(Updated Regularly)
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These are broken down by categories, but the dominant theme in these texts are of a darker nature than most books available. Some will be out of print, but I have tried to limit the number of those here. I have read the ones with the ***, but this is not a rating. Please check the comments in the [ ] to see my review.
Fate
Deity --------------- *** 1) The Cult of the Black Virgin by Ean C. M. Begg. [A wonderful resource, provided the reader already knows a good deal about the existing Black Madonnas and the beliefs surrounding their origins/meanings.] 2) Mysteries of the Dark Moon: The Healing Power of the Dark Goddess by Demetra George. *** 3) Sisters of the Dark Moon: 13 Rituals of the Dark Goddess by Gail Wood. [I've scanned this one in the bookstore and found it too bleh.] 4) Black Moon Lilith by M. Kelley Hunter. 5) Finding Our Way Through the Dark: The Astrology of the Dark Goddess Mysteries by Demetra George. 6) Reincarnation and the Dark Goddess: Lives and Teachings of a Priestess by Rae Beth. 7) Dancing In The Flames : The Dark Goddess in the Transformation of Consciousness by Marion Woodman. *** 8) The Book of Lilith by Barbara Black Koltuv. [This one is sweeeeeet, and puts Lilith back where she belongs. Good stuff.] 9) Hekate Soteira: A Study of Hekate's Role in the Chaldean Oracles and Related Literature (American Classical Studies, No. 21) by Sarah Iles Johnston. 10) The Dark Goddess by Albert, Marvin H. 11) Wild Woman, Wild Honey: Aspects of the Dark Goddess: Poetry by Pamela Sidney. 12) The Dark Goddess: Dancing with the Shadow by Marcia Starck and Gynne Stern. *** 13) Dancing in the Flames: The Dark Goddess in the Transformation of Consciousness by Marion Woodman and Elinor Dickson. [Good for persons new to the concept of the dark goddess, but better information available elsewhere.] *** 14) Longing for Darkness: Tara and the Black Madonna by [This might be the best information on the Black Madonna traditions, though it was not meant to be that way originally. Biographical information about the author�s trek through Nepal and Europe in her quest to make contact with the divine.] Archetypes --------------- *** 1) The Dark Archetype: Exploring the Shadow Side of the Divine by Denise Dumars, Lori Nyx. [This one stayed on my bookshelf for a long time, and I could smack myself for not reading it sooner. This book is great, even for those not so into the Jungarian ideas of deities and archetypes. I highly recommend this book.] 2) Goddesses in Older Women: Archetypes in Women Over Fifty by Jean Shinoda Bolen. *** 3) Crones Don't Whine: Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women by Jean Bolen, M.D. Shinoda. [I've read sections of this one, and it's pretty good. It isn't catering to strictly Craft practitioners though, so don't expect that much tie in.] 4) Moonlit Path: Reflections on the Dark Feminine by Fred Gustafson. 5) Archetypes for Writers. Grimoires with Darker Information --------------- *** 1) Crone's Book of Charms & Spells by Valerie Worth [I completely dig this book. When you hear about using animal parts to make talismans, you may imagine a grimoire from Grandma's attic. This is that sort of read. The fluffy bunnies will probably protest loudly about this one.] *** 2) Gothic Grimoire by Konstantinos [The most objectionable of K's books from what I have read of them. I kept wondering if he had actually tried half the things he writes about, but then he also came to the Craft by being a person who debunks illusionists. A modern day Houdini.] *** 3) Victorian Grimoire: Romance, Enchantment, Magic by Patricia Telesco [Not dark at first glance, but many of the ideas can be altered toward dark magicks. A like it, and would say it's worth reading.] *** 4) Grimoire for the Green Witch: A Complete Book of Shadows by Ann Moura. [Not worth buying, which is unfortunate since I loved books I and II in this series.] *** 5) A Grimoire of Shadows by Ed Fitch. [Maybe if I had read this one when I was younger, I would have thought more of it. As it is, it just came across as another Wicca 101 book, despite having been one of the first in the genre.] *** 6) Goth Magick: An Enchanted Grimoire by Brenda