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Post by Vypernight on Apr 9, 2011 5:13:46 GMT -5
I know we have some Wiccans on these boards so I thought I'd ask this. I'm starting to collect books on different religions, beliefs, and philosophies. Thus far, I have The God Delusion, Common Sense, The Satanic Bible, and the Tao Te Ching.
My question is, is there a book that Wiccans consider their Bible or book that's central to their beliefs and practices? I haven't been able to find anything online about it, and while I saw a number of books on Wiccan in B&N, I wasn't sure which, if any, was considered their 'Bible.'
Thanks in advance.
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Post by Deimos on Apr 9, 2011 5:24:18 GMT -5
Well I don't personally have a "bible". We have a book of shadows, but that is more like a personal journal for spells and such. Most beliefs and practices are actually found on random books by authors that gain notoriety within covens
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Post by Shane for Wax on Apr 9, 2011 7:40:22 GMT -5
It's the Book of Shadows or Grimoire but I do have a book that is called "A Wiccan Bible". It's by A.J. Drew and it is pretty much HIS teachings. It's HIS Grimoire. But I like it. |
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Post by Vypernight on Apr 9, 2011 8:14:36 GMT -5
Okay cool, thanks. I'll have to check those out.
Then my next books are the Quaran and whatever the Hindu Bible is.
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Post by Mlle Antéchrist on Apr 9, 2011 8:42:59 GMT -5
For Hindu scriptures: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VedasAlso, for Islam, you might want to get a collection of Hadith, which is nearly as important to the religion as the Qur'an. |
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Post by Vypernight on Apr 9, 2011 9:49:11 GMT -5
Okay thanks, though the Vedas might be a little difficult to find.
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Post by musicalbookworm on Apr 9, 2011 14:39:39 GMT -5
No there is not a Bible. Good books to consider would be Starhawk's The Spiral Dance and Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler. These are both more academic books, and Adler's is actually anthropology but it is a good description of the culture. Wiccans really only have two beliefs: The Wiccan rede "an it harm none do as ye will" and the idea that your thoughts and action come back to you. (I've heard this most often expressed at the law of threefold return.) Variations on the rede exist, but the general theme is the same. I've heard things like love is the whole of the law. I will add that Silver Ravenwolf is problematic to say the least, but a lot of people get their introduction to Wicca from her books. I did find "To Ride a Silver Broomstick" fairly reasonable. I haven't read any of her recent stuff, but I have not heard much that is favorable about her recent works.
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Post by Shane for Wax on Apr 9, 2011 14:45:38 GMT -5
Ravenwolf can stick a broom up her ass.
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Post by Undecided on Apr 9, 2011 18:22:12 GMT -5
As I understand it—I'm not religious—Wicca is very diverse, decentralised, and dynamic. I don't think that one can expect to find a single book or collection of works that describes, defines, contextualises, or moulds the beliefs of a plurality of Wiccans in the same way that the Bible does for Christians.
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Post by Dragon Zachski on Apr 9, 2011 18:24:14 GMT -5
There's a quote that comes to mind that I read a long time ago from a Wiccan site.
Paraphrased.
"The Christian Bible erodes to nothing among the wind and leaves.
My bible IS the wind and leaves."
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Post by Shane for Wax on Apr 9, 2011 18:53:50 GMT -5
As I understand it—I'm not religious—Wicca is very diverse, decentralised, and dynamic. I don't think that one can expect to find a single book or collection of works that describes, defines, contextualises, or moulds the beliefs of a plurality of Wiccans in the same way that the Bible does for Christians. What a lot of good teachers should do is say: I will give you the groundwork. You decide what path you wish to take. I can only give you the tools to find the path that is right for you. I am Celtic Pagan but I still hold on to some of my Wiccan roots. I followed the path that called to me. |
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Post by Dragon Zachski on Apr 9, 2011 19:38:13 GMT -5
As I understand it—I'm not religious—Wicca is very diverse, decentralised, and dynamic. I don't think that one can expect to find a single book or collection of works that describes, defines, contextualises, or moulds the beliefs of a plurality of Wiccans in the same way that the Bible does for Christians. What a lot of good teachers should do is say: I will give you the groundwork. You decide what path you wish to take. I can only give you the tools to find the path that is right for you. I am Celtic Pagan but I still hold on to some of my Wiccan roots. I followed the path that called to me. It's kinda funny, but a combination of Spring and watching Secret of Kells is drawing me back into Celtic Paganism. |
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Post by Thejebusfire on Apr 9, 2011 20:18:43 GMT -5
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Post by The_L on Apr 10, 2011 13:33:21 GMT -5
There are books with the phrase "Wiccan Bible" or "Witch's Bible," but Wiccans, and most Neopagans in general, don't have anything like a sacred scripture. For a good basic idea of what we're about, you can't go wrong with Scott Cunningham. The Truth About Witchcraft Today is short and to the point. Plus, it's quite inexpensive.
Jebusfire: By the Farrars? That's an excellent book. I have a copy. It's a compilation of Eight Sabbats for Witches and What Witches Do into one volume.
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Post by Meshakhad on Apr 10, 2011 15:20:59 GMT -5
For Hindu scriptures: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VedasAlso, for Islam, you might want to get a collection of Hadith, which is nearly as important to the religion as the Qur'an. Similarly, I'd recommend a volume or three of the Talmud, which is vital to Judaism. Oh, and any Jewish Bible worth its salt will have lots of commentaries. |
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