Pagan Roots – Reclaiming Concepts of the Sacred
Yvonne Aburrow
1000 Volt Press, April 2025, approx. 400 p. ISBN 979-8-9921834-0-5
Cover artwork by Lydia Knox, Book design by Keifel A. Agostini
Available online via Amazon and as e-book via Bol.com.
Yvonne Aburrow is not new to WRonline. In 2015 their book ‘All Acts of Love & Pleasure’ was reviewed.
Her philosophy of inclusiveness — particularly in Pagan, Wiccan, and interfaith contexts — is rooted in the belief that spirituality must reflect and affirm the full diversity of human experience. Her approach is informed by feminist theology, queer theory, and personal experience as a bisexual, genderqueer Pagan.
In her book All Acts of Love and Pleasure: Inclusive Wicca (2014), Yvonne lays the foundation of her inclusivity model:
“Inclusive Wicca is about including all participants regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other differences, and affirming the validity of all identities.”
They challenged the heteronormative structures often found in traditional Wiccan rituals, especially regarding the polarity between a male and female practitioner (e.g., high priest and priestess).
This new book continues to explore these ideas and is a thoughtful and timely contribution to Pagan literature. Yvonne, a seasoned Pagan and Wiccan with an academic background in Contemporary Religions and Spiritualities, brings both intellectual depth and spiritual insight to this work. The book encourages readers to explore and reclaim sacred language through a Pagan lens.
The book spans approximately 420 pages and is divided into three main parts:
1. The Pagan Journey – provides historical and conceptual foundations.
2. Pagan Concepts – explores words integral to Pagan thought and practice.
3. Reclaimed Concepts – reinterprets terms commonly used in Christianity and other religions.
Each section ends with journal prompts, rituals, and exercises to integrate the ideas into personal practice.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Part I: The Pagan Journey
- The Pagan Journey
- The Quest for the Authentic Self
- The Pagan Psyche
- Connecting with Nature
- The Old Gods
- Folklore and Mythology
- The Wheel of the Year
- The Cycle of Birth, Life, Death, and Rebirth
- Gender and Sexuality
- The Structures of Pagan Religions
- Part II: Pagan Concepts
- Apotheosis, Darkness, Embodiment, Eudaimonia, Fertility, Immanence, Land, Liminality, Merry, Mystery, Myth, Nature, Pagan, Polarity, Reciprocity, Sacred, Sovereignty, Spirituality, Wild, Wyrd
- Part III: Reclaimed Concepts
- Belief, Charity, Devil, Faith, God, Goddess, Deity, Grace, Heresy, Holy, Hospitality, Perfect, Pilgrimage, Prayer, Priesthood, Pure, Religion, Sacraments, Theology, Tradition, Transcendence, Virtue, Worship
At its core, Pagan Roots seeks to reclaim the spiritual vocabulary often inherited or misunderstood within contemporary Paganism. Yvonne delves into the etymology and evolution of terms such as ‘sacred,’ ‘polarity,’ ‘virtue,’ and ‘grace,’ offering a Pagan reinterpretation rooted in lived experience and inclusive theology.
In conclusion, Pagan Roots is an insightful and enriching resource for anyone seeking to deepen their Pagan spirituality, refine their understanding of sacred language, or contribute to interfaith dialogue. Yvonne’s work is both accessible and profound, offering a bridge between historical roots and contemporary practice.
Fun fact: There is also a ‘Pagan Roots Playlist’ on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1utzxiIyRU4o8RJoCo31cA, which includes one of my favourite songs, The Fabled Hare by Maddy Prior.
About the author:
Yvonne Aburrow has been a Pagan since 1985 and a Wiccan since 1991. They have an MA in Contemporary Religions and Spiritualities from Bath Spa University (UK), and live in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. They have written four books on the mythology and folklore of trees, birds, and animals, and two anthologies of poetry. Their most recent books are Changing Paths, published by 1000 Volt Press in 2023, and Dark Mirror: the inner work of witchcraft and The Night Journey: witchcraft as transformation, with revised and expanded second editions published by the Doreen Valiente Foundation in association with the Centre for Pagan Studies in 2020. They blog at Dowsing for Divinity.
Yvonne has also been engaged in interfaith dialogue. She co-moderated the Religionrap interfaith forum, has written extensively on respectful interfaith practice, and actively integrates Wiccan and Unitarian Universalist spirituality. Her work promotes inclusive theology and supports meaningful interreligious conversation.
