The Magickal
Bookshelf
These are just a few of the books that are on my shelves. More will be added as I get the reviews written, and there are at least a dozen on my shelf that I haven't gotten to read yet! If you have a question about a book, or would like information on one that you don't see here, feel free to email me! (You may order any of these books from Amazon.com by clicking on the title.)
- Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler
- The pagan classic. Find out who we are, what we believe, and where it all came from. Extensive section on networking, resources.
- Goddess Meditations by Barbara Ardinger
- Good for beginner and novice alike. 73 guided meditations for many different purposes, including both light and dark work. Good for Wiccans as well as non-Wiccans.
- The Wiccan Path by Rae Beth
- Not necessarily Wiccan. Rae Beth is a hedge witch, and she writes this from the standpoint of letters written to two students. This is not a dry, technical, "how-to" manual; rather it is a celebration of Rae Beth's own feelings about her path.
- Goddesses for Every Season by Nancy Blair
- 52 goddesses, grouped according to which season finds their energies the most potent. Nancy includes mythical and geographical info for each goddess, as well as a short meditation to invoke each.
- The Goddess in the Bedroom by Zsuzsanna Budapest
- Wonderful witch's guide to magic in the bedroom. Spells, meditations, rituals, and even some bedtime stories, all designed to unleash the goddess in you at bedtime.
- Grandmother Moon by Zsuzsanna Budapest
- Exploring the moon's influence on our lives, including rituals to bring lunar power to bear on everything from weight control to fertility to success at work.
- The Grandmother of Time by Zsuzsanna Budapest
- Rituals for each of the 13 lunar months, Goddess meditaitons and spellwork, and descriptions of many pagan holidays.
- The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries by Zsuzsanna Budapest
- Zsuzsanna is a feminist Witch, and gives in this book an invaluable insight into reclaiming women's place in spirituality. Z talks about restoring the balance between the sexes. Lots of spells. rituals, divination methods, and celebrating the passages of your life.
- The Power of the Witch by Laurie Cabot
- Laurie discusses the history of witchcraft, starting with the Old Religion and moving to the present. There are chapters on becoming a witch, divination, altered consciousness, the scientific basis of witchcraft, and daily life as a witch. She finishes up with an extensive listing of resources. Although many people will criticize her for being too commercial (she is the "official" witch of Salem, Massachusetts) she is still one of my favorite authors.
- The Witch in Every Woman by Laurie Cabot
- Laurie uses ancient Celtic tales as well as her own experiences to aid us all to rediscover our feminist roots and womanly strengths.
- Ancient Ways: Reclaiming Pagan Traditions by Pauline Campanelli
- If you're looking for the basics of witchcraft, without all the ceremonial magic, this book is for you! Pauline discusses each Sabbat in turn, with historical information and anecdotes from her own tradition. Many wonderful folk stories and legends, recipes, and little tid-bits of information I've not seen anywhere else!
- The Wheel of the Year by Pauline Campanelli
- More crafty information with wonderful old-fashioned descriptions of the holidays. Pauline is definitely not a Neo-Pagan; she gets back to the roots of things. She does tend to ramble a bit though.
- Wicca: A guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham
- The spirit of Scott Cunningham shines through in everything he writes. This is an excellent book for beginners. He takes you step by step through deciding if Wicca is for you and defining your beliefs. There are chapters on the various tools, writing rituals, and living life as a Wiccan.
- The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler
- A very feminist look at ancient "herstory." I tend to find feminist history a little extreme, and I think it is important to realize that the actuality is probably somewhere in between the two extremes. However, while the historicity of Riane's work may be suspect, the suggestions she makes for redesigning society are invaluable.
- The Partnership Way by Riane Eisler
- In this companion to The Chalice and the Blade, Riane offers practical suggestions to achieving a healthier, happier, more balanced society.
- Sacred Pleasure by Riane Eisler
- Riane takes a frank look at sex and politics through the ages. How did our society evolove as patriarchal? How did women's roles evolove, or devolve, and why has sex become forbidden and evil?
- The Silver Wheel: Women's Myths and Mysteries in the Celtic Tradition
by Marguerite Elsbeth and Kenneth Johnson
- Marguerite uses Celtic myth, mostly Welsh, to help us explain and explore the innermost working of our minds. The Silver Wheel is mainly aimed at women, but the companion volume, The Grail Castle, is written for men.
- The Magickal Year by Diana Ferguson
- What a beautiful book! Many stories and fables relating to each of the Sabbats. Find out how our ancestors really celebrated, and how the different traditions changed. Loads of pictures. This is a historical book rather than a how-to book, but many of the ideas can be incorporated into your own celebrations.
- Dancing with the Sun by Yasmine Galenorn
- Yasmine is a very contemporary Pagan who combines Norse tradition with a little Hawaiian spirituality. Dancing with the Sun describes the pagan holidays and gives ritual ideas, recipes, and stories for each one.
