Pagan Books: 27 Essential Texts About Paganism For Your Bookshelf

Recently HuffPost Religion put a call out to our community about books on Paganism that every Pagan and those interested in the varied strands of Paganism should read.

The result is this great list of 27 books that range from introductory to scholarly in nature and cover the entire gamut of Pagan religions -- Witchcraft, Wicca, Shamanism, Asatru, Druidism, Egyptian and Hellenic.

These books grapple with issues of sexuality, tell personal stories of faith, and provide information on the various Pagan religious rites. HuffPost Religion hopes that this list will be equally valuable for those who identify as Pagans, as well as those who are interested in Paganism, both academically and as a spiritual pursuit.

Have you read any of the books on our Pagan reading list? Let us know what you think about them in the comments.

Do you have a favorite book about Paganism that we missed? Email us at [e-mail] with a two-sentence description of the book and we might add it to our collection.

Special thanks to HuffPost community member David Dashifen Kees for his help with this list.

For a list of 25 books that every Christian should read, click here

For a list of 18 books that every Jew should read, click here.

Click through the slideshow to look at books about Paganism:

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[JohnEPetty]

10:31 AM on 10/22/2012

Nothing by John & Caitlin Matthews? Their books on Celtic magik and mythology are excellent, particularly their work on Arthurian pathworking.

[alterego55]

02:53 AM on 06/08/2012

Aesop's Fables and Joseph Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces should be added to the list.

[Addy Sul]

10:22 AM on 06/06/2012

The Cosmic Muse is really hard to find but well worth it if you do.

[Addy Sul]

10:59 AM on 06/06/2012

Sorry it's Circle of the Cosmic Muse

[Luthaneal]

07:45 AM on 06/06/2012

There are some good books in this llist, but also some that really shouldn't have made the title of "essential reading". It also makes me cringe to see Scott Cunningham on this list. He's written some useful books, like his guide to oils, incense and brews; but the only book that ever gets mentioned by him is probably the worst book he's ever written: his "wicca" for the solitary practitioner. Not only is it probably his worst book, it is also a terrible book about Wicca in general. It's such a shame that it's been thrust forward so predominantly by the mass-market media machine of the modern Pagan press and subsequently taken on board by such a large number of people who go looking for information on Wicca and find this easy to read book, which then sets them on a path of poor understanding of Wicca from the get-go.
Still, at least there was no $ilver Ravenwolf in this list.

[Addy Sul]

10:33 AM on 06/06/2012

I actually like Cunningham's book especially when I was first starting out. It gives the basics.

Wicca and Paganism are really very different and I can see how a traditional Wiccan would object to a book that is, to me, more pagan leaning.

Ravenwolf's very early works were good but I agree with you on her recent work. She seems to have gone over to the "lets make money" side. I read an excerpt from one book and she left out the part where you should never affect your will on the will of another...it's too bad really.

[Luthaneal]

12:41 PM on 06/06/2012

I'm not sure what you mean when you say that Wicca and Paganism are very different. Wicca is a Pagan religion.

[JohnEPetty]

10:35 AM on 10/22/2012

I disagree with you about Cunningham's book. Yes, it is somewhat simplistic, but it's an excellent place to start for people just discovering a pagan path. Years ago, when I first came into paganism, I gave a copy to my parents to help them understand the path I was walking. Initially very uncomfortable with, and opposed to, my decision, once they read Cunningham, they had a much better understanding of what I was doing (I wasn't able to articulate it clearly at that point), and have been supportive and understanding ever since. It's not the book that anyone should stop with, but it is a good starting point for anyone who has an interest in, or questions about, modern Neo-Paganism.

[eugenivs]

08:08 PM on 06/05/2012

I surprised how good the list is! The only things I think it's missing are some truly ancient texts :

"Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius. This is one of the greatest religion/philosophy books for Pagans.

"The Golden Ass" by Apuleius. The oldest extant novel, which happens to be about a troubled man converting to the religion of Isaisism.

[Owlhawk]

05:45 PM on 06/05/2012

I'm disappointed to see nothing by Brendan Myers on this list.

[Sharak]

03:12 AM on 06/05/2012

My problem with religion is that I don think anyone knows enough about god to believe there is one, or to believe that there isnt. I think spirituality is best left to one's experiences, acquired knowledge, and what they learn from life in general. How I view paganism is a light good spirited faith aimed completely at improving your spirituality and it comes in many variances and is open to your own interpretations. If you look at Islam and Christianity, their faith is strong, but it is ultimately aimed at trying to be the one and only and I feel that robs people from attaining true spirituality. Life is a journy, an experience, and you learn everyday from it. You can only know about religion as much as you have lived and no book will ever figure it out for you.

