(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best wicca, witchcraft & paganism books

Wow, I didn't think this particular facet of my knowledge base would be used here, but here we go. Please keep in mind that I am not an expert or a professional occultist but I have been involved in personal study for several years.

First of all, identify what you are most interested in and stick to it. There are so many different facets to the occult that it is easy to get overwhelmed and spread too far along the many subjects. Luckily, you can easily learn a lot about one subject by learning a lot about another.

For instance, you can learn about numerology, cabala, astrology, elemental magic and much more by learning all you can about the tarot. If you become an expert on one field, you can easily comprehend new information in different field.

That said, I highly recommend that you get a tarot deck. Even if you are not extremely interested in tarot, it's a good idea to have one around for reference. For beginners I recommend getting a basic Rider-Waite deck, which most contemporary decks are based on. If you are highly interested in ritual magic, Thelema or Aleister Crowley, you will want to get a Thoth deck, but definitely get a book on the deck and master it as soon as you can. Otherwise, fight the urge to get an theme deck as very few of them are consistent with symbolism and will be confusing for a beginner.

Get a good basic book. There are a lot of good basic books out there and you should be able to find something at is relevant to your interests.

I am a chaos magician with a fondness for Hermetic philosophy, so my suggestions will lean towards that realm.

New Hermetics by Jason Augustus Newcomb: A very good primer on the elements of magic. Basic on Hermetic magic with plenty of other traditions and schools of thought mixed in. Good for learning meditation and filled with exercises you can perform mentally.

Postmodern Magic by Patrick Dunn: A good primer for people interested in "new" magic. Not officially chaos magic but definitely in the same vein.

There are a lot of basic magic books out there. Don't get stuck reading books for beginners. Once you have the basics, you should move onto something more advanced.

Meditate regularly. Even if you don't want to do astral travel or deep buddhist meditation, make time as much as possible to do at least 15 minutes of some sort of meditation. Almost every tradition uses mediation for a reason.

Keep a journal. Record anything occult or magical that you do or learn. You may also want to journal your dreams, which will be beneficial to mediation and lucid dreaming.

Although very few occult teachers and books will suggest it, it is very, very important to maintain a healthy level of skepticism. You are going to be reading and learning about a lot a pretty crazy stuff and you should be able to discern the good stuff from the bullshit. As a good rule of thumb, bullshit is expensive.

Also, use your skepticism to integrate science and magic. A healthy understanding of the body, psychology, chemistry and physics will enrich your understanding of the occult.

If you have any other questions about learning about the occult, don't hesitate to ask.

Oh yeah, and check out /r/occult.

Not a book, exactly, and the forums are pretty much a ghost town, but Pagan Library has a lot of good articles on it.


I have referenced "The Real Witches' Kitchen" by Kate West quite a bit for "Hearth Magic" type stuff, as it's basically a cookbook with Meaning and Workings added to it. Has stuff like Herbal work, oils and lotions, candles and incenses, feasting around the Wheel of the Year, breads, soups and foods to strengthen and heal, brews and teas, and such.


I've also used "Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life" by Pauline Campanelli to learn about the Sabbats and the months.


Not my favorite resource, but one that does have some good information is "Witch Crafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic" by Phyllis Curott, H.Ps.


I've also worked with "Elemental Witch: Fire, Air, Water, Earth; Discover Your Natural Affinity" by Tammy Sullivan. It's a pretty good book, and I'm planning on re-reading it this winter. It helped me understand my two Elements (Water from birth sign, Air from personality) much better, so I've been able to ground and charge better.


And, of course, Scott Cunningham has a good collection of reference books available. Some of them are specific reference books like his Crystals book, some of them are general reference like some of his Wicca books. Much like Silver Ravenwolf, he's a fairly prolific author with people who either love his stuff, hate his stuff, or simply regard them as references...which is where I fall. Not fond of Silver Ravenwolf, myself, though, I only have one of her books, a Halloween themed one.


My best advice would be to see if a local public library can get you copies of any books you're interested in, that way you don't spend the money on things that don't have meaning for you. If, after you've started reading the book, you feel it fits, you can always track down a copy later. That's how I did it, to be honest. Spent many an afternoon and evening in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Main branch when I was first looking. Even now, when I'm not 100% certain about the usefulness of a book, even for mundane crafts or stuff, I'll get the local branch library to pull a copy.


Hope this helps.

Seconding u/theUnmutual6's recommendations, in addition to u/BlueSmoke95's suggestion to check out Ann Moura's work. I would like to recommend Ellen Dugan's Natural Witchery and her related domestic witchery books. Ellen is a certified Master Gardener and incorporates plants into much of her work.

Some of my favorite plant books!

Plant Science:

• Plant Physiology and Development (you can get away with the previous edition of this one!)
  
