Customer Reviews

People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An Excellent view of the Pagan Mosaic!

How do Pagans define Paganism? How were they attracted to a Pagan path? What issues do they consider important? Read the answers, written in their own words! Hopman and Bond have compiled insightful interviews with over 60 Pagans. "They let the People of the Earth speak for themselves - and speak they do, as diverse and fascinating individuals." Hopman and Bond approached a wide range of Pagans, from authors and community leaders, to students and military personnel, assembling over 400 pages of interviews and resources. Each interview discusses how the person came to Paganism, and what key challenges they feel face Pagan culture today.

Selena Fox and Dennis Carpenter describe how Circle was founded in 1974, and the challenges they have faced over the years. Isaac Bonewits explains how Druidism differs from Wicca. Oberon Zell talks about the Church of All Worlds, the Gaia Theory, and much more!

Each in-depth interview is quite multifaceted and very thought-provoking. Each person shares views on a variety of personal experiences, social and theological opinions. From persecuted store owners, to history scholars, to just plain Pagan folks - never before has such a mosaic been assembled. Margot Adler, Starhawk, Susun Weed, Z. Budapest, the Frosts, Alexei Kondratiev, Earthspirit, CoG, and many others. If you've ever wondered about a certain aspect of Paganism, here's your chance to find out more, direct from the source.

Hopman and Bond did an excellent job representing the many different facets of Paganism. This was no easy task. Their section entitled "Paganism from Norway, Greece, Egypt, Israel and Italy" is a wonderful cross-cultural view! A rare treat is the interview with Theodore Parker Mills, a High Priest of Isis, who has touched the lives of many over the years.

They also provide a bibliography of over 200 books and articles for readers to delve deeper. And as a special bonus, Hopman and Bond have assembled a 19-page resource guide, listing newsletters, groups and merchants. A guide like this is a valuable tool for anyone interested in learning more about Pagan culture first hand.

Educational and entertaining, "People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out" will definitely speak out to you -- in a way most other books never have!

Link
AnthLink@aol.com

Why would anyone want to be a Pagan?

There are plenty of reasons, and you'll find many in this book. They include disappointment with the theological basis of monotheism, resentment at the actions of monotheists, and loyalty to one or more Goddesses and Gods or to their adherents. And many Pagans simply want more options, more freedom, more flexibility, or even more privacy in their religious lives. Much of the book deals with the organizational aspects of Paganism, and that's important. But it also shows that one can be a Pagan without submitting to much in the way of human religious authority at all.

This book contains interviews with about sixty Pagans. We discover from them what some Pagan options are today, what Pagan organizations are like, how Pagans fit into the larger community, what Pagan beliefs, practices, and lifestyles are all about, and what directions Pagan groups are moving in. It's worth reading whether you are a Pagan or not.

Readers who are familiar with Neopaganism will most likely recognize names of many of the women and men who are interviewed in this book, and who express in their own words what they believe in and what they practice. After reading a few of the fascinating interviews, one begins to realize that no two Pagans are alike. Each has a different opinion, different interests, different backgrounds, different goals, even different definitions for the word "Pagan." At times the differences can be perplexing, yet comforting in providing evidence that we Pagans are all free spirits who are not afraid to be different, to follow our own hearts and dreams, and to resist conformity. After all, it is the sweet freedom of religious self-expression that makes the Pagan ways so appealing & spiritually fulfulling in the first place! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, however, I must admit that although I found the interview with porno actress Annie Sprinkle to be interesting in an odd sort of way, I did not feel that a section on this woman (who now advertises herself as a "sacred prostitute" and admits that she "never really studied Paganism and Witchcraft") was appropriate for such an otherwise spiritually-insightful book. While I certainly make no attempts to pass any moral judgements against Miss Sprinkle and what she enjoys doing, I simply fail to see the connection between the 200 pornographic movies she's "acted" in and modern Paganism. I agree with her about sex being sacred & spiritual, but I personally do not feel that using it to make money or skin flicks is "the path to enlightenment." The profiles in this book are supposed to be those of "Pagan leaders and teachers", and while I'm sure there are many new tricks Annie Sprinkle can teach us, I cannot bring myself to put her in the category of a Pagan leader or teacher. I'm sorry but I feel there exist enough negative stereotypes & misconceptions associated with Paganism without adding one more to the cauldron brew. The back of the book has a good resource section covering audiotapes, magazines & publications, organizations, groups & individuals, electronic resources, merchants & services, and herbal suppliers. I must admit though that I was a bit disappointed to find a number of leading Pagans (such as Silver RavenWolf, Raymond Buckland, Doreen Valiente, Gerina Dunwich, Laurie Cabot, etc.) left out after contributing so much to the Craft community for many decades. I still, however, enjoyed this book very much and found much useful information in it as well as some new insights. I recommend it as an informative and highly browsable addition to any Pagan's personal library.

