B is for I can't even be fucking bothered to do this.

I've been wrestling with 'B' for the last couple of days (obviously, I'm totally disregarding the original schedule for the Pagan Blog Project and just writing whenever I damn well please).  "Books" would be too obvious, and I just can't think of much else that interests me enough to write about it.  As I was flipping through some other blogs participating in the Project, I saw plenty of entries on the Burning Times, which made me pissed enough that I recorded a video basically to the effect of, "The Burning Times wasn't a real thing.  Shut up and get over it and read a fucking history book that wasn't written by Anne Llewellyn Barstow or Margaret Murray, for the love of all that is holy.  And stop comparing the witch hunts to the Holocaust.  You privileged fucks."

But that's just not very pleasant.  And I'm nothing if not pleasant.

It's not even a conversation that I thought warranted more discussion.  Everyone's got the Internet now, right?  And access to ebooks, free online historical archives through any number of universities, online lectures, etc.  There's just no excuse for that kind of ignorance anymore, right?  Surely nobody's tossing around the old "nine million women burned at the stake" thing anymore.

False.  In the last week, I've read this sort of horse shit in two books published since 2011.  TWO FUCKING THOUSAND ELEVEN.  One of these works was self-published by someone who teaches "Wicca" classes locally.

I just can't.  I can't even.  I have lost the ability to can.

So B is for Burning Times and bull shit and books that should never have seen a printing press.  B is for booze, of which I find myself immediately in need.

Not so awesome books

Obviously, since I ignored this blog for more than year, I haven't written about books in FOREVER. Books are kind of a big deal for me. My obsession with books has actually strained my relationships with people in the past, but it's not something I'm looking to curtail. I'm basically a professional student, after all, and (an assortment of gods willing) on my way to PhD-dom. Books are pretty much what I do.

When it comes to Craft books, I'm both a collector and a snob. I like to keep copies of what I read and I'm willing to read most anything as long as it says something new (even if it's wrong). I conduct all of my Amazon searches by publication date and often pre-order Craft-related titles if they look interesting (yeah, yeah, I know...shop locally, support Pagan-run shops. But the fact is, for the volume that I read, it just doesn't make sense to constantly be placing special orders and then waiting forever to receive them. And paying more. Nevermind the low quality of the one Pagan store in my city). There are several used bookshops in my area and they know me at almost all them because I regularly clean out the occult section of anything worthwhile (which, admittedly, isn't usually very much). I've been at this for something like ten years. All this to say that I have a lot of books. When I get home, I'll post a picture of some of my shelves. It's absurd.

The snobbery comes when I'm asked for recommendations. I've already posted about my favorites, and that all still holds true for me, so I thought maybe I could post my thoughts on some of the usuals suggested by others. This isn't a list of "books I hate" by any means, just commentary on the stuff that's typically recommended. Like last time, the pictures are links to Amazon's description page.



Okay, so everyone reads Scott Cunningham (terrible new cover art aside). This was one of the first books I read and I remember thinking it was pretty good (though not nearly as much fun as Silver RavenWolf). Reading it again, I still think it's pretty decent in some respects, though I would now say that it must be considered within its context and supplemented with additional reading. I don't see much of a place for Cunningham outside of considering him for the sake of history. For better or worse, he was (and continues to be) extremely influential. But there are much better books for the solitary available now (see my first books post). I also wish that I knew something more about Cunningham's lineage. Does he even have a lineage?



Looking back on this book, I can see why it appealed to (Willow)Thorn circa 1998. It was shiny, fun to read, and promised STUFF. One of the early chapters is on "stocking your magickal cabinet." In fact, there's not a lot of genuine religion (whether Wicca or not) in this book at all. It's mostly about the paraphernalia that can go along with it (correspondences, tools, herbs, stones, tips on making purchases and making things, etc.). People tend to like stuff, and this book condones a certain degree of materialism. I'm not exactly condemning it for that (I'm the one who chooses books over people, after all), but it does put it several miles away from my list of recommended reading. I also crack up every time I read the infamous athame line (in my copy it's on page 92, but I don't know where it is in the new one): (paraphrasing from memory) "The athame stands for reasoning and the intellect. I don't use mine very often." We all know what she meant, but it's still hilarious. I don't feel that it's necessary for me to comment much further on RavenWolf (using Wicca and witchcraft interchangeably, being deliberately vague on her training, maligning other traditions, etc. etc.), because a million people already have, and in much better ways than I ever could.



