The Pagan Path: The Wiccan Way of Life

This book is good to gain some knowledge of the wiccan/pagan community around us.Presents summarys of pagan paths, additudes, and organizations. a good book to ease a someone new into the realm of the people involved in wicca and paganisim.

This is not a book to give you a complete how-to on spells, charms and hexes. Nor is it filled with new and exciting information or revelations for well-established pagans. What this book is, in my opinion, is a well thought out and clearly explained book on Paganism, it's growth from its resurgance back in the 60's to its development in the 90's and extrapolates the ongoing changes that will occur into the next century.This is the book I recommend to those who are not in the pagan community but want to know more without having to deal with a lot of confusing jargon, spells or rituals. A must read for non-pagan parents, friends and loved ones.

Long-time practitioners of the pagan life-style will probably find nothing new in the book. For those who are interested in an overview of the pagan community, this book is one of the most articulate, mature, and complete introductions I've seen.Those looking for volumes full of cutesy drawings or listings of love spells are advised to look elsewhere. Those looking for and intelligent overview of the pagan path will be hard-pressed to find a better one.

This book is a well-done and intriguing survey of the beliefs and practices of modern Pagans, and is of interest to Pagans and non-Pagans alike. If you're looking for a simple (but not simplistic) introduction to what Pagans do and believe, this is a very good place to start; the Farrars and Bone present their material in a non-threatening, accessible manner.This is not a "how-to" book; for that, check out the Farrars' classic "A Witches' Bible", among others. It examines many of the questions that Pagans have been asked many times over the years: the history of modern Paganism, relations to community and family, the existence of Paganism in a society that is predominantly Christian, and a good deal more. It should be noted that the main geographic regions covered are the United States and the British Isles (especially Ireland, where the Farrars live), as well as touches on continental Europe, Australia, parts of the Americas and Japan. This emphasis will probably not surprise most of those familiar with the movement.The chapter on choosing Paganism as a spiritual path is excellent as well, with some words of caution regarding joining a group and some notes on solitary practice.Overall, it's an interesting book that illustrates how Paganism has grown, particularly since the 1960s, and that has the potential for generating a lot of discussion, both inside and outside the Pagan community.