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170 of 175 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Finest New Books On Paganism, July 3, 2002
This review is from: Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions (Paperback)
As a veteran Witch who has been practicing for over twenty years, the new arrivals on the metaphysical shelves of the bookstores have been, of late, a disappointment. I find most shelves stocked with book upon book of superstitious claptrap, mechanistic models of magick and cookbook-style spellbooks which lower Neo-Paganism, Wicca and Witchcraft to the lowest common denominator. However, when I picked up this book, I was pleasantly surprised, then delighted, to find that the authors wrote with calm, unemotional prose, with nary a foolishly rhymed spell in sight. Mature, insightful thought is the rule of the day in this book, something that I deeply appreciate, and the authors to go great lengths to anticipate and answer the many "whys" of Neo-Paganism in clear prose that neither talks down to the reader, nor dumbs down the topic. The topics that are covered include discussions of beliefs about Divinity and the nature of Divinity itself, a cosmology that includes the "New Physics", and a discussion of how magick works. All of these topics are covered thoroughly, intelligently, and ethically, with a no-nonsense view towards helping the reader come to their own conclusions on the subject matter. The "Satan" issue is covered with a thoroughness that surprised me, and included information that I have never seen portrayed in a Neo-Pagan work before. My only complaint is that the section on ethics was shorter than it could have been. I am one of those Witches who upsets people at Pagan festivals with my view that we need to talk about ethics at any opportunity and work at creating an ethical system that helps the incoming flux of new Pagans understand the behaviors our community does and does not promote. One of the reasons I am so adamant about ethics is because unlike Christianity, which is the religion most Pagans convert from, Paganism doesn't have a lot of do's and don'ts. That is a good thing, however, people who grew up with a lot of rules are not used to thinking for themselves, and often, simply -don't- think. They often wind up hurting themselves and others and hide behind the belief that they are "doing what they will, and harming none." A bit more discussion on exactly what "harm" means, and how to interpret the Rede more effectively would help people who are used to being told what to do learn to make good decisions themselves. Other than that one minor quibble, I would say that this is one of the least shallow beginner books on Neo-Paganism that I have read, and is certainly a book that I can wholeheartedly recommend to everyone, not just beginners. I hope that it becomes as influential as Starhawk's "The Spiral Dance," because it deserves to be that widely read.
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72 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
General Overview of Paganism, July 6, 2003
This review is from: Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions (Paperback)
The Higginbotham's offer a general overview of Paganism in this book, as well as offering a basic handbook of the practices of different paths within the Pagan Religions.
This book goes in two directions. First is a very good overview of many of the different groups that are under general Paganism. Explored are the basic philosophies and beliefs of Druids, Wiccans, Asatru, shamanism, magic, general paganism and all the various offshoots. There is a good section on many of the various paths under that 'umbrella'. There are many theories that have given rise to the modern pagan movement that are explored as well.
There is discussion on what makes the pagan paths different from other world religions and discusses beliefs and practices as well as myths and misinformation.
The second direction of this book is a basic handbook on the practices of many of the different beliefs. From the Wheel of the Year to connecting with personal Deity to individual responsibility, the book reads as a guide to incorporating many of the philosophies and basic Tenets of these beliefs into your own life. Ethics are also discussed throughout the book and there is a good chapter on Ethics and Personal Responsibility.
The book also has 'aids', or subsections that allow the reader to absorb or digest the material in the book, encouraging the reader to think about the material, add it to their journals for further research, discuss with others or question for themselves. This gives the book more of a handbook feeling.
There are good notes for each chapter, a glossary and an excellent bibliography that allow the reader to pursue those things they may find they want to explore further. There is also an index for easy reference.
There is much information in this book that is worth looking over. If you are unfamiliar with Paganism in general, this is a good primer. If you are looking to expand your base of knowledge on Paganism, this book offers a good overview. And if you are looking for a good basic handbook, while there are many specific to the various paths, this book would make a good overall view for those who are looking at the various paths and need a guide or are looking at paganism in general for their path. boudica
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52 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A well-written primer, October 16, 2002
This review is from: Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions (Paperback)
Maybe it's just my love for knowledge and workbook style books, but this book made a huge impression on me. The knowledge is straightforward and addresses two sides of every issue - IE in the Witchcraft v. Satanism issue. They don't simply say, "We don't worship Satan and anyone who says so is a Bible-Beating moron." They present a specific case where they had a conversation with a "fundamentalist," how they resolved it, and used that as a catalyst for their discussion in the book. I also found that the exercises and journal entries were particularly helpful. Sure, it may be a little "school-ish," but I really enjoy books like that (I always have). Having something in the book that made me THINK about the information I had just learned instead of just memorizing it was very helpful. I really enjoyed working through this book and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Paganism, whether they're following the path or just curious about it.
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