Witchy Newbie Advice - Beginner's Books To Witchcraft/Wicca/Paganism

Hi everyone! In this post I'm going to reference all of you to some books that will help you understand different kinds of Paganism/Wiccan/Witchcraft things. I'll make a list of some beginner guides, then take you deeper into some interesting books that will make you think more about what you want to do and where you want to go if you choose to become Pagan/Wiccan. I hope all of you enjoy it!

This list comes The Queen of Swords, and she was kind enough to give four different lists for all of you, myself included, to take a look at and why she likes them.

• Pagan/Wiccan
  • Twelve Wild Swans by Starhawk and Hilary Valentine - a beautifully written book with exercises to gain magical skills, do inner work and reach out to your community; more female-oriented but can be used by anyone
  • Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham - a true classic; this book has everything you'll need to get you started
  • Embracing the Moon by Yasmine Galenorn - this is a pagan (not Wiccan) book; a very practical approach with some great spells to start with
  • The Inner Temple of Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak - this book is a must have for every pagan library; he explores the very foundations of pagan practice with meditations and visualizations; the exercises are extremely helpful to get some experience under your belt
  • In the Circle by Elen Hawke - at first I wasn't overly impressed by this book, but then I kept going back to it as a reference; lovely exploration of seasonal imagery
  • To Stir a Magick Cauldron by Silver Ravenwolf - this is actually the second book in her series, but I recommend starting with this instead of To Ride A Silver Broomstick because it has more clear writing and more "meat"; Silver's witchcraft history should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt
• References
  • Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham - has the metaphysical properties of many common gems
  • Love Is In the Earth by Melody - has the metaphysical properties of almost any stone that you can think of and plenty you've never heard of; truly a crystal bible; one warning: Melody is a little out there, ignore the UFO stuff because the rest of the info is good
  • Magical Aromatherapy by Scott Cunningham - how to use scent in magic and a listing of the properties of many herbs and essential oils
  • Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham - how to use herbs in magic and a property listing of the more common ones; check his Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs for a more comprehensive listing
• Goddess Path
  • The Goddess Path by Patricia Monaghan - an absolutely beautiful book on many different goddesses such as Hera and the Muses; has rituals and journaling questions
  • The Goddess Companion by Patricia Monaghan - daily meditations on the Goddess; has excerpts from ancient hymns and chants for each day
  • 365 Goddess by Patricia Telesco - a goddess for each day; great for a quick devotion in the morning
  • Teen Goddess by Catherine Wishart - it's supposed to be for teens, but if you ignore the spells to get boys, there are great ideas for bringing the goddess into your everyday life
  • Goddess Meditations by Barbara Ardinger - lovely and powerful meditations to get in touch with many different goddesses, including your inner goddess
  • Sage Woman Magazine - a goddess-oriented magazine; lovely writing and illustrations; food for thought 4 times a year
  • Invoke the Goddess by Kala Trobe - wonderful guided meditations to meet Hindu, Greek and Egyptian goddesses; also includes basic information on the goddesses
• Witchcraft History
  • The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe by Brian Levack - a great overview of the witch trials; scholarly without being dry
  • Witches and Neighbors by Robin Briggs - a little long but thoroughly explores reasons why people were accused of witchcraft

This next list comes off of Amazon from the username caj211, which we have to thank for such a fine list for the best Wiccan/Pagan books for beginners.

1. Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmermann - "it seems funny to start here, but I found this to be one of the most thorough & complete books for beginners/curious"
2.Celtic Myth & Magick: Harness the Power of the Gods and Goddesses (Llewellyn's World Religion and Magic Series) by Edain McCoy - "great for those who want to follow the keltic ways, also with great visualization/meditation exercises"
3. Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today (Compass) by Margot Adler - "stands alone, great (though somewhat out of date) look at the pagan community in modern America"
4.Wicca: A guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham - "anyone serious about practicing as a solitaire must read this book, fantastic"
5. Practical Candleburning Rituals: Spells and Rituals for Every Purpose (Llewellyn's Practical Magick Series) by Raymond Buckland - "filled with good, basic spells & rituals"
6.Celtic Gods, Celtic Goddesses by R. J. Stewart - great look into the Celts, emphasis is on their unique myths"
7. Tarot for Your Self: A Workbook for Personal Transformation by Mary K. Greer - "wonderful workbook to gain insight into & experience with the tarot"
8. Tarot Total Rider Waite Tarot With Book by Gunter Hagar - "great tarot w/instructional book for beginners, easy to understand & use
9. Book of Shadows by Phyllis W. Curott - "wonderful first person account of a woman's transformation through the goddess"

If you happen to go to the link above, many of the books listed are as cheap as a penny! But watch out for those shipping prices, they can get pretty steep! This next list is of a very famous Pagan/Wiccan writer by the name of Silver Ravenwolf. I've gotten the chance to go browse the Pagan section in Barns and Noble and I've liked a few of her books when just taking a good look at them. So here's a few of her books for all of you to check out!

1. To Ride A Silver Broomstick
2. Teen Witch
3. Solitary Witch
4. To Stir A Magick Cauldron
5. Witch's Notebook

This next list goes out to all the Teen Witches/Pagans, to help give you a light in your dark tunnel.

1. Rocking The Goddess: Campus Wicca for the Student Practitioner by Anthony Paige
2.Confessions of a Teenage Witch: Celebrating the Wiccan Life by Gwinevere Rain
3.Spellbound: The Teenage Witch's Wiccan Handbook by Teresa Moorey
4.Be a Teen Goddess!: Magical Charms, Spells, and Wiccan Wisdom for the Wild Ride of Life by Francesca De GRandis

Well, I hope you all have a good sense as to what it is you are looking for. Remember, there are SO MANY books out there that can help you, don't just take my lists for account. Also, to my Teen Pagans; (1) if you are having problems with keeping your religion a secret to your parents, or you know that they know but they haven't confronted you yet, take a look at my post The Big Step. It's not much, but it should help you, because your parents may go down kicking and screaming about "Devil Worship!" and "Sinful" and all that, but you have to remain calm and show them the adult they are. In this situation, age is just a number, you have to prove your maturity by being totally calm, even though my mother threw a HUGE fit when she discovered I was practicing Wicca when I was twelve. Yeah, she was afraid that I would go to hell, but four years later she will finally let me own my own cross, wear skulls on my shirts and jewelry, and she's cool with me being Pagan. You know why? Because I proved to her that I was mature and that this decision was an adult decision, even if I am sixteen! Now, (2), if you are hiding the fact that you are Pagan, that's going to be a big secret to keep. I imagine that you should have your own place to store your Witchy things, like a box, however big, or some hole in the wall, or your school locker, even in your car! Who knows! But when you are ready, then you should come out. Yesterday my mother asked me, now that I moved back into her house, what I wanted to do to make me feel more comfortable in my room and I told her that I wanted to add some plants, move out unwanted furniture, but the big thing was I wanted to create my own Shrine or Altar to the Gods. She was very unsure about it, but we found this very pretty picture of an Altar to the Gods and she's excited to help me with this, especially celebrating the Pagan holidays! One thing she brought to mind to me was what I would do at school? It's true, I haven't told any of my friends, not even my BEST BEST friend, that I am Pagan, but this year I'm going to come out and tell them. With this case I'm going to give my friends two options: they can accept me as I am or they don't have to. With big decisions like this you truly find out who your friends really are.

Good luck everyone! And blessed be!