  
• Botany for Gardeners
  
  
• Essential Plant Pathology (do NOT get the first edition - the second edition is superior in almost every single way)
  
  
• American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques
  
  
  Foraging & Field Guides:
  
  
• A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America
  
  
• Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt To Plate
  
  
• The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants
  
  Herbalism:
  
  
• Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use (this is the first one I would recommend to novices)
  
  
• The Herbal Apothecary: 100 Medicinal Herbs and How to Use Them
  
  
• The Herbal Medicine Maker's Manual
  
  
• 300 Herbs: A Materia Medica
  
  
• Culpeper's Complete Herbal
  
  Ethnobotany:
  
  
• A Modern Herbal Vol I and Vol II (these could belong in the above section or here - I love love love these books. I think they are a must for any hedge witch or green witch!!)
  
  
• Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees
  
  
• Whispers from the Woods: The Lore & Magic of Trees
  
  
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
  
  I also encourage y'all to look into fungi as well. I work with both plants and fungi and I think they bring a fascinating and fulfilling aspect to my work. Plus, hunting for mushrooms is super fun! I can recommend field guide books for folks who are interested, they just tend to be very region-specific so I'm not going to list all of them here.
  
  For general fungus reading I recommend the following:
  
  
• Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds
  
  
• The Fifth Kingdom
  
  
• Mycelium Running
  
  
• Radical Mycology: A Treatise on Seeing & Working with Fungi
  
  
• Mushrooms Demystified

It's the Winter Solstice, so that's probably why your searching isn't turning up anything. You are so thoughtful to do this for her! What to get her obviously depends on her personality and interests, so if you could tell us a little bit more about her in general that would probably help.

Not knowing what kind of things she already has does make it difficult to recommend things, but I'm going to link you some books that are of general interest but not the kind of thing that most folks already have in a basic library, if that makes sense.

The Return of the Light and In the Light of the Moon are two charming little books full of stories from around the world about the Winter Solstice and the full moon, respectively.

The Charge of the Goddess - The Poetry of Doreen Valiente is a small volume of poetry by one of the most influential women in Wicca.

The Circle Within is a thoughtful, down-to-earth guide for better incorporating Wicca into one's daily life. Very helpful.

The Earth Path is perfect for the ecologically-minded. It shows witches how to really get out in nature and experience it.

A Book of Pagan Prayer is a plain little book packed with a huge variety of prayers and information on creating them.

Straightforward to those of us who know how to read them and say "Ah... ok. I see what you're going for." But novices don't have the years of figuring it all out under their belt. Examine, for example, The Sending of Eight, which is a work I have detailed on this subreddit at one point. I vaguely recall this exact spell being taken word for word from Mastering Witchcraft, a book I didn't realize was now available in paperback.

Actually, Huson is a good example of why spells really should be explained. Novices don't have the intuitive understanding of a spell, the components, and, more specifically, why they are using whatever aspect of a spell they are using. If Huson didn't go out of his way to explain exactly why every little detail is the way it is (down to why you use specific ingredients in your incense) and just plopped that grimoire down and said "Read, you'll get it" you'd rip your hair out trying to figure out exactly why you gotta walk counter clockwise when summoning the dead for a Dumb Supper.

I'm not saying break down some basic Silver Ravenwolf fluff that is written specifically for a newbie in mind, but a simple video dedicated to picking apart and figuring out complex operations would do a lot of good for a lot of really confused newbs. Especially those who lack a teacher to explain to them concepts like synchronicity, Will, manifestation, and the whole concept of the Witch's Pyramid.

I would certainly have benefited from this as well back in my younger days. This could be a great opportunity to present younger, less experienced practitioners with complex magical workings and not only explain the guts of the whole thing, but also go into detail about why you specifically don't want to fuck with magic that you're too inexperienced to handle. Not saying I've made some mistakes with magic... buuuuuuuuuut ...

That or post a nice "How to make a sigil" video for the younglings. I dunno, I guess it would depend on how comfortable you are with exposing the uninitiated to things way over their head and if you personally feel the masses could benefit from having a deeper insight than what Llewellyn grade, witchcraft 101 workings can provide. Not saying there is anything wrong with Llewellyn, but the stuff you find in their books is always very simple, and does not reflect the complexity of an advanced practitioner's works.

I hope that helped clarify a for you a bit. I also realize that as a Thelemite and Left Hand practitioner the most basic ways we think about magic are not quite the same. I imagine what I would consider a run of the mill working and what you'd consider a spell are heavily influenced by the fact that I am more often than not doing high magic (read ceremonial here... though also that kind of high sometimes. I mean have you seen how Thelemites garb themselves out for ritual? We wear crowns and bright purple robes and shit), while witchcraft is by definition vulgar and nowhere near so... convoluted as a ceremonial working. So maybe my perception has mutated my concept of a basic spell so badly that I don't even remember what counts as basic anymore. Either way, hope that helped. Keep up the witchy jazz. :-)

For books on the Qabalah, the two best books to have been written on the subject are The Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune and The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford by Lon Milo Duquette. I'd also pick up a copy of 777 And Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley, which is a book of qabalistic correspondences.

