As with the other lists, I've asterisked (*) the books I think should feature prominently on a Balefire initiate's reading list.I don't consider this a final list. In fact, all of these lists will likely get updated from time to time as I read really good stuff and want to put it on here. If other Balefire folks and friends would like to make recommendations for additions to this list, please feel free to e-mail me!
Paths of Power:
Love:
Nan Hawthorne: Loving the Goddess Within: Sex Magick...
Robert S. De Ropp: Sex Energy: The Sexual Force in Man and...
Indra Sinha: The Great Book of Tantra: Translations...
Lillith McLelland: *The Salem Witches' Book of Love Spells:... --It sounds silly, but I liked it anyway!
Starhawk: Dreaming the Dark: Magic, Sex, and... --OK, so it's more about gender politics than sex. Sue me!
Music and Dance:
Kate Marks: Circle of Song: Songs, Chants, and...
Mickey Hart: *Drumming at the Edge of Magic: A Journey... --Very cool. Well, how do you get cooler than Mickey Hart, anyway?
Layne Redmond: When the Drummers Were Women: A...
Ritual:
Robin Skelton, et al: Earth, Air, Fire, Water: Pre-Christian...
Nina Kossman, ed.: Gods and Mortals: Modern Poems on...
Robert Hass & Steven Mitchell: Into the Garden: A Wedding Anthology --Highly useful when designing handfasting rituals.
Donna Henes, et al: *Celestially Auspicious Occasions:... --Good excuses for more ritual!
Dan and Pauline Campanelli: Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical...
Starhawk: The Pagan Book of Living and Dying:...
Barbara Walker: Women's Rituals: A Sourcebook
Caitlin Libera: *Creating Circles of Power: Magic: A...--Wonderful Ideas for how to make every circle powerful.
Psychic Development:
Starhawk: *The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the... --I know, I know, it's listed twice. But it's really good for this!
Bruce Goldberg: The Psychic Development Workbook ?
Meditation:
Sanders Laurie & Melvin Tucker: *Centering: A Guide to Inner Growth--An excellent basic work on meditation
Yasmine Galenor: Trancing the Witch's Wheel: A Guide to...
Kay Leigh Hagan: Prayers to the Moon: Exercises in...
Helen Curry & Jean Houstin: *The Way of the Labyrinth: A Powerful... --Probably one of the best books on labyrinths and meditation.
Lauren Artress: Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the...
Thich Nhat Hanh: The Miracle of Mindfulness: An...
Joan Goldstein & Manuela Soares: Joy Within: A Beginner's Guide to...
Courtney Davis, et al: Celtic Mandalas
Osho: The Everyday Meditator: A Practical Guide
Divination:
Vicki Noble & Jonathan Tenney: Motherpeace Tarot Playbook
Noble: Motherpeace: A Way to the Goddess...
Naomi Ozaniec: The Illustrated Guide to the Tarot
Sallie Nichols: Jung and Tarot
Mary K. Greer: *Tarot for Your Self : A Workbook for... --A great book on using the tarot to read for yourself, a good notion when you can't get to a reader!
Bill Butler: Dictionary of the Tarot
Arthur Edward Waite: *Pictorial Key to the Tarot--This is the book my dedicator often recommends as a good basic book.
Lisa Peschel: A Practical Guide to the Runes: Their...
Ralph Blum: The Book of Runes: A Handbook for the... Rune Play: A Seasonal Record Book With...
Julia and Derek Parker: *Parker's Astrology: The Definitive Guide... --An all-around great book, and looks nice on a coffee table, too.
Astral Projection:
Marghanita Laski: Ecstasy: A Study of Some Secular and...
Maeve Rhea: *Summoning Forth Wiccan Gods and...--With apologies to Siobhra, this is one of the few books with decent info on invocation work.
James H. Brennan: The Astral Projection Workbook: How to...
Bruce Goldberg: Astral Travel Workbook
Herbology:
Mary Muryn: Water Magic: Healing Bath Recipes for...
Scott Cunningham: *Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical... --Often inaccurate and self-contradictory, yet a valuable resource if for no other reason than this may be the only book another Wiccan you're talking to has ever read on the subject.
Paul Beyerl: *The Master Book of Herbalism --All in all, a better book than Cunningham's.
Ann Moura: Green Witchcraft : Folk Magic, Fairy...
Diane Stein: All Women Are Healers: A Comprehensive...
Hermann Slater: Magickal Formulary Book 1
Patricia Telesco: A Witch's Brew: The Art of Making...
Jim DeKorne: Psychedelic Shamanism: The Cultivation,...