Blog Archives
30 Day Pagan Journaling Challenge 9-28-2017
There is a 30 day Pagan journaling challenge for the month of September set up on Instagram and I thought it would be fun to do it – and would get me back into the swing of things as well.
And back into blogging here as I answer the posts. (I’m not much of an Instagram person.)
Today’s question is:
If I could ask my hero from my tradition three questions, what would they be? How do I think they would answer them?
I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do this one. I don’t have a tradition, exactly. I’m a solitary. A highly eclectic solitary Pagan witch, primarily Hellenic, with a dash of Druidry, a bit of Buddhism, and a dab of Tao. And a smidgen of Qabala, too, probably. And, yes, I’m primarily Hellenic, and there are lots of Greek heroes, but I don’t feel particularly close to any of them.
So I was pretty stumped, until every Pagan page and group on Face Book suddenly blew up with the news that Raymond Buckland had passed through the veil today.
And that… changed the tone of this post.
I don’t consider Raymond Buckland to be a hero, exactly, but he (along with Scott Cunningham and a few others) was an important part of my early days on my path, so I’m dedicating this post to them.
As most know, my first book on Wicca was Scott Cunningham’s The Truth About Witchcraft Today.
I’m not sure what the second one was, but early on I came across Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft (otherwise known as “The Big Blue Book,” and “Uncle Bucky’s Big Blue Book”) and it, too, became one of my early guides in learning about what witches are and what they do.
I still have my copy of it. It is one of the books (along with Cunningham’s books and a few others) that I just can’t bring myself to let go of.
I also have a DVD of Buckland – and one of Cunningham. I think I might watch them on Samhain.
30 Day Pagan Journaling Challenge 9-19-2017
There is a 30 day Pagan journaling challenge for the month of September set up on Instagram and I thought it would be fun to do it – and would get me back into the swing of things as well.
And back into blogging here as I answer the posts. (I’m not much of an Instagram person.)
Today’s question is:
What Pagan book am I reading now? What’s it about?
Well, this one’s easy. The truth is… I’m not. Nothing has really caught my fancy lately.
Why is that?
I don’t know. I think it’s because the readily available books seem so… superficial? I’m looking for something deeper than what I’m finding and I’m not sure that what I’m looking for is actually out there.
I also want something more… accurate. (For instance, “Mabon” is not an authentic name for the Autumn Equinox, despite what is written in countless books.)
I think the last Pagan book I read was Alaric Albertsson’s book To Walk A Pagan Path, so I might look into more of his books.
And somewhere in this disaster of a room I have a Diana Paxson book or two.
And some books on Greek deities and modern Hellenic practices. (One of which I’ve started multiple times and have barely managed not to hurl across the room due to poor editing. Maybe if I read it with a highlighter and a red pen in hand I’ll do better?)
30 Day Pagan Journaling Challenge 9-9-2017
There is a 30 day Pagan journaling challenge for the month of September set up on Instagram and I thought it would be fun to do it – and would get me back into the swing of things as well.
And back into blogging here as I answer the posts. (I’m not much of an Instagram person.)
Today’s question is:
What are my top three resource books? Why?
This question is a lot harder than I thought it would be when I first read the list of prompts. I haven’t bought any new Pagan books in ages and rarely refer to the ones that have been sitting on the shelves for years.
Why is that?
I think it’s because after a while you stop relying on books and start relying on your own intuition and knowledge and observation and understanding and…
Still, there are some things that it’s good to have a reference for, so I think I’m probably going to go with books that I used a lot – and still do pull when I need to find something specific.
Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham
The Complete Book of Incense, Oils, and Brews (also by Scott Cunningham)
Aw, heck. Just books by Scott Cunningham. I just looked through his bibliography and I’m not going to try to pick a third.
Why his books?
Well, because the first book on Paganism I read was his book The Truth About Witchcraft Today. It’s what led me home.
And because his style of writing is approachable and… soothing somehow.
Will my list of books change?
Probably. I have some books on Hellenic practice that I need to read – and a list of some that I need to get. And I have a friend who is into more traditional witchcraft and she has some recommendations for me.
But for now, I’m sticking with that list.
