Customer Reviews

Pagan Paths: A Guide to Wicca, Druidry, Asatru, Shamanism and Other Pagan Practices

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Pete Jennings is the "High Gothi" of Odinshof (an "Odinist" organization) as well as the retired President of the Pagan Federation; he also comments on BBC Radio at times. So he is evidently well-qualified to write this very helpful overview (published in 2002) of a variety of Pagan practices.

A variety of spiritual paths may nowadays be called "Pagan": Gardnerian and Alexandrian Witchcraft, Wicca, Druidry, Asatru, Shahmanism, and others. Jennings has separate chapters on all of these paths, as well as chapters summarizing "common features" among many of these traditions, such as "Festivals and Rites of Passage," 'Sacred Sites," Using Magic, etc. Most chapters end with a "Things to Do" section, with ideas for practicing such ideas and rituals.

Jennings is a very clear expositor of a wide variety of viewpoints, and treats all viewpoints fairly.

At the end of the book, Jennings provides a Glossary, a helpful Bibliography, along with helpful websites and organization names.

The book is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in a general overview of alternative spiritualities.

This book is one that I would only recommend to an absolute beginner. Those who have been on the path for awhile, I'd say a year or more, probably will not find it to be especially helpful. I've been on a Pagan path for about 2.5 years, and I did not get as much as I had hoped for out of this book. It gives a good overview of different Pagan religions and offers some beginner information.
I was hoping for a little more in-depth information about different Pagan religions. One thing I can say really bothered me about the book is that it separated different forms of Wicca. While they are all distinct and unique, I feel like they should have been part of the same section. It just seems odd to me that the author includes a section that basically discusses recon faiths of all sorts together, but yet each Wicca tradition had its own section.
On a final note, if you are new and want to understand basic concepts about Paganism, Wicca, and an overview of a few Pagan paths, then I would recommend this to you. But if you are not a newbie, and are trying to define your path, this is probably not what you need.

I haven't finished this book yet, but am enjoying the information provided. It's very straight forward and easy to read. It provides good, all-around information on the various paths within Paganism.