These are my books. Even though most of them are written from a neopagan perspective — a spiritual path I no longer identify with, since returning to the Christian faith in 2005 — I’m still proud of every one, and I hope that neopagans and people interested in neopaganism will continue to find my work in that area useful. If the list as a whole seems rather wide-ranging and multi-faceted, well, welcome to my spiritual world. Of course, I humbly hope you will buy some (or all) of these books; click on the title, cover graphic, or the “View on Amazon” link below each description to do so.
Forthcoming:
The Big Book of Christian Mysticism: The Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality
My first book since entering the Catholic Church and becoming a Lay Cistercian. The Big Book of Christian Mysticism looks at the contemplative wisdom tradition at the heart of Christian spirituality, tracing its origins in both the New Testament and Greek Philosophy, and considering how mystical spirituality remains relevant to the average person, even here in the twenty-first century. Every religious tradition has a mystical dimension, and Christian mysticism — the mysticism of Divine Love — is particularly beautiful.
The Big Book of Christian Mysticism is scheduled to be published in August 2010 (but you can pre-order a copy by clicking on the link below).
Previously Published:
Spirituality: A Postmodern and Interfaith Approach to Cultivating a Relationship with God
My first book! Published in 1997 as Spirituality: Where Body and Soul Encounter the Sacred, this is an exploration of spirituality based on cultural, rather than religious, principles. From rock’n'roll lyrics to movie subplots to the surprising secrets of the etymology of ordinary words, the themes and values of the inner life can be found in the most commonplace of ways. After being out of print for a few years, Spirituality was reprinted in 2008 with a new subtitle, new cover (featuring a photograph by my wife, Fran) and a new introduction.
The Aspiring Mystic: Practical Steps for Spiritual Seekers
My second book, published in 2000, is also my most personal. While it covers the same basic subject matter as my first book, The Aspiring Mystic offers a more practical approach to the spiritual life, particularly for beginners. Like Spirituality, it is written from a liberal-Christian, yet clearly Pagan-friendly perspective. In this book I write about (among other things): my unexpected spiritual awakening at age 16, the challenges of parenting a handicapped child, why I think community and guidance are important for spiritual seekers, and what I’ve learned about meditation from my cats.
Embracing Jesus and the Goddess : A Radical Call for Spiritual Sanity
This book was written in the late 1990s, when I was an Episcopalian struggling to make sense of my profound sense of interest in, and spiritual connection to, the Goddess spirituality of our time. It therefore offers a fascinating glimpse into the joys and struggles of an unusual type of spiritual seeker: a Christian who loves the Goddess — or, perhaps it would be just as accurate to say, a Neopagan who loves Christ. I wrote the book especially for those who want to “maintain a light, spacious relationship” with both Goddess-centered and Christian forms of spirituality. But even beyond that, it calls for religious tolerance, goodwill and hospitality for all spiritual seekers of any path or faith tradition.
The Well-Read Witch: Essential Books for Your Magickal Library
From 1997 to 2001 I worked for the New Leaf Company, a major wholesaler/distributor of mind/body/spirit books and other products. New Leaf carried a vast selection of books on earth-based religion and spirituality: Wicca, witchcraft, and other forms of Neopaganism. This book arose out of my personal desire to learn about these religions and spiritualities, and the research I did, talking to priests and priestesses of various Pagan and Wiccan communities to discover which of the many books on earth spirituality were the most highly recommended and/or the most popular. In the end, over 400 books on some thirty different topics were reviewed in The Well-Read Witch, making it an annotated bibliography for a lifetime’s worth of Pagan-oriented reading material. And while this book is of necessity dated (it was published in 2001), many of the books featured in it remain in print (or can be found through used book sources online).
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paganism
My best-selling book (at least so far). Like all “Idiot’s Guides” this work is meant to be a simple but factual introduction to its topic, written in a playful, down-to-earth, and easy-to-read style. Concentrating on Wiccan Neopaganism but touching on other forms of the contemporary Pagan revival, it’s a positive, basic overview of the fast-growing world of earth-based and Goddess-oriented spirituality.
