Can anyone recommend any witchcraft / western magic books?

[Yoda]

My daughter is 8 and I'm developing a curiousity into western mystery schools, so I figured I'd read up.

 

I've found Christopher Penczak is a good chap for beginners. His books seem good so far, especially for kids. I'll take a look at his shamanism and witchcraft book tonight. The "four" elements is a twist... not used to that.

 

I'm looking for readable, entertaining and maybe "intermediate" level at this point. Egyptian stuff a plus.

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

Your pal,

Yoda

[.broken.]

My daughter is 8 and I'm developing a curiousity into western mystery schools, so I figured I'd read up.

 

I've found Christopher Penczak is a good chap for beginners. His books seem good so far, especially for kids. I'll take a look at his shamanism and witchcraft book tonight. The "four" elements is a twist... not used to that.

 

I'm looking for readable, entertaining and maybe "intermediate" level at this point. Egyptian stuff a plus.

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

Your pal,

Yoda

 

Kate West has a few books which are a good place to start. Easy to read and simple to follow.

 

A fair bit up the scale is Adam McLean who is a well read scholar on most western magic practices - particularly Hermetic stuff. I find some of his books a little heavy going particularly as I wasn't all too interested in it in the first place - an enthusiast would disagree, I would imagine. Very creepy looking guy but his extent of knowledge when it comes to western alchemy is second to none!! http://www.alchemywebsite.com/adam.html

 

Shamanism wise I have always been tempted by Tom Cowan.

 

Yours humbly,

James

[Jedi777]

FRANZ BARDON!!

[Yoda]

thanks y'all!!!

[Yoda]

Cool Franz link:

 

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:pJ8nd...;cd=6&gl=us

[Taoist81]

For witchcraft you should look for "Buckland's guide to Witchcraft" (the title is something like that).

 

For Western Mystery Traditions a good beginner's book is Modern Magick by Donald M. Kraig. He does have some mistakes in it, but he covers the vast majority of methods and does so rather well. Bardon's system is also popular. Aleister Crowley is on of the big names (even those who dislike/disliked him owe much of the information available to his work), but much of his work is pretty indepth for what you seem to be looking for, not to mention a bit cryptic. That said, www.outercol.org has the required reading list for Students aspiring to the A.'.A.'.. The idea of the Student Grade (and the Probationer Grade for that matter) is to give a general introduction to the diverse methods available to the Aspirant, both Eastern and Western. The Equinox is linked in their reading list, and it has a wealth of information, much of it Egyptian themed. It is also worth noting that there is little in Gardenerian Wicca that was not taken and modified in some way from Crowley's texts and rituals.

[Xienkula1]

Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig is an excellent textbook for beginners to Golden Dawn Hermeticism.

 

http://books.google.ca/books?id=5nmAt7xWnw...1&ct=result

[witch]

tsk, tsk, only one female author!

 

A young girl should get into witchcraft from a craft point of view. Too young for eighth house things, she should focus on second house things--flowers, candles, incense, cord magic, Lammas corn dollies, crystals, wands, pendulums--particularly crafts and celebrations that celebrate the Sabbats and Esbats. I've got a whole shelf of spellbooks at home, I will look some up tonight.

 

A simple thing is to have her make new moon wishes. In a fancy blank book, within eight hours of the exact new moon (once it has passed, the sooner the better) she can write down three wishes. That's a good girlie thing to start.

 

I'm not allowed to teach my daughters witchcraft, part of the divorce agreement (informally). But I've certainly thought about it.

[Xienkula1]

tsk, tsk, only one female author!

 

A young girl should get into witchcraft from a craft point of view. Too young for eighth house things.

 

True Dat! I'll reccomend one of my first starting books, very simple, very fun.

 

Norse Magic or Celtic Magic, by D.J. Conway.

[Seth Ananda]

Maat magick by Neema is superb! (a female author )I was part HML for a few years. its sort of Thelemic Egypto wicca, with elements of many other traditions.

I have always been a fan of Israel Regardie - Garden of pomegranites - foundations of practical magic and midle pillar.

Nancy B watson - practical solitary magic is a good beginner to intermediate

Vivian Crowley (no relation to old ac) is great on the wicca side too, I really liked -Wicca, and others.

Philip Coopers Basic magick is excellent, but his annoying to read. He gets a bit "the one truthish" and i dont think he gives the credit he should to where his stuff comes from but the info level is great. His Sigil magic is covered well.

The Chaos magick current is interesting as well, its sort of Shamanism/wicca/western. It gets a bit weird sometimes but it really breaks down the way magic works and strips off the dogmas of tradition.

Phil hine is worth a look at if only to understand the other stuff. They have a good sense of humor, youl come across rituals with titles like 'The Invocation to Mr T' Lol, all fun.

