Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America [Paperback]

She does not promote any of the world views she describes, she plays the good ethnographer and records what she finds. She participates on several occasions, and thus becomes the "participant observer" recorder. I didn't know much about the revival of "paganism" and had never heard of Wicca before I read Adler's book. I learned that in spite of the professed enlightenment of our modern age, many fear the practices described. Why? Basically, the practice of Wicca seems to be a female oriented way of life--focusing on nature, life, a spiritual path. I for one am continuing to read about Wicca and explore what others are doing.

I figure some of the so-called witches etc. are not what they purport to be, just as some of the agressive so-called Christians driving with bumper stickers that advertise their "faith" are not what they purport to be. I recommend Adler's book if you are interested in comparative religion, are looking for a new way of living or just curious about a somewhat maligned and often persecuted group of mostly women.

Though Adler is an insider to the faith, most of her writing is objective reporting. She covers a broad scope of topics and opinions. Her book is well written, not dumbed-down and usually academic. Her language is scholarly but easy-to-follow. Some reviewer complained the book reads like a textbook; this is true. Though the book flows much more than a textbook, it usually addresses topics in the same approach. This is exactly WHY I like the book... if I wanted spells, flowery stories and "gee, the goddess is nifty" shpeals, I would have bought a Ravenwolf text.

The aforementioned qualities are what make Adler's book a gem. However, I do have some critiques of Adler's work.

Adler does have a tendency to depart from her objectivism and frolic off into personal stories which are usually not relevant, important or of interest to those reading purely for education. She also tends to emphasis "feeling" over "knowledge" (not to say they aren't often hand-in-hand); implying many times that pagans are often so because it "feels right" rather than "it is truth" [in their eyes]. While some might not have a problem with this, it does depart from the intellectual approach her text normally takes.

She also displays an obvious bias against some branches of neo-paganism as well as one against the monotheism of the Abrahamic faiths. In regard to the latter offense, this usually consists of broad generalizations as well as oversimplifications. For example, I'd highly doubt that a member of Judaism, Christianity or Islam would say they are a monotheist because it "simplifies things for them so they don't have to acknowledge the dynamic aspect of the world." Most followers are on that path because they think it's *truth* not because they lack perspective.

Lastly, as many other readers have put it: the book is outdated. While most of the text is still important and relevant, neo-paganism and witchcraft has changed ENORMOUSLY in the past few decades. Tons of additional information could (and should) be provided. Since the book is already pretty large, I'd recommend a volume II. Given the quality of this book and the fact that no one else has managed to do a decent text as of recent, I would trust few besides Adler to do a high-quality update on contemporary paganism.

Even now it can cast a lot of important light in areas of misunderstanding.

The main problem is that the movement itself is changing so quickly that the book has now become somewhat dated. To give just one example, Norse Paganism wan not mentioned at all in the first edition, and only very briefly in the second. Years later, Norse Paganism is a powerful and growing force, with its own conflicts and identity problems. Similarly, the effect of aging and families on the movement is not really explored although it is having a very powerful effect on the community. Also many beliefs espoused by the community have changed.

This leaves the book in serious need of yet another update

My verdict: The book is a great work for historical perspective, especially when compared to the original 1979 edition. As time passes however, it becomes increasingly out of date