New Book Alert: Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality (Overture for the Overawed) by Francessca Bella; Descriptive Character Driven Science Fiction Novel Goes Deceptively Deep Into Concepts of Heroism and Belief

 New Book Alert: Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality (Overture for the Overawed) by Francessca Bella; Descriptive Character Driven Science Fiction Novel Goes Deceptively Deep Into Concepts of Heroism and Belief

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Stop me if you heard this one: a young woman leads a rebellion, fights a dictatorship, and finds the courage within herself to become the heroine that her people need. She becomes the leader of her new community and obtains legendary, almost mythical status. 

Well, on the surface Francessca Bella's novel, Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality Overture for the Overawed, appears to be that kind of book about that kind of heroine. But if you look deeper, you will see more meaning behind the book. You will see the human being behind the legend.

The heroine that has achieved legendary status after her rebellious heroism is Calista Soleil who is the Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality (say that five times fast). Besides having an awesomely alliterative moniker, Calista also is the Overseer of the Port of Sunshinescence in the Principality of Sunshinescence (another mouthful). Her people are very spiritual and worship the sun as a goddess. Many admire Calista as much as they admire the sun. Many would love to just bask in her loveliness. Everyone thinks of her as a great leader and heroine. Everyone except sometimes Calista Soleil.

Calista feels that she has lost her way so she returns to her alma mater, Chromia Academy. When that doesn't work out, she tries to send a message to her family. While communicating with them, she sees a frightening image of a firebird, a phoenix, striking the Earth. Over the centuries, because of war, pollution, and greed, Earth is blocked from the sun. The people of Earth have mostly been reduced to a barbaric survivalist existence willing to listen to the latest fanatical cult leader who says that the moon is all that they need.

Calista fears that the Phoenix is the sun's final warning, the anger that humanity took advantage of its resources long enough and now will be destroyed. She wants to go to Earth to help the people. Calista gets assistance on her mission with her new friends, Lavender, a scientist who once worked for the sinister and secretive Moonbow Laboratories and Sagen, who also worked for Moonbow and is handy with a weapon, and willing to use them despite objections from the pacifistic Calista. The trio face not only the people of Earth but a cult leader who wants the Earthlings to turn from the sun and worship the moon.

What makes this book stand out is the Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality herself, or rather the alleged Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality. Despite her legendary status, Calista doesn't always feel fancy, fanciful, or fantastic. We aren't shown the legend that led her to these titles. We are given hints here and there but that's not what this book is about. This is about what happens after the goal is achieved and the new leader is made. This is meant to peel away the legend and see that there is a real person, a real person of flaws and virtues, a complex human being. Somehow in exploring Calista's humanity makes her even more heroic.

In many ways, Calista exemplifies all of the positive traits that someone of her station should possess. She is very courageous and thirsty for adventure. She goes to Earth knowing full well the state that it's in and that she may not return. She exhibits good leadership skills and takes decisive action. When she, Lavender, and Sagen find themselves in a trap and encounter betrayal, Calista is able to get them out. She also shows a compassionate side in that she is willing to help the Earthlings get out of the predicament that they are in. She also befriends Teal, an Earth citizen who is quite intelligent and would be a good candidate to attend Chromia Academy. Perhaps, Calista sees something of her younger self in her, so she encourages Teal in her intellectual pursuits. Like the sun that she represents, Calista tries to exhibit warmth and light to all around her. 

Optimum word is tries because Calista does not always succeed. Sometimes the reasons are found within herself. Ironically, someone who represents the sun's warmth also acts very cold, forbidding, and polarizing. She acts in a very arrogant manner at times. When she visits Chromia Academy, she doesn't remember the names of the student or even an instructor who came to the school and made an enormous impact on her young life. She came to the school hoping to find some positive connections but instead all she remembers is how isolated that she was.

 The isolation continues when she is with her family. Calista realizes that her people depend on her so much that they have forgotten to think for themselves. They are enchanted by the image that they created around her and in some ways so is she.

