Book Review: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paganism
by Carl McColman
I must admit right off that I had some apprehensions about reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paganism. Though recommended to me by my friend and Senior Druid, I was still uncertain as to how a book for “Complete Idiots” was going to educate me on modern paganism as I have already read several similar beginner’s Wicca and pagan books in the past. As I began reading the book, I found much of the blanket comments that the author uses to be inappropriate, such as his new definition of Pagan as “People Adoring Goddess And Nature”. Just because such a statement encompasses a large portion of the pagan community does not necessarily mean that it is a good definition for all pagans. I was also slightly put off by his discussion of the Gaia Hypothesis. The author presented it in such a way to make it read that since scientists had come up with the hypothesis, then clearly this must command some scientific weight. Unfortunately though, he also cites that there has been no research done so far to prove this hypothesis is even a viable theory in the scientific realm. He tried to make a point about the possible existence of an Earth consciousness more credible by saying it was backed up by science, when it isn’t. Though I agree that an Earth consciousness does exist, I did not entirely appreciate how he tried to shoehorn science in to that topic. In general, I found myself irritated with the introductory paragraphs of the book where he used attention grabbing ideas and sweeping generalizations to grab the reader’s attention. I suppose that, however, is the pitfall of reading a book originally written for “Complete Idiots”.
Once I got into the meat of the book, though, I found his research to be sound. He cited important information and basics and gave a very good idea of the basics of the three pagan religions he covered: Wicca, Shamanism and Druidry. I especially enjoyed the brief discussion on shamanism as I have a friend who is studying Peruvian Shamanism, but I don’t know very much about it. The concept of spirit work through trance and journeying I find incredibly fascinating. I also really liked how he made sure to state that not all pagans are just Wiccan/Shamans/Druids and not all Wiccans, Shamans and Druids wish to be called Pagan, or by other titles. I really felt like he was true to the personality of the specific religions he covered and was impressed with the sources he cited, such as Isaac Bonewits, Ronald Hutton, and Janet and Steven Ferrar. I also appreciated the research on the specific deities he must have done. His discussion on how dark goddesses being titled “dark” does not mean that they are scary, evil and need to be feared, it simply means they have a lot of power and mystery to them impressed me quite a bit. I am currently working with the Morrigan who many consider “scary” because she is a dark goddess. I was also very impressed by his mentioning of Dian Cecht when discussing Celtic healing deities; most people tend to think of Brigid first when thinking of Celtic healing deities and Dian Cecht is a slightly more obscure god.
I personally found his discussion of rituals and basic pagan element lore repetitive, but I did very much like his chapter on healing. I really like how, despite the language being sometimes simplistic, he illustrated the importance of healing in paganism, as many, many books do not even touch on this point. According to him, and I think I must agree with this, the further one continues down the pagan path, the more interested and involved in healing one will be become as the two are intertwined. He also emphasized the importance of self-accountability and responsibility, another thing that many books ignore. While other books I’ve leafed through have just spouted about all the cool magic someone can do, he makes sure to say many times that pagans still have ethics that they hold to. His discussion of the Wiccan Rede is a great example of this and one I must respect. A lot of people use “an’ it harm none, do what ye will” as an excuse to do whatever they want with themselves as long as they aren’t hurting someone. This author breaks it down though, explaining that harm can also be harm to oneself and one’s relationships. So while this Rede is very freeing in that it affirms one’s free will and ability to act, it does also come with an important, ethical law that is not to be taken lightly.
Overall, I would say it is a decent book. I can’t say that I didn’t find it inspiring as the chapter on healing caused me to realize that paganism and healing do, in fact, go hand in hand and that it is something I need to pay more attention to in my life. I might actually recommend this book to someone who knows little to nothing of paganism because it is a very good overview. Also, it makes me feel more comfortable to recommend this book to people because of the fact that he many times makes a point of saying that the reader should find an experienced teacher on the subjects if the reader wishes to know more instead of blindly stumbling around an advanced concept.
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