What books started you on your current path\help support it?

[Castus]

As I recall, we had a thread resembling this on SMF, so I felt the need to respost it with some tweaks. What books started you on your current path or help your practice it. The book that first propelled me to where I am was (promise not to laugh) Caesar: Let The Dice Fly by Colleen McCullough. It was excellent and propelled me to look further into the man and his deification.

The book that aids my practice is: A Book of Pagan Prayer by Ceisiwr Serith. It has an excellent section on prayers, their history and underlying theology, etc. followed by 200+ pages of prayers. I take all my evening prayers from said book; except the prayer addressed to the Divus Iulius, which I composed myself.

So what about you all?

[Devo]

So what about you all?

 
For Kemeticism- my starting book was "Temple of the Cosmos" by Jeremy Naydler. It was good for laying down the basics of AE thought. The most referenced book that I use for maintaining my practice is "Eternal Egyt" by Reidy.

For Shinto- my starting book was "Kami no Michi" by Yamamoto sensei. It also laid out a good frame work on the faith- esp for those outside of Japan. My most referenced book for maintaining my practice is "Shinto Norito  a Book of Prayers" by Ann Evans.

-Devo

[Juniperberry]

As I recall, we had a thread resembling this on SMF, so I felt the need to respost it with some tweaks. What books started you on your current path or help your practice it. The book that first propelled me to where I am was (promise not to laugh) Caesar: Let The Dice Fly by Colleen McCullough. It was excellent and propelled me to look further into the man and his deification.



So what about you all?

The first book I picked up after developing an interest in heathenry was "Myths of the Norsemen" by Geurber. I went on some sites and heard about "Teutonic Mythology" by Grimm, started reading it, and that's when my passion for heathenry really took off. It really delved into the complexity of the people, the primal nature of the gods and their worship, and it made a lot of the mythology and systems of belief real to me.

[Lokabrenna]

So what about you all?

I know a lot of Heathens dislike these authors (for various reasons) but Diana Paxson's Essential Asatru was my entry point into Norse Paganism, and after that Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner by Galina Krasskova and Raven Kaldera, which is, well, written with a solitary practitioner in mind.

Most recently, I've been influenced by Visions of Vanaheim by Svartesol et al.

[SatAset]

As I recall, we had a thread resembling this on SMF, so I felt the need to respost it with some tweaks. What books started you on your current path or help your practice it. The book that first propelled me to where I am was (promise not to laugh) Caesar: Let The Dice Fly by Colleen McCullough. It was excellent and propelled me to look further into the man and his deification.

The book that aids my practice is: A Book of Pagan Prayer by Ceisiwr Serith. It has an excellent section on prayers, their history and underlying theology, etc. followed by 200+ pages of prayers. I take all my evening prayers from said book; except the prayer addressed to the Divus Iulius, which I composed myself.

So what about you all?

Egyptian Myths by George Hart introduced me to Aset/Isis.  And the one that helped me after that was Barbara Lesko's book The Great Goddesses of Egypt.  The one I reference most for my practice is The Ancient Egyptian Prayerbook by Tamara Siuda, the Hymns to Isis in Her Temple of Philae by Louis V Zabkar and Zabkar's various articles on Philae.

For Oya, I was introduced to her by Oya: In Praise of an African Goddess by Judith Gleason and for practice, Oya: the Spirit of the Wind by Falokun Fatunmbi.  

My first book on Heathenry was Gods and Myths of Northern Europe by H R Ellis-Davidson.  My first book on Frigga was Magic of the Norse Goddesses by Alice Karlsdottir and the ones I reference to practice are: Essential Asatru by Diana Paxson and Spindle Hearth by d. Kate Dooley (which is more Frigga centered than strictly Heathen).

[Chatelaine]

What books started you on your current path or help your practice it.

I learned about Hecate through a book on Greek mythology I got as a souvenir from a trip to Greece - no idea who wrote it. I think she was conflated in my mind with Neil Gaiman's Death (from the Books of Magic and Sandman comics). *blush-hide*

Serious exploration of the path of dark paganism started with John J. Coughlin's Out of the Shadows. He makes Konstantinos look like a poser. Raven Digitalis' Shadow Magick Compendium has added to my perspective, much more than his Goth Craft.

As for my connection with Brighid, I haven't read much beyond the Cill SIG and Carl McColman's 366 Celt. My library has Wright Brian's Rites of Brigid, but it's never there when I remember to see about checking it out.

[treekisser]

Serious exploration of the path of dark paganism started with John J. Coughlin's Out of the Shadows. He makes Konstantinos look like a poser.