The best book on the Golden Dawn would be The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magick, which covers (almost) everything someone would wish to know about the original Golden Dawn and was written by one of the most famous initiates of the Golden Dawn.

There is not many books on Rosicruciaism, and many books that are out there on it are fraudulent and are not an accurate representation of the Rosicrucians. The only book that I would say is worth a read is Zanoni, which is a fictional story written by a Rosicrucian. It is based on Rosicrucian philosophies and symbolism.

As for Tarot, I myself prefer the Crowley/Thelemic system of tarot over that of the Golden Dawn, so I can only really recommend books on that system, which are The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley and Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo Duquette.

For the goetic demons, the best text would simply be The Goetia

Also, some beginner books I usually recommend are:

Circles of Power: An Introduction to Hermetic Magic by John Michael Greer, which is a beginners guide to ceremonial magick.

Book 4 by Aleister Crowley, which is the most comprehensive treatise on the practice of magick to ever be written, in my own personal opinion.

Enochian Magic in Theory by Frater Yechidah with Enochian Magic in Practice by Frater Yechidah, which are guides to the Enochian system of magick, a very popular and powerful system of magick, developed by the famous magician and advisor to Queen Elizabeth I John Dee, and used and improved upon by many occult orders, most notably the Golden Dawn.

And finally, The Corpus hermeticum by Hermes Trismegistus, which is the foundational text of all hermetic and occult philosophy.

Hi! I was sent over from the regular sub. I might be able to help!

One of my favourite and most referenced books is actually The Complete Idiot's Guide to Witchcraft & Wicca. It has a lot of great general information in it. Another one I really liked was Green Witchcraft, which is the first book in a set of three. I haven't read the second two, but this one has really great history. The author goes into some of her own history, her grandmother was Catholic and also a practicing pagan, which I think is relevant to to the ex-mo community.

These are both very basic books, and most intro/beginner books will be similar to this. An important thing to understand if you're going to read about paganism, is that witchcraft is a practice, wicca is a religion, and paganism is an umbrella term that encompasses many different religions and traditions. To be a witch one does not need to be wiccan, and nor do they need to believe in a deity (though most do, I am an atheist, however).

Another book that I have been lusting after is Energy Essentials for Witches and Spellcasters. I have perused a friends copy and I absolutely love everything I have read from this book. A huge part of rituals, in both pagan faiths and Christianity, is energy. If you are interested in that aspect, I highly suggest this one.

I hope this helps. :)

The Following list is taken from the Witches & Warlocks FB page. (This is Christian Day's group)

Witches and Warlocks Recommended Reading List
This is a collection of books recommended by our admins and participants in the group. Books must be approved by the admins so if you'd like to see one added to the last, please post it in the comments at the bottom of this list and, if it's something we think is appropriate, we'll add it! We provide links to Amazon so folks can read more about the book but we encourage you to shop at your local occult shop whenever possible! :)


BEGINNER'S WITCHCRAFT BOOKS

Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft
by Raymond Buckland
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0875420508

Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America
by Margot Adler
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143038192

Grimoire of the Thorn-Blooded Witch: Mastering the Five Arts of Old World Witchery
by Raven Grimassi
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578635500

The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation and Psychic Development
by Christopher Penczak
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738702765

The Kybalion: The Definitive Edition
by William Walker Atkinson (Three Initiates)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585428744

Lid Off the Cauldron: A Wicca Handbook
by Patricia Crowther
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1861630328

Mastering Witchcraft
by Paul Huson
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0595420060

Natural Magic
by Doreen Valiente
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0919345808

Natural Witchery: Intuitive, Personal & Practical Magick
by Ellen Dugan
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738709220

Old World Witchcraft: Ancient Ways for Modern Days
by Raven Grimassi
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578635055

The Outer Temple of Witchcraft: Circles, Spells and Rituals
by Christopher Penczak
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738705314

Power of the Witch: The Earth, the Moon, and the Magical Path to Enlightenment
by Laurie Cabot
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0385301898

Solitary Witch: The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation
by Silver RavenWolf
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738703192

Spirit of the Witch: Religion & Spirituality in Contemporary Witchcraft
by Raven Grimassi
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738703389

Witch: A Magickal Journey
by Fiona Horne
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0007121326

Witchcraft for Tomorrow
by Doreen Valiente
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0709052448

Witchcraft Today
by Gerald Gardner
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0806525932
The Witches' Craft: The Roots of Witchcraft & Magical Transformation
by Raven Grimassi
http://www.amazon.com/dp/073870265X
The Witching Way of the Hollow Hill
by Robin Artisson
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982031882

WITCHCRAFT HISTORY AND RESOURCE BOOKS

Aradia or The Gospel of the Witches
by Charles Godfrey Leland
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982432356

Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints & Sages: A Guide to Asking for Protection, Wealth, Happiness, and Everything Else!
by Judika Illes
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062009575

