Help Me Plan My Book
Help Me Plan My Book
What would you like to see in a polytheistic book?
Hello everyone. For some time now I have been wanting to write a devotional polytheistic book but I am stuck on the what exactly it should include and focus on. I am largely disappointed by many books on the market which are geared towards practitioners. As many of you who follow my work know, I am highly critical of pagan books, especially when the book deals with ancient Greek religion.
I am reaching out to my Substack subscribers for feedback. Please let me know what you are looking for in a polytheistic book? What has disappointed you in other books and what impressed you about other books?
In my outline I have been working on, I include the following section. What do you think of this? Does this interest you?
Worship and Devotion
The purpose and importance of worship in devotional polytheism
Ways to honor and show devotion to the deities
Offerings and sacrifices
Devotional practices such as prayer, meditation, and chanting
Festivals and holy days
Altars and shrine creation
The role of prayer and ritual in devotional polytheism
The structure and purpose of devotional rituals
Creating and performing rituals solo or in a group
The use of altar tools and other ritual objects
The importance of intention and focus in ritual
Communicating with the deities
Different methods of communication such as prayer, meditation, and divination
Seeking guidance and support from the deities
Building a relationship with the deities through devotional practices
What does “relationship” mean concerning deities
I look forward to your feedback.
Angelo
I really like what the other two commenters had to say around this, especially around context and situating some of these practices--I've gotten a lot out of Labrys's Household Worship but do find it a bit thin in this regard. That said I'm very aware that I'm coming to this as an American who previously spent a lot of time in quasi-Wiccan circles, with all the baggage and assumptions that that implies. It's not your job to deal with that stuff of course, but as I extricate myself and my practice from all of that it makes me really aware of the gaps. And seconding caldonas's remarks on a lot of existing material--a danger I've seen in relying on research-based sources is they're not really intended to inform or situate present-day practices; I'm minded of Dr. Johnston's comments on this point in your interview with her, for instance.
I don't know how helpful this is as an answer to the question you asked, but I do like the outline that you posted and would be very interested in reading.
First off, all of this would be very useful, educational and high quality for many people. Such a book is sorely missing on this subject.
So far, I have not been particularly impressed by the majority of books on polytheism, including the books published by Labrys or the YSEE.
I'd be very interested and curious to read your perspective on these subjects.
One thing that bugs me with most of these books, is that they are either misinformed, or they provide too little context appearing like "how-to" manuals, there are no mentions of cultural, theological and philosophical context, and I think you should include this, using your own judgment, of course.
I would also love to see in your explanation of the role of worship, discussing which things, regarding worship are ancient and which aspects are timeless, as I believe many readers have trouble understanding worship intuitively. The discussion between Porphyry and Iamblichus on this subject, for instance, is not particularly enlightening, as Iamblichus is primarily defending the Egyptian practices. Additionally the reconstructionist books are just rehearsing Burkert and whatever other archaeological information is available.
It would also be useful to have a section with some well-meaning discernment between common misconceptions about polytheism, esp. for Western cultures which are predominantly christian.
Best luck on your work, i am sure you will do great!