The Everything Paganism Book: Discover the Rituals, Traditions, and Festivals of This Ancient Religion (Everything (New Age)) [Paperback]

Selene Silverwind (Author)

Book Description

Series: Everything (New Age) | Publication Date: September 2004

The history and development of Paganism-all in one volume!

Although Pagans have endured centuries of persecution and condemnation, Paganism has risen to become the seventh-largest organized religion in the world-and is still growing.

The Everything( Paganism Book, written by Selene Silverwind-a practicing Pagan for more than ten years-uncovers the history and beliefs of this ancient faith. The author guides you through the ideology, tenets, and practices that make up Paganism, exploring its Celtic origins and showing how some Pagan rites and rituals have become mainstream today.

Learn all about:

Pagan ethics and belief structure

Paganism's modern offshoots, such as Wicca

The roots of Neo-Paganism

The history of Druidism, Shamanism, and more

Festivals and celebrations near you

Supplemented with a glossary of Pagan terms, The Everything(r) Paganism Book is the ideal introduction for anyone with an interest in the ideals and traditions of this ancient religion.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Selene Silverwind is a practicing Pagan, and came to the faith after an extended search. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a bachelor of arts degree in communications, she has written several articles on Paganism and frequently lectures on the subject. She is the president of Pagan Pride Los Angeles, an organization dedicated to educating the public about modern Paganism. She lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media Corporation (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593371187
• ISBN-13: 978-1593371180
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #620,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview, February 23, 2006

By 

Todd Hawley (San Francisco CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Everything Paganism Book: Discover the Rituals, Traditions, and Festivals of This Ancient Religion (Everything (New Age)) (Paperback)

There are lots of introductory Pagan books available and this one takes a good overview of it rather than get into the "nuts and bolts" of what Pagans "do." The author begins with a brief history of Paganism before going to discuss their belief system, various "Pagan holidays," and the tools used in celebrations.

What sets this book apart from other "beginners' books" is the author's devoting chapters to specific Pagan religions, like Asatru, Druidry, Santeria, and Shamanism (although some would argue these are not necessarily Pagan religions). I also liked that topics like Pagan Ethics, The Role Of Magic, and Explaining and Protecting Your Beliefs were also discussed.

This is a good book not only for the good amount of information it covers, but also because it provides the non Pagan with a general idea of what Paganism is in a nonjudgmental way.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very helpful book, April 25, 2007

By 

Ria - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Everything Paganism Book: Discover the Rituals, Traditions, and Festivals of This Ancient Religion (Everything (New Age)) (Paperback)

As an ecletic Wiccan coming from a Christian family, this book helped immensely when trying to explain to my parents, especially my mother, what I believe and how I practice my faith. It also helped me to understand more about other faiths I wasn't as familiar with. Well written in layman's terms, this book paints a general picture of how the faiths described tend to work. Well laid out, easy to read, and good information.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but with room to grow, March 6, 2010

By 

Rae - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Everything Paganism Book: Discover the Rituals, Traditions, and Festivals of This Ancient Religion (Everything (New Age)) (Paperback)

I was overall very pleased with this book. It offers very novice information in layman's terms about the Neo-Pagan perspective and different sects of beliefs. But there was still very much to be desired, and their section on Wicca was not only ill-informed but very fluffy and vague. So this is DEFINITELY not the source for information about Wicca, of any origin or lineage.

All around, for the price I got it for, it was a good buy but I'm very sure there are other books that are just as good, if not better.