Books on Paganism

Just a list of books I'm interested in reading or at least thumbing through that have to do with Paganism, Wicca and spirituality. I have created this list from the resources sections of Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler and Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions by Joyce and River Higginbotham.

Real Magic by Issac Bonewits
Working Inside Out: Tools for Change by Margo Adair
Daughters of Copper Woman by Anne Cameron
A Witches Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar
The Sea Priestess by Dion Fortune
Witchcraft Today (pdf) by Gerald B. Gardner
The Meaning of Witchcraft by Gerald B. Gardner
Witchcraft, the Sixth Sense by Justine Glass
Womanspirit Rising: A Feminist Reader in Religion by Carol P. Christ and Judith Plaskow
Changing of the Gods: Feminism and the End of Traditional Religions by Naomi Goldenberg
The White Goddess by Robert Graves
Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her by Susan Griffin
Mother Wit: A Feminist Guide to Psychic Development by Diane Mariechild
The New Polytheism by David Miller
The Witch Cult in Western Europe by Margaret A. Murray
The Nag Hammadi Library
The Spiral Dance by Starhawk
An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present by Doreen Valiente
Positive Magic: Ancient Metaphysical Techniques for Modern Lives by Marion Weinstein
The Grandmother of Time: A Woman's Book of Celebrations, Spells, and Sacred Objects for Every Month of the Year by Zsuzsanna Budapest
Celebrate the Earth: A Year of Holidays in the Pagan Tradition by Laurie Cabot
Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life by Pauline Campanelli
To Ride a Silver Broomstick by Silver Ravenwolf
The Pagan Book of Living and Dying by Starhawk
Dancing with the Wheel by Sun Bear, Wabun Wind, and Crysalis Mulligan
When God was a Woman by Merlin Stone
The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft by Rosemary Guiley
Wholeness and the Implicate Order by David Bohm
The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley
Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain
Modern Sex Magick: Secrets of Erotic Spirituality by Donald Michael Kraig
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

Work Stresses and Rabbit

I've been feeling down the last couple of days, and I think a lot of it has to do with work. I am SO over that place! It's cool and all, but the politics and drama and ridiculousness are all getting to be too much. I'm just getting so frustrated with how things are there, it's just not worth it anymore. Especially considering what I am getting paid. I'm just bummed that even though it's a cool place, it has so many issues and being there just makes me unhappy. So, onwards and upwards! I've been applying at other places around town, mostly downtown. I'm trying to decide whether or not I should sell out and work for the man, although I would much rather work for another local place. We'll see. It's not too urgent that I leave my current job, so I'm not too stressed about finding another one. I did just snag a gig cleaning someone's shop and house once a week, which will give me a little extra cash. It's not much, but every little bit counts.

I am really starting to feel Rabbit's absence. I miss having a girlfriend around! We had a long phone conversation on my way home from St. Louis on Saturday, which was great! It was really nice to catch up and talk about some things that are important to both of us. I am deeply grateful for Rabbit, it's been awesome getting to know her and discovering that we have a lot in common. I feel especially connected with her because we are walking the same paths in our lives right now. Feeling things out, learning, exploring. I'm happy to have someone with whom I can share my feelings, questions and thoughts about our Pagan explorations, without feeling like such an amateur. There are other friends I can talk with about Paganism, but since we are both just getting into it, I feel more comfortable discussing it with Rabbit. Also, it's been such a blessing having someone around who is having the same feelings of fear, frustration, confusion and bewilderment about life in general as I do. I feel much less alone knowing that. And we can talk about these things! That's especially important.

I started on a new jigsaw puzzle last night. Woo geekitude!

How sweet would this be?? Why do we have to be so puritanical in this country?

Merry Samhain!

I wanted to share the Samhain love:
-the Wikipedia entry
-Samhain on Chalice Centre
-Samhain lore on wicca.com

Wolf likes to say that you can always tell which Pagans are either brand new or just being posers when they pronounce Samhain the way it looks, instead of "sow-in". Ha.

I see this as a time to reflect on the experiences and adventures of the past year and to prepare for the coming winter (read: the cold and dark). I think winter can be a time of regeneration and renewal and Samhain marks the beginning of this time. As the weather cools, I will be spending more time inside and less time running around. This will give me a chance to do some serious thinking and reflecting. At least that's what I'd like this winter's focus to be. As much as I will miss the summer, the warmth and the sun, having less distractions will be a good opportunity for me.

Many people see Samhain as a time to communicate with departed loved ones, as it is when the veil between the two worlds is the thinnest (the other times being May Day and Midsummer). Samhain eve always seems rather witchy to me, and a great time to be out in the woods! This has not been a focus for me this year though, since I have thankfully not lost anyone close to me.

Unfortunately I did not do much of all for Samhain. Rabbit, Wolf and I had planned to go out to the woods, have a fire and play around. Rabbit and I were even going to dress up as faeries (well, I was going to be a woodland pixie). We ended up just hanging out and watching a movie like we normally do since Rabbit still had things to prepare for her move (she left today!). There is always next year, right?