Pagans, can you give me the titles of some advanced books for our path?

Question

I have been Pagan for almost 10 years and still like to read books about our path...but am tired of reading the 101 type stuff. Cunningham, Starhawk and Silver Ravenwolf were informative to me 10 years ago...but now I would like to read something deeper and more involved on modern Paganism or Wiccan topics.

Answer 1

You may have some luck finding things in used book stores. I've come across a few older volumes on magic and paganism, which offer at least a different view.

But I've also heard some of these reccommended:

Reference Books:

Rex E. Bills--The Rulership Book.
June G. Bletzer, Ph.D.--The Encyclopedic Psychic Dictionary.
Miranda Bruce-Mitford--The Illustrated Book of Signs and Symbols.
Raymond Buckland--The Witch Book: The Encylopedia of Witchcraft, Wicca and Neo-Paganism.
Kerr Cuhulain--The Law Enforcement Guide to Wicca.
Scott Cunningham--Cunningham's Encylopedia of Crystal, Gem, & Metal Magic. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs.
Gerina Dunwich--A Modern Witch's Complete Sourcebook.
Selena Fox et. al.--Circle Guide to Pagan Groups.
Lady Galadriel--A New Wiccan Book of the Law.
Leonard George, Ph.D.--Alternative Realities.
Rosemary Ellen Guiley--The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft. Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience.
Michael Jordan--Encyclopedia of Gods.
Carl McColman--The Well-Read Witch.
David Pickering--Cassell's Dictionary of Witchcraft.
Barbara G. Walker--The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects. The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets.

Scientific Perspectives Useful and Interesting to Pagan Readers:

Greg Braden--The Isaiah Effect.
Fritjof Capra--The Tao of Physics. The Turning Point: Science, Society, and the Rising Culture.
Brian Greene--The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
Stephen Hawking--The Illustrated Brief History of Time.
Joseph Head & S.L. Cranston--Reincarnation: The Phoenix Fire Mystery.
Douglas R. Hofstadter--Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, A Metaphorical Fugue on Minds and Machines in the Spirit of Lewis Carroll.
Michio Kaku--Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension.
Robert Lawlor--Sacred Geometry: Philosophy and Practice.
J.E. Lovelock--Gaia: A New Look at Life On Earth.
Hamish Miller & Paul Broadhurst--The Sun and the Serpent: An Investigation into Earth Energies.
Michael S. Schneider--A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe.
Leonard Shlain--The Alphabet vs. the Goddess.
Ken Wilber--A Brief History of Everything.
Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D.--Mind into Matter: A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit.
Mark B. Woodhouse--Paradigm Wars: Worldviews for a New Age.

Psychological Perspectives Useful and Interesting to Pagan Readers:

Brad Blanton, Ph.D.--Radical Honesty.
Daniel Goleman--Emotional Intelligence.
Carl G. Jung--The Essential Jung: Selected Writings.
Theodore Roszak, Mary E. Gomes, & Allen D. Kanner--Ecopsychology.
Bertrand Russell--The Conquest of Happiness.

Answer 2

I'm afraid most books are 101. What I find to be more involved is reading up on the history of the people and cultures our religions have come from. As well as books on archeology. Though out of the 101 books, I think Cunningham is the more practical of the bunch. And one that is a bit more developed than the 101 books is the book Pagan Spirituality. Though I don't agree with everything written in there, it's still a good read.

Good luck on your search. =)

Answer 3

You ever seen the movie Superman? There is a really great line, spoken by Lex Luthor no less, that goes: "Some people can read War and Peace and come away thinking it's a simple adventure story. Others can read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe."

Advanced is a way of looking at the world, even the 'mundane' stuff. 1+1 =2 led to e=mc2. Seeing deeper is not a problem of the author's, its a problem of the readers.

When a student asks a head buddhist monk to be admitted, the monk usually gives the student a very basic question to answer: just before the student prepares to leave, the monk then asks the same student the exact same question: it is not the answer that changes but the student.

Answer 4

When referring to books, "advanced" might be the most subjective word in Wicca. Whether or not the material in a book is advanced, depends entirely upon what the reader/student has already read/studied. I genuinely believe that most authors believe they are writing advanced books when they sit down to write. I am sure they are basing this off of what they have seen with their own students of their experiences with others. There is validity to the argument that advanced material is specialized material and most of the books on my shelf I would consider advanced are books on specific subjects. True advanced material probably only lives in two forms; in the form of specialized books on subjects that simply aren't of interest to everyone and in the notebooks and hard drives of those who train labeled as "curriculum". If I had any fantastic ideas regarding advanced books, Llewellyn would be the last place I'd take them. They can't even turn out decent beginner materials. I find it amusing that they exclude history and memoirs as I learn way more from those two types of books than any other subject. The problem is that subjects such as ritual and all the things that occur within ritual are things best learned not from a book.

Answer 5

Go with Tawaen's list. I have many of the ones listed and, in order to go deeper in the path you have chosen, you need to branch out.

I completely understand where you are coming from as I got fed up being fed the same stuff just revamped in a new format. You'll want to read about history, other religions, psychology, science, etc. Leave the big name pagan stuff behind except for light reading.

Answer 6

I know what you mean. It all starts to sound the same after a while. Nobody takes it any farther than the basics.

I did a lot of research to create my website, and uncovered a number of interesting details about my Goddess. You might want to check it out for some time.

www.cybele2.com

Blessed Be,

Jeanie

Answer 7

Modern Magick by Donald Micheal Craig--and I can't believe you admit to having read a ravenwolf book--you learn more real stuff from Anne rice

Answer 8

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - - - Julian Jaynes

it just instantly came to mind upon reading your question....

don't read it if you're not comfortable having ideas challenged

Answer 9

Scott Cunningham is one of my favorite authors...now may I offer a tad of advice? Books are wonderful tools of learning, but that is all they are is tools, just like other objects we may use. This may sound simple, but open to it and it does work....the best knowledge comes from experience...find an elder and chat with them. You do not have to follow their path...just listen to their stories and experiences...then surround yourself with nature and let it speak ot you....simple as it may sound, I have learned much more from talking with reservation elders and communing with trees and rivers than from any book....Goddess bless

Answer 10

i'm actually one of the few pagans who are not avid readers. i just don't enjoy reading. i love to listen. i learn better that way. i go to as many pagan seminars, lectures and workshops as i can. i'll star your question so my contacts are able to answer