Book Recs: Magic, Wicca, and Witches

Today a friend of mine asked me for book recommendations on Wicca and the like – she said she has always been curious and interested in learned about the subject, and wanted to try to get into it. Of course this thrilled me and I decided to spend ten hours making a list because one, I love giving book recommendations, and two, I am myself deeply interested in Wicca, magic, witchcraft, and so on. When the movie ‘The Craft’ came out, I was nine years old. I instantly fell in love with the idea of witches and magic, and that interest has never left me. My friends and I would buy candles and binders to make our own Book of Shadows. We chose elements and researched spells and potions. What was the allure of witchcraft to a girl in elementary school? Was it the idea of having a coven – a close-knit group of people with whom you could trust your lives, secrets, and souls? Was it the preparation – the process of gathering materials, ingredients, writing down charms, memorizing chants? Was it the connection to nature – feeling and knowing and understanding the sun and moon, plants, animals, the earth? Or was it striving to harness the forces of the universe – the power to channel one’s own energy and the energy of the world, attempting to affect the outcome of some event? I don’t think I thought about witchcraft in this clear way when I was younger, but the themes have become more coherent to me over the years. I realize now that it was all of these things that drew me in, and if one simplifies them further, they can be applied to pretty much any religion or philosophy. Community, Ritual, Action, Oneness. All of this, in my opinion, can be boiled down even further into a single concept: Connection. If I believe in nothing else in this world, I can say that I believe that everything is always connected.

To give a disclaimer – I am not a practicing Wiccan (or a practicing anything, for that matter!), nor am I a certified authority on these subjects. True, I have read and researched and experienced a lot, but the recommendations and comments that follow are simply my opinions, and if I offend anyone, sorry about that! It’s not intentional. The list is by no means exhaustive – it is meant to give an overview of the subject, with a variety of perspectives and thought-avenues. I have read all of the books listed, and own most of them. As always, I am available and eager to make book suggestions and recommendations, and you can request these under “Contact” in the menu on this blog. Enjoy!

Magical Basics

One of the best introductory books on Paganism, especially useful for beginners and people curious about the broad concept of earth-centered religion. It details the basics of what paganism is all about, includes seasons, rituals, deities, magic, and ethics, as well as debunks some of the misconceptions about the religion.

Most of us know the Judeo-Christian “Ten Commandments”, but this book gives a pagan spiritual spin on the idea of commandments. I love this book because it explains pagan beliefs in a very clear and understandable way. Judeo-Christian commandment number five: Honor thy father and thy mother. Witch commandment number five: Honor the ancestors, teachers, elders, and leaders. This book creates a dialogue about parallel ideas, comparing and contrasting, and goes into the beliefs and ethics that are valued throughout pagan religions.

Amazing and incredibly comprehensive book about the fundamental rites, rituals, and sacred holidays that are celebrated in paganism. The information is concise but thorough, and there are useful pictures, rituals, songs, poems, and spells. I return to this book often as a reference.

Scott Cunningham has written a number of books about magic and witchcraft, and this one is my favorite. Absolutely awesome and essential book that outlines herbal lore and magic. Provides helpful tables and lists. The bulk of the book is organized alphabetically by common herb name, and details various correspondence (magical connections such as planet, gender, element, deities associated with each herb), as well as the historical uses, and magical uses.

I had the good fortune of meeting Christopher Penczak by accident several years ago when he was doing a booksigning for his book Ascension Magick: Ritual, Myth & Healing for the New Aeon at a pagan shop in New Hampshire. I had no idea that he would be there – I had randomly decided to go there to get a few things, and ended up talking with him and then experiencing a guided meditation led by him, which was wonderful. He is a truly kind and old soul, and all of his books are great. I chose The Inner Temple for this list because it discusses some of the deepest values about paganism and witchcraft – that of inner power. He talks about the basics of witchcraft, and then gives lessons for the reader to learn, explore, and transform through.

I know this isn’t the typical book on would except on a list like this, but there is a reason. When I was in college, I really tried to explore my beliefs (pretty much what every college kid does!). I wore long, flowy skirts, participated in a pagan group on campus, learned about quantum physics in my chemistry class, and took several classes in Parapsychology. These classes, taught by my professor William Jack (read an article from Popular Mechanics about the show “Fringe” where Professor Jack is quoted talking about psi phenomena http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/4314505), were eye-opening. We were not casting spells, making potions, or ghost-hunting (although we did do one séance in the haunted manor on campus). We performed experiments. We attempted to, as a class, alter the probability of a coin toss, visualize the symbols on the back of Rhine cards, affect the output of a random number generator, and use dowsing rods to locate water mains underground. We calculated statistics and wrote research papers. It was magic through the lens of science – something I really had never encountered before. The Conscious Universe was one of the books on our required reading list. Radin gives evidence for psychic phenomena, and discusses how modern scientific discoveries such as nonlocality (spooky-action-at-a-distance, quantum physics) can explain such occurrences. To me these things are all connected. Magic can be understood as a manipulative of universal energies, something that parapsychology attempts to explain. The book does get a bit academic at times, but it is great for both believe and skeptic, and definitely worth reading!

