Re: Reading material
Gaianos
punbardd@hotmail.com
Tue Dec  1 16:54:00 1998
Slainte, eilis!*br*Maybe the fact that you're relearning things you already know is a sign this is where you should be, that your spirit has found this incarnation was the right time to return to its roots. Reincarnation, and all that. Homecoming.*br*I can relate; when I came across modern Paganism about 10 years ago, I was also almost immediately drawn to things Celtic. Given my heritage, I figured it was a choice between that and the Norse/Germanic traditions, but that route seemed a little too fatalistic to me.*br*there's a lot of good material out there, but you're right to want some advice b/c some is bunk. My recommendations:*br**Almost anything by John and/or Caitlin Matthews, especially The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom.*br**Things by Philip Carr-Gomm. He's the Chief Druid of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, the world's largest druid group (www.druidry.org) and writes clearly.*br**Fictional retellings of Celtic myths by Morgan Llewelyn. She's got a bunch of 'em, including the tales of Finn MacCool, Cuchullain, etc, and she's a great storyteller too.*br** Also, one of my favorite fictions is Parke Godwin's Firelord, a variant of the King Arthur myth that really gives him a personality and shows how he's a bridge between the Roman world and the Celtic world.*br**For more scholarly stuff, try Stuart Piggot's The Druids. His viewpoint-- that the Druids were basically barbaric -- can be somewhat annoying, but he's got some interesting things to say.*br** Also, try Spence's History and Origins of Druidism. Where Piggot focuses on the archaeology, Spence looks at the same stuff as a anthropologist, drawing somewhat on the myths rather than just the Classical writers and stones. His viewpoint is more speculative, but more favorable, too.*br*Whew! That's enough for now...*br*Good luck!*br*Gus*p**p**p**p**p*eilis' wrote,*br*: in my interest in wicca, I seem to be drawn, over and over *br*: to all things celtic. i am new at this (a recovering *br*: catholic). there is only so much one can do on ones own, *br*: without advice. can one of you recommend reading material or *br*: websites. you, no doubt, get this question all the time, but *br*: the more i discover, the more questions i have. the only *br*: thing i seem good at is the seeking so far, peace eludes me. *br*: i thought perhaps steerage toward celtic paganism would fill *br*: the void. the thing i have noticed is whatever i learn, *br*: seems familiar....ok so i'm nuts! you would think when you *br*: get to my age you would retire, but i am hell-bent on this *br*: new quest. thank you for hearing me out.......               *br*:                     eilis'*br*
Reading material
eilis'
198
Sun Oct 25 18:47:45 1998