The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca
by Rosemary Ellen Guiley
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0816071047

Etruscan Roman Remains
by Charles Godfrey Leland
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1494302519

The God of the Witches
by Margaret Murray
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0195012704

The Weiser Field Guide to Witches, The: From Hexes to Hermione Granger, From Salem to the Land of Oz
by Judika Illes
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578634792

ADVANCED BOOKS ON WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC

Blood Sorcery Bible Volume 1: Rituals in Necromancy
by Sorceress Cagliastro
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1935150812

The Deep Heart of Witchcraft: Expanding the Core of Magickal Practice
by David Salisbury
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1780999208

Teen Spirit Wicca
by David Salisbury
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1782790594

Enchantment: The Witch's Art of Manipulation by Gesture, Gaze and Glamour
by Peter Paddon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936922517

Initiation into Hermetics
by Franz Bardon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1885928122

Letters from the Devil's Forest: An Anthology of Writings on Traditional Witchcraft, Spiritual Ecology and Provenance Traditionalism
by Robin Artisson
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500796360

Magical Use of Thought Forms: A Proven System of Mental & Spiritual Empowerment
by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowick and J.H. Brennan
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1567180841

Magick in Theory and Practice
by Aleister Crowley
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500380679

The Plant Spirit Familiar
by Christopher Penczak
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982774311

Protection and Reversal Magick
by Jason Miller
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1564148793
Psychic Self-Defense
by Dion Fortune
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578635098
The Ritual Magic Workbook: A Practical Course of Self-Initiation
by Dolores Ashcroft-Norwicki
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578630452
The Roebuck in the Thicket: An Anthology of the Robert Cochrane Witchcraft Tradition
by Evan John Jones, Robert Cochrane and Michael Howard
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1861631553

The Satanic Witch
by Anton Szandor LaVey
http://www.amazon.com/Satanic-Witch-Anton-Szandor-LaVey/dp/0922915849
Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality
by Raven Digitalis
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VS0N5K
The Tree of Enchantment: Ancient Wisdom and Magic Practices of the Faery Tradition
by Orion Foxwood
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578634075
The Underworld Initiation: A journey towards psychic transformation
by R.J. Stewart
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1892137038

HERBALISM, CANDLES, INCENSE, OILS, FORMULARIES, AND STONES

A Compendium of Herbal Magic
by Paul Beyerl
http://www.amazon.com/dp/091934545X

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs
by Scott Cunningham
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0875421229

The Enchanted Candle: Crafting and Casting Magickal Light
by Lady Rhea
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0806525789

The Enchanted Formulary: Blending Magickal Oils for Love, Prosperity, and Healing
by Lady Maeve Rhea
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0806527048

Incense: Crafting and Use of Magickal Scents
by Carl F. Neal
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738703362

Magickal Formulary Spellbook Book 1
by Herman Slater
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0939708000

Magickal Formulary Spellbook: Book II
by Herman Slater
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0939708108


SPELLCASTING AND SPELLBOOKS
Crone's Book of Charms & Spells
by Valerie Worth
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1567188117

Crone's Book of Magical Words
by Valerie Worth
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1567188257

Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells
by Judika Illes
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061711233

Everyday Magic: Spells & Rituals for Modern Living
by Dorothy Morrison
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1567184693

Pure Magic: A Complete Course in Spellcasting
by Judika Illes
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578633915
Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavory Notions
by Dorothy Morrison
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0979453313
The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook
by Denise Alvarado
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578635136

The Voodoo Doll Spellbook: A Compendium of Ancient and Contemporary Spells and Rituals
by Denise Alvarado
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1578635543


THE ANCESTORS AND WORKING WITH THE DEAD
The Cauldron of Memory: Retrieving Ancestral Knowledge & Wisdom
by Raven Grimassi
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738715751

The Mighty Dead
by Christopher Penczak
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982774370

Speak with the Dead: Seven Methods for Spirit Communication
by Konstantinos
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738705225
The Witches' Book of the Dead
by Christian Day
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1578635063
_____
TAROT

78 Degrees of Wisdom
by Rachel Pollack
http://www.amazon.com/dp/157863408

When I started I was closeted too, but I didn't even have the courage to post anything so you're awesome!

I used this book alot when I got started. Its smaller so easier to hide, and I really liked how it taught me things that were inconspicuous.

https://www.amazon.com/Wiccapedia-Modern-Day-White-Witchs-Guide/dp/1454913746/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=wiccapedia&qid=1566538597&s=gateway&sr=8-1

If you can manage a bigger book this one is amazing!!! It walks you through exercises and educates about holidays and traditions. It gave me alot to go off of when creating my own spells.

https://www.amazon.com/Wicca-Year-Spiritual-Practice-Craft/dp/0738706213

Don't be afraid to trust your instincts and forge your own path. Blessed be!

