Whoever coined the phrase herding cats must have known at least a few Pagans. To put all Pagans in a room and try to get them to completely agree on any single point is an undertaking for the truly devoted. Enter Kristin Madden. As the editor and a contributor to Exploring the Pagan Path - Wisdom From the Elders,she truly shows her devotion to the cause of developing interfaith harmony.

If you want a spell book that teaches you how to find true love in three easy steps, this isn't the book for you. It is not a how-to book for any given tradition. In fact, what Exploring does teach you is to appreciate the diverse directions the Pagan path can take. Ms. Madden has gathered elders from several traditions to share their special knowledge with the Pagan community. Some of these include Dorothy Morrison, Kerr Cuhulain, Starhawk, Amber K, and Raven Grimassi. Kristen herself comes from a Druid and shamanic background.

The book is divided into three parts; Explore, Learn, and Live respectively. Explore begins with the basics of Paganism including belief, nature, and magic. From there, the Learn section delves into practical aspects such as crafting ritual tools and how to involve children in your chosen path. Live touches on subjects such as coming out Pagan, politics, and social responsibility. The appendices include topical lists of common terms, groups, and other resources for new and seasoned Pagans alike.

Exploring does not purport itself to be anything beyond a Pagan 101 course. Therefore, those who have been on this path a while may not feel the book holds much attraction for them. However, I would recommend it to teachers of any tradition. They will find this a good basic resource for new students that can also be given to concerned parents, relatives, or friends who want to know what their loved one is really getting into.

Now back to herding Pagans. While we do tend to be a very open-minded lot, we reserve the right to disagree with each other. You may not agree with what every author has to say in this book. That would be completely understandable as Ms. Madden drew from a pool of elders of vastly different traditions. These range from the eco-feminist, anti-establishment Starhawk to the ever-diligent, Wiccan police officer Kerr Cuhulain who works within the establishment. By doing this, she keeps the book from being slanted to one way of thinking while also showing the common threads between many teachers and traditions. Each elder presents information in an easy to read style.

All of the authors are donating their proceeds from the sale of this book to Ardantane, a nonprofit Pagan educational center based in New Mexico.