The Reading Of All Good Books Is Like A Conversation With The Finest Minds Of Past Centuries.

“The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.”

— Rene Descartes, Discourse on the Method

hi! in your faq you say it's important to be able to distinguish good resources from bad ones when researching witchcraft, i was wondering if you could elaborate on this? i want to learn about witchcraft but i have no idea where to start reading

Hiya, friend! This is a really great question! The more you read and research, the easier it’ll be to distinguish a decent source from a not-so-good source. Here are some tips on how to determine if a source on witchcraft is worth your time:

Step 1: Research the author

There are certain authors that are known for being historically inaccurate, racist, or otherwise unhelpful/bad. Before buying or reading a book, google the author and see what pops up. If someone has a bunch of negative reviews, you might want to steer clear from that source.

Step 2: Research the source

Sometimes, good authors can produce bad work. If you’re reading a book from a commonly recommended author, check out the book’s Goodreads page or see what other members of the witchcraft community are saying about it.

Step 3: Cross-reference sources

If, when reading a book, you see something mentioned that you haven’t heard before or seems fishy, see if you can find another source that either agrees or disagrees with whatever was stated. If a book makes claims that you can’t find stated anywhere else, or if the other sources that also state it seem equally bad, the rest of the material might be suspect.

Step 4: Read as if you’re a skeptic

Skepticism is important in witchcraft! It’s important to never blindly accept everything that you read. Just because something is stated in an authoritative tone doesn’t make it true. So, when reading, pretend that you don’t believe in witchcraft. I’ve had genuine skeptics attend my classes at work say “you know, I don’t believe in this stuff, but I can understand the logic behind why someone might believe in it.” If you read something and think that it sounds silly, impossible, or otherwise wrong, trust your gut. If you can’t understand how someone came to a particular conclusion, it’s probably lacking something.

Overall, it’s important to remember that no book on witchcraft or magic is 100% perfect, even if it’s hailed by the community as one of the “best” books. So, don’t be afraid to read broadly, even if the community says the book has a couple minor things wrong with it. When you’re just starting out, it’s totally fine to read whatever’s available to you and make notes on what stands out to you. If certain things ring true, see if other sources state similar things. Learning a good source from a bad source takes time and experience; once you’ve read a few not-so-good books, you’ll be able to spot them from a mile away.

Astronomical Clock 1540, Munster, Westfalen. Photo credit

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