Those are good things, but it's always important to remember what I said about them being a snapshot of one part of the oral tradition from ~1000 years ago.

Another route, as I mentioned, is to seek out places like this to get ideas about modern books of heathen thought. This lets you take advantage of the decades of work that has already gone into trying to understand our ancestors culture as it might apply to the modern world. A good place to start would be A Practical Heathen's Guide to Asatru by Patricia M. Lafayllve. It's a beginners book, but a very good one that even a heathen who's been around a while can get some use out of. And it's certainly a good place to get some answers that will let you formulate more and better questions.

Happy to expand here. We typically will use Sigils of Jupiter via (edit: skip this link and go to next one)ceremonial magick (this book used to be available free online via PDF but now it's gone so this is the only link I can find) to get there.

Edit: Here's a free version, but I am not sure it contains all the original sigils, and it appears to be some "2003" interpretation of this book. YMMV.

Double edit: I am searching on G to find a better version of Goetia for those interested. I shared it previously and I guess hugged it to death.

Triple edit: Use the previous PDF link. It's fair enough but is missing some sigils. Save it as these PDFs are often wiped clean from the Web.

Hello fellow South Texan. Witchcraft can cast a pretty wide net, so it really depends on what you're interested in. Since you're here instead of /r/Wicca, I'm going to assume you're looking more for folkish practices than religious practices, and living where you are opens you up to a wide array of influences, particularly those of the more magical aspects of Mexican Catholicism.

Ireland and the UK are rife with magical lore, so you'll often see people drawing from that. Some prefer a more medieval approach (I've got a soft spot for that), and use the diabolic imagery in a fun way. Others prefer to take in the lore of what's around them (the best approach, in my opinion; power is always greatest beneath your feet) and adapt it into their own practice.

As far as how to start, I generally recommend Huson's Mastering Witchcraft. Certainly cheesy in places, and as with most things you should take it with a grain of salt, but as far as techniques go it is a solid place to begin (assuming, again, that you aren't looking for Wicca). A good practical foundation can only help you.

After that, it's really a matter of figuring out what calls to you and following it. I disliked being here for the longest time, but as I began to follow the threads of the spirits I found more and more that what works best for me is intimately connected to the land around me. Hopefully you'll discover the same thing!

I love working with the Greeks. First and foremost, you need a way in. For most people, this is the Agathos Daemon, ie. the good daemon, who is often depicted as a snake. The AG is sort of the Greek version of a "guardian angel". Make offerings to the AG every time you eat or drink. When you drink, spill the first few drops onto the floor. When you eat, offer the first and tiniest morsel of grain [you can try offering meat, but probably it would be best to stick with grain].

Here are a few useful books that I've read on the subject.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076GB568V/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

https://www.amazon.com/Mythology-Edith-Hamilton-ebook/dp/B00852YXU8/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1VEM7QFB1VP7Z&keywords=greek+mythology&qid=1567193780&s=digital-text&sprefix=greek+mytho%2Cdigital-text%2C181&sr=1-4

Lastly, incorporate elements of planetary magic into your practice. Apollo is an easy one because he corresponds to the Sun, which means you should invoke him Sundays at sunrise. Hermes is Wednesday, Zeus and Poseidon and Hera on Thursday. I like to do Athena on Tuesday but Tuesday is also good for Aries, should you dare mess with Aries. Saturday is for Chronos, and Monday for Artemis or Hecate. Hecate is considered the Greek god of witchcraft, so if you want to get witchy, she's the one to go with.

You might also want to pick up a book about planetary magic in general, such as this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Planetary-Magick-Heart-Western-Llewellyns-ebook/dp/B004G8QLL4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

You have to remember that there is no single form of Hermeticism - it's not an organized religion. Historically speaking, it is a syncretic tradition. Each person ultimately creates his own internal religion/practice based on personal experience and the teachings of many authors from many time periods. Bardon's material consists of HIS version of Hermeticism, and his terminology is somewhat non-standard. Even so, his first book contains a wealth of exercises for the Hermetic student to develop his mind and energetic capabilities. The Kybalion is actually a modern text (most likely written by William Walker Atkinson) with links to the New Thought movement of the 19th c. It presents a few rather useful building blocks of philosophy in layman's terms to help the beginning student in constructing a new magickal worldview. The reinterpretation of one's self and the reframing of events around you in light of Hermetic principles is a requirement for walking this path. It's not easy to reinterpret every negative event in such a way so as to extract the lessons learned from it or to find the useful challenge/opportunity it presents.

To get an idea of how a more ancient form of Hermetic magick might look, here's Stephen Flowers' take on it based on the Greek Magical Papyri. That book provides interesting food for thought if you've never encountered the ancient texts before. There are plenty of books that discuss magickal practices from 2,000+ years ago. I highly recommend reading, cross-referencing, and looking for the common threads. You'll see many 'Hermetic' themes that keep popping up in every incarnation of Hermeticism.

