Customer Reviews

A Book of Pagan Rituals

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book because for a long time it was considered one of the classic works offered in the early neopagan movement, at least as far as "early" and "classic" go in neopaganism. Although I find the rituals applicable and the information accurate, there are some key points left out that a beginning pagan needs to know such as closing rituals etc. I think this was written on the supposition that much of the traditions were still secret, and this was certainly written before people protested aligning Wicca with general paganism. I intend to keep this book on my shelf for historical interest -- it tells more about what paganism was in the VietNam era than it does about practicality and practice. An advanced practitioner can readapt much of the information so it is useful, or use it for fodder to start a scholarly study although the book itself is hardly scholarly.

Ok this is an old book. It has been around for a long time and is somewhat dated. Yes it is of value for the historical role and place.

And yet

The rituals are clear and tight and moving and easily performed. But there are other books which have still more rituals at least as good

and yet...

Maybe the most attractive points of the book are the two essays-One is somewhat dated but the second, Pagan Musings. remains a beautiful expression of hope. It brings us back to a more idealistic time. Perhaps a time we long for and can work toward.

Frankly I think it is worth it just for this one essay.

Yes get it for the rituals and for the history. But on those days when you are running a bit low on inspiration and are a bit down, Take it out and read Pagan Musings again. It might give you what you need to go on.

This book is fairly well-written, and has some very good information in it, but a lot of the wording and rituals are rather Dianic (female-oriented, focusing mainly on the Goddess) and the coven rituals are designed for largish covens of roughly equally divided gender ... so they may need some altering to work for other situations. Very ceremonial, has some good incantations, and some decent info in the back. Plus, it has that simple and stylish cover!

Despite what everyone else seems to think these days, I still prefer the bares bones approach to paganism. I don't like all this fluff slanted towards a particular tradition, nor do I like most of the New Age in general. This book is an excellent breath of fresh air in the stifled, suagrcoated atmosphere of the 90's pagan world. No nonsense; just what it says--a book of pagan rituals. A must-have for any serious practitioner, and the best book on my shelves.

If you already have a good grounding you can fill in the gaps... but I think there's better. I was looking for rite of passage rituals, but I found better info in... Pagan Rites of Passage!(By Pauline Campanelli). This was centered at dianic covens and today most pagans are solitary and I prefer a more balanced approach. Anyway... That can't detract from the fact it was a 'must have' for many years. It just isn't now.

I find the book to be a solid reference for several reasons. First, it gives the reader rituals designed for both group and solitary practitioners with specific information for each ritual that are not generally found in other books, such as where to conduct each ritual, what to place on the altars, what to wear, whether or not an altar is needed, and what should be placed on the altar besides decorations and standard tools. I also like the fact that the rituals include ones for marriage, divination, purification, healing and that the book also has a Rite for the Dead. The fact that the book has a short section explaining devotion, evocation, invocation and prayer, another section on meditation and an exercise for rhythmic breathing makes it a must for any beginner in magickal practice.

Criticisms of the book tend to center on the fact that it is primarily Wiccan in perspective, group oriented and Goddess centered. I am not sure if these criticisms are based on initial reactions to the first section of the book and if those critics did not read the book in its entirety, or if the book is not practical for beginners. Obviously the book is not solely group oriented, and although the rituals given are Wiccan and Goddess-driven, the book provides the reader with enough solid information to design rituals for their own specific Path. Perhaps it is the title of the book that is misleading, but anyone who picks up a book of rituals looking for formulas that provide them with the perfect ritual for every occasion will always be disappointed. The Book of Pagan Rituals is geared toward giving beginners something to practice and intermediates with something to create. Advanced practioners will find ideas, information and concrete teaching tools in its pages.


There are two things in this book that make me continue to pull it off my bookshelf after two decades. One is the glossary of terms used in herbalism found in the Herbs section which defines terms like "febrifuge" and "diaphoretic". The second is the Ritual Outline which provides 10 easy steps necessary to design a ritual. The book is well worth buying just for these things, but The Book of Pagan Rituals is a fount of information and insight for anyone interested in Paganism.

Slater's collection of rituals is a classic, chock full of good ideas and rituals. This is a definite 'buy-it,' and likely to go out of print over the next few years since Slater's passing

it was/is just what i've been looking 4. i'm solitary and recommend it to others.

Flimsy. This book was once essential reading, but the works of Cunningham, the Farrars, and many others have left it far behind. These rituals are laughably bare compared to virutally any book on Wicca published in the 90's.

It's nice to see how far the NeoPagan movement has come!

I truly enjoyed this book,as i am learning about paganism its a great start as its informative and its rituals seem easy. haven't tried them yet, but will definitely do so soon. thanks Amazon for sending the book.