- Embracing the Moon by Yasmine Galenorn
- A very common-sense book with lots of spells, rituals, and recipes that will suit the beginning and advanced Witch alike.
- Trancing the Witch's Wheel by Yasmine Galenorn
- A lovely book of guided meditations to help you connect with the cycle of the seasons.
- Tarot Journeys : Adventures in Self-Transformation by Yasmine Galenorn
- Yasmine has done almost a quest, with meditations based on the Tarot. Definitely not a beginner's how-to book; you will need to have some experience with the Tarot. She also gives you tools to write your own meditations.
- The Language of the Goddess by Marija Gimbutas
- Marija is a widely recognized authority on ancient history and archaeology. This is a rather scholarly explanation of the "Goddess culture" of pre-historic times, based on symbols and artwork from Neolithic and Paleolithic sites.
- The Wiccan Mysteries: Ancient Origins and Teachings by Raven Grimassi
- Definitely not a beginner's how-to book! Raven explains Wicca as a Mystery Tradition and looks at the historical beliefs that have found their way into Wicca. He discusses planes of existence, men's and women's mysteries, sex magick, reincarnation,and provides many appenidices.
- Twenty-First Century Wicca by Jennifer Hunter
- One of my most highly recommended books for beginners. This is an extremely practical and down-to-earth book. It gives you all the basics, teaches about rituals, spells, meditating, the Sabbats...She also includes a section on meeting other pagans, relationships, both romantic and otherwise, and teens and paganism.
- The Devil in the Shape of a Woman by Carol Karlsen
- A look at the "Burning Times" without all the Neo-Pagan hype. Karlsen shows that the vast majortiy of women (and men!) involved in the Salem witch-trials had little if anything to do with paganism.
- Modern Sex Magick by Donald Kraig
- Mr. Kraig tends to get a bit boring at times (if you can imagine sex magic being boring!), but he clearly discusses every aspect of sex magic. He enumerates a number of interesting techniques, from solitary sex magic all the way up to bondage and polyfocal techniques.
- Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Lewis
- This is the first Tarot book I read that I really found to be helpful. I don't need a detailed explanation of the Qabbalah, just some help understanding the archetypes explored in the Tarot, and this bookk does a very good job of explaining it.
- Celtic Myth and Magick: Harnessing the Power of the Gods and Goddesses by Edain McCoy
- This book is written especially for solitaries. It contains three guided meditations to help you expand your spiritual potential. There is a completely cross-referenced guide to the gods and goddesses and their correspondences, chapters on the different moons and the holidays, recipes, stories, and songs.
- Celtic Women's Spirituality: Accessing the Cauldron of Life by Edain McCoy
- Linking with the divine archetypes of warrior, virgin, mother and crone to access the goddess within. Pathworking exercises, the Wheel of the Year and many rituals, including one for bonding with your dearest friend.
- The New Book of Goddesses & Heroines by Patricia Monaghan
- More than 1500 mythical women, from goddesses to epic heroines. It's a wonderful reference for any pagan woman.
- Wild Girls : The Path of the Young Goddess by Patricia Monaghan
- A lovely book of Goddess stories and life-affirming rituals for young women.
- The Goddess Path by Patricia Monaghan
- Another book focussing on specific Goddesses and your interaction with each one. Contains rituals, myths, and meditations for a variety of situations.
- The Goddess Companion by Patricia Monaghan
- Patricia offers 366 daily meditations, stories, or poems from many different paths.
- Green Witchcraft I, Green Witchcraft II, and Green Witchcraft III by Ann Moura, Aoumiel
- I: Herbs and faeries, basic lore and rituals; II: Working with your darker side to bring balance; III: almost a "primer" or lesson book with lots of reference material.
- Dreaming the Dark: Magic, Sex, and Politics by Starhawk
- Starhawk uses women's spirituality as a tool to effect positive social change.
- The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess by Starhawk
- Not a simple book, but highly recommended if you want a solid understanding of the principles and practices of witchcraft and the goddess religion. There are many exercises here to help you fine tune your spirituality, beautiful invocations and rituals...Starhawk explains the psychology behind our beautiful religion.
- Truth or Dare: Encounters with Power, Authority, and Mystery by Starhawk
- This is less a witchcraft book than it is a self-help book. Starhawk teaches you how to organize and lead consciousness-raising groups after the tradition of the Reclaiming community.
- Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Tradition by Starhawk, Anne HIll, and Diane Baker
- If you buy only one book as a pagan parent let it be this one. 'Nuff said.
- Twelve Wild Swans : A Journey to the Realm of Magic, Healing, and Action : Rituals, Exercises, and Magical Training in the Recaliming Tradition by Starhawk and Hilary Valentine
- Starhawk and the Reclaiming community offer a deeper, richer slant to witchcraft. In this book, she uses an old fairy tale to take us on a journey within ourselves, to reclaim our rich magical heritage.