Knight. [A good first book, and wonderful if you're goth and want to know more about clothing and jewelry, but for the average shadow pagan it has little to offer.] Moon and Night Magick --------------- *** 1) Everday Moon Magick:Spells and Rituals for Abundant Living by Dorothy Morrison [This one is pretty good, and after reading an interview with Ms.Morrison, I am partial to her books. She has great no nonsense approach that isn't as cheesy as Silver Ravenwolf's.] 2) Praise to the Moon by Elen Hawke *** 3) Magick & Rituals of the Moon by Edain McCoy [An old standby, Ms.McCoy is one of the most genuine authors. She is straight to the point and knows her stuff. I would read this one.] *** 4) Nocturnal Witchcraft by Konstantinos [K's books were how some of us got together in the first place here, but I have noticed a lot of people have problems with him from an ethical standpoint. I tend to agree. Still, it might be worth reading. *** 5) A Complete Guide to Night Magic by Cassandra Eason [I just finished this one the other day, and totally dug it. She deals with animals and angels a good deal, which is unusual in the dark magick genre. I would highly recommend this one, because though it starts pretty basic, it is very versatile for more advanced readers.] *** 6) Moon Magick: Myth & Magick, Crafts & Recipes, Rituals & Spells by D.J.Conway. [One of the first in the genre. I have read this one in the bookstore more times than I can count, but never bought a copy for some reason. Lately, I haven't seen it on the shelves (like in the last year or so.] *** 7) Embracing the Moon: A Witch's Guide to Rituals, Spellcrafts and Shadow Work by Yasmine Galenorn. [Very nice introduction to lunar rituals and magick, but nothing to contribute to advanced practice.] *** 8) The Moon Watcher's Companion: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Moon, and More by Donna Henes. [This is a nifty little book, full of quotes, poems, and folklore about the moon. It would be great for supplimenting rituals with, especially for those who find they have trouble writing their own words.] Spirit Guides and Familiars --------------- 1) The Witch's Familiar: Spiritual Partnerships for Successful Magick by Raven Grimassi. *** 2) Summon Spirits with Power Glyphs [Scanned it thoroughly and put it back. Most of the information in it can be found on the internet without much effort.] 3) My Proof of Survival: Personal Accounts with the Hereafter ed. by Andrew Honigman from the files of FATE Magazine. *** 4) Animal Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small by Teed Andrews. [I am very fond of this book, and all of Mr.Andrews material. Definitely worth the price if you are at all interested in animal totems and magick.] *** 5) The Magical Power of the Saints: Evocation and Candle Rituals by Reverend Ray T. Malbrough [This one is a favorite. Rev.Malbrough makes an easy transition between pagan and saints. Those of you have interests in Mary or grew up Catholic and still feel at home with the saints' images, might like this one.] 6) The Beginner's Guide for the Recently Deceased: A Comprehensive Travel Guide to the Only Inevitable Destination by David Staume. 7) How to Communicate with Spirits by Elizabeth Owens. 8) Spirit Guides & Angel Guardians: Contact Your Invisible Helpers by Richard Webster. *** 9) Summoning Spirits by Konstantinos [Much like K's others books, it's ok. I didn't find it startling, but then I have been working with spirits longer than he has. Hehe.] 10) How to Meet and Work with Spirit Guides by Ted Andrews. 11) Spirits, Ghosts, and Guardians. Ted Andrews. 12) Spirit Guides by Iris Belhayes. 13) Spirit Guides by Hal Zina Bennett and Susan J. Sparrow. 14) Spirit Guides: A Journey Through Myth to Reality by Eileen Goble. 15) Guardian Angels and Spirit Guides by C. W. Lindsay-Blee. 16) Channeling: How to Reach Out to Your Spirit Guides by Kathryn Ridall. 17) Spirit Guides: Access to Inner Worlds by Mike Samuels and Hal Bennett. 18) Spirit Guides: Communicating with Your Unseen Friends by Victoria Young. 