collapse

* Recent Posts

Re: "Christ Is King" by SunflowerP
[Yesterday at 11:06:51 pm]


Re: "Christ Is King" by SunflowerP
[Yesterday at 10:30:17 pm]


Re: "Christ Is King" by Darkhawk
[Yesterday at 08:31:19 pm]


Re: "Christ Is King" by Darkhawk
[Yesterday at 07:54:40 pm]


Re: "Christ Is King" by Sefiru
[Yesterday at 07:44:49 pm]

Author Topic: Philosophy and Theology Recommendations  (Read 2820 times)

Riothamus12

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Jul 2013
  • Posts: 359
  • Country: 00
  • Total likes: 14
    • View Profile
  • Religion: The Nameless Path
  • Preferred Pronouns: He/Him/His
Philosophy and Theology Recommendations
« on: January 09, 2019, 05:56:20 pm »
To put it bluntly, I've lost most of my interest in books about ceremony and ritual. There are so many of them and many of those are particularly 101 books. Unless it's related to a path I have literally never heard of before I'm pretty much not interested anymore, especially if it's a tradition in question that speaks at length about the "Lord and Lady". I do not hate Wicca or similar traditions, It's gotten to the point where I feel as if I've seen it all before where Wicca is concerned. These days I seek things more akin to the Witch's Book of Silence which is more about philosophy than practice. That's what I'm looking for, books about philosophy and theology and I don't mean a survey of what these things look like in modern Pagan and Occult traditions. I'm seeking treatises that go in deep on these subjects. It's a constant source of frustration that when I ask for book recommendations for more "advanced" practitioners they always come back with books that focus on ceremony and technique which to me, is really mostly beginner stuff. So does anyone have any recommendations?
https://inthespiritofconversation.wordpress.com/
I started a blog. Feel free to peruse. It's still in it's early stages and I have to write more, so do bare with me if it's all a little basic so far.

Noctua

  • Journeyman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2016
  • Posts: 239
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 125
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Blue Star Wicca
  • Preferred Pronouns: she/her
Re: Philosophy and Theology Recommendations
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2019, 10:06:21 am »
To put it bluntly, I've lost most of my interest in books about ceremony and ritual. There are so many of them and many of those are particularly 101 books. Unless it's related to a path I have literally never heard of before I'm pretty much not interested anymore, especially if it's a tradition in question that speaks at length about the "Lord and Lady". I do not hate Wicca or similar traditions, It's gotten to the point where I feel as if I've seen it all before where Wicca is concerned. These days I seek things more akin to the Witch's Book of Silence which is more about philosophy than practice. That's what I'm looking for, books about philosophy and theology and I don't mean a survey of what these things look like in modern Pagan and Occult traditions. I'm seeking treatises that go in deep on these subjects. It's a constant source of frustration that when I ask for book recommendations for more "advanced" practitioners they always come back with books that focus on ceremony and technique which to me, is really mostly beginner stuff. So does anyone have any recommendations?

I can't make specific recommendations for you because what I'm recommending has a whole slew of possibilities depending on your specific culture/background of interest. Personally, I find that when I bore of modern Pagan writers I get a lot of value going back to older "pagan" writers- by that I mean people who wrote books in times before Christianity even existed and so they would have never referred to themselves as "pagan". Marcus Aurelius' Meditiations for example is one I've reread a couple times now, or the one I just got recently and am looking forward to reading which is Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days. Neither of these books are particularly thick, but they're dense and there's a lot to unpack. :)

Sefiru

  • Senior Staff
  • *
  • Join Date: Nov 2013
  • Location: In the walls
  • Posts: 2570
  • Country: ca
  • Total likes: 893
    • View Profile
Re: Philosophy and Theology Recommendations
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2019, 06:39:14 pm »
I can't make specific recommendations for you because what I'm recommending has a whole slew of possibilities depending on your specific culture/background of interest. Personally, I find that when I bore of modern Pagan writers I get a lot of value going back to older "pagan" writers- by that I mean people who wrote books in times before Christianity even existed and so they would have never referred to themselves as "pagan". Marcus Aurelius' Meditiations for example is one I've reread a couple times now, or the one I just got recently and am looking forward to reading which is Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days. Neither of these books are particularly thick, but they're dense and there's a lot to unpack. :)