I cant remember the names, maby someone else will? but there are a few Wicca for family/kids books out there.

Its great what just a simple candle lighting and honoring of the elements can do, and children are very receptive to the beautiful space it creates.

Ive been privileged to share that space with a few children and i cant wait till my daughter is old enough to share some of these things with her.

Seth.

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

Anything by JASON AUGUSTUS NEWCOMB...

 

http://www.amazon.com/21st-Century-Mage-Br..._txt_18_rdssss0

 

http://www.amazon.com/Magick-Power-Jason-A.../ref=pd_sim_b_1

 

http://www.amazon.com/New-Hermetics-Centur...d_bxgy_b_text_b

 

Although young, writes clearly, powerfully and usefully. Knows his stuff. Check it.

[Sahaj Nath]

many of the books recommended are WAY too sophisticated for an eight-year-old, though YOU might get a kick out of them.

 

believe it or not, i was a witch once upon a time. 3 names of some fun and accessible authors:

 

Amber K

 

Scott Cunningham

 

Silver Ravenwolf

 

 

Silver really goes out of her way to make it fun. she's a great place to start for a child, i think. she's a little obnoxious to a lot of adults, though.

 

for foundational material on Wicca:

 

Spiral Dance by Starhawk and Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler. both were released on the same day. Spiral Dance in California, and Drawing Down the Moon in New York. they are must reads for anyone who really wants to understand the feminine/feminist aspect of modern paganism.

 

also:

 

Buckland's book has already been suggested. not as fun as some other books, but very informative. A Witch's Bible by Janet and Stuart Farrar. again, VERY informative. not very fun.

 

western magick's a whole other ball of wax. if i were you, for your daughter, i'd leave that western magick stuff alone and play with Wicca. but if you want recommendations for that, i can oblige. i was a member of Ordo Templi Orientis once upon a time. if you don't know, look it up.

[witch]

Yes, I think fluffy bunny books are good for your fluffy bunny. Silver Ravenwolf is very fluffy, has a strong tween appeal. I think a charming intro would be Raven Grimassi's Beltane book--it has very basic spells, rituals, lots of fairy lore including fairy tales.

 

For Egyptian wicca there's a lot of weird stuff out there. If you want her exposed, probably the best thing you can do is get her a children's book on the Egyptian gods and goddesses, just to give her familiarity.

[Yoda]

Great list, thanks! I didn't realize Taoists would have so much knowledge on this front.

 

This might be a dumb question, but is northern witchcraft and paganism mostly inspired by Egyptian traditions?

 

Making a mother promise to deprive her little girl of a little witchcraft is not cricket and unChristian to boot.

 

Somehow I think it will all work out though.

 

My daughter mastered Kunlun in about 30 seconds which made me realize that she is really ready for all this stuff at least on an entertainment level.

[Sahaj Nath]

 

...is northern witchcraft and paganism mostly inspired by Egyptian traditions?

 

 

nope.

 

 

 

well, define what you mean by "inspired" and "mostly."

 

it's kind of a tricky subject. though most modern witches refuse to give him his due, Aleister Crowley is believed to have written the Wiccan Rede and taught ritual and theory to Gerald Gardener, who is heralded as the grandfather of witchcraft. so one can argue Egyptian influence, via Crowley.

 

however, there are many branches of witchcraft that don't trace back to Gardener, some of which are newly developed, and some of which claim greater antiquity and an unbroken lineage. Italian Strega comes to mind. many lines of witchcraft arose organically, like shamanism. if fact, it WAS/IS a type of shamanism. Wicca was a word that denoted a special kind of wisdom. 'Wic' meant to bend. The Wicca were the wise ones who could bend consciousness and change reality. at least that's what Starhawk said.

 

most witchcraft and paganism today is truly "new age" though. no hereditary link to the past. the beauty of it, and what attracted me to it when i was younger, is that it is a living religion. no need for old texts (accept for maybe old recipes and whatnot). real connection to nature and the subtle forces in the here and now.

 

Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner was the book that first compelled me to embrace Wicca. it validated so much of what was naturally a part of me. (too bad i couldn't have met SFjane around that time, but whatevs.)

 

Paganism isn't related at all to Egypt, in any fashion, as far as i know. almost all the pagan traditions were created in the past 50 years.

[Blind Owl]

[Ian]

If it's you reading, and then distilling down for her benefit:

 

Book 4 Part One, and Eight Lectures on Yoga, both by Crowley.

 

Visual Magic by Jan Fries (but you must have that, surely, by now...)

 

Chaos Magic stuff by Peter Carroll and Phil Hine, as mentioned.

 

Also a really nice and much neglected little book called Chaos Ritual by Steve Wilson.

