A Popular Dictionary of Paganism (Popular Dictionaries of Religi) [Paperback]

Joanne Pearson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0700715916 | ISBN-13: 978-0700715916 | Edition: 1

This dictionary provides a readily available collection of source material for a subject which has recently become of considerable public and academic interest. It provides a point of reference for key words and concepts which have previously been available only in short glossaries, footnotes, or within a body of text. It deals with concepts shared by all Pagans, and also with those concepts unique to a particular Pagan tradition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

' ... Pearson succeeds splendidly in the endeavour she has undertaken and her ability to crystalize and make lucid a complex, messy and multiple social reality is indicative of both experience in and insight into the world of paganism.'

' ... this book will prove an invaluable aid to both the relative newcomer to Paganism and indeed to more experienced scholars ... the information supplied in the book more than withstands close scrutiny and I have no doubt that A Popular Dictionary of Paganism will live up to its title and prove to be just that.' - both by Journal for the Academic Study of Magic

About the Author

Joanne Pearson teaches at Open University in England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (April 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700715916
• ISBN-13: 978-0700715916
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,242,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Useful concept, but limited., January 3, 2006

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Catsnstuff (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Popular Dictionary of Paganism (Popular Dictionaries of Religi) (Paperback)

I bought this item as a reference to be used in writing my MA thesis. Although it was frequently useful for terms such as "athame" as a glossary with more academic "clout" than those in the back of popular books on paganism, I found myself glad of my own background in Witchcraft as something to check the definitions against. I can't speak regarding terms specific to other forms of paganism such as Asatru, but I found the definitions concerning Witchcraft to be limited and often biased towards traditional Wicca and systems that emulate it. In many cases the interpretations of words provided in popular books on Witchcraft, such as Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner differed from those in this book, and this was never mentioned or addressed. This is a significant omission, as many many people who consider themselves as pracitioners of Witchcraft or "Wicca", and other Pagans, gain their understanding and use of these terms from popular books and the common understandings that have been influenced by these.

Examples of this bias towards Wicca include "first/second/third degree", "casting a circle", "invocation" and so on. "First Degree" is introduced as "The first of three levels of initiation in Wicca...", despite the many other pagan traditions that hold degree systems. With "invocation", Pearson gives a definition of and description of "drawing down the moon" similar to what may be found in descriptions of Wicca (eg A Witches' Bible by the Farrars) where an invoker kneels before a priest/ess and "uses the words of invocation" to bring Deity into the empty vessel that is the priest/ess. However, the term is used in a much broader sense within popular Witchcraft, and may refer to a myraid of techniques used to align oneself with a deity (where one may not necessarily have another person ready to help), or even simply to the calling of energies into a magical circle. If this book were sold as "A popular dictionary of Wicca", then it would have been acceptable to leave it as this. As a popular dictionary of Paganism, the existence of other interpretations should have been acknowledged, or at the very least this specific description presented as a method of invocation and not simply as "what invocation is".

I would therefore not recommend this book to anyone who is not already familiar with Paganism, and would certainly suggest that the inquirer look to other sources as well as this book, whether they are defining terms for academic writing or simply wanting to reach a personal understanding. Because of its limited nature, I certainly do not believe this book is worth the hardcover price!

Because of Pearson's academic background, I had also hoped for more disucssion of contested terms, such as "Wicca" - who uses this to refer only to traditional Wicca, where the use of it to describe general Witchcraft stems from, etc. This degree of discussion was not found in this book, although to be fair no claim was made that it would, and it is not found in general dictionaries either. I write this to prevent others from making this mistake, and not to point out a flaw in the book.