In a similar vein, I'd suggest Jung. Not specifically pagan, but his ideas have influenced modern paganism.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Me on AO3 & Deviantart

Castus

  • Sr. Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Location: Virginia
  • Posts: 848
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 101
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Happy Science
Re: Philosophy and Theology Recommendations
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2019, 07:18:23 pm »
To put it bluntly, I've lost most of my interest in books about ceremony and ritual. There are so many of them and many of those are particularly 101 books. Unless it's related to a path I have literally never heard of before I'm pretty much not interested anymore, especially if it's a tradition in question that speaks at length about the "Lord and Lady". I do not hate Wicca or similar traditions, It's gotten to the point where I feel as if I've seen it all before where Wicca is concerned. These days I seek things more akin to the Witch's Book of Silence which is more about philosophy than practice. That's what I'm looking for, books about philosophy and theology and I don't mean a survey of what these things look like in modern Pagan and Occult traditions. I'm seeking treatises that go in deep on these subjects. It's a constant source of frustration that when I ask for book recommendations for more "advanced" practitioners they always come back with books that focus on ceremony and technique which to me, is really mostly beginner stuff. So does anyone have any recommendations?

A World Full of Gods -- John Michael Greer
The Case for Polytheism -- Steven Dillon
Dealing with Deities -- Raven Kaldera

I've read the first two and they're pretty good, and I haven't read Kaldera's but it looks worth a shot. I, too, enjoy pretentiously complicated works of theology but they're hard to find in paganism.
“Castus, meanwhile, goes straight for the bad theology like one of those creepy fish that swims up streams of pee.” — Darkhawk

“Believing in the Lord means you are connected to me no matter when you are poor, sick, or struggling in a relationship. I am always with you. I want you to believe that. The future is uncertain, and much suffering awaits. However, the mission of the believer is to live life doing their best, no matter what the circumstances.” — Ryuho Okawa

Holdasown

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2011
  • Location: West Virginia
  • Posts: 398
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 7
    • View Profile
    • Blog
  • Religion: Norse/Germanic Polytheists
Re: Philosophy and Theology Recommendations
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2019, 08:38:10 am »
To put it bluntly, I've lost most of my interest in books about ceremony and ritual. There are so many of them and many of those are particularly 101 books. Unless it's related to a path I have literally never heard of before I'm pretty much not interested anymore, especially if it's a tradition in question that speaks at length about the "Lord and Lady". I do not hate Wicca or similar traditions, It's gotten to the point where I feel as if I've seen it all before where Wicca is concerned. These days I seek things more akin to the Witch's Book of Silence which is more about philosophy than practice. That's what I'm looking for, books about philosophy and theology and I don't mean a survey of what these things look like in modern Pagan and Occult traditions. I'm seeking treatises that go in deep on these subjects. It's a constant source of frustration that when I ask for book recommendations for more "advanced" practitioners they always come back with books that focus on ceremony and technique which to me, is really mostly beginner stuff. So does anyone have any recommendations?

Apocalyptic Witchcraft by Peter Grey. I think every person who calls themselves a witch should read it.

TheGreenWizard

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Jul 2017
  • Location: New York, NY
  • Posts: 352
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 161
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Hellenic Pagan
  • Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
Re: Philosophy and Theology Recommendations
« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2019, 10:57:42 pm »
To put it bluntly, I've lost most of my interest in books about ceremony and ritual. There are so many of them and many of those are particularly 101 books. Unless it's related to a path I have literally never heard of before I'm pretty much not interested anymore, especially if it's a tradition in question that speaks at length about the "Lord and Lady". I do not hate Wicca or similar traditions, It's gotten to the point where I feel as if I've seen it all before where Wicca is concerned. These days I seek things more akin to the Witch's Book of Silence which is more about philosophy than practice. That's what I'm looking for, books about philosophy and theology and I don't mean a survey of what these things look like in modern Pagan and Occult traditions. I'm seeking treatises that go in deep on these subjects. It's a constant source of frustration that when I ask for book recommendations for more "advanced" practitioners they always come back with books that focus on ceremony and technique which to me, is really mostly beginner stuff. So does anyone have any recommendations?

