Great Books for Pagan Parenting, Part 2: Circle Round

No pagan parenting book collection is complete without a copy of Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions by Starhawk, Diane Baker, and Anne Hill. With this book and a little creativity, you have everything you need to supplement your child’s education with pagan lessons. Pick and choose the ones that work for you, or use the authors’ ideas to formulate your own stories and rituals based on the ones that they have shared in the book.

The book begins with great introductions and groundwork in goddess studies. Explanations about just who the goddess is, along with different creation stories, elements, and the circle of life are all provided; with anything else in the book, the best way to use these is to read them through yourself, decide which parts you wish to use, and add in your own beliefs and values.

The book then goes into grounding, casting the circle, offerings, and other basic pagan rituals. These are all explained on a level that is appropriate for children, which may help you explain more difficult concepts easily. The set of tools is also explained, as well as using songs, chants, visualizations, and crafts.

Part Two of the book begins with sun and moon cycles, complete with full moon activities. Then the Wheel of the Year is briefly discussed, followed by a chapter for each Sabbat, beginning traditionally with Samhain.

Full of rituals and lore, Circle Round has stories and rituals for every occasion. Every holiday features stories about a related goddess and god, as well as related mythological tales that are rich with imagery, sure to delight children as well as adults. And from egg hunts to maypole dances, dream incubations to tying sacred knots, each features activities and rituals that are child-appropriate, imaginative and fun.

It’s also got some wonderful step-by-step projects, recipes and crafts to complete. From dream pillows to salt dough, rhythm instruments to ancestor trees, you could probably teach an entire semester of arts and crafts using just this book as your guide. There are just as many, if not more, recipes as well—snow candy, honeyed seedcake, sugar skulls, sun cereal, Persephone rising spring equinox popovers… there are literally a handful of recipes for each Sabbat and more.

Part Three of the book is perhaps one of the coolest parts of a pagan parenting book—that of the life cycle. With rituals, activities and celebrations for everything from birthing to giving up diapers, the tooth fairy to becoming an adult, there are ideas specifically for raising your children and celebrating their lives.

Part Four, which deals with the elements, is the last section. Each element includes ways to introduce it to toddlers, as well as ways to incorporate it into life through journaling, meditation, and other activities and exercises. From a Wassail ritual to making blessing beads, the importance of the environment and peace to nature study, ethics, and dealing with prejudice, there are things for both young pagans as well as older children.

I can’t extol the blessings of this book enough. If you are a pagan parent and wish to introduce your children to paganism, Circle Round is a fantastic place to start!