One Book Masters
This is something I wrote about a year and half to 2 years ago. Just archiving
One Book Masters
by Raed “Buddha” Edmee
Somewhere out there there is a teenager tha has just finished “Teen Witch” by Silver Ravenwolf. They now think they know all there is to know about paganism. Or do they?
As silly as this scenario sounds this is a growing trend within the pagan community. With the reading of one book or the scan of a page on the internet, some think they are instantly the most knowlegeable and powerful pagan known to mankind.
As the number of these “One Book Masters” (OBM)increase our beliefs are diluted. The OBMs don’t realize once on this path one is always learning. When a pagan stops learning more than likely they are dead. Not to mention one must take EVERYTHING they read with a grain of salt. No one author has all the answers nor can they put everything into one single book.
That is one of the nice things regarding paganism. The answers are all around. The answers are on the wind, in the trees, and the world around us. All we have to do is choose to listen.
So to all you One Book Masters out there, keep on studying or else you’ll be left in the dust of those who continually studied
So mote it be,
Howler
Topics: Uncategorized |
March 1st, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Sorry AJ accidently deleted your comment. Agreed the reading should go beyond books on paganism. Just reading in general helps. Overall what I was getting at is that many granolas/rubs whatever fall in this catagory. “I’ve read Teen Witch and now I know all there is about Wicca”. Think part of it and some of my other rants relate to observations I have seen of the pagan commuity online and running groups here in Ft. Wayne. Little pet peeves of mine and the like.
Hopefully will get the hang of this system and not delete any further comments lol.
Howler
March 1st, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Accidently deleted comment from AJ Drew. Sorry.
Howler, I am glad to see you back at Pagan Nation. A lot has happened in my life since we last talked and I have forgotten a lot about people, heck I have forgotten a lot of people, due to a head injury. But you sir I remember well. Don’t worry, I wont tell anyone about the donkey. I think you are right to encourage One Book Masters to read on. So many books on the modern pagan movement tend to say things are a certian way, rather than things tend to be one way and point out all the other ways things are. As an example: I am working on a way of doing other urls for this blog system so that I can offer additional urls based on the same database. At one of those urls, I am setting up a site for ProChoice and at another for ProLife expressions. The idea being that by presenting both sides of the arguement, the reader will be able to formulate an opinion of their own. The thing is, the number of people who have told me that the pagan movement is difinitivly ProChoice is unreal. It is as if they do not believe a person can be pagan and have a ProLife sentiment. Not commenting on the Prochoice / Prolife debate, just the idea that there is only one way of thinking on the issue if you are pagan. If folk with that opinion were to actually look around, discuss things with others, well they might feel differently. One of the things I would like to add to the idea that OBMs read on is that they not limit their reading to books published for pagans specificly. As an example: some of the worst home remedy books I have ever read were intended for pagan consumption. One of the best, Judes Home Remedies, was written by a devote Christian. Consider Wicca, reportedly the Craft of the Wise. I would agree with you that an education in Wicca does not stop with that first book, but I don’t think it stops with books on Wicca. I think it continues to a University leval where the classes might not have the word Wicca in them but certianly aid a person in becomming wise. The world is so large. I can not believe a person thinks they can find it in a single book.