Here's a book list I made some time ago that will help you make sense of the material and get started. There's a lot of ground to cover, and not everything is specifically 'Hermetic', but the practices/methods those books teach will definitely prove useful in Hermetic magickal work.

If you find yourself getting too confused, just pick up a copy of The Golden Dawn and study the knowledge lectures. Their practices will give you a good foundation for whatever you want to learn later, whether it be the works of Aleister Crowley, Renaissance Grimoires, Qabalah, or Enochian magick. They covered it all in some manner, though other authors (such as John Michael Greer) may be more helpful in providing practical examples.

Edit: Don't forget to read the earliest texts of the Corpus Hermeticum. Modern books are easier to digest, but the ancient texts are where it all started.

Thanks for stopping by the sub, may I ask your age please?

If you are new to Heathenry perhaps you should begin with some core reading to better understand our relationship with the Gods? We don't (usually and generally) ask them for anything as individuals or pray to them like people do in other religions to their god(s). Expecting a gift like protection means earning it, through your deeds, reputation, and the gifting cycle of your Kindred and/or family. I suggest reading this book, to begin a better understanding

I do not practice theurgy myself, so take my advice with a grain of salt. However, I do have an interest; although I'm still curious as to if it would fit with my other practices and belief.

I would recommend starting with this book...

The Practical Art of Divine Magic: Contemporary & Ancient Techniques of Theurgy

And perhaps considering this school...

http://www.thedivinescience.com/

You might actually benefit by not having too much money to throw at books for now. I was working at a used book warehouse when I first got into the occult, which resulted in me buying way too many books than I have time to read. By only purchasing one book at a time, you will be able to focus your studies rather than split your attention.

Based on the reading list in the FAQ, I'd recommend getting something that is in the tradition you are most interested in. Of the paths I know about, I'd recommend Phil Hine's Condensed Chaos for chaos magic and Modern Magick by Don Michael Kraig for Hermetic magic.

Going off the list, Postmodern Magic by Patrick Dunn and The New Hermetics by Jason Newcomb are both excellent crash courses in general occultism with a contemporary twist.

And as others have suggested, get free resources from the internet.

As for the left/right-hand dichotomy, it all comes down to how you want to go about improving yourself though magic. The "right-hand path" leads to unity with divinity, while the "left-hand path" aims to become equal with divinity. Things like black clothing, horned gods or white crystals and angels are just window dressing.

It is important that you remember that you do not need to worry about following one path over the other. They are not roads that diverge in a wood and you must choose when one to take for the rest of your life. "Path" is actually a very poor choice of words for this idea. Think of them as modes, or focuses, for your magical life. You can shift from one mode to the other as needed. Just be sure that you are using symbols that make sense for your world view. Having a focus in Shito spiritualism and then suddenly flipping to goetic demon summoning for one night might not yield effective results.

Wicca is a form of occultism. As an established religion it does not foster the level of free-thinking that many contemporary occultists would like, but it still much more occult than most religions out there. As for mono- and polytheistic occultism, nearly every pantheon has it's own form of mysticism, including the Judeo-Christian religion.

I have not read this particular book yet, but I believe Ann Moura is considered to be the best author of books about green witchcraft. I can attest that her Green Witchcraft: Folk Magic, Fairy Lore & Herb Craft is excellent.

This book has instructions on it:

Patrick Dunn - The Practical Art of Divine Magic

One of the first exercises described:

