Best books about druidism according to redditors
We found 27 Reddit comments discussing the best books about druidism. We ranked the 18 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
16. Neopagan Rites: A Guide to Creating Public Rituals that Work
1 mention
Used Book in Good Condition
I can't speak for all of those books, but you cant go wrong with The Path of Druidry, Druidry Handbook, Druid Magic Handbook, and From the Cauldron Born. I would also recommend:
The Druid Way by Phillip Carr-Gomm
The Mysteeries of Druidry by Brendan Myers
Bonewits's Essential Guide to Druidism by Isaac Bonewits
Principles of Druidry by Emma Restall Orr
The Solitary Druid by Robert Ellison
And please, steer clear of Druid Power and the 21 Lessons of Merlin. If you feel you must, read some of the others ones first before delving into those 2. They rely heavily on fantasy (not mythology) and don't have the good graces to tell you so.
Also, since you'll encounter a lot of people claiming a lot of things I recommend:
Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler
and
Triumph of the Moon
These two are more "impartial" treatments of the various groups within paganism. They provide a nice perspective on the faith path.
Alright, hold onto your seat, there are quite a few haha
Some ecology books, good for your approach to nature itself
These are more Druid-centric books
These are more historical and culture books about the ancient Celtics, very good for context. Anything by Ronald Hutton I'm going to suggest, though he does tend to have a very dry, academic style. Reading his stuff is more like reading a text book than anything else. So if you do get any of these, pace yourself. I would still suggest getting and reading one Celtic historical book, it's important to know the history.
As you go, you'll figure out what works for you and what doesn't, you might end up mixing in shamanism or witchcraft, even wicca, or buddhism, druidry works with a number of other approaches. Keep an open mind, try things, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Paganism in general can be pretty overwhelming, and Druidry has even fewer guidelines than most. Good luck with your coursework!
Isaac Bonewits Neopagan Rites is a must have for every Pagan or Wiccan. It breaks down ritual and explains why things work the way they do. It made a huge difference in my ritual writing skills.
The Smith-Waite Centennial, the smaller tinned edition. I adore this deck. It consistently amazes and surprises me. I love the muted colors and the faux antique look of the deck. I like the tinned edition because it's smaller (about the size of a standard playing card), which makes it easy to shuffle and handle and easy to use for larger spreads when you don't have a lot of room, which I often don't. It also makes it easier when reading for other people, since I like to have them shuffle the cards a bit before the reading, and a lot of people have trouble shuffling larger cards when they aren't used to it. The metal tin makes it really easy to tote around too. I just wrap a rubber band around it and pop it in my bag without worrying about any damage to the cards. There is also a larger, standard size edition, which I would recommend over the tinned edition if size isn't a factor for you because it makes it easier to enjoy Smith's lovely artwork.
Forgot to add this - my other fave, and one I only use to read for myself at the moment, is the Druidcraft Tarot. Will Worthington's art is so lovely.
I just wanted to add 2 other "starter" books I thought were worth mentioning:
The Awen Alone by Joanna van der Hoeven
Elements of the Druid Tradition by Philip Carr-Gomm
Short books, but really informative about the modern Druid tradition.
I can not recommend enough any of Bonewits's books. Another one that I am currently reading is actually by John Michael Greer is the Celtic Golden Dawn
A wand is a fine beginner's tool if you want to make one. (I have one made of Holly wood)
I've read apple wood is useful for love magic as well as working with spirits, (fruit-tree wood in general is very good for almost any magic; there's a few exceptions though) So if that's what you're going for than that should be good. If not, you should look up wood-lore and find something that relates to what you're looking for. You can also have multiple wands, depending on what you want to work with.
Magical-wood associations;
http://www.woodnchips.com/download/magicalpropertiesofwood.pdf,
http://www.dragonoak.com/Magical-Wood-Properties.html
I haven't read this book but it's considered one of the few good guides on wandlore; https://www.amazon.com/Wandlore-Crafting-Ultimate-Magical-Tool/dp/073872002X#reader_073872002X
Just a couple of good ones that are out there:
Wyrdworking: The Path of a Saxon Sorcerer - Alaric Albertsson
[Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic - Edred Thorsson]
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/0877285489/)
[Rune Mysteries: Companion to the Witches Runes - Silver RavenWolf]
(http://www.amazon.com/Rune-Mysteries-Companion-Witches-Runes/dp/B004M5RZ8Y/)
Just searching amazing on "Rune Magic" brings up a lot of options for you, but those are the ones that I recommend just off the top of my head.
Ok there are many theories about the techniques, so I like to use this book (https://www.amazon.com/Druidic-Soul-Star-Astrology-Regressions/dp/1940265460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544313047&sr=8-1&keywords=druidic+soul+star+astrology) for the great amount of details (prison, priesthoods, etc) and I investigated it based on its main assumptions here (https://old.reddit.com/r/TheoryOfAstrology/comments/8z5chn/book_review_and_karma_astrology/). Pluto would be always be your first incarnation, because pluto is most far away from earth, if it's in an even house (2,4,6,8,10,12) after some sort of 'bigger death' or something like this where karma gets partially healed, because otherwise this technique would not work since you can not have more then 11 past lives according to it.
This one! https://www.amazon.com/dp/0312315023/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_Q-v4Ab2D5622C
Highly recommended!
Druid grade OBOD member here, been part of the Order for ≈9 years. I've found the group to be non-dogmatic, welcoming, and really just full of happy (and wonderfully odd) people. Everyone likes good stories, good drinks and good company. It's all very chill and the coursework itself is really a set of tools that you learn to work with in the way you feel is best. It is a universalist tradition, meaning all faiths are welcome to participate (there are Christian, Heathen, Atheist, etc. members).
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On cost: the course work is mailed to you each month from the UK, so there is a shipping consideration. It's one of the fun parts of the course that each month you get these brown parcels that you know have new info in them. The coursework itself is lengthy - it took me a year to get through it, others take longer or shorter. So consider it a year of druid-y goodness coming to you like a subscription service, if that helps. I would also point out that if someone you know like a family member or friend would like to use your course materials, the Order doesn't police it but asks you to make a small ($20-ish) donation on the honest policy. So if, say, you and a partner wanted to work through the course, there is a savings.
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As others have mentioned, check out Druidcast, the Order's podcast. If you're a fan of the mythology look for episodes with Roland Rotherham. If you want to know more about the Order itself, check out any with Philip Carr-Gomm, the current chosen chief. If you want some books to read, the Elements of Druid Tradition. Penny Billington's The Path of Druidry was mentioned and is a kind of workbook with lots of exercises, and was written by the long time editor of the Order's newsletter.
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Hope this helps.
Check these two books out
A Book of Pagan Prayer
A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book
https://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Down-Moon-Witches-Goddess-Worshippers/dp/014019536X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484093252&sr=8-2&keywords=drawing+down+the+moon+margot+adler
It is the druid craft deck, I have it, it's beautiful! And it comes with a decently sized book.
Link to Amazon: The Druidcraft Tarot https://www.amazon.com/dp/0312315023/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9HJNDbPT2W3RJ
DruidCraft Tarot. This is what I own and recommend; the presentation style is much more nature focused with iconography relevant to those walking the Druid or Wiccan paths. I highly recommend this one for someone in this sub looking for a deck. It comes with a walkthrough explaining the history and use of Tarot and includes a large manual explaining each card within the major and minor arcana as well as making sense of the suits.
do you like this aesthetic? it’s beginner