Books

rcunning03

I have just read Kate West's book "The real witch's handbook" and found it very useful and now I would like something a bit more advanced.

What I really want is a Herbology book about making potions e.g. what are the best mushrooms for vision quests, best uses for St. John.s wort etc. I don't want love potions or anything like that, what I want is a book that has some scientific fact in it.

At the moment I'm thinking of buying The Real witch's garden by Kate West but I dont think that will have what I'm looking for i.e. potions for visions quests etc but I am going to get her other book "The Real Witches' Book of Spells and Rituals".

Can anyone recommend any books that would give me what I'm looking for ?

Any reccomendations for any other authors that are worth reading ? I'm more into the scientific aspects of pagan religion.

ThrAx

Originally posted by rcunning03 I'm more into the scientific aspects of pagan religion. [/B]

I didn't think there was a scientific aspect to any pagan religion.

silja

> I have just read Kate West's book "The real witch's handbook" and found it very useful and now I would like something a bit more advanced.

That may sound patronising but reading one or two books does not mean you are ready for advanced works or practises, especially not when it comes to drug use in ritual. I am not saying that one should never use the mind-altering properties of plants to help see spirits or go on vision quests. But they must be strictly controlled as they are potentially dangerous, and I very much doubt you can learn their safe use from a book; you'd be better off apprenticing yourself to a Druid or Shaman; someone who has years and years of experience with dosages and good places to find said herbs. And said teacher is unlikely to let you at the plants until you've learnt lots more meditations and rituals, and herbal lore, which will take years....

> What I really want is a Herbology book about making potions

I like "Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs"; the closest to a herbalism bible witches tend to get. Very much a reference work, not something you'd read cover to cover; has good bits about correspondances, mythology and lore as well as medicinal use of each plant. For more medicinal/health uses, try "Kitty Campion's Family Medical Herbal".

> Any reccomendations for any other authors that are worth reading ? I'm more into the scientific aspects of pagan religion.

"Where Science and Magic meet" by Serena Dougal-Rooney (not sure about spelling of author's name)

rcunning03

Thanks

I probably stick to the milder stuff for now

I thought Cunningham's book was for plants mainly found in the US

I'll check those books out

I didn't think there was a scientific aspect to any pagan religion.

A lot of it is very practical like telling what plants are used for healing etc

Talliesin

Hmm, you might find the way Vivianne Crowley looks at Wiccan practice in a Jungian perspective in Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Millennium interesting. Apart from that it's a good general book on the Craft with quite a different perspective on a lot of things to most.

I've just re-read Huttons, Triumph of the Moon and while I've sung it's praises many times here before I'm even more impressed now. After my first reading I'd thought it wouldn't be a good book for a newbie, but now I think every newbie should read it, if only because if you're going to get disillusioned after a few months then this will get that over with quickly! Anyway for a reasonably sceptical view that neither buys Wicca wholesale nor dismisses it altogether this is a must.

Richard Mabey's Complete New Herbal is a good herbal with some interesting information about how traditional teachings on certain plants are, or in some cases aren't, backed up by modern scientific understanding of the chemicals the plants contained. But it's currently out of print You might be able to find a second-hand copy though.

I'd advise you to stay well away from psychoactive plants in the meantime though, even if you know it all inside-out and back-to-front from book-learning lone experimentation with such practices is essentially medicating your own head - whatever ability you have to make reasonable choices based on your rational understanding of the plants is going to be gone after the first dose. It's worth observing that in those traditions that make or made heavy use of these plants the teaching was very intense and generally on a one-to-one basis with a teacher the student knew well. Carlos Castaneda's The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge and its sequels (though progressively less good as they go on) are interesting books on South American practices with Peyote and other psychoactives.

P.S. As you can see I'm playing with creating webpages out of Amazon.com data, feedback welcome

rcunning03

Cheers,

I should have enough books now to keep me reading for months.

I'll stay away from the hard stuff till I find someone that knows what they are doing.

Does anybody know if An Fainne meetings are open to everyone ?

http://www.fainne.net/

Talliesin

Originally posted by rcunning03
Does anybody know if An Fainne meetings are open to everyone ?

http://www.fainne.net/

Yes they are, and generally very good.

Evil Phil

Maybe a book description John but other than that is okay. The book title could stand out a little more maybe ...

rcunning03

cool

Talliesin

Originally posted by Evil Phil
Maybe a book description

I give those when I am given the data (which isn't all that often) however greatful as I am for the feedback I meant should have asked that it be through PM since it's not really on topic here.

exiot

I ahve been reading Marian Green's books, they are excellent, I haven't been a wiccan for a long time but I understand Marian and her ways with wicca, The Witch Alone is maginifcent!

Also Scott Cunnigham's books are brilliant, but Im sure you all have read his books, they are quite common

Kitsune9tails

I myself found Ann Mouras' Green Magic
the sacred connection to nature
a good book.

Talliesin

Originally posted by exiot
Also Scott Cunnigham's books are brilliant

People seem to either love or hate Cunningham's books and, well lets just say that I don't completely agree with exiot

I do like some of his books that aren't about Witchcraft or Paganism per se, but even then only some.

Originally posted by Dark Misticks
Ann Mouras' Green Magic

I used to work with her material a lot. I'm not so fond of it now although my wife's way of working still has a lot in common with Mouras.

One thing about the publisher that brings out both Cunningham's and Mouras' books (Llewellyn) is they seem to put a lot of pressure on their authors to really churn them out which is hardly conducive to a great work of Pagan scholarship. Because of this even if you find a really great book brought out by Llewellyn it's common to find that the later work of the same author goes downhill.

Even Raymond Buckland, arguably the grandfather of the Gardnerian Craft in America has a few regretable books to his name (more a case of poor editing than anything else though). Contra to that even with Silver Ravenwolf ($ilver Ravenwolf to her detractors) who's name is almost a punchline in a joke about bad Pagan writing - but her first book wasn't terribly bad, I wouldn't tell a newbie to avoid it (though I wouldn't go as far as recommending it either).