\> EXERCISE 1.2: EXPERIENCING THE ONE

>This exercise is the complement of the previous exercise. Where in the previous exercise we explored the nature of matter through our imagination and found that apart from our senses it is at best a tenuous fog of possibility, in this exercise we will strive for an experience of the One. This isn’t an exercise you will succeed at immediately or find easy, and in many ways it is a constant practice you can and should undertake regularly, both to give yourself perspective and to continually strive for henosis. It is possible for us to experience the One as well as matter because we exist in every level of existence: we are bodies, minds, souls, and as such partake of the One itself. As Pauliina Remes puts it, “The fact that the human soul extends to as many, or almost as many, levels as the metaphysical hierarchy ensures that it has the cognitive and other powers suitable for the penetration of all these levels.” 2 The more work with theurgy you do, the easier a taste of the One will become.
>
>I take this exercise from the Hermetica, where it is described like this:
>
>Enlarge yourself to an unmeasurable size, leaping outfrom the whole body, and, having transcended time,become Eternity, and you will know the divine.Think that nothing is impossible to you; consideryourself to be immortal and able to understandeverything: all arts, all sciences, all the ways of life;become the highest of the heights, and the lowest ofthe depths. Gather together all the sense perceptionsof objects in yourself, of fire and water, dry and wet,and in the same way, be everywhere—in earth, insea, and in the heavens. Be not yet existing. Be inthe womb, newborn, old, dead, and that whichis after death. And understanding all such thingsthe same—time, place, events, qualities, quantities—then you will be able to know the divine.3
>
>STEP 1: When first beginning this exercise, it helps to get as comfortable as you can. As you become familiar with it, you can do it while doing other things (although I wouldn’t recommend doing it while driving!).
>
>STEP 2: Focus on your breath. Aim for a four-fold breath, where you inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four, exhale for a count of four, and hold for a count of four. If you’re sitting still, with some practice you should be able to do this, but if you’re moving about you may find it easier to aim for a count of two rather than four or otherwise modify the time.
>
>STEP 3: Imagine yourself from outside yourself, as if you have a floating-eye perspective of the scene. It is as if you are watching yourself sitting or lying there, like in a movie. You may close your eyes if you want.
>
>STEP 4: Build up this image of yourself as accurately as you can. Then slowly begin to lift your perspective upward, taking in the room, then the building (assuming, of course, that you’re inside), then the city. With each breath, take in a bit more, and don’t be afraid to go slow. If you begin to lose focus, rest on that level of perspective for a while.
>
>STEP 5: Eventually, you will take in the whole world, then the solar system, then the galaxy, then the whole universe as a whole. If you don’t manage this the first few times, don’t worry. You are gaining benefit just by seeing the big picture as high as you can.
>
>STEP 6: When you can hold the universe in your imagination, contemplate the totality of it without focusing in or catching on any one thing for a few breaths.
>
>STEP 7: Now, holding it all in your mind at once, let the boundaries between all its parts dissolve: the galaxy is the same as the people, and all perspectives collapse. If you can do this, you may glimpse a moment of unity.
>
>STEP 8: If you can achieve step 7, which may take some time, try now to abolish even the boundary around the universe. The experience of this is hard to describe, but you will probably find your discursive, binary mind stopping in a sudden awareness of unity. This is a glimpse of henosis.
>
>STEP 9: Whether you got to step 7 or not, after holding the image of the entire universe, or the oneness behind it, for a while start to move back inwards to the galaxy, solar system, planet, continent, and location. This helps ground the experience; in theurgy the return is as important as the journey.

For what it is worth, it may not be a large standing temple. Tributes, sacrifices, and worship of Hekate were done largely outside of a temple context. She is the goddess of the crossroads; which is where many of her ceremonies would have been done, typically under cover of night. You would have also found her likeness on doorways and on crossroads stones. She is a gatekeeper, a cthonic goddess, a guide through darkness - her veneration would not have been done in large temple complexes. If interested in the history of Her worship, read "Hekate Liminal Rites: A historical study of the rituals, spells and magic of the Torch-bearing Triple Goddess of the Crossroads". It gives a good read on historical worship and the Dark Goddess's manifestation.

On the root familiar;

http://sarahannelawless.com/resources/alraun-crafting-how-to-make-a-herbal-root-talisman/

http://spiritslip.blogspot.com/2012/11/alraun-spirit-root.html

http://www.witchcraftmag.us/witches-warlocks/the-mandragore-and-the-alraun.html

On Wortcunning; might I recommend looking for pdfs of the last to titles.

Walking the Hedge; Herbs

Making Plant Medicine

The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature

Liber Nox: A Traditional Witch's Gramarye

Grimoire of the Thorn-Blooded Witch: Mastering the Five Arts of Old World Witchery

Viridarium Umbris; The pleasure garden of shadow

Veneficium. Magic, Witchcraft and the Poison Path

I am a newbie also and currently reading: Hellenismos: Practicing Greek Polytheism Today, by Tony Mierzwicki and have found it extremely helpful.

Hellenismos

Also the very first book I read about the Greek Gods is still one of my favorites, Ingri and Edgar D’Aulaire’s book of Greek Myths. It’s a children’s book, but thoroughly enjoyable for anyone at any age.

D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths

We just got out of Mercury Retrograde, went direct on the 28th. Here is my suggestion, get a copy of Utterly Wicked, Dorothy included a "Swifting Spell" that is fantastic for knocking out all of the bad crud. Another thing you can do is to open at least one window in every room and burn Dragon's Blood and Frankincense....start from the back or top floor of the abode and waft the mixture (in a fire proof dish/bowl) through every room, then leave it to burn out in a central part of the house. Carry Hematite, Carnelian, Amethyst, Aventurine and Moonstone in whatever color bag that you feel gives you power or are drawn to. Also, be sure your karma is clean. If you feel you've wronged someone, apologize for it ;)

Hope things get better for you.

New Hermetics book has some really cool novice materials to get you started on magickal thinking, ritual creation and practical application.. if you are sort of getting started and that is what you are asking. The chaotes are usually a wellspring of practical stuff as well so you can explore that online and find good materiel, especially from the first gen authors. I jizzed in my pants when I discovered Phil Hine way back when, helped a lot in making sense of what I was doing and experiencing, as opposed to a lot of other authors in the field I just had trouble resonating with. While doing that and practicing you can read up on some classical magelit.