Seasons and Sabbats

A great resource that explains both the spiritual and practical sides of the eight pagan sabbats (the sacred holidays followed throughout the year, including Ostara, or the vernal equinox, which is this Friday!). I have used this book numerous times for inspiration on how to celebrate the holidays.

A wonderful exploration into the history, lore, and traditions of Christmas/Yule, from the pagan perspective. Complete with many interesting tidbits and lots of beautiful images. I love this book because Christmas and Yule mean different things to different people, and this takes a look at the origins of the elements that are celebrated, such as Christmas trees, mistletoe, and things like that.

Perspectives

The quintessential book about paganism, written in essays drawn from experiences the author had with the religion. This book describes the subculture of paganism in the United States, talks about lifestyles, rituals, and the place paganism holds in society. A must-read.

A controversial book that rips the lid of many Christian traditions to expose the pagan roots. This is an extremely important book because of the continuing hatred and ignorance that many, many followers of Christian faith have toward pagan religions. It is a fact that as Christianity was developing as a religion, to gain converts, it often absorbed many traditions from local and pagan faiths. Think the Easter Bunny. While I don’t agree completely with everything the authors have to say, this book is a good introduction to the concept of pagan roots.

 

History

For those reference nuts like me who like to really get to the beginning and bottom of things, this is a great volume of primary sources and documents about witchcraft in history. Contains mostly sources about the “problem” of witchcraft, including the famous Malleus Maleficarum.

My friend and I took a day trip to Salem, MA this past October right before Halloween. I had never been, and had always wanted to go. In preparation for our trip, I read a bunch of books about the Salem Witch Trials, and this reader was the best. It is full of original documents, detailing the history of the trials, as well as more recent commentaries and essays. It includes but is not limited to the writing of John Hale, Samuel Parris, Cotton Mather, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Arthur Miller.

 

Myths and Archetypes

Written by the father of modern mythology, this contains several essays about parallel myths throughout history and the potential for psychological and spiritual transformation. One of my favorite parts in this book discusses the idea that an environment engenders a belief system. In other words – in Egypt, one would worship a sun god, in America one would worship a buffalo. It boils religion down into central concepts that can be applied everywhere, and the idea that “all religions are basically the same,” with some tweaking. Campbell is essential in any exploration into religion, spirituality, mythology, growth, life, or pretty much anything in existence.

One of the most incredible books I have ever read in my life, this book brought me to tears within the first ten pages of the introduction. Estes is a Jungian psychoanalyst, and her thesis explores the archetype – a collective pattern found in society and consciousness, of the “wild woman”. She presents many stories and myths told all over the world, and extracts the psychological meaning from each tale, given a framework for how to approach life with creativity, positivity, vibrancy, power, deepness, darkness, femininity, sexuality, and so on. It is primal and emotional and a book that I think every woman should read. I return to this book over and over, always gaining some new piece of wisdom from it. I bought a copy of it for my mother, and if I have a daughter some day, I will get her a copy too.

 

Drama and Fiction

A classic play in English class, of course, but also an essential read for an overview of witchcraft. Short but extremely potent, an illuminating perspective on what really happened during the Salem Witch Trials. The movie with Winona Ryder and Daniel Day Lewis is awesome, too.

This book is in my top favorite books of all time, and I can’t recommend it enough. The prose is sweeping and beautiful, and the story is about the time of King Arthur’s court and the druids and witches of Avalon, from the pagan woman’s perspective, and all the magic and history and scandalousness that entails. I love any book having to do with the legend of King Arthur, and this story is so extraordinary and unique and is definitely a page-turner. You will be completely consumed by it. Skip the movie, please.

Also one of my favorite books of all time. Let me start off by saying that I have a lot of issues with how witchcraft and magic are portrayed in the media (all forms). Many people have been completely misinformed and deluded about witchcraft. Most witches we see in movies and books are old hags or sexually depraved vixens, manipulative, using black magic and casting evil spells on the innocent. There are very few exceptions to this (the good witch in The Wizard of Oz, or Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty?). For the most part, you find the old witch from Snow White, you have the wicked queen who transforms herself into the evil old woman, because she is jealous of Snow White’s beauty. In Sleeping Beauty, you have Maleficent casting a curse on Aurora because she was snubbed at a party. In The Little Mermaid, you have the witch mermaid Ursula, who is jealous of Ariel for her voice, and makes an evil deal with her. In Aladdin, you have an evil Jafar who lusts for power. In Fantasia, you have the Sorcerer’s Apprentice where magic runs amok. Mind you, these are all Disney movies – only a tiny sliver of media, but the trends continue elsewhere. Then you have Practical Magic. Alice Hoffman is known for creating a genre of “magical realism”, and this book is wonderful and very well written. I am always on the hunt for a certain type of “witch novel.” Although I love Harry Potter, it is fantastical. What I’m always looking for is something more down to earth. No flying dragons or evil sorceress (although I do enjoy those things too, on occasion!). Practical Magic is about two sisters – one of whom embraces her magical gifts, and the other who just wants to be “normal”. It is essentially a love story, but not annoyingly so. It contains magic, spells, ritual, and everyday experiences – the perfect combination of elements. The film adaptation is also great – I can never resist a Sandra Bullock movie. And I fantasize about living in that house!