 
Thanks for the reference - darkness is very important to a godform I work with, and I bought Konstantinos's Nocturnicon looking for fresh inspiration but found it really cliched. If you spot a copy in Oxfam, it probably belonged to me. :p

[Ghost of the Navigator]

I know a lot of Heathens dislike these authors (for various reasons) but Diana Paxson's Essential Asatru was my entry point into Norse Paganism, and after that Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner by Galina Krasskova and Raven Kaldera, which is, well, written with a solitary practitioner in mind.

Most recently, I've been influenced by Visions of Vanaheim by Svartesol et al.

 
I read Diana Paxson's Essential Asatru as well, I liked it a lot.  Would like to read Our Troth, but I am currently reading The Edda.  I have looked at Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner and will have to pick it up.  I know that some disaprove with Paxson but I could really identify with her view points.

[Chatelaine]

Thanks for the reference - darkness is very important to a godform I work with, and I bought Konstantinos's Nocturnicon looking for fresh inspiration but found it really cliched. If you spot a copy in Oxfam, it probably belonged to me. :p

I read the (generous) preview on Google Books and wasn't impressed enough to buy a hard copy, though I copied out a few bits. Sometimes, being on a very tight budget has saved me from embarrassing buys.

[OpenHands]

As I recall, we had a thread resembling this on SMF, so I felt the need to respost it with some tweaks. What books started you on your current path or help your practice it.

 
One of the foundational books I turn to to reference Canaanite myths is Simon Parker's Ugaritic Narrative Poetry.  For ritual, I still rely heavily on Ritual and Cult at Ugarit by Dennis Pardee.  More recently, I've been referencing Whisper of Stone by Tess Dawson; it's the first published book on modern Canaanite religion.

Other influential books include A Book of Pagan Prayer, The Pagan Family, and A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book by Ceisiwr Serith.

[Amaranth]

.... What books started you on your current path or help your practice it........So what about you all?

I have to say that when I found that I could no longer continue with the path I was born into I researched a lot at my local library.  The one book that pulled me in completely was Wicca For Life by Raymond Buckland.:  
I have since gotten the "Big, Blue Book" by Buckland and lots of books by Scott Cunningham.  I finally got a copy of the Chalice and the Blade and haven't started it yet and I also just began reading The Spiral Dance by Starhawk.
 I am still researching what calls to me as my husband has delved into Norse Paganism and we find that there are a lot of similarities with Wicca and NP.:eek:  I will continue to read and learn as much as I can until I know I have found the WAY for me :cf:

[AthenaiiseSofia]

So what about you all?

I've read a bunch of books pertaining to Paganism, Wicca, the works. The books that really inspired me are "The Book of the Dead" translated by Normandi Ellis, and anything by Paulo Coelho. "The Book of the Dead" is a beautiful collection of hymns and prayers... truly inspiring. And I feel in love with Coelho's work when I read "The Alchemist" for my Economics class senior year. Since then, I've devoured all his work. Each one contains a bit of mysticism and magic that is so alluring to me. "Brida" is especially interesting, because it deals with Wicca/magic head on, and the ongoing theme is soul mates. Also, "Walking an Ancient Path" by Karen Tate is notable. The book is about Goddess worship all over the world, and different ways of honoring Her and places to visit.

[DomesticWitch]

As I recall, we had a thread resembling this on SMF, so I felt the need to respost it with some tweaks. What books started you on your current path or help your practice it. The book that first propelled me to where I am was (promise not to laugh) Caesar: Let The Dice Fly by Colleen McCullough. It was excellent and propelled me to look further into the man and his deification.

The book that aids my practice is: A Book of Pagan Prayer by Ceisiwr Serith. It has an excellent section on prayers, their history and underlying theology, etc. followed by 200+ pages of prayers. I take all my evening prayers from said book; except the prayer addressed to the Divus Iulius, which I composed myself.

So what about you all?

Scott Cunninghams Wicca and Living Wicca could probably be considered the foundations of my path.

[Dylan]

So what about you all?

 
Scott Cunningham. Wicca wasn't my first book on the subject, but it was the most inspirational to me. Though I've wandered to and fro since reading it, it has remained a constant base for me.

[jema]

What books started you on your current path or help your practice it.

 
Well, I used to be more traditionally 'witchy' but in my studies of the Tarot I picked up Dion Fortune's "The mystical Qabalah" and I think it is one of the most beautiful books I ever read. It led me on to Hermetics and the books by Israel Regardie.