Book Review: Pagan Curious

Debra DeAngelo, Pagan Curious: a Beginner's Guide to Nature, Magic, and Spirituality. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2022. ISBN: 9780738766539.

 

Genre: nonfiction

Subgenre: Paganism, inspirational, guides, spirituality

Format: e-book galley

Source: NetGalley

 

I picked up this book because I am somewhat pagan curious myself. The book is not perfect, but it does provide a good amount of information on various topics. As the author states, "this is not a Witchcraft 101 book" (3). It's more a book for folks who may know little about paganism in general. 

The book is arranged into three major sections: 

• Section One: Your Inner Realm. To start your journey, the author suggests readers need to know themselves first.
• Section Two: Your Outer Realm. This looks at connecting with nature and the outer realm.
• Section Three: Your Magical Realm. This looks at various magical practices and pagan ways. For some of us, this may be the most interesting part of the book. 

Let's get a big issue out of the way. The author can and does have strong views, and they are not shy about them. The first section is the weakest part of the book, and a big reason is the author getting on their soapbox. She does a whole rant on the beauty industry that was mostly unnecessary. The evils of that industry are well known, and there are plenty of books on just that topic. The rant was unnecessary, and it detracts from the actual topic of getting to know yourself first before you go outside yourself. Some readers may feel like bailing out on the here, but it may be worth it to skim ahead. 

Once you get out of the first section, the rest of the book is informative. This is not a book with depth. It is more a book to provide an overview and a sampling of what is available and possible in pagan paths. The author provides basic definitions as needed. The author also provides good lists for topics, for example, Chapter 14 has a list of various pagan paths. The list is a sample of paths available; author also notes many pagans create their own paths. There is a lot of flexibility for those who desire it. 

A strength of the book is in the exercises. Throughout the book, the author offers a variety of exercises for learning and reflection. Exercises go from meditations and to going outdoors to small rituals. You not only learn by reading; you also learn with some practice. 

 

Overall, I liked the book, and it may be one I would consult again as needed. Once you get past the first section, it starts getting interesting. I'd recommend for public libraries, especially if they would like to add more books on paganism. For readers who are curious, who just want to see what are some of the options in paganism, this can be a start. For readers not ready or willing to commit to a path, this may be good too. For academic libraries, this is optional. I may acquire it for my library since we do have some pagans on campus. 

 

Note the book features a recommended reading list at the end of each chapter, and it has a bibliography at the end of the book that is helpful for folks wanting to read further. I will be seeking some of the books in the bibliography for my own path and learning. 

 

3 out of 5 stars.

 

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Additional reading notes: 

 

The author argues for our Pagan past: 

 

"Buried in your own DNA is a spiritual connection to the natural world, and its energies and rhythms; buried in your own DNA is a cellular memory on an intricate connection to nature-- of being completely in tune with all the wonder and mystery of life itself; buried in your own DNA is an ancient ancestor who lived a spiritual dance with nature and knew the mystical stories about how it all worked, passed on by each generation that came earlier. It's your own Pagan past, tens of thousands of generations of it, longing to express itself again" (2). 

 

I could relate to this statement about how hard it can be to be a seeker in Bumfuck, USA: 

 

"However, it's tough being a Seeker when you live in a tiny town in the middle of bumdunk nowhere with more churches than bars, and only one stoplight-- and it didn't even have three colors, only flashing red. There were no pagans anywhere to be seen" (3). 

It's not unlike here where pagans are very few and certainly not very visible. Lucky for me, there is a mostly robust Internet and now books like this one to make the way a bit easier for me and others like me. On a side note, I still have much to deprogram, but that is another story. 

The author by the way, like a good number of pagans and "woo" people, can be a bit too optimistic. They can have a bit of a Pollyanna syndrome: 

"When you see a shirt you absolutely love, do you look at the price tag, decide you don't deserve it, and put it back?" (18). 

Yes. You bet I look at the price tag. It is called being realistic. Some of us really can't afford it. Has nothing to do with whether you deserve it or not. At some point, at least for some, reality does hit this whole feel good no matter what doctrine, which here to be honest is sounding a bit like pap. 

 

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Book qualifies for this 2022 book challenge: