Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions
Joyce Higginbotham - 2002
Based on a course in Paganism that the authors have taught for more than a decade, it is full of exercises, meditations, and discussion questions for group or individual study.This book presents the basic fundamentals of Paganism. It explores what Pagans are like; how the Pagan sacred year is arranged; what Pagans do in ritual; what magick is; and what Pagans believe about God, worship, human nature, and ethics.For those who are exploring their own spirituality, or who want a good book to give to non-Pagan family and friends A hands-on learning tool with magickal workings, meditations, discussion questions, and journal exercises Offers in-depth discussion of ethics and magick
The Goddess is in the Details: Wisdom for the Everyday Witch
Deborah Blake - 2009
Being a Witch isn't limited to casting a spell under the full moon or consecrating a ritual circle. Whether you're calling the Goddess or doing the dishes, your wonderfully witchy ways are woven into everything you do.With her signature down-to-earth wisdom and warmth, Deborah Blake takes you into the heart of what it means to be a Witch all day, every day. Filled to the brim with practical suggestions, Pagan and Wicca spells, and helpful advice, this essential book brings to light all facets of a modern Witch's life: The seven core beliefs of Witches, mindful eating and health, creating sacred space at home, relationships with non-Pagans, sex and the single Witch, raising Pagan children, solitary and coven practice, Pagan ritual, and green living.Praise: Deborah Blake has created a practical method of weaving the spiritual into the daily chores of the mundane world in which we must live.--Edain McCoy, author of Advanced Witchcraft and If You Want to Be a Witch
A Druid's Herbal for the Sacred Earth Year
Ellen Evert Hopman - 1994
A Druid’s Herbal shows the reader how to use herbs when creating rituals to celebrate festivals and significant life passages such as births, house blessings, weddings, funerals, and naming ceremonies. Drawing on extensive research and a deep personal experience with Pagan traditions, Ellen Evert Hopman explores the history and folklore surrounding the eight major Celtic festivals: Samhain, Winter Solstice, Imbolc, Spring Equinox, Beltaine, Summer Solstice, Lugnasad, and Fall Equinox. Included in each discussion are complete instructions on the medicinal and magical uses of the herbs associated with each celebration. Using these Celtic traditions as examples, the author suggests ways to incorporate the symbolic and magical power of herbs into personal rituals that honor all phases of life from childbirth to last rites. Also included are chapters on how to prepare herbal tinctures, salves, and poultices; herbs used by the Druids; herbal alchemy and the planets; and the relationships between herbs and sacred places. Filled with practical information and imaginative suggestions for using herbs for healing, ceremony, and magic, this book is an indispensable and comprehensive guide to age-old herbal practices. A master herbalist, psychotherapist, and lay homeopath, Ellen Hopman is the author of Tree Medicine, Tree Magic and the video Gifts of the Healing Earth, and co-author of People of the Earth: The New Pagans.
Yule: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Winter Solstice
Susan Pesznecker - 2015
It includes hands-on information for modern celebrations, spells and divination, recipes and crafts, invocations and prayers, and more!Yule—also known as Midwinter—is when nighttime has reached its maximum length, but there is a promise of brighter days to come as candles are lit and feasts are enjoyed. This guide to the history and modern celebration of Yule shows you how to perform rituals and magic to celebrate and work with the energy of the winter solstice.
Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom
Erynn Rowan Laurie - 2007
Rather than working from the commonly known tree alphabet paradigm, Erynn Rowan Laurie takes us back to the roots of each letter's name, exploring its meanings in the context of Gaelic language and culture. Like the Norse runes, each letter is associated with an object or a concept -- "sulfur," "a bar of metal," "terror." These letters are deeply enmeshed in a web of meaning both cultural and spiritual, lending power and weight to their symbolism. With two decades of experience with the ogam and over thirty years of working with divination, Erynn offers insights into the many profound meanings hidden in the ogam letters and their lore. She explains each letter in context and shows how to expand the system in new and innovative ways while acknowledging and maintaining respect for ogam's traditional language and culture. In this book, you will find ways to use the ogam for divination, ideas on incorporating ogam into ritual, discussions of how ogam relates to Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism, and instructions for creating your own set of ogam feda or letters for your personal use.
A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook
Janet Farrar - 1987
This collection includes two books in one volume, Eight Sabbats for Witches and The Witches' Way and is the most comprehensive and revealing work on the principles, rituals and beliefs of modern witchcraft.
Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life
Pauline Campanelli - 1988
Just look at a few of the things shared in this gentle, loving book:For December: The Magic of Mistletoe; The Ritual Burning of the Yule Log; Magical Uses of Ashes from the Yule Fire; A Ritual for Cutting Sacred Fir; The Pagan Symbolism of Santa Claus. For March: Nine Magical Woods for the Beltane Fire; Psychic Skills for Working Magic; Making and Using the Magic (Black) Mirror; Telepathy; The Ouija Board; A Ritual for Opening the Heart Chakra. For May: Seeing Faeries; A May Wine Ritual; Symbolism of the Maypole; Sacred Marriages; Hawthorn Protection Amulet. For August: Celebration of the Grain Harvest; Ritual for Baking Sacred Bread; Making an Onion Charm; Magical Symbolism of Garlic; Natural Dyes and Inks. For October: Apple Traditions; A Hazelnut Charm; The Man in Black; Ritual Costuming and Mask Making; Divination for Samhain. This is only a small amount of the lore and a few of the many activities you will learn for each of these five months, in Wheel of the Year. The other seven months of the year are covered in depth, too, and each chapter has beautiful illustrations by Dan Campanelli.Whether you live in a city, suburb, or farm and whether you live by yourself, with a partner, or with a family, Wheel of the Year will reintroduce you to the magic that is all around you.
Beltane: Springtime Rituals, Lore & Celebration
Raven Grimassi - 2001
In the only book written solely on this ancient Pagan festival, you'll explore the evolution of the May Pole and various folklore characters connected to May Day celebrations. Raven Grimassi reveals the history behind the revelry, and shows you how to welcome this sacred season of fertility, growth, and gain with: -May Day magick and divination: Beltane spells to attract money, success, love, and serenity; scrying with a bowl or glass -Beltane goodies: Quick May Wine, Bacchus Pudding, May Serpent Cake, May Wreath Cake -Seasonal crafts: Maypole centerpiece, May wreath and garland, pentacle hair braids, May Day basket -Springtime rituals and traditions: the Maypole dance, May doll, the Mummer's Play, Beltane fires, May King and Queen -Myths, fairy and flower lore: Green Man, Jack-in-the-Green, Dusio, Hobby Horse; elves, trolls and fairies; spring flowers and their correspondences This well-researched book corrects many of the common misconceptions associated with May Day, and will help you appreciate the spirituality and connection to Nature that are intimate elements of May Day Celebrations. Welcome the season of fertility, flowers, and fairies with Beltane: Springtime Rituals, Lore & Celebration.
Horns of Power: Manifestations of the Horned God
Sorita d'Este - 2008
Our ancestors often envisaged their gods as anthropomorphic beings who encapsulated this wild essence. Today the gods of the bull, the ram, the goat and the stag still hold tremendous power and are invoked at rituals by a new priesthood who continue to seek the wildness of nature and the inspiration that it holds. These deities transcend the safe and known boundaries of human structure, sometimes even luring us across the threshold of the known into the unknown worlds beyond. This unique anthology brings together the work of more than twenty people, including that of dedicated scholars and modern day mystics. Through their written and artistic contributions they illustrate some of the many manifestations of the Horned God. A true cornucopia of both insightful and well researched essays takes us from the well known Celtic Cernunnos and the legend of Herne the Hunter, to the goat-footed Greek Pan, the lesser known Slavic Veles and Egyptian Khnum. Horned serpents, unicorns, the tale of the Battle of the Bulls in the Irish Tain Bo Cuailnge, the Welsh Gwyn Ap Nudd and the faery Puck are all also considered. Then a wild hunt as we journey with the mystics who share their own experiences of the gods of the wildwood and untamed beasts. Each story is as different as the person who experienced it - and each illustrating in its own unique way a Horned God who is wild, unpredictable, loving - and at heart a trickster. For those who wish to dare a bit more than others, visionary meditation journeys to explore the mysteries of Cernunnos and Gwyn Ap Nudd are included. Horns of power would of course be nothing without the horns of beauty of the feminine divine, and in the final section of this anthology the reader is presented with works exploring horned goddesses, such as the lunar horned Hekate, Selene and Artemis and the antlered Elen. Whether through the mysteries of their existence, the vast scope of their influence or the endurance of their survival through to the modern day, each contribution provides a window into the wonders and mystery of the enduring magick of the horned gods."
