I found Gods, Demigods, and Demons: An Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology by Bernard Evslin in one of those Scholastic catalogs when I was about 11. It was the first book about mythology that I remember ever reading and I devoured it. I was totally hooked after that. It was the first time that I found confirmation that there were other ways to understand divinity.
Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft was the first book on religious witchcraft that I read. I was in high school when I found it in a thrift store and my mother bought it for me (my parents never said no when it came to books). It's a workbook and was scribbled, but I used Liquid Paper to white out all the previous owner's answers and worked through it myself. It was the first time I found a vocabulary for what I believed.
The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries by Z Budapest resonated with me in terms of feminism. It also made Witchcraft approachable. Whereas Buckland talked about Witch's Cradles and ceremonial initiations, Budapest offered spells for personal protection and success.
Starhawk's The Spiral Dance grounded my practice. Like Z, Starhawk stripped away the highly ceremonial aspects of Witchcraft that didn't hold much interest for me and infused it with feminism, but also with ecology. She made it earthy and about community in a broader sense that went beyond the small coven. For me, Starhawk defined Paganism as a movement that could change society.
These top my list of most influential books. What's on your list?
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