A Pagan Testament

Having carried out an international survey of texts favoured by the Pagan community, Brendan Myers shares those writings in his book. He offers samples of ancient Pagan texts, more recent wisdom teachings, and circle songs, with commentaries. It’s a book that works in a number of different ways.

Firstly, as a resource for key texts it’s rather useful, and would benefit anyone participating in moots or rituals who wants material to use and share. There’s an abundance of writing here that could simply be shared as it is, or used as the basis for ritual drama. Secondly to this, it provides an introduction to a selection of older texts that may encourage people to seek out the full versions and read them. The idea of ancient writings can be a smidge intimidating, but the samples offered here make it clear that these are very readable works and worth exploring. The third thing ‘A Pagan Testament’ does is offer insight into the inspiration for modern wicca. In this regard it’s a very useful accompaniment to Hutton’s ‘The Triumph of the Moon’, filling in the literary gaps.

Then there’s the philosophy, and the exploration of what the various texts mean, how they relate to each other and what they express about the Pagan community as a whole. There’s a delve into the origins and implications of the wiccan rede, and a compelling attempt at exploring notions of love in philosophical terms. Myers also writes about the nature of music and its role in community, something I found especially interesting.

My only niggle is that he uses the word ‘pagan’ at times when I felt he actually meant ‘wiccan’, because this is predominantly a book about that path, although it certainly has relevance for the community as a whole.  It would be interesting to see how a purely Druid version of the Testament might look! That grumble aside, it’s a fine piece of work with much to offer, I enjoyed reading it, and will be referring back to it.  The content is fascinating, and is presented with the blend of erudition and humour that characterises Myers’s writing, making it extremely readable.