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Being A Pagan: Druids, Wiccans and Witches Today (Review)

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
Being A Pagan: Druids, Wiccans and Witches Today by Ellen Evert Hopman and Lawrence Bond is a dedicated and clear ethnographic exploration of the umbrella faith that we call Modern or Neo-Paganism. From Druids and Wiccans, to Sacred Prostitutes and Military Pagans, no avenue of belief is left unaddressed. Written with the layman and uninitiated in mind, this book will guide the reader down the mysterious Pagan byways, from the mouths and practices of Pagans themselves. Maybe you too will feel "the call of the "spirit of the Forest" to find a spiritual home." (Hopman, pg xiii).

With a collection of 51 interviews, from solitary practitioner to group ritual organizer, Hopman brings us a broad survey of Paganism, straight from the horses mouth. This ethnographic approach, makes it a unique stand out among other beginners books of it's caliber. The latter third of the book is relegated to interviews with members from five prominent Pagan Churches: The Church of All Worlds, Circle Sanctuary, The Covenant of the Goddess, Earthspirit Community, and The Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans. It is within these pages that we are treated to a glimpse of what may be in store as Paganism moves forward, and "Paganism becomes an increasingly relavent spiritual path as many people feel the need for... balance rather than a mere series of technical fixes to ecological problems." (Hopman, pg 259)

This is a book title I wish I had read many years ago, when I first began my Pagan journey. The chapter dedicated to Military Pagans which talks with Kokopelli and Don Two Eagles Waterhawk, two powerful voices, would have been especially helpful for reference while I had served. An overall pleasant and enjoyable read. I would absolutely recommend this book to any person interested in the Pagan spiritual tradition, and it's diverse set of practices.
 

Bear Wild

Well-Known Member
Being A Pagan: Druids, Wiccans and Witches Today by Ellen Evert Hopman and Lawrence Bond is a dedicated and clear ethnographic exploration of the umbrella faith that we call Modern or Neo-Paganism. From Druids and Wiccans, to Sacred Prostitutes and Military Pagans, no avenue of belief is left unaddressed. Written with the layman and uninitiated in mind, this book will guide the reader down the mysterious Pagan byways, from the mouths and practices of Pagans themselves. Maybe you too will feel "the call of the "spirit of the Forest" to find a spiritual home." (Hopman, pg xiii).

With a collection of 51 interviews, from solitary practitioner to group ritual organizer, Hopman brings us a broad survey of Paganism, straight from the horses mouth. This ethnographic approach, makes it a unique stand out among other beginners books of it's caliber. The latter third of the book is relegated to interviews with members from five prominent Pagan Churches: The Church of All Worlds, Circle Sanctuary, The Covenant of the Goddess, Earthspirit Community, and The Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans. It is within these pages that we are treated to a glimpse of what may be in store as Paganism moves forward, and "Paganism becomes an increasingly relavent spiritual path as many people feel the need for... balance rather than a mere series of technical fixes to ecological problems." (Hopman, pg 259)

This is a book title I wish I had read many years ago, when I first began my Pagan journey. The chapter dedicated to Military Pagans which talks with Kokopelli and Don Two Eagles Waterhawk, two powerful voices, would have been especially helpful for reference while I had served. An overall pleasant and enjoyable read. I would absolutely recommend this book to any person interested in the Pagan spiritual tradition, and it's diverse set of practices.

It would be interesting to read this from my perspective now.
 
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