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Good pages cite their sources. Generally you know a bad page when you see it.... if they're loaded up with pretty pictures they're probably not a great source. Good pages are better constructed, although they don't need to be fancy to be good.

An example of a really good source is theoi.com. It's essentially a conglomeration of secondary and primary sources on Greek and Roman deities, heroes and other figures. One of the best sites out there.

Which I guess is another thing to look out for: good pages tend to specify. They do one or two things and they do them well; they don't pretend to know everything about Paganism as a whole.

For example:
Sacred texts reproduces out-of-copyright texts, be they grimoires, lore, commentary. It makes no comments on the accuracy of them, so there are sections where you have to take things with a grain of salt, and reproduced texts tend to be older so you have to think about how thinking has changed since they were written. However as a source it's invaluable, as it gathers together everything it can. We're reading an epic from that site for the bookclub at the moment.

If a site looks like it's promising you something, it's probably full of crap. If it looks like it's saying something too attractive to be true, it probably is. Use your instincts and weigh what feels right with what you know about history and anthropology and so on, and if in doubt, usually people are happy enough to give you advice based on what they know. None of us pretend to know anything or be infallible, but there's usually someone out there somewhere who makes a subject their particular passion or area of study.

As for particular good pages, it depends on what you're studying. Is there a particular area you're interested in?

Which religion are you speaking of here? Paganism as a whole is huge, there are no common holidays, traditions or views, so even for basic information you have to narrow your field wink

Tarot: Aeclectic tarot is the standard recommendation. It has good info on general card meanings and spreads, and it also has a massive collection of tarot decks, sample images and reviews. I've found two decks there that I later purchased, and the images are often very pretty, so it's a good place to case for possible decks you want.

Sorry, to be a little more specific, information on the Wiccan holidays. Does that narrow things down a bit better?

I'm not sure about the holidays in the context of Wicca. Vivianne Crowley's work might be helpful. I really can't remember how much Gardner wrote on them.

The Wheel of the Year eight sabbats or festivals or high days or whathaveyou differ in meaning and form of celebration depending on the individual or the religion in question and what the day means to them. May I ask what resources you've read through so far?

It certainly couldn't hurt.



I have only read through a pair of books on herbs, as far as books go. However, I have read a couple of websites on the history and beliefs of Wicca.



I plan to actually seek Wicca and learn in a coven, but for now I am trying to learn everything I can in the absence of a coven.

For me personally- I have a stack of books, all of them recommended by my Gard HPS (some of which I already owned! heart )

The Campanellis Wheel of the Year (this one is generic- a good place to start if you're a city kid living in the US)
A Witch Alone by Marian Green
Vivianne Crowley's First Directions in Wicca

You have to keep in mind that part of reading books is discussing them with my HP and HPS, asking questions and learning from the comments they make even more than the books themselves at times.