Calista is at times guilty of many of the things that she accuses others of being. She thinks that the Earthlings she encounters are mostly intolerant and judgemental but fails to recognize those attributes within herself. Her younger brother, Tybalt and sister, Berrie at first accompany her. But when they are told that the journey is dangerous and even fatal, they turn around and go back. Rather than expressing concern about her sibling's safety or understanding their decision, Calista berates them and calls them cowards. Then she stridently declares that few can be as brave as she can. 

Even though she later supports Teal when she learns what a big help that she has been, she is at first surprised that someone from Earth is so intelligent. She also says that not just anybody can join the Chromia Academy, only the elite with connections. Luckily, she ends up becoming that connection so she is able to drop much of her earlier snobbery.

Calista can be uncompromising in her views. She gets into a science vs. spirituality debate with Lavender and argues with Sagen about using weapons even in self defense. She criticizes the fear mongering Moonite cult for denying the evidence of the sun's presence and their insistence of only living for the moon. However, she is just as single minded in her devotion in the sun and has a cult-like following herself (not one of her designs, but she still wields the same power.) In fact, this aspect of the book could be a metaphor for many of the views that people hold on to nowadays. I won't say which views but it's not hard to connect the dots. 

To her credit, Calista knows that she has those negative qualities and works to change them within herself. One of Calista's signs of maturity is her willingness to see her friend's sides and work together with them. 

In her journey to her past, she tries to find the adventurous brave young woman that she once was before her pride and following got the better of her. Perhaps, she feels that she is unworthy of the titles that she has received. This adventure on Earth is a source of self-redemption to become a better person, one who earns the right to be called the Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality.

These negative and positive qualities are what actually make Calista a great character. The conflicts with the Moonite cult, the Earth citizens, and the elements are important. But the biggest conflict of all is the one with herself.

With a very human protagonist who saves the Earth and learns about herself, Bella's book truly is fancy, fanciful, and fantastical.

Weekly Reader: The 13 Original Clan Mothers: Your Sacred Path To Discovering The Gifts, Talents, and Abilities of The Feminine Through The Ancient Teachings of the Sisterhood by Jamie Sams; A Beautiful Book About Discovering The Feminine Aspects Inside All of Us

Weekly Reader: The 13 Original Clan Mothers: Your Sacred Path To Discovering The Gifts, Talents, and Abilities of The Feminine Through The Ancient Teachings of the Sisterhood by Jamie Sams; A Beautiful Book About Discovering The Feminine Aspects Inside All of Us




By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




The Kiowa tribe of the Great Plains showed a lot of respect for the Feminine Spirit. Many of their teachings centered around 13 figures that represent different aspects and personality traits of womanhood.

These teachings are gathered in Jamie Sam's book The 13 Original Clan Mothers in which the figures are described and are featured in stories in which they (and the Reader no doubt) are taught a lesson, also called medicine, which helps aid them on their paths in life.

The Clan Mothers are a diverse group of women that cover various careers, traits, and stages in life. They are:

Talks With Relations (The Mother of Nature)-One with nature, she communicates with animals and plants and develops the strongest bond with the natural world.

Wisdom Keeper (The Protectress of the Sacred Tradition)- The resident scholar, teacher, and historian, she collects and shares the oral and written traditions with others.

Weighs the Truth (The Keeper of Equality and Guardian of Justice)- A lawyer and judge, she sees through accusations and determines rewards and punishment based on justice and fairness.

Looks Far Woman (Keeper of the Golden Door and Crack in the Universe)- An oracle, dreamer, and prophet, she uses her psychic abilities to see into the future and to help others prepare for it.

Listening Woman (The Mother of Tyoweith aka The Stillness and Inner Knowing)- She has the ability of listening to things unheard like the sounds of nature, music in the distance, and thoughts unspoken to find out what is hidden.

Storyteller (The Guardian of the Medicine Stories)- The actress and comedian of the group, she shares oral stories to entertain and teach lessons to her listeners.

Loves All Things (The Mother of Unconditional Love and All Acts of Pleasure)- She is the guardian of different kinds of love such as parental, spiritual, and romantic love.

