NeoWiccan Texts and Reading Material
Are you interested in some of the popular NeoWiccan texts? There are a variety of documents available to explore if you’re interested in following a NeoWiccan path, and you can read nearly all of them online via these links.
The Gardnerian Book of Shadows
This is the text of the Book of Shadows composed and handed down by Gerald Gardner. In one sense, this is the central sacred text of the Wiccan religion. However, there is no ‘official’ Book of Shadows, and each coven usually has a hand-written copy of a Book of Shadows, sometimes in cypher or code, which reflects its own practices and knowledge.
The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough is a study of legend and myth and how they are interpreted into ritual and celebration. Folklorist James Frazer’s interpretation of the cycle of life, death and rebirth has carried on to this day, and in his work he explained that ultimately, this cycle is at the core of myths from every part of the globe. For many modern Pagans, this book of folklore is a worthy thing to own, simply because it details religion and ritual from its early day, and follows the evolution of man’s belief.
The White Goddess
British author Robert Graves was long known as a war poet, folklorist, and expert on mythology. His book, “The White Goddess,” which looks at the concept of deity as sacred feminine is a classic, and one that adorns the shelves of many Pagan and Wiccan home libraries. Although some scholars believe that Graves’ ideas weren’t really his at all, but those of his mistress, Laura Riding Jackson, “The White Goddess” is still worth reading.
Charge of the Goddess
In the early 1950s, Doreen Valiente was working with Gerald Gardner on the Gardnerian Book of Shadows. Valiente took on the task of re-organizing Gardner’s work, and more importantly, putting into a practical and usable form. In addition to finishing things up, she added her poetic gifts to the process, and the end result was a collection of rituals and ceremonies which are both beautiful and workable – and the foundation for much of modern Wicca, some sixty years later. She created a poem known as the Charge of the Goddess, which has been the basis for many Wiccan rites and ceremonies.