[LintLass]

05:41 AM on 06/05/2012

Well, it got a little drowned out by the Christian and atheist proselytizers, but Paganism's very experience-based, and this click-through book list is hardly considered authoritative. Kind of random, really. We don't really get it out of books, though.

As for what someone else might or might not be able to know about the Gods, well, you can't really know *that.* Actually it's a Christianized belief that belief in (their) God is the key question in life or the 'verse: not all religions place the emphasis there as Christians and most Christian-acculturated atheists you hear from here do. Both of those perspectives are so busy arguing about the 'Big Question' you consider so central that it's very hard to get across the point that Pagan religions do not see this big *contest* or *conflict* between the material and the spiritual.

We're not about trying to draw those separations, never mind moralize over which side of that artificial separation is 'right.' :)

[LintLass]

02:49 PM on 06/05/2012

And: echoing a Pagan sentiment that keeps coming up when atheists parrot certain tropes:

"Even 'Real" sounds like the words to a brave new lip-synch." --Peter Murphy

[Rev William Knox]

12:42 PM on 05/08/2013

Excellent response, Lintlass. After reading your comments on several different articles, I do believe I'm going to fan you, my friend. I have always viewed Christianity as a fairly simple religion in comparison to Paganism, morally speaking at any rate, particularly Wicca, whose 'Harm None' rule is actually quite restrictive in comparison to biblical morality. The Golden Rule from the bible, or the Ethic of Reciprocity, is a complete moral code in itself when viewed from the Witches' perspective. One does not simply treat others as they wish to be treated in Wicca. One must strive to harm none through not only action but also by word and thought (Wicca is a difficult path indeed, when followed to the letter). Indeed, Paganism also requires us to take full spiritual responsibility for our own actions. We have no easy out, no confession and absolution in the Catholic sense, and if we seek forgiveness it must come from those we have wronged as our Gods do not condemn us and salvation is not required, in the Christian sense. All in all, I'm happy to have been raised Pagan from birth :) Bright Blessings!

[Rev William Knox]

05:52 PM on 05/12/2013

Well reasoned. I agree completely that the journey itself is much more important than the destination.

[Sharak]

03:08 AM on 06/05/2012

I found Teen Witch by Silver Ravenwolf to be a interesting light read when I was younger. The books that really spoke to me though were written by Scott Cunningham. He writes beautifully and maybe I am just biased to his way of seeing things, but I really recommend his books. I was rather heartbroken when my family threw my books out and told me they were saving me from satanism :(

[LintLass]

02:55 PM on 06/05/2012

Slowly I turned.... Step by step... :)

Speaking of books that really give priestesses fits. :) This is part of why what's popular/marketed isn't the best for interfaith discussions. I'll try and leave it there. :)

[thorrsman]

06:58 PM on 06/05/2012

Niagra Falls!

[3Ravens]

12:57 AM on 06/04/2012

I'm currently atheist, but have thought I could be a pagan with the following beliefs:

There are four gods: earth, fire, water, air. None of them give a hoot for the human lives, and more than humans give a hoot about blades of grass or anthills. The four gods don't get along and their constant power struggles are the basis for all human suffering. (If there were enough food, water, space and energy on earth, we wouldn't have to fight over it. If there were no natural disasters creating devastation, we wouldn't have physical suffering. If the four of them got along, we could use them as examples to alleviate our emotional suffering, etc.)

This is fun stuff... creating a new religion in my head. It's all ridiculous as any other religion, but keeps the mind occupied, and gives me something to blame when things don't go my way.

[oldpreacherman]

03:08 AM on 06/04/2012

3Raven. May I suggest the voices in your head may not be healthy. Now I understand some of your other posts however. Thanks for the warning.

[3Ravens]

10:30 AM on 06/04/2012

Oh, Old. You are a closed-minded person. My point is that voices in the head are not healthy regardless of which 'god' is speaking to you. And I never said 'voices in my head', I said 'create a new religion in my head,' which is how all religions were created. If I believe in four gods, I'll have four times the chance to get into your non-existent heaven!

Sorry I'm such a threat to you. You seem really insecure or you wouldn't have to act so superior and smug.

I'm signing off, because I don't really think you can be realistic, only mystic.

[Kittyburger]

01:49 PM on 06/04/2012

Nor may the voices in yours but apparently that doesn't stop you from listening to them.

