Pagan question?

Question

I have been studying wicca for about a year and the more I study the more confused i become. I am really interested in the celtic culture and mythology. The problem is I don't know of many resources for it. most of the books you find are on wicca and thats not what I'm being pulled towards. If anyone has any resources as far as the religion, practices ect. of the celts please let me know. And please I am not interested in converting to christianity so please refrain from the long posts threatening me with hell and damnation. I only want real answers relevant to my question. Thanks all

Just to be clear I am moving away from the Wiccan religion. Regretfully I began the path more because it was the only one I knew of, and while I still respect it very much it simply doesn't complete me the way I feel it should

Answer 1

Okay, first off, as a pagan author myself, I have to disagree with conchobar's assertion that "most" of us can't do proper research. Yes, there have been SOME authors with shoddy research, particularly in the realm of Celtic spirituality. However, in recent years more authors (myself included) have paid more attention to careful research (since a lot of us got sick of seeing the bad research, too). A good example is Erynn Rowan Laurie's new book, "Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom", an exceptionally well-researched book on practical Celtic ogam, footnote citations of sources and all. So please to not be stereotyping, thanks!

Your best bet for decent, nonfluffy Celtic information is the Celtic Reconstructionist FAQ at http://www.paganachd.com/faq/ - it has lots of good information, and a really good reading list.

Answer 2

Wicca is not exclusive from Celtic culture. Look up Edain Mc Coy lots of books on the Celtic traditions. It's funny that you say all you find is Wiccan books most of the books I've come across have had more of a Celtic or Norse background. Llewellyn books has a great website to find what you want. Type in Celtic and you get quite a list. Hope this helped.

Blessed Be!

Answer 3

Avoid Monroe and McCoy - they make a whole bunch of stuff up, and, in Monroe's case, advocates some stuff that's medically dangerous regarding herbs.

Conchobor2's list is good, as are the comments pointing you towards imbas.org and the reading list at the Celtic Reconstructionism wiki page.

Do be careful about the stuff that's out there, in terms of finding and trusting sources. A lot of people try to apply the Celtic label to darned near any crackpot theory in hopes of getting it to sell. As LabGrrl said, anyone who claims Wicca is Celtic should be immediately considered suspect.

Answer 4

If you're interested in Celtic culture, forget about Wicca. Wicca is a purely 20th century invention, intensely dominated by Anglo-American culture, with only a few "Celtic" elements tossed in willy-nilly wherever it would look cute enough.

You want to learn about Celtic culture, find a Celtic Studies program or similar at a good university.

Answer 5

STAY AWAY FROM PAGAN AUTHORS.

Most of them are TERRIBLE at well researched history, and they often write with an agenda (even if they do not intend to).

Get ye to the mythology, anthropology, and history section of your local book store and pick up a few books on Irish and/or Celtic mythology.

Look for these titles to help you get started:
The Story of the Irish Race (Seamus MacMannus)
Legends of the Celts (Delaney)
How the Irish Saved Civilization (Cahill)

Here are some good links:
http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/leborgabala.html
http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T301012/
http://www.timelessmyths.com/celtic/ulster.html
http://web.ncf.ca/dc920/boyd.html

After you start learning about Celtic mythology and culture - THEN have alook into Celtic spiritual paths like the ADF and other such groups.

For a decent histoy on it written by a pagan author, try Isaac Bonewits - I believe he has a book on druidry.

Answer 6

I have two Celtic Reconstructionalist on my contact list. Hopefully they'll see this. I think Spiral Dance is a good one but I'm not sure.

edit: I agree with conch. The better versed you are in academic lore, the easier it is to sift you the **** when you find it. I have yet to read an "Asatru" book. I have read the Edda's and Beowulf and Two other mythology based books written by PhD interested in LORE not RELIGION. It's REALLY helped sift out the bull **** from the real dead. That and my super awesome friend who knows who they are since they help me on an almost daily basis. ;) Good contacts are worth thier weight in gold.

Answer 7

http://www.imbas.org
That's your real "Celtic Connection" unlike that Wicca.com website.

I also like Ellis' The Druids for a bit of history.
Real Wiccans don't claim Wicca is Celtic.

Answer 8

well me being a catholic my knowlage is very limited, many on my contacts are pagan some are wiccan all should be able to help you out.


a friend told me though the best way to find a true book is to look at how they spelled magic

Answer 9

I would highly suggest reading a book called "The 21 Lessons of Merlin" and "The Lost Books of Merlin". they both offer insight into the forming of many "pagan" particularlly druidic beliefs and it outlines many practices and rituals which you can learn from. These have been two of the most influential books in my life, and i would recomend them to anyone honestly seeking knowledge of pagan history and practices. you can also get them online for pretty cheap off amazon. hope you enjoy them :)

Answer 10

http://www.wcc.on.ca/booklist.html

Here's a list that should have a book you can use on it. Good luck! (Triumph of the Moon by Ron Hutton has been highly recommended...)