The Morrigan: Meeting the Great Queens
Morgan Daimler - 2014
This book is an introduction to the Morrigan and several related goddesses who share the title, including Badb and Macha. It combines solid academic information with personal experience in a way that is intended to dispel the confusion that often surrounds who this goddess was and is. The Morrigan is as active in the world today as she ever was in the past but answering her call means answering the challenge of finding her history and myth in a sea of misinformation, supposition, and hard-to-find ancient texts. Here in one place, all of her basic information has been collected along with personal experiences and advice from a long-time priestess dedicated to a goddess who bears the title Morrigan.
Halloween!
Silver RavenWolf - 1999
Honor the spirit of this hallowed harvest holiday with:Halloween magick: Prosperity Pumpkin Spell, Corn Husk Dolly, Solitary Harvest Moon Ritual Magickal goodies: Candied Love Apples, Witches' Brew, Sugar Snakes in Graveyard Dust Halloween myths and superstitions: Black cats, scarecrows, pitchforks, witches, ghosts, and haints Divination: Circle of Ashes and Stones, Magick Mirrors, Apple, Pumpkin Seed, and Water Divination Rituals to Honor the Dead: The Dumb Supper, Samhain Fire, Soul Lights, Spirit Rattles and Spirit Bowls
The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft
Rosemary Ellen Guiley - 1989
This encyclopedia aims to dispel such notions, with a comprehensive guide to witchcraft throughout history and around the world.
Avalon Within: A Sacred Journey of Myth, Mystery and Inner Wisdom
Jhenah Telyndru - 2010
Connect with the Goddesses of Avalon through guided journeys and powerful rituals. Explore Glastonbury's Sacred Landscape with eight pages of gorgeous color photographs. Develop legendary Avalonian skills--such as the Sight and the art of Glamour--to heal wounds of the soul and unlock the sacred wisdom at the core of your being.Drawing on Celtic mythology, Arthurian legend, and Druidic lore and exploring the way of the priestess as alluded to in Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon, the Avalonian path empowers women everywhere to transform their lives by seeking the Goddess and the Sovereign self within.
The Druid Magic Handbook: Ritual Magic Rooted in the Living Earth
John Michael Greer - 2008
The Druid Magic Handbook is the first manual of magical practice in Druidry, one of the fastest growing branches of the Pagan movement. The book breaks new ground, teaching Druids how to practice ritual magic for practical and spiritual goals within their own tradition. What sets The Druid Magic Handbook apart is that it does not require the reader to use a particular pantheon or set of symbols. Although it presents one drawn from Welsh Druid tradition, it also shows the reader how to adapt rites and other practices to fit the deities and symbols most meaningful to them. This cutting edge system of ritual magic can be used by Druids, Pagans, Christians, and Thelemites alike!The first manual of Druidic magical practice ever, replete with spell work and rituals.John Michael Greer is a highly respected authority on all aspects of Paganism.
Witchcraft: Theory and Practice
Lore de Angeles - 2000
With more than three decades of experience she has learned how to bring the teachings alive, combining modern with ancient, so you can better understand the true potential and depth of Witchcraft.Within the pages of this book you will find the secrets and techniques to become a Witch. These can be divided into three categories: philosophical disciplines, spiritual beliefs, and practical techniques. Each part gets a focus in this book.In the first section, you will:Learn meditation and how it can be used for ritual Discover the secrets of visualization, telepathy, and personal power Use the self-analysis techniques to discover who you are and never walk in anyone's shadowIn the second section you can:Uncover the essence of the God and Goddess Discover the festivals of Witchcraft Learn how to make and use the tools of Witchcraft Understand how to do rituals, including the rite of self-initiationAnd in the final section, you'll:Practice psychic protection, shapeshifting, and banishing Master astral projection Learn to interpret omens This really just barely covers some of the information you will find revealed in these pages. Written in a style that is clear and concise, this book will add to your knowledge of Witchcraft. Whether you are new to the Craft or have been practicing for some time, Witchcraft: Theory and Practice will impart wisdom that will fascinate and entice. You will be using this book for many years to come.