[thorrsman]

11:05 PM on 06/04/2012

Being a self-confessed Atheists, can we assume that you are here for exactly the same reason as the Christians who feel that their belief is superior to the beliefs of everyone else?

You come to preach to the heathen, even though we heathens have no interest in what you are preaching.

[LintLass]

05:14 AM on 06/05/2012

Christians and Atheists... Even when their quarrel isn't the topic, it's like two guests that come to insult you and end up brawling with each *other.* :)

I wonder if they'll ever learn to take it outside. :)

[Gay Iberian]

03:20 PM on 06/03/2012

I'd rather read book on atheism and about the corruptions of all religions throughout the ages. That wouold make more sense than reading about stupidities of witchcraft, etc., unless the books are about pagan sex, then it would be worthy of reading.

[thorrsman]

03:35 PM on 06/03/2012

You have an almost Christian view of the subject. Narrow, very narrow.

[Gay Iberian]

09:29 PM on 06/03/2012

It's stupid to read falsehoods and witchcraft is false and tends to be dangerous, as it showed in the past.

[LintLass]

04:29 PM on 06/03/2012

The sex is... Pretty good, actually, but that's cause we *don't* have that attitude about it.

And, there's certainly enough stupidities *in* witchcraft to keep someone like me hopping, that doesn't mean there's a stupidity 'of' something you refuse to even try to understand.

You don't have to believe in magic for this, but you should be able to understand that most cultures with a *mature* understanding of things magical and spiritual actually have *professionals* about dealing with such things, rather than just fear, condemnation, willful ignorance, denial, and then try to work it out with mass media pop-culture based on same.

And if you want to treat it as 'just psychology,' I'm perfectly comfortable speaking in those terms. But failure to deal with this stuff is *actually* why Christian missionaries make a very toxic stew of *their* beliefs with indigenous cultures, (resulting and atrocities against people 'suspected of witchcraft' and *also* why even rationalism demands people believe they're 'insane' so much, if they see or experience very much outside the 'boundaries' set by 'authorities.'

It's why we have such a problem with *both* living in accord with any kind of reason *and* completely fail to cope with the *most* of our experience, which is actually in fact, subjective, not about talky-thought and words and authorities.

[Catharine Wethered]

02:28 AM on 06/03/2012

Surprised to see so many books on non-Wiccan Traditional Witchcraft on this list.

[LintLass]

04:31 PM on 06/03/2012

Apparently this was from some not-so-well-circulated poll.

[Rev William Knox]

12:48 PM on 05/08/2013

Indeed. I consider Christopher Penczak's Temple of Witchcraft series essential reading and a must have for any Pagan library but nary a one made the list. I was surprised, actually. Your thoughts?

[msmary67]

04:57 PM on 06/02/2012

Thank you, HuffPo. Instead of posting a well thought out article about who Pagans are and what we really believe in, you post this. It does nothing to further any remotely intelligent dialogue about the Pagan community which is growing by leaps and bounds. Every day I check the Religion section to see if you are going to address us in any manner. Every day, I'm disappointed, especially today. I'll start taking you seriously when you start addressing us as such. Until then, please don't even mention us!

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

11:23 PM on 06/02/2012

Given the enormous amounts of drivel and scandal that seem to be the bulk of their religion reporting let us be profoundly glad that they don't.

[edwardandersons]

04:22 AM on 06/03/2012

Wow you said it! Its best to not report anything on paganism since it only helps the serpent and father of all lies to entrap more souls to burn in the next life. Worshiping the sun (Horus formerly Nimrod) and the moon goddess (Ishtar formerly Semiramis) is an abomination to God. The harlot in Revelation is also Semiramis who became the godess worshipped throughout the world under different names (Aphrodite, Circe, Reason, Liberty, Athena, Astarte, Venus, Gaia eche..), which have made the world drunk with wickedness. Babylon is where we can find the early beginnings of paganism and the mystery religion which has been used as a tool of Satan to turn people away from the one true God made flesh in Jesus Christ. It is this harlot n counterfeit religion which will be destroyed when Christ returns and reclaims his sheep seeking judgement on those who knowingly denied him. The gate is narrow and so many souls will be lost because they were tempted by the devil who played on mans earthly desires of lust and power.

[TurtleDawn]

12:35 AM on 06/03/2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/teo-bishop/how-do-we-talk-about-paga_b_1561404.html

They had a lovely contribution from Teo Bishop. I think you might have missed it!