 

And if you haven't already, you'd love Cosmic Trigger One by Robert Anton Wilson

 

But for direct ingestion by a small person, I've no idea.

[Taiji Bum]

I've met Silver Ravenwolf a bunch of times and if my 8 year old daughter wanted to get into witchy stuff that the ONLY stuff I would buy her. Her stuff isnt fluffy so much as it is extremely simplified and accessable. Silver really has a good heart and unlike most authors has traveled around and done her own research instead of just "borrowing" from earlier authors.

[Apech]

My daughter is 8 and I'm developing a curiousity into western mystery schools, so I figured I'd read up.

 

I've found Christopher Penczak is a good chap for beginners. His books seem good so far, especially for kids. I'll take a look at his shamanism and witchcraft book tonight. The "four" elements is a twist... not used to that.

 

I'm looking for readable, entertaining and maybe "intermediate" level at this point. Egyptian stuff a plus.

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

Your pal,

Yoda

 

 

Am I missing something? What is the significance of your daughter being 8?

 

For Egypt you could try : "Shamanic Wisdom in the Pyramid Texts" by Jeremy Naydler - its a scholarly work and quite heavy going. Also Alison Roberts "My Heart, My Mother" perhaps - but generally books about Egyptian tradition are not great.

[Taoist81]

Great list, thanks! I didn't realize Taoists would have so much knowledge on this front.

 

This might be a dumb question, but is northern witchcraft and paganism mostly inspired by Egyptian traditions?

 

Making a mother promise to deprive her little girl of a little witchcraft is not cricket and unChristian to boot.

 

Somehow I think it will all work out though.

 

My daughter mastered Kunlun in about 30 seconds which made me realize that she is really ready for all this stuff at least on an entertainment level.

 

Those of us who studied traditions that were influenced or founded by Crowley may have found our first introduction to Taoism by that route. The Tao Te Ching and Chuang Tzu are on the basic required reading list.

As for "Northern witchcraft and paganism", the largest traditions nowadays mostly descend from or were inspired by Gardner's line. His was the first to "come out" (or be invented depending on the story you agree with) after witchcraft was legalized in Britain. Gerald Gardner (as alluded to by a poster above) was for a time associated with Crowley and familiarized with the post-Crowley OTO and the Book of the Law. The central tenet of Crowley's groups/philosophy was "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" accompanied by "Love is the law, love under Will". This meant that achieving (basically) one's true/ultimate purpose or Will was the whole of the purpose of existence. Compare the wiccan rede "An' it harm none, do what ye/thou wilt"....sound familiar? Then came things like the Charge of the Goddess and the Book of Shadows, both of which basically quote the Book of the Law and/or Crowley's poetry. The Book of the Law focuses on the Egyptian goddess Nuit and the gods Hadit and Ra Hoor Khuit. So, in a very round about way, you could argue that there is some (Victorian interpretation of) Egyptian influence but nothing "real". For the most part modern pagan traditions imitate old (original and dead) pagan traditions. There are a few claims that some groups survived the Christianization of Europe and Britain. While this can't be dismissed as impossible, the evidence is severely lacking.

Perhaps a good well-rounded way to introduce your little one to all this would be to get some "scholarly" books on different religions/magick traditions. Once she has more understanding she can choose the path she wants to follow and will be more religiously educated than most people in the Western world.

[SFJane]

Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner was the book that first compelled me to embrace Wicca. it validated so much of what was naturally a part of me.

 

ah good, I was hoping someone would recommend this one.

 

Truly a wonderful book on beginning wicca. I loved that book and I can not recommend it highly enough

[joebob]

Really good information on Franz Bardon from Rawn Clark.

 

http://www.abardoncompanion.com/index.html

[thelerner]

I second JoeBob. For Franz Bardon's style of Hermetic Magic relies heavily on knowing yourself first. Step by step specific exercises on knowing and controlling the psyche.

 

Rawn Clark makes him very accessible. There are places on the internet where Bardons original work is available.

 

Rawn has a number of great guided meditations on his page. Very well worth a download and listen. Whats so nice is they come as progressive series.

 

Michael

[Yoda]

Et tu Michael?

 

I'm really floored about how many bums have exposure to this sort of thing. Great thread everyone, I've learned a lot... a huge thanks!

 

Your pal,

Yoda

 

(Oh and being 8 doesn't really have anything to do with it except that I think over the next few years she will enjoy this sort of thing, but mostly, I'm just in the mood to get into it.)

[nomad]

Wait, why no mention of those books by Colin Wilson - like 'Mysteries' and 'The Occult'?

 

I haven't read them yet, but I'm planning to. I've only heard good things about his take on the Western Magick scene -- although, I believe his work is more of a discourse on them, and not a practical tome -- which is a good thing since I think the actual practicing of magick is beyond silly ha.