maddiviner: Hello! Welcome to a new bunch of book recommendations. This one focuses on witches
maddiviner: Hello! Welcome to a new bunch of book recommendations. This one focuses on witches and divination in history! Some of the books on this list also appear elsewhere in my annobib posts, but that’s mostly because they tend to address multiple topics. I decided to go ahead and post this tonight because I saw some folks in the tags asking for witch history-related reading material! I decided to include Tarot/etc history books here, too, since they’re related. You can find more book recommendations via the #annobib tag on my blog, all organized into lists by topic! There’s also an index, here! Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, by Judika Illes. Even better than the Weiser Field Guide to Witches - this book is huge and chock-full of information. It’ll explain in easy-to-understand language how the concept has developed throughout time, why witches do what they do, and different types of witches. The Weiser Field Guide to Witches, by Judika Illes. This gives an excellent look at the historical lore concerning witches, from the perspective of a witch herself. It’s kind of tongue-in-cheek, but it does have some information that won’t be found elsewhere. Triumph of the Moon, by Ronald Hutton. An inside no-holds-barred look at the history of Wicca and Modern paganism. Highly recommended. This is sort of the book that fluffbunnies don’t want you to read. Stations of the Sun, by Ronald Hutton. Curious about what ancient pagan practices actually looked like? This book mostly focuses on festivals in ancient times and their relationship to the cycle of the year, but it’s a neat look into ancient lore. Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult, by Richard Metzger. Lots of facts and history of magick in the context of Postmodernity. This is different from the Crowley text of the same name, which I wouldn’t recommend unless you want to focus on his tradition. The Place of Enchantment, by Alex Owen. This is a purely historical text that documents the occult revival within the context of Modernity. I remember it being very good, but please realize I haven’t really picked it up much since graduating, and it might just have served my mindset at the time. Witches, Werewolves and Fairies, by Claude Lecouteux. Mostly focused on the history of what we now call hedgecraft. Details many accounts of astral journeying experienced by both pagans and Christians in earlier times, and gives a good description of the concept of the astral double, the architecture of the soul, and other topics throughout history. Demons and Spirits of the Land, by Claude Lecouteux. Great, detailed information about spiritwork practices throughout time, in both pagan and later Christian contexts. Lecouteux is a favorite of mine, in case that wasn’t clear! Modern Wicca: A History From Gerald Gardner to the Present, by Michael Howard. Wicca is not my purview, but this was an interesting book covering the latter half of the 20th century’s occult milieu, by a Gardnerian initiate. Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley, by Richard Kaczynski. If you’re interested in the history of ceremonial magic and how it influenced witchcraft, this is one to check out. It’s a biography of the notorious Aleister Crowley, and gives a good picture of the Golden Dawn’s history, as well. Secrets of the Waite-Smith Tarot, by Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin. This book focuses just on the history, symbolism, and creative process of the Waite-Smith deck. It gives you an inside line on just what Pixie Smith was thinking when painting specific scenes, and is a great look at her life’s work, as well. Mystical Origins of the Tarot, by Paul Huson. While this book contains the normal “Tarot beginner” info, it also features a vast history section tracing the Tarot throughout time. Worth a read, but very dense and a bit obtuse at times. Tarot Time Traveler, by Marcus Katz. An unusually-organized, highly personal look at Tarot history and the people who shaped it. Also features historically-inspired Tarot spreads and other cartomantic exercises. The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, by Robert M. Place. This book will not teach you to read Tarot, but does give an actual, accurate portrait of the history of the phenomena, which is incredibly important and useful. Know your history. Dark Star Rising, by Gary Lachman. Well, uh, this is more current events than history, but this is an attempt to trace how various occult movements influenced the election of Donald Trump, modern populism, and the rise of the so-called alt right. -- source link