She Who Heals (Keeper of the Healing Arts)- She is the one who heals the sick and is a midwife for childbirths.

Setting Sun Woman (The Guardian of the Needs of the Next Seven Generations)- A teacher, she guides and leads the younger generation to become the next leaders and thinkers.

Weaves the Web (The Mother of Creativity)-She is the artist who encourages creativity through art, textiles, sculpture, music, dance, and other aspects.

Walks Tall Woman (The Guardian of Leadership and the Keeper of New Paths)- She is the most athletic and active member of the clan, as well as a staunch warrior and protector.

Gives Praise (The Mother of All Acts of Thanksgiving and Keeper of Abundance)-She leads celebrations that honor births, namings, harvests and other important gatherings and always reminds others to give thanks for what they receive.

Becomes Her Vision (The Guardian of Transformation and Transmutation)- She is in charge of the major transformations in the physical and natural world such as birth, life, and death and the change in seasons. She also appears to be the leader of the Clan Mothers since hers is the only story where all 13 make an appearance.

The Clan Mothers are described in text that refers to their functions. Then each chapter branches off in telling a story about the Mother and how she uses her ability to solve a problem usually as she begins her path as a Mother.
For example, Weighs the Truth learns about her abilities as a judge. She learns to observe details and trust her instincts so she can resolve a case between two feuding tribe women.

These women are not perfect and they aren't meant to be. Much like the people who the stories are meant for, the Mothers stumble, make mistakes, and are impatient, insecure, and confused. The medicines help smooth out their rough edges to become better women and leaders.
While Walks Tall Woman is a consummate athlete and wins most races and competitions, she has to learn to pause in her activities, hold back so she doesn't overexert herself, and accept defeat graciously.

The stories also focus on the Mother's connections with animals guides and the people around her.
Every one of the Mothers has one or several animal guides and the guides provide the Mothers a skill that helps them in their chosen path.
In gathering information, Wisdom Keeper learns from Pig to use intelligence and reasoning ability, Mouse to pay attention to detail through scrutiny and how to keep herself from becoming overwhelmed, Chipmunk to respect the smallest part of nature through interrelationship and equality, and Turtle Dove to nurture dreams of peace and find peace within herself. The medicines the animals teach Wisdom Keeper helps her in her attempts to study, learn, write, and gather information to provide her people with their history.

The stories are filled with beautiful description that captured the various sensory images experienced by the Mother. The Reader is bombarded with lovely description of running water, tranquil forests, and personified animals and plants as each nature being is bound with a spirit that watches over these Mothers and their tribe. During her first morning Talks With Relations observes nature around her:

“Talks With Relations marveled at the luxurious green of the Earth Mother's verdant forests and valleys. The Great Ice Mountains had not yet traveled this far south and so parts of the only land mass, Turtle Island were given a short reprieve. Life was teeming amid the books and crannies of every inch of the sunlit soil and plant growth that spread before her. She stretched and raised her arms to the light of Grandfather Sun. 'Oh what a pleasure it is to be alive,’ she whispered to herself.”
These lovely descriptions not only create wonderful mental pictures but serve as reminders of the large world of which the Clan Mothers and the people they care are parts.

The final chapters reveals Sams’ meditative encounters with the Clan

Mothers as well as tips and advice on how the Readers can accept the Mothers in their lives as well. Like many figures in legends and myths the Mothers leave legacies for us to learn from them and not just women. Men and Women could learn from these female figures on how to be thinkers, judges, parents, artists, nurturers, warriors, and people.

New Book Alert: Resurrecting Cybele by Jenifer Mohammed; A Brilliant Satire About the Dangers of Cults and the God(dess) Delusion

New Book Alert: Resurrecting Cybele by Jenifer Mohammed; A Brilliant Satire About the Dangers of Cults and the God(dess) Delusion

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




Spoilers: From Charles Manson's Family to Nixivm, cults are a scary bunch. They are mesmerizing, seductive, and incredibly violent. They may start with good intentions to heal the world and teach others. However, the members and leaders get caught up in the delusion that they have a direct pipeline to God and discover the road to Hell (or their version) is paved with said intentions. The weak willed followers under them become susceptible to filling out their most dangerous violent and sexual urges and then the trouble really begins. Jenifer Mohammed's insightful novel, Resurrecting Cybele, is a thought provoking look at the dangers cult produce from their Genesis to their Revelation. This is what Paulo Coelho's Brida and The Witch of Portobello would be like if they were written in a more cynical manner.