I explored neopaganism for seven years — from 1997 to 2004 — and in that time, I felt like I never really managed to explain my spiritual path to two of the most important people in my life: my parents. When Someone You Love is Wiccan was an attempt to share my faith not only with my family, but with anyone who might want to learn more about earth-based spirituality but without wanting to practice it for themselves. Concentrating on “mainstream” forms of Neopaganism like eclectic Wicca, this book aims to dismantle stereotypes and misconceptions and instead build bridges of understanding.
Complete Idiot’s Guide to Celtic Wisdom
In this Idiot’s Guide I present a broad overview of the many varieties of Celtic spirituality, concentrating on Druidism and other forms of Celtic Neopaganism. But I also discuss Celtic Christianity, Celtic “shamanism,” the fairy-faith, and the mysticism of the Holy Grail. Overviews of Irish and Welsh mythology, Celtic divination, and tips on integrating Celtic wisdom into everyday life round out this introductory book.
Before You Cast a Spell: Understanding the Power of Magic
This book arose out of a conversation I had with several Wiccan and Pagan booksellers who were frustrated by the many beginners in the Wiccan/Pagan world who wanted to learn about magic and spells — while ignoring the spiritual and ethical dimensions of magical religion. In retrospect, I believe writing Before You Cast a Spell was the beginning of my journey from Paganism back to Christianity, for in it I argue that ethics, personal responsibility, and choosing to be happy and empowered, are all ultimately more important than magic. But even though the book marks my own personal spiritual turning point, it has been warmly embraced by many teachers and elders within the Pagan community, and won a prestigious national award from the Coalition of Visionary Resources (the trade association for new age and metaphysical businesses) as the “Best Magic Book” of 2004.
Kathryn Hinds was one of the technical editors for The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Celtic Wisdom, and ever since that book was finished, she and I had wanted to do another project together. That dream came true with Magic of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses. I had a lot of fun working with her, for Kathryn is a splendid writer, superb editor, and (most important of all) a true friend. She handles the Welsh and Gaulish deities while I present the Irish figures. Thanks to Kathryn’s inspiration I believe this book represents my finest work as a neopagan writer — but it’s also my pagan swan song, for within six months of finishing it I had chosen to return to Christianity. Even though I am no longer a Pagan, I still think this book provides a useful (and positive) overview of how Neopagan Celtic spirituality can be practiced in today’s world.
366 Celt: Year And A Day Of Celtic Wisdom And Lore
Written more or less concurrently with Magic of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses, this book provides a more nuanced glimpse into my personal spiritual development, as a Neopagan slowly beginning to recognize within myself the desire to return to the Christian faith. If Embracing Jesus and the Goddess chronicles my entry into Neopaganism, 366 Celt — a series of brief daily meditations on a variety of Celtic-themed topics — details the other end of that seven year journey. The end result? A book that, I hope, could be of use to all seekers of Celtic wisdom, whether Christian or Pagan.
The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries
I wrote the introduction to this reprint edition of W.Y. Evans-Wentz’ classic study of traditional fairy beliefs in the Celtic lands, originally published in 1911, and here reprinted by New Page Books. The editor at New Page originally asked me to write an introduction detailing how this book can be of use to practitioners of “fairy magic.” I ignored that request and instead offered a glimpse into how the fairy-faith remains relevant in our postmodern world. While I hope that fans of my work will enjoy my introduction, I have to go on record by saying that New Page did a terrible job producing this book: not only is my introduction marred by several obvious typographical errors (that did not originate with me), but my name is misspelled on the title and copyright pages (but spelled correctly on the cover) — and, worst of all, Evans-Wentz’ text is likewise filled with errors that are unique to this poorly-edited edition.
