Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today

Rating:
Summary: really great guide to beginnings of paganism in the USA
Review: actually my rating would be 4.5 stars, if that were an option. i have the 1986 beacon press edition of this book but still am enjoying and learning from it. i've given it 4.5 because of the dated-ness and the few dry sections. however, the vast expanse of pagan groups covered plus the appendices (especially the one listing resources) make it well worth the read. there are still groups and publications gowing strong today mentioned in the book. i also agree with the reviewer who stated the sentiment about needing to know the past in order to learn about the present (and future) of paganism in the US. while no author can be completely subjective, adler does a good job and her few biases are fairly easy to see.

Rating:
Summary: A classic overview of neo-Paganism
Review: This book is revised and expanded from the original 1979 version. It describes many aspects of Paganism: options, beliefs, practices, lifestyles, and so forth. And it has a specific point of view. In this age of monotheistic religious fundamentalism, "Drawing Down the Moon espouses radical polytheism." It's definitely anti-authoritarian.

And I certainly like that attitude. I find monotheism theologically unsound, morally bankrupt, and often tyrannical. Polytheism is more natural; it is better suited to us varied and fickle humans, it gives us more options, more freedom, more flexibility, and even more privacy. If we want to have people telling us exactly what our religious practices must be, we might as well choose monotheism in the first place.

There is a good discussion of Pagan history, including the issue of revisionism. That is something I am sensitive to. I've seen too much monotheistic revisionist history. I don't need more of the same thing in Pagan history.

On the topic of ecology, Adler quotes Lynn White's claim that "Christianity made it possible to exploit nature in a mood of indifference to the feeling of natural objects." And I think this is an exaggeration. But I do think it is accurate to say that monotheism did dump much of the reverence for natural objects or their Goddesses and Gods. And I also think it's true that the majority of Pagans show more respect for nature and ecology than the majority of monotheists.

One topic that was shortchanged in the original edition was Norse Paganism, which has restored the worship of local Norse Goddesses and Gods. I'm glad there's a section on this in the revised edition. After all, I remember reading Njal's Saga as a teenager and being outraged by the fact that Hjalti Skeggjason had taunted the Icelandic Pagans by saying that either Freyja or Odin had to be a dog. To top it off, I was born on a Wednesday!

Adler shows that one problem with modern Norse Paganism is that many of the Odinists and Asatruarfolks are not all that liberal, and some are racist, chauvinist, and ultra-nationalist. And while swastikas are ancient Norse symbols, their use in World War Two made them so offensive that their use discredits Asatru to a huge number of people.

The revised edition includes an interesting questionnaire that Adler distributed in 1985. It includes statistics on how open Pagans are about their spiritual practices. How many feel afraid to come out of the broom closet? And anti-Paganism has given some people a genuine cause for concern. Here, Adler mentions the anti-Pagan propaganda film "The Occult."

Overall, this is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Intelligent
Review: When I fairly recently became interested in Wicca, one thing I found very frustrating was finding good books on the subject. Many of the first books on Wicca and Paganism I encountered were repetitive how-to intros and/or poorly written. That's why I was very pleased when I read _Drawing Down the Moon_. Adler discusses several different Neo-Pagan religions with an emphasis on philisophical/theological foundations and historical roots. As a result, the book is a great intro for those eager to understand the "why" of Pagan religious practices before the "how." She also includes some interesting demographic information and interviews with Pagans. Her research, which was originally done the 1970's and updated slightly in the mid 80's, is dated, but still provides a good historical overview of the movement. The book seemed much shorter than it's 500+ pages while I was reading it! Adler writes for a general audience, and I would recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about Neo-Paganism.

Rating:
Summary: A Slice of History
Review: As an investigative reporter, radio personality, and staunch pagan, Margot Adler traveled throughout the country in the mid '70s interviewing many different members of the pagan community. This book is the result of her findings. It is an insightful view into the astonishingly different forms of the emerging NeoPagan movement. a snapshot of what was happening.

It is definitely NOT Paganism Today. Anyone looking for current practices and information should look elsewhere. It is true that any of the groups mentioned no longer exist. But many others have survived or formed offshoots, a tribute to the basic vitality of the movement. Anyone researching the historical roots of New Age religions will discover much information that can't be found anywhere else, intelligently and entertainingly written by a lady who was there when it happened.

Read it as field research. It compares to Alan Lomax collecting folksongs, or the historical Childe Ballads. The worth of this book is in its documentation and immediacy.

Rating:
Summary: really great guide to beginnings of paganism in the USA
Review: actually my rating would be 4.5 stars, if that were an option. i have the 1986 beacon press edition of this book but still am enjoying and learning from it. i've given it 4.5 because of the dated-ness and the few dry sections. however, the vast expanse of pagan groups covered plus the appendices (especially the one listing resources) make it well worth the read. there are still groups and publications gowing strong today mentioned in the book. i also agree with the reviewer who stated the sentiment about needing to know the past in order to learn about the present (and future) of paganism in the US. while no author can be completely subjective, adler does a good job and her few biases are fairly easy to see.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely dry reading
Review: The only reason I bought this book is because it was required reading. It was so dry and boring that I could only read about 2 pages at a time before wanting to go to sleep. And it is extremely outdated.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: Even though this book is dated I loved it from start to finish. I got a sneak peak at what the world of the Craft looked like before I was born in great detail and I was able to extract much information that still pertains to me in my personal life. The names might be different or non-existant anymore but this book gave me an entirely different point of view of the world. I have read many Wicca 101 books but the most though provoking and intelligently written book that I have read so far is this one. It is so different from any Wicca 101 book because it focuses on facts, historical as well as social, but at the same time was spiritually guiding. I would recommend this book to anyone starting out in the Craft, even though it is outdated one must learn from the past before one can find their path into the future.

Rating:
Summary: Really good
Review: Yes, it's a classic, but it's the good kind. The modern neo-pagan "movement" is covered in excellent depth, with mainly objective reporting (I say mainly because the author is pagan herself and therefore carries an automatic bias that paganism is good, though no otherparticular bias shows in her writing.) She focuses quite a lot on Wicca (arguably the most publicized modern pagan religion) but other systems are covered as well. Even though plenty of the info here is "outdated," (originally published in the 70s) I loved it as a vibrant slice of modern pagan history, and a vindication of pagan practice for the lay reader and interested pagan alike. Very enjoyable and very well done.

Rating:
Summary: An interest to pagans and nonpagans alike
Review: Whether a pagan, aspiring pagan, or simply someone interested in the 60's, 70's, and 80's counter culture, this is a book worth reading. As a neopagan, it's good to learn about the history of the movement. As a person who doesn't want to become a neopagan, and just wants to know what the heck they're on about, this book serves better than most, which are simply guides and outlines for rituals. It sheds a new light on many aspects of the movement, anywhere from motivation to the ideas of actual practicing groups, circles, and covens. The book is long, but full of interesting information. You'll definitely have something to talk over with your friends, or at least mull over in the bath! Drawing down the Moon is the perfect book for the curious mind.