The Theology Library

Theology fascinates me, but good, well-reasoned pagan theology can be hard to come by. On the hopes that other folks find it interesting, I thought I would take an opportunity to recommend a few books that have contributed significantly to my own thoughts on the topic, and a fourth that I think is going to.




A World Full of Gods by John Michael Greer systematically argues for the coherency of polytheism as a credible alternative to monotheism. Greer artfully demonstrates some weaknesses in the popular arguments for the existence of only one god, and argues that the reality of many gods better fits what we observe about the world. This book was my introduction to Greer's work and I've been a fan ever since.



Jordan Paper's book is another excellent explanation and defense of polytheism as a live option for religion today. He draws from Native American and Eastern religions as well as the more familiar (to us ADF members anyway) Indo-European cultures.


This is one of a couple of books that undermine the Jewish and Christian insistence that their religious tradition is essentially monotheistic. In fact, the ancient Israelites were polytheists until fairly late in the Old Testament era. Penchansky illustrates his points with stories from the Bible and with writings for neighboring cultures that illuminate the deities mentioned in the Bible in new ways.


Another book on early Hebrew religion, Smith is more detailed but also less accessible than Penchansky's book above. However, for someone interested in the topic, it's highly readable and worth the time.


An inspiring intellectual argument for the reality of the Greek gods, drawing heavily on Greek philosophy and myth, but applicable to other pantheons as well. (That is, if the philosophers were correct about the nature of their gods and the relationship of their gods to the cosmos, it stands to reason that Odin and Mannanan and Krishna are of the same nature.)

And Home

This is a follow-up to the previous post. You should read that one first.

So we made our offering, acknowledging our oversight to Wotan (whom I suppose has become my patron over the past year or so) and offering a portion of Irish whiskey to him in apology and another portion asking for his protection on our way home.

The omen was positive, and indeed, the three-day return trip went smoothly, and all was well at the house.

This plus the experience with Thor/Thunor during Sandy has gone a long way toward shaping my personal practice.

Road Weary

We set off on a three-day road trip to visit family for the holiday. We briefly considered making an offering before we left, but we didn't.

Our first travel day was uneventful, but on day two, a small rock hit our windshield, leading to a crack that has so far spread about two feet. On the morning of day three, I slammed my finger into the car door and had to ice it for a while. The motel where we stayed was abysmal with a hard-as-brick bed and a heater than emitted a foul odor. And then, on arrival at our destination, I tripped and took a fall, hurting my knee, wrists, hip and ribs (though not seriously, I don't think.)

Before we leave on our return journey, we will offer some whiskey to Woden.

Why did the misfortunes come and how can we avoid them? The Druidcraft tarot, three-card PPF reading:

Past: Knight of wands reversed

First impression: Heading off on a journey without adequate preparation.
The official interpretation speaks of discord, separation, a misunderstanding, progress interrupted.

I think this fits with what we suspected ... the discord is between us and the gods; the progress interrupted is the progress in making polytheism our living religion, not a subject of academic study. We did well to ask Thor/Thunor to ward our home against hurricane damage, then we went off and left on a long trip with no offering, no asking for safety and protection, no acknowledgement of the kindred. While this is not something we would have done in the past, now that we know, we should.

Present: Three of wands.

This is a fellow looking hopefully down a road, much as we're hoping our return trip will be smooth. A phrase in the official keywords, most of which speak of success in businesses, stands out for me: "grasp of future and things needed for growth." Taken to mean, they see that we've figured it out and that we plan an offering before we leave on the return leg. This is acknowledging that we have the right understanding of the reason.

Future: High priestess, Reversed

The only major arcana card to show. I know the HP as a keeper of mysteries. Reversed, it seems to speak of poor intuition, lack of sense. Given that the three of wands suggests we've gotten this one right, belatedly, this one may say that it won't be the last time we forget -- or that it's a tendency to guard against.