I don't have tons to say about Teen Witch that hasn't already been said. Honestly, I don't think it's the worst thing she's ever written, and I figure that if I could read a book like this when I was 13 and still turn out Trad, it can't be All That Horrible. I think we should collectively give teenagers more credit in their ability to be discerning. I will say, though, that Llewellyn should definitely bring back the original (hysterical) cover art. Ditto for To Ride a Silver Bromstick, which had the world's best artwork, inside and out. EVER.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not telling anyone not to read anything. I'm not condemning authors or publishers. These are just my current thoughts (minimal and not-so-profound as they are) on these particular books. Pretty much every YouTube Wiccan has a video singing the praises of these books and I just happen to disagree. No big.

Sidenote: In setting up the links to Amazon, I saw that Silver RavenWolf's Teen Witch Kit is going for between $60 (used) and $300 (new). INSANE. But suddenly I'm really excited to own one. I mean, more excited.

Further sidenote: Just in case people are curious (and you've seriously not yet encountered the big to do that surrounds Silver RavenWolf), here are links to an assortment of articles. This isn't me saying that I necessarily agree with 100% of what's here, it's just for your consideration:
Wicca For the Rest of Us: Why We Despise Silver RavenWolf
Wicca Explained: The Status of Silver RavenWolf

My Recommended Reading List, abridged

I celebrated Imbolc yesterday after a day spent cleaning and hanging out with friends. R and I went to the flea market and he found me a pair of horns for my Oya altar. I'm really pleased with them. I need to hunt around and see if I can't dig up something to use as an altar cloth.

I wanted to make a post regarding my favorite books, simply because everyone seems to have a list, and I think the best books are sadly under-represented. Most of them can't be had if you only frequent large mainstream booksellers (but some of them can), and so they tend to go unread. These aren't in any particular order, and I've made the cover images into links so that if you want to purchase them, you can do so. I'm not saying that you shouldn't go out and read Ray Buckland or whoever else. I think if you're serious you should be reading and analyzing anything you can, but there are definitely some books that are better than others (not-so-great books are frequently distinguished by sparkley covers and/or authors who are named after animals). These are the ones that I wish someone had recommended to me when I was introduced to Wicca.



The Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton
This is easily the best secular, objective books on Wicca ever published. Period. Hutton is not Wiccan. He's not even Pagan. He's a British historian and an authority on European paganism (small "p" intentional). In this book, Hutton closely examines Wiccan history, belief, and practice from the very beginning. He addresses Wicca's origins, surrounding influences, evolution, and spread over seas. My copy is marked up and tabbed. I've read it several times, and every time I learn something new. Almost every Wiccan history book available today (that isn't totally false) is just an abridged version of Hutton. Save yourself time and money and just read this one.



The Circle Within by Dianne Sylvan
I adore this book and I think it would appeal to anyone regardless of Tradition. The subtiltle is Crafting a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition and that pretty much says it all. Sylvan writes plainly about incorporating Wicca into daily life. If you're one of those people who laments not having time to practice, then you need this book. Sylvan discusses the need for daily prayer and ritual without imposing her own personal beliefs. I reread this book periodically because I find it to be very inspiring.



Witchcraft Today by Gerald Gardner
If you're Wiccan, you need to have read Gardner. Whatever your Tradition, odds are most of it comes from him and his cohorts. Besides, he's quirky and very British and some of the conclusions he draws are hilarious (my personal favorite being that because "Robin" is an old French-English word for "spirit" and "Hood" is just another word for "wood", Robin Hood MUST be a mythical form into which witches could transform at will. WHAT.) What modern Wiccans practice today makes so much more sense (or not) after you've read the first book ever published on Wicca.



Fifty Years of Wicca by Frederic Lamond
Read this book simultaneouly to Witchcraft Today. Gardner will make a lot more sense. Frederic Lamond was one of the the witches in Gardner's original coven. We're lucky to still have him and even luckier that he decided to write books. This is Lamond's memoir. He discusses how and why he came to Wicca and writes about his experiences as Gardner's friend and covenmate. I think there's a lot to be learned by reading primary sources, and this is one of the few that we have.




The Heart of Wicca by Ellen Cannon Reed
Ellen Cannon Reed is non-Gardnerian, but she's still Trad Craft, and that's the perspective from which she writes. To Reed, and to myself, Wicca is an initiatory mystery tradition. In The Heart of Wicca, she discusses her experiences as a High Priestess, the value of initiation and training, the importance of history, and she does it all without devaluing the solitary experience. I think most people will either love or hate this book, but I adore it. If you're a solitary, eclectic practitioner, this book will offer you a perspective on the Craft that you might not have been exposed to before.

I'll write plenty more on books, I'm sure. There are plenty of really excellent ones out there, so don't limit yourself to Cunningham (also an important author, but I'm assuming you know that).