I'm often asked by seekers what books they should read or where they should start. I always list "The Spiral Dance," "Drawing Down the Moon," "Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner" and other books to get them started. I will definitely be adding this detailed book to my list, and I think it's as good or better than "Drawing Down the Moon" for comparing the various Pagan paths. Whether you're a complete novice or an elder, you'll enjoy reading these interviews from across the spectrum, getting the scoop straight from the horse's mouth on each tradition. My only minor complaint is that since similar questions were asked of each interviewee, the book does get a bit repetitave and is best read over several days or weeks. It's a great reference, however, and all Pagans should own a copy.

I was very captivated by this book. The author brought Paganism alive by introducing and interviewing a multitude of Pagans, from many different paths. I carried this book around for days, reading and rereading favorite sections. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants learn more about Paganism or Earth Religions!

I am the HPS of a Coven. This is required reading for one of our Degrees. I feel that it is an invaluable resource to become familiar with the Founders of other Traditions. With that being said, some of the interviews are boring. Some of the interviews are down right freaky. I am a glad people are willing to talk openly about what it is they believe, and I feel this book got to the core of that in most of the interviews, however...there were a few that just made me go Whoa! No wonder people thing Pagans are nuts!

I would recommend this book and not the new edition Being a Pagan: Druids, Wiccans, and Witches Today simply because the new addition doesn't update any of the information and there are less interviews. If the new edition had updated interviews, then it would be my pick.

The good: An EXCELLENT reference on the founders of some of the major Trads in Paganism.

The bad: A bit dry and sometimes sounds a bit...nuts.

I'm often asked by seekers what books they should read or where they should start. I always list "The Spiral Dance," "Drawing Down the Moon," "Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner" and other books to get them started. I will definitely be adding this detailed book to my list, and I think it's as good or better than "Drawing Down the Moon" for comparing the various Pagan paths. Whether you're a complete novice or an elder, you'll enjoy reading these interviews from across the spectrum, getting the scoop straight from the horse's mouth on each tradition. My only minor complaint is that since similar questions were asked of each interviewee, the book does get a bit repetitave and is best read over several days or weeks. It's a great reference, however, and all Pagans should own a copy.

Any reader already familiar with the pagan/neopagan movement may obtain enjoyment and insight into the pagan community with this book, and an "outsider" may also find this book helpful in clearing a few questions so long as s/he has read Drawing Down the Moon and read a few articles first. Consisting of a series of interviews with many if not all the "Big Name Pagans" of our time, this provides a full scope of how very diverse modern paganism is and also creates a resource for a community that may not be of like but usually deals with being of similar mind.

In this book the author interviews several figures prominent in Pagan/Earth-Centered theology. Some of them had some interesting takes on this philosophy, but a few got really academic and dry. I guess I had just expected more "meat" (background info on Pagan spirituality) besides the interviews, but this may just be my mistake on not reading the description well enough before I purchased it.

Want to know more about such people as Gavin and Yvonne Frost and their Church and School of Wicca? Get this book! It is a collection of brief biographies on many people involved in the neo pagan movement. Dr. Leisure particularly likes this book since he has met so many of the individuals within it first hand (includes author Hopman). Even so he is amazed to learn more about his friends. New or different insights are revealed every time he reads a section of this book.

Be a pagan. Its fun and healthful to the planet. If you respect and honor your mother how can you go wrong! (Check out DrLeisure.com for more information on the neo pagan phenomenon.)