Recommended Reading

A compiled listing of books recommended by myself and other well seasoned practitioners

Beginner:
"Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions" - River and Joyce Higganbotham

"Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner" - Scott Cunningham

"Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner" - Scott Cunningham

"Wicca for Beginners" - Thea Sabin

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft" (any edition) - Kathrine Gleason and Denise Zimmerman

"The Inner Temple of Witchcraft" - Christopher Penczak


Advanced (read after beginner):
"Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft" - Raymond Buckland

"WitchCrafting" - Phyllis Curott

"The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells" - Judika Iiles

"Book of Shadows" - Scott Cunningham


Christian Perspective:
"Wicca's Charm" - Catherine Sanders


Further Reading:
"Aradia: Gospel of the Witches" - Charles Leland

"Natural Magic" - Pamela J. Ball


Spirituality:
"Pagan Scriptures" (Online PDF) - Charles Baize & Nolan Reichle


Herbalism:
"Magic and Medicine of Plants" - Reader's Digest Publication

"Healing Spirit of Plants" - Claire G. Harvey and Amanda Cochrane

"Traditional Herbal Remedies: An Illustrated A-Z Guide" - Michael Howard

"Nicolas Culpeper's Complete Herbal" (Online Reference) - Nicolas Culpeper


Recommended Books:
**Note, these books are recommended by other reputed practitioners, but I have yet to read them

"The Outer Temple of Witchcraft" - Christopher Penczak

"A Prerequisite to Wicca 101: A High Priestess Reveals What Beginner Books Won't Tell You" - Kristin Barton




Non-Recommended Authors

I don't really tell people they shouldn't read certain books. I figure people should read what they want and form their own opinion, however, there are some authors I would recommend people avoid...at least until after they've read some more reputed authors and gotten a good grasp on what's accurate and what is not.


Silver Ravenwolf
My view on this author could be quite lengthy, but in a brief nutshell, judging from many of her books that I've read and seen recommended by others:

-her knoweldge of history is questionable, if not shoddy
-her lineage (of which she boasts) has not been verified
-her animosity towards...certain religions seeps into her pages and can be a negative influence on young, impressionable readers
-she treats her readers with condescension which I believe is rather rude of someone trying to be a "teacher" (EXAMPLE: To Light a Sacred Flame - Paragraph 2
-She continuously interchanges terms that have nothing to do with each other (i.e. Wicca and Witchcraft)

On my scale of 1-10 on whether or not to read her, I'd have to say she is a 2. By all means, if someone wants to read her, that's perfectly fine, but one should do so with a grain of salt. She does have some interesting ideas in ways of spells and such, but I wouldn't rely on her for accurate information in regards to education





...more recommendations to come.