19) Magick and Thelema : Communing With The Spirits by Martin Coleman. *** 20) Spirits in Culture, History, and Mind by Jeanette Mageo and Alan Howard eds. [This one is a loaner from the library too, and should see a review in the near future. I have skimmed some, and it reads like a textbook from what I can tell.] 21) So You Want to be Medium?: A Down to Earth Guide by Rose Vanden Eynden. Divination --------------- *** 1) A Little Book of Mirror Magick: Meditations, Mythe, Spells by Patricia Telesco [This one is ok, and comes with a slew of different ways to scry using mirrors. If you can get past the cutsie pink cover, it might be worth a look.] *** 2) Crystal Balls & Crystal Bowls: Tools for Ancient Scrying & Modern Seership by Ted Andrews [Startling amount of information in this book. I would like to have seen more on scrying techniques and less on the various versions of crystal bowls, which actual use sound for divination, not scrying. ] 3) Scrying for Beginners: Tapping into the Supersensory Powers of Your Subconscious by Donald Tyson. 4) Astral Projection for Beginners by Edain McCoy. 5) Astral Travel for Beginners: Transcend Time and Space with Out-of-Body Experiences by Richard Webster. 6) Crystal Gazing: A Study in the History, Distribution, Theory and Practice of Scrying by Theodore Besterman. Death --------------- ***1) Remembering Well: Rituals For Celebrating Life and Mourning Death by Sarah York. [I really liked this one, though it isn't specifically geared toward pagans. The author is a Universalist Unitarian minister, and she has a plethora of good ideas that can easily be adapted to any tradition or faith.] 2) When We Die: The Science, Culture, and Rituals of Death by Cedric Mims. [I have this one on loan from the library and will no doubt have a review soon. It looks promising.] Miscellaneous --------------- 1) The Occult Christ: Angelic Mysteries, Seasonal Rituals, the Divine Feminine by Ted Andrews. *** 2) Green Witchcraft Series (I: Green Witchcraft: Folk Magic, Fairy Lore & Herb Craft, II: Balancing Light & Shadow, III: Green Witchcraft III: The Manual, Grimoire for the Green Witch: A Complete Book of Shadows) by Ann Moura (Aoumiel) [I love all of her books, and have to yet to find something bad about them. She is one of the few who sees Mary as a possiblity in paganism, so that might be a big part of it, but she is also easily understood and I get a sense of peace reading her work.] 3) Crafting the Body Divine: Ritual, Movement and Body Art by Yasmine Galenorn. ***4) The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold by Archya S. [A fantastic resource for those interested in Gnosticism, or for anyone who just wants to see how ancient myths were manipulated to create the myth of Jesus.] ***5) Jesus and The Lost Goddess by ... [Not bad, but I would like to know more about the goddess aspect of the triad and less about the Gnostic viewpoint of Christianity and Jesus. Second of two books, so perhaps the content I wanted was in the first of the set.] ***6) Out of the Shadows: An Exploration of Dark Paganism and Magick by John Coughlin. [There is only one word to describe this book: Awful. It is chalked full of generalizations, spends more time talking about the goth,vamp, and BDSM subcultures than it does about dark dieties and moon magicks, and points out that 'deity is inconsequential.' It's a travesty this book was ever published, much less lauded as a good work. Nothing about the book is particularly shocking, but you can bet the author acts as though it is, and assures us that "the New Age movement will attempt to water down the material presented in this book to make it more palatable to the masses." Ummm, there isn't anything to water down. It's already fluff.] Book Resources (w/o Annotation) : Bonefry, Yves. Roman and European Mythologies. Burkett, Walter. Greek Religion. Davidson, Gustav. Dictionary of Angels. Davies, Morganna and Lynch, Aradia. Keepers of the Flame. Elworthy, Thomas. The Evil Eye. Frazer, Sir James. The Golden Bough. Ginzburg, Carlo. Ecstasies � Deciphering the Witches� Sabbath. Ginzburg, Carlo. The Night Battles. Gwynn. A Light in the Shadows - A Mythos of Modern Traditional Witchcraft. Johnsons, Sarah Illes. Hekate Soteira. Kerenyi, C. The Gods of the Greeks. Kinsgley, Peter. In the Dark Places of Wisdom. Leland, CG. Aradia: Gospel of the Witches. Leland, CG. Etruscan Roman Remains. Martello, Leo. Witchcraft: the Old Religion |