Where to Start? (ritual, tradition, beliefs, pagan, spiritual)

[spiritually inclined]

Paganism is a very broad form of religion/spirituality. Where does someone unfamiliar with paganism in general start, in order to get a better grasp of the movement/practices as a whole?

James

[Mike182]

probably Wicca.

Wicca is the most advertised of the Pagan religions, there is a lot of literature on the various branches of the religion in most major book stores and it's history is relatively short and well documented for anyone who is interested in the context of the religion. the average wiccan literature will cover the basic principles and practices of the religion, which i think is a good introduction to the rest of Paganism.

note: i am not saying that Wicca is just an introduction to wider forms of Paganism, but i do think it can be used that way. i used it that way

[MaddLlama]

Depends, is your interest academic, or spiritual?

If you're just interested in learning about Paganism in general for personal edification, I would suggest starting with some books like Drawing Down the Moon and Triumph of the Moon, which are good books written from an outside, historical/sociologic viewpoint. They date back to when the Neo-Pagan movement was just getting going, but they still offer a great overview. They cover a lot of areas, from Wicca, to more "traditional" groups, so if you start with these you can see which ones pique your interest and move on from there.

If your interest is spiritual, then I'd suggest picking up a copy of Paganism by Joyce Higginbotham. Actually, I would suggest you take a look at it anyway. It offers a great overview of Paganism in general, covering ethics, beliefs in Deity and other "otherworldly" things, magic, celebrations. It's one of my personal favorites, and helped me get to the various points on my Pagan journey.