Help me pick a first Paganism book!

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[Gabe]

I'm in the middle of Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon, and I've pretty much decided I'm going to pursue this "formally".  So, what I'm looking for is some help picking the pagan equivalent of a Wicca 101 book.  I've kind of narrowed it down to the following options, listed with pros and cons...

1) Amber K, True Magick, 2006 edition.  I've seen this one rather widely recommended, which is a pro.  But it seems to focus very heavily on magick (hence the title) and less on developing spirituality.

2) Christopher Penczak, The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, and series thereafter.  Seems to balance magick and spirituality, and offer the opportunity to practise several different types of magick, something I'm very interested in as they all sound interesting.

3) Donald Michael Kraig, Modern Magick, 3d edition.  Focuses heavily on ceremonial magick.  Includes Judeo-Christian kabbalah which is interesting, but also work with the Judeo-Christian god, which is somewhat off-putting to someone who already has an established relationship with other deities.  The only book to seriously discuss sex magick and entity work, both of which I find fascinating.

Some information about me that may help: I'm highly intellectual, and tend to dislike books that "talk-down" to the reader.  I tend heavily towards Chaos.  An entire pantheon has set itself up in my head, composed of both gods and goddesses and a few individuals who manage both at once.  They've made it clear that they would definitely like magick to be a part of my worship, but not the whole of it.  I'm transgender, and tend to think outside of traditional dualities (male/female, god/goddess, black/white).  I'm leaning away from the whole Wiccan Rede thing--it doesn't feel right to me at this point.  I live in a pretty conservative area (think Pat Robertson), so I'm pretty much limited to what I can acquire via the internet.  I'd prefer paper-format to ebooks.

So, anyone have a recommendation?  I am, of course, open to other suggestions and would welcome any ideas anyone has.

Gabe

[Ellen M.]

Drawing Down the Moon, no question. I've been really unimpressed with Amber K and Christopher Penczak's work, and I don't know the other author. Adler, however, is brilliant and her work is what I recommend to all newbies.

[RandallS]

3) Donald Michael Kraig, Modern Magick, 3d edition.  Focuses heavily on ceremonial magick.  Includes Judeo-Christian kabbalah which is interesting, but also work with the Judeo-Christian god, which is somewhat off-putting to someone who already has an established relationship with other deities.  The only book to seriously discuss sex magick and entity work, both of which I find fascinating.

This is an excellent book that will give you a good grounding in the Western Magical Tradition even if you decide you have no further interest in ceremonial magic. However, it is about magic and not about spirituality.

[Gabe]

Drawing Down the Moon, no question.

Er, might have been unclear.  I'm already in the middle of Drawing Down the Moon, and am trying to figure out where to go next.

[Ellen M.]

Er, might have been unclear.  I'm already in the middle of Drawing Down the Moon, and am trying to figure out where to go next.

Whoops, my bad. You were clear, I was just reading at supersonic speeds.

[clearstar]

I'm in the middle of Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon, and I've pretty much decided I'm going to pursue this "formally".  So, what I'm looking for is some help picking the pagan equivalent of a Wicca 101 book.  I've kind of narrowed it down to the following options, listed with pros and cons...

1) Amber K, True Magick, 2006 edition.  I've seen this one rather widely recommended, which is a pro.  But it seems to focus very heavily on magick (hence the title) and less on developing spirituality.

2) Christopher Penczak, The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, and series thereafter.  Seems to balance magick and spirituality, and offer the opportunity to practise several different types of magick, something I'm very interested in as they all sound interesting.

3) Donald Michael Kraig, Modern Magick, 3d edition.  Focuses heavily on ceremonial magick.  Includes Judeo-Christian kabbalah which is interesting, but also work with the Judeo-Christian god, which is somewhat off-putting to someone who already has an established relationship with other deities.  The only book to seriously discuss sex magick and entity work, both of which I find fascinating.

Some information about me that may help: I'm highly intellectual, and tend to dislike books that "talk-down" to the reader.  I tend heavily towards Chaos.  An entire pantheon has set itself up in my head, composed of both gods and goddesses and a few individuals who manage both at once.  They've made it clear that they would definitely like magick to be a part of my worship, but not the whole of it.  I'm transgender, and tend to think outside of traditional dualities (male/female, god/goddess, black/white).  I'm leaning away from the whole Wiccan Rede thing--it doesn't feel right to me at this point.  I live in a pretty conservative area (think Pat Robertson), so I'm pretty much limited to what I can acquire via the internet.  I'd prefer paper-format to ebooks.

So, anyone have a recommendation?  I am, of course, open to other suggestions and would welcome any ideas anyone has.

Gabe

Witch Crafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic by Phyllis Curott is great for both the beginner and the experienced.

[Gillyflower]

I would recommend Positive Magic: Ancient Metaphysical Techniques for Modern Lives, by Marion Weinstein. I also like Kate West's Real Witches series, but that could be too Wicca-based for your taste as you state it.

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