No worries, "the devil's hour" is a modern fabrication, I wrote a post on it here. :)

If you're drawn to Hellenic deities and feel her identity is Gaia, a good place to start research (on any Hellenic deity) is theoi.com.

If you want to ask more about venerating her in a traditional way, r/Hellenism would be a good place to visit and inquire.

If you're looking for more in a Wiccan perspective, a good book would be "The Witches' Goddess" by Stewart and Janet Farrar (they also wrote "The Witches God").

These are all good books on the topic, and cover it effectively to some degree. The most famous book is probably the examination of Skinwalker Ranch which just takes it's name from the creature, and which doesn't necessarily explore the creature by itself too deeply.

https://www.amazon.com/Some-Kind-Power-Skinwalker-Narratives/dp/0874802385/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1468140712&sr=1-1&keywords=Some+kind+of+power

https://www.amazon.com/Skinwalker-Witchcraft-Related-Spiritual-Phenomena/dp/0965601404/ref=pd_sim_sbs_14_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41E9Ejlcj5L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR240%2C320_&psc=1&refRID=BKS7D7CQDBVJ39H6FQ5T

https://www.amazon.com/Navaho-Witchcraft-Clyde-Kluckhohn/dp/0807046973/ref=pd_sim_sbs_14_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=316K5XDNPWL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR214%2C320_&psc=1&refRID=XX423BBAX3MPJFMDGVZH

https://www.amazon.com/Witchcraft-Sorcery-American-Native-Peoples/dp/0893011274/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=51QgGUKd1EL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR224%2C320_&psc=1&refRID=EQ8757NR2RMZQVACXQF4

https://www.amazon.com/Native-American-Tribes-History-Culture/dp/1492195227/ref=pd_sim_sbs_14_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=419fuLUq%2B0L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR214%2C320_&psc=1&refRID=XX423BBAX3MPJFMDGVZH

The traditional 12 days of Saturnalia, which became the Christian 12 days of Xmas begin on December 25 and last until January 6. A religious Christian decorates on or before December 25 and leaves the decorations up until January 6. So does a pagan celebrating Saturnalia or Midwinter's Night.

A commercial merchant trying to sell you stuff for Xmass may now start decorating right after Autumn Equinox and take it all down before Xmas actually begins.

I have found a lot of interesting ideas in a book called Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life 1989 by Pauline Campanelli and Dan Campanelli

My favorite two books on the subject are The Witches' God and The Witches' Goddess by Janet and Stewart Farrar. It not only gives you a lot of good information on how our vision of the Lord and Lady came to be what they are today, but also a lot of thought experiments about thinking about deity in your own practice and working with those energies. They're very eye opening, IMO

The Witches' Goddess

The Witches' God

Navaho Witchcraft https://www.amazon.com/dp/0807046973/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5tRNDbKSS3JX0

This book is pretty good.

You could go for something like The Pillars of Tubal Cain, Tubelo's Green Fire or The Roebuck in the Thicket. Or maybe Mastering Witchcraft.

Or you could go the other route and get her books on Chaos Magic, which would allow her to create her own witchcraft paradigm. Something like Alan Chapman's Advanced Magick for Beginners.

This book by Raymond buckland I found helpful

And also This one by Penczak is good for further research into ancestors and other spirits

I found Hekate Liminal Rites to be a really good read. It seemed well researched.

I think this book gives the best theory and practice on what you are talking about.

https://www.amazon.com/New-Hermetics-Century-Magick-Illumination/dp/1578633052

Theological I would suggest the pagan book of living and dying or the circle within.

History wise you can't really go wrong with any of the other suggestions here.

It depends on which hermeticism you mean. There are numerous iterations and branches.

I really enjoyed studying
Hermetic Magic by Flowers. Additionally, the Betz translation of The Greek Magical Papyri is indispensable.

Also apparently there's an actual Wiccapedia book, haha!

IIRC, there was a woman in this sub a while back that said she married a Navajo and went to live on the res with him and she was given two copies of this book by some other people there. It's an interesting read.

I would recommend Hermetic Magic:
http://www.amazon.com/Hermetic-Magic-Postmodern-Papyrus-Abaris/dp/0877288283

Full of Graeco-Egyptian stuff plus translations and commentaries of the actual Papyri.

Nah....more like, a body of rituals and lore around the summoning of supernatural beings, such as demons. For example:

https://www.amazon.com/Goetia-Solomon-Lemegeton-Clavicula-Salomonis/dp/087728847X

I got you.

Wiccapedia: A Modern-Day White... https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1454913746?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Donald Michael Kraigs Modern Magick

Donald Tysons Magicians Workbook

Jason Newcombs The New Hermetics

You can find copies at libgen.io

I haven't seen the movie, but Valak is a demon mentioned in Crowley's book [The Goetia] (https://www.amazon.com/Goetia-Solomon-Lemegeton-Clavicula-Salomonis/dp/087728847X). Valak was basically the general of hell, commanding 30 legions.