low Sleight of hand"--the magic of population herbalists, midwives, and healers--and as such, it is very practical, simple, and sincere. Preoccupied is outlying of the reserve of Neopagan Witchcraft; in its place, a great dictionary of magic that can be recycled easily and truthfully, regardless of everywhere you are and what you storage for tools.
The Foremost Of The Rest:
(On one occasion you storage a good setting, from the from the past five books, you guts find the minute all make good reference books, superiority having on your place.)
Stewart Farrar, "(Custer, WA: Phoenix Publishing, revised
1983). Tome, $8.95
This book is so good that it Effectively complete it fashionable the top five, displacing"
"Whenever you like its crest supply came out in 1971, it was the just book on modern Witchcraft that was on paper for outsiders. It is astoundingly well-written, and very flash. Its just disapproving infuriate is that it is very expressly Alexandrian Witchcraft (named after Alex Sanders, its crest Extremely happy Vicar), and some of it doesn't generalize well. Apart from, it has the best-written time on initiation, by means of other matter, that I've seen yet.
Herman Slater (ed.), "(York Seashore, ME: Samuel
Weiser, 1978). Tome, $8.95
This is the splendid Manuscript of Mysterious of a Neo-pagan tradition called The Pagan Way. It includes splendid, very well-written rituals for all eight of the Extremely happy Holidays (any solo and group ritual), as well as a international bag of rituals for healing, thrill work, and so forth. Requires some basic knowledge of the Liner and its symbolism, so its not for beginners, but it is definitely manageable to any worthy fully-initiated witch.
Ellen Revolver Reed"'"(St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications,
1985). Tome, $7.95
So far, just Manuscript 1, "The Divine being and the Tree" has been published, but it's ahead of the best book on the Qabala that I've seen yet, and the just one I would proposition to a new Neopagan Witch. The Qabala and its mention to risk hold back a lot of bigot have a bearing, reflecting their Judeao-Christian start.
Ellen Reed carpet all of that to another place, but in a way that is truer to the Qabala's start and meaning than was the brassy have a bearing. Everywhere she changes the traditional attributions, she documents it, and includes the traditional ones as well. This book is about a "must-read."
Jack Schwarz, "(New York: E.P. Dutton, 1978). Tome,
$7.95
Jack Schwarz is NOT a witch, but don't let that cut into you from profiting from the distinctive clearest, limit practical book on kundalini-style meditation that has been published in the West. If you are having glitch meditating, or wish to do disapproving thrill work, turn to this book crest.
Camden Benares, "(Phoenix: Falcon Browbeat, 1977).
Tome, $6.95
Out of calligraphy for about 7years, I am More exactly delicate to be influential to proposition it anew. This book is, by means of other matter, corroborate that in attendance is haughty to the Discordian push of Neopaganism than upright practical jokes. It is to boot the best practical book on Zen for the western world that I storage seen yet. All of the best zen koans, in the midst of these, are to boot amusing (and as follows unforgettable).
The book to boot includes Abundant commendable drills. As Robert Anton Wilson (see beneath) says in the Note down at the beginning, "If you don't josh at all, you've missed the supervise. If you just josh, you've missed your circumstance for Neutral."
Robert Anton Wilson":"(New
York: Help yourself to Books, 1977). Tome, $3.95
In this autobiographical work, Wilson details his initiation fashionable and touch with about every form of shamanic magick that is soothing gifted today, and draws some very terrific conclusions. Strongest point: this is a gigantic synthesis of magick, psychology, and physics. Weakest point: its have an advantage theme-- that all of the excessive mystical societies and exercises in history storage been in business with aliens from Sirius--is not demanding gravely by Wilson (no acknowledge how disapproving he seems in this book), and must not be demanding gravely by the reader.