Personally, a good refresher on philosophy is Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy. I'll always recommend it because it offers a quick guide to the different philosophers that have influenced human society from Aristotle to Rosseau to recent advances in Quantum Mechanics (yes, not a philosophy, but still offers some interesting insights). Reminds me that I should probably pick it up again sometime soon.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go

EclecticWheel

  • Staff
  • *
  • Join Date: Jul 2013
  • Location: Texas
  • Posts: 763
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 193
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Christo-Eclectic
  • Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
Re: Philosophy and Theology Recommendations
« Reply #6 on: January 12, 2019, 12:36:54 am »
Personally, a good refresher on philosophy is Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy. I'll always recommend it because it offers a quick guide to the different philosophers that have influenced human society from Aristotle to Rosseau to recent advances in Quantum Mechanics (yes, not a philosophy, but still offers some interesting insights). Reminds me that I should probably pick it up again sometime soon.

I second this.  I read it once in high school, and I still feel an emotional impression from that book years later.  I will also have to read it again sometime soon.  I found it immensely entertaining as well.
My personal moral code:

Love wisely, and do what thou wilt.

EclecticWheel

  • Staff
  • *
  • Join Date: Jul 2013
  • Location: Texas
  • Posts: 763
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 193
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Christo-Eclectic
  • Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
Re: Philosophy and Theology Recommendations
« Reply #7 on: January 13, 2019, 04:18:57 pm »
To put it bluntly, I've lost most of my interest in books about ceremony and ritual. There are so many of them and many of those are particularly 101 books. Unless it's related to a path I have literally never heard of before I'm pretty much not interested anymore, especially if it's a tradition in question that speaks at length about the "Lord and Lady". I do not hate Wicca or similar traditions, It's gotten to the point where I feel as if I've seen it all before where Wicca is concerned. These days I seek things more akin to the Witch's Book of Silence which is more about philosophy than practice. That's what I'm looking for, books about philosophy and theology and I don't mean a survey of what these things look like in modern Pagan and Occult traditions. I'm seeking treatises that go in deep on these subjects. It's a constant source of frustration that when I ask for book recommendations for more "advanced" practitioners they always come back with books that focus on ceremony and technique which to me, is really mostly beginner stuff. So does anyone have any recommendations?

Another recommendation is a book I am currently reading, The Passion of the Western Mind, by Richard Tarnas.  In one volume it gives an overview of the history of Western thought.
My personal moral code:

Love wisely, and do what thou wilt.

Tags:
 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
13 Replies
8125 Views
Last post August 23, 2011, 02:10:34 am
by Zeno
0 Replies
1332 Views
Last post April 11, 2013, 04:40:54 pm
by Chabas
0 Replies
946 Views
Last post September 10, 2013, 01:23:22 pm
by RandallS
9 Replies
3017 Views
Last post January 15, 2016, 08:06:46 am
by Gilbride
0 Replies
932 Views
Last post April 30, 2018, 12:04:45 am
by EclecticWheel

Beginner Area

Warning: You are currently in a Beginner Friendly area of the message board.

* Who's Online

  • Dot Guests: 224
  • Dot Hidden: 0
  • Dot Users: 2
  • Dot Users Online:

* Please Donate!

The Cauldron's server is expensive and requires monthly payments. Please become a Bronze, Silver or Gold Donor if you can. Donations are needed every month. Without member support, we can't afford the server.

* Shop & Support TC

The links below are affiliate links. When you click on one of these links you will go to the listed shopping site with The Cauldron's affiliate code. Any purchases you make during your visit will earn TC a tiny percentage of your purchase price at no extra cost to you.

* In Memoriam

Chavi (2006)
Elspeth (2010)
Marilyn (2013)

* Cauldron Staff

Host:
Sunflower

Message Board Staff
Board Coordinator:
Darkhawk

Assistant Board Coordinator:
Aster Breo

Senior Staff:
Aisling, Allaya, Jenett, Sefiru

Staff:
Ashmire, EclecticWheel, HarpingHawke, Kylara, PerditaPickle, rocquelaire

Discord Chat Staff
Chat Coordinator:
Morag

'Up All Night' Coordinator:
Altair

Cauldron Council:
Bob, Catja, Chatelaine, Emma-Eldritch, Fausta, Jubes, Kelly, LyricFox, Phouka, Sperran, Star, Steve, Tana

Site Administrator:
Randall

SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal