Family Circle – New monthly thread – All are welcome - Page 2

[meandk0610]

i want in! i'm a single, sahm/wahm to a 5yo daughter that i homeschool. i've been interested in wicca since i was 14 but couldn't then didn't follow up on that until my late 20s. i'm 39 now and just within th epast year have made my first irl wiccan friend (introduced via a mutual friend who she was introducing to wicca and candlework). i'm curious. i have several books by raven silverwolf and like them but i rarely see her mentioned on recommendation lists. i'm not sure why.

[rockycrop]

Originally Posted by rhianna813 

For those interested - here are some recommended books :-)

I started my interest in Paganism in late 80’s and purchased a goodly amount of books. But noticed that as newer books came out they were just referencing the original ones, with different cover art. Quickly I moved to other types of books. Ones that appeal to Pagans, but don’t teach it perse.  Books on herbalism, gardening, goddess history, natural living, folklore and folk craft, native American beliefs…

I try to recommend only books I have read or at least authors I think are reputable. Your library is a good resource for checking out a book before you buy. Used book stores are also good!

Recommended books on general Pagan/Wiccan/Witchcraft topic:

Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler

Witches’ Bible by Stewart and Janet Farrar

Bucklands Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland

The SpiralDance by Starhawk

Circle Round by Starhawk (made for children – good for everyone!)

Wicca – a guide for the solitary practionary by Scott Cunningham*

Recommended books about the Goddess:

The Witch’s Goddess by Stewart and Janet Farrar

When God was a Woman by Merlin Stone

The Great Cosmic Mother by Monica Sjoo (have not read yet but friends highly commend!)

The Grandmother of Time by Zsuzanna Budapest

Recommended books Sabbats, Ritual, Magic and Spells:

Wheel of the Year by Pauline Campenelli

Earth Power by Scott Cunningham*

Cunningham’s Encyclopedia to Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham*

Grandmother Moon by Zsuzanna Budapest

A Witch Alone by Marion Green

The ABC of Witchcraft by Doreen Valiente (DH recommends)

*Scott Cunningham wrote many books and I love most of them! His writing style is very down to earth and approachable beginners. But there is some overlap between some of his books. Read online reviews to get a feel if the book is good for you.

I also want to mention calendars!! I personally love them JThere are many Pagan based wall calendars and planners. These can be a fun way to learn a bit as you go. Most will list multicultural and pagan holidays, moon phases/sign, astrological correspondences, and sometimes historical information.

For astrology nothing beats: Llewelyn’s Astrological Calendar

Wiccan/Pagan I like both: Witches Datebook  and  Seasons of the Witch

Someone made a nifty listing for 2011 datebooks and calendars here:

http://www.squidoo.com/wicca-calendars

I hardly ever read fiction but one book I’ve read and is adored by many Pagans is the Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. It’s a revisioning of the Authorian lengend from the female characters point of the view.

Please share your book recommendations too.

Rhianna

Thanks for all these great recommendations!  I have some of those on my amazon list.  And I just have to second all your friends recommendation of The Great Cosmic Mother.  I know I already mentioned it in my last post, but it really put a lot of things I had always questioned into a historical perspective.  It took me about 3 months to read it because the last half is fairly depressing and was hard for me to get through, but really worth it!!

I am definitely going to get the Witches Datebook for next year too.

Feeling excited about the upcoming season!  I think my daughter and I will go to the craft store today and get some things to make some solstice decorations.  
 

[rhianna813]

What is Magic.

Aleister Crowley defined it as: “The science and art causing change to occur in conformity to the will”. The science is akin to the Law of Attraction concept – like attracts like. When I learned about LoA (from the movie The Secret) I thought AHA! That is so how magic works. It’s the same thing.

With LoA you 1) Chose what you want/decide your goal 2) Ask for it to be so/make your intention 3) Believe it/Receive it

The Universe translates your request as energy (neither good or bad) and delivers it to you. Magic is independent of religion and even spirituality. It is science based but it delves deeply into the science beyond our sight and touch. This makes it difficult to understand and believe in.

The conscious mind has a hard time grasping the concept of LoA and magic – we are too rational and too judging. This is where the Art of magic comes in. By using symbols, colours, visualization, scent, music, poetic words, chants, prayer and anything that taps our subconscious mind we open up more in the experience and the Universe.

All in all the more positive intention, meaning and energy that is put forth with magic – the better you are apt to make it so.

Laws of nature within the Universe. Also with magic and Paganism there is belief that nature is an extension of the Universe (Goddess/God), Nature including the stars, sun, moon and earth – everything putting out it’s own energy. Over time people have figured out how work with these energies to enhance their magic, rituals and lives. This information is usually called Magical Correspondence. Not everyone uses them. Personally I find the idea of the magical properties of plants very appealing.

Also, there are many types of magical systems. They seem to fall into 2 types: ceremonial magic and folk/sympathetic magic.

Good and bad magic. There is not good or bad magic just like there is not good or bad energy. There are only people with good or bad intentions. Remember like attracts like. When someone asks the Universe to hurt someone, they are attracting pain to themselves as well. I think we can really only effect change to ourselves. Want to heal the world? Heal yourself.

What is Ritual.

A Ritual is ceremony to honor something – dieties, people, places, etc. If you’ve been to a wedding or mass – you get the idea. Rituals do not include magic overtly, but subtely yes. Rituals are common to all cultures and religions.

What is a Spell.

A spell is a recipe of sorts for magic. Where you state your intention/goal and raise energy to send it out to Universe for realization. The actual recipe or format is whatever you chose – it’s not the words or book they come from – it’s the energy and will you put forth that makes it happen.

This is really a complex subject and I only brushed the surface. I am hoping people will see how universal magic (and rituals and spells) is when you remove the labels. How it’s very accessible to everyone. More info can be found in some of the books I posted earlier.

Blessings!

Rhianna

[rhianna813]

Just bumping :-)

Rhianna

[mamaMAMAma]

I'm excited to find this new thread.  I homeschool my 2 girls (10, 6).  I was raised Catholic; then agnostic for most of my adult years and really drawn to the goddess tradition the last year or so.

Dd#1 has been asking me the last few years whether I believe in "god"; and being agnostic I've always said I don't know (but that some people believe in one god and others don't).  She thought I was hiding something from her.  Now I talk to her about the different goddess that I'm drawn to and she seems more at ease with it.  We lost one of our bunnies a few weeks ago (we lost 3 pets this year) right after our celebration of Samhein.  And the girls were talking about how our bunny Peter would be able to see her brother Pater and be a lot less lonely.  Anyways, I'm rambling.  Right now, I'm trying to decide what kind of rituals I'd like to bring in for our solstice celebration.  We've always done an advent spiral(started when DD#1 was in waldorf preschool); now I'm thinking about doing it on Solstice. I just noticed there is a solstice thread and I'm going to take a look there for suggestions.