[LintLass]

02:52 PM on 06/02/2012

Oof. A 'Call went out?' How'd I miss *that?*

:)

Actually, this list is pretty random. Never mind 'essential.' Some good ones in there, some I've never even heard of, and some that are probably really not going to give people the right idea.

It's kind of a thing we have to deal with, ...not being big on authoritative texts, there's a lot out there that's just fluff or marketing or ....certainly non-representative or any number of of other things ranging from 'Yeah, most Pagans would have quibbles, sometimes Really Big Quibbles,' to 'Someone's cashing in on Buffy Or Something. '

These "Essentials" certainly shouldn't be presented as such without comment. Especially not by shotgunning em all at once.

(Conspicuously absent are the works of Brendan Myers, which are really getting more into things like our theology and ethics. Which is a better place to start than some lurid stuff about 'Witches and Warlocks.' Gods.)

[Kittyburger]

09:11 AM on 06/03/2012

For basic 101-level stuff I actually prefer Thea Sabin's "Wicca for Beginners" over the Cunningham "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner." No disrespect for Cunningham whatsoever, it's just a preference in choice.

For those interested in Mediterranean paganisms I would also recommend Taylor's translation of the Hymns of Orpheus and E.A. Wallis Budge's "The Legends of the Gods" and the Egyptian Book of the Dead. While both Taylor and Budge were writing for a Victorian audience (particularly obvious with Taylor, who universally traded the Greek Gods' names for Roman, based on the Victorian British assumption that the two traditions were one and the same), their work is still useful.

[LintLass]

04:53 PM on 06/03/2012

Cunningham's not bad, but sorely in need of updating, in some ways. Conspicuously, he's addressing *early Eighties* misconceptions in his beginner's guide, and it was was also a poor place to go against the grain of the usual elemental correspondences.

It's always a problem I've seen, the way so many 'Beginners' guides' were really about a certain publishing company and its marketing of the time... They sure didn't want to sell 'just one book,' to begin with. There are ways this suited Pagan ways of not *wanting* to have 'one authoritative book,' but have also presented problems of what to hand someone just wanting to understand.

I've certainly *hoped* there are good materials since I was last up on what was out there being published, but I haven't been able to keep up that way. Especially for we pre-Internet Pagans, there always was a certain aspect to all this of 'It's not *supposed* to be easy,' but the times really have changed. I sure didn't expect starting out that there'd be over a million of us just in America, and never mind being a household word. :)

[LintLass]

05:01 PM on 06/03/2012

Oh, but Budge actually did make some pretty basic translation errors, I forgot to mention: in part his wide circulation comes from having been 'public domain,' I understand. I've never actually been close to any Kemetic people, but that might bear a second look, from online conversations I've had.

[Crone70]

08:01 PM on 06/05/2012

MM, LintLass...I agree with you re: this list (some good, some I've never heard of, either, and definitely some that will really confuse). I would have added more of STARHAWK's books, and for a really contemporary approach, Phyllis Curott's books ("Witch Crafting" and "Book of Shadows"). She's a New York lawyer, learning & practicing her craft in the Big City..fascinating reading!

And, after reading many of these pro & con comments, I HAVE to share one of my favorite songs, "The Christians and The Pagans." It's worth a listen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9H9Fi4Qcus.
Blessed Be!

[LintLass]

02:36 PM on 06/06/2012

Hee. Of course I've heard that one, it's a regular Yuletide favorite. :)

I haven't actually met Ms Curott, or read her books, but I hear she's a really nice lady, anyway.

[colorofsakura]

11:36 PM on 06/01/2012

I'm honestly kind of surprised Margot Adler's "Drawing Down the Moon" isn't on here. The book is somewhat of a slog to get through, but its extremely enlightening from a historical perspective with regards to Witchcraft and the Neopaganism movements.

[pauldununfola]

06:44 AM on 06/03/2012

Exactly. Not having "Drawing Down" or Starhawks "The Spiral Dance", makes me question who actually put the list together. Especially if you are new to the religion there is no equal to the historical understanding found in DDTM as to how modern paganism developed.

[Ruth Shaw]

07:40 PM on 06/05/2012

They are, they're at the back of the list, though...

[Hidare]

10:35 PM on 06/01/2012

I used to be a Pagan, then I moved to the city.

[LintLass]

03:44 PM on 06/02/2012

That's just kind of inane. Goddess found me in Southie. :)

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

11:23 PM on 06/02/2012

"Paganus" Latin for "country dweller"....a little Humanities major joke.