Cybele Moondragon and her best friend, Janus Styx are bored with preparing their master's theses, concerned about the state of the world heading towards violence and prejudice, and short of money so they do what any bright idealistic cash poor young adult would do in such circumstances: create their own culture of goddess worshipers.




The cult is created to worship the Phrygian nature and Mother Goddess, Cybele and pull the world out of its patriarchal destruction or at least that's Cybele's intention. Mohammed wrote a memorable deeply flawed protagonist. She sells New Age trinkets like crystals, herbs, and amulets that she hopes will empower every recruit. She also leads courses that are variations of yoga which will lead followers to communicate and meditate to the Goddess. Like those who began religions before her, Cybele sees a need and aspires to fill it.




Which is the opposite of the intentions in Janus her associate. Mohammad cleverly brings out the contrast in the two leaders and their intentions towards the cult and their followers. Besides the fact that Janus has one of those names to run away from really fast because he is named after the Roman two-faced god, Janus is also a psychiatric counselor who could probably use some counseling himself. He works at a soup kitchen but sees it's residents as vermin particularly four dumb guys who serve as Janus’ lackeys that do whatever he forces them to like playing pranks on an ex boyfriend. It becomes clear to the Reader though not to Cybele that Janus sees a financial benefit to heading a cult as well as a lot of gullible people that he can use to do his bidding.




While Resurrecting Cybele is a book that takes a strong look at the dangers of cult worship, it also has time to project other emotions. It also provides its Readers with an underwritten triangle between Cybele, Janus, and Gabriel, an investigative reporter turned administrative assistant for the cult. The triangle is played out in a way that is short on high school romance and theatrics and long on motive as Gabriel is not only attracted to Cybele but shares her ideals to guide the cult in a positive direction. Janus is gay and has no such designs on Cybele but feels that Gabriel is a threat on their friendship and Janus’ influence on his female friend.




Besides romance and drama, Resurrecting Cybele is also a clever satire. Before their friendship implodes, Cybele and Janus are TV addicts and often quote references to their favorite science fiction programs back and forth. When starting the cult, the duo compare the beginnings to the feuds between the Bajorans and Cardassians of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. To shake a depressed Janus after being dumped, Cybele reminds him of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode in which one character said that people are so caught up in their own problems that they don't notice when someone else needs help. Tellingly as the two protagonists end up on opposite sides of the cult debacle, the TV references stop as if to remind the Reader that satire is over and the world is no longer funny.




Using these conflicting emotions of humor, romance, and drama allow Mohammed to open up the conflict on a wider scale so that the resolution towards the cult is less predictable and doesn't follow the particular destructive patterns that real-life forbears had led.

Weekly Reader: The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho; A Magical Dark Novel About Goddess Worship With A Beguiling Mysterious Protagonist

Weekly Reader: The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho; A Magical Dark Novel About Goddess Worship With A Beguiling Mysterious Protagonist

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoiler: Paulo Coelho’s novel, The Witch of Portobello could be a Spiritual Successor or an Unofficial Sequel to his Brida. While Brida is a beautiful story about a young woman taking her first initiative steps into becoming a witch, The Witch of Portobello features a woman who not only begins training as a witch. She goes beyond her training to becoming a leader and teacher of others, even beginning her own religious movement.

I am not spoiling anything by revealing that Sherine “Athena” Khalil, the eponymous Witch is dead. That is revealed in the beginning of the book. The book contains various first person narratives of who Athena was and how she affected the people around her. Like Rashomon, each person brings their own biases and agendas into the book creating a protagonist who is enigmatic, charismatic, and who could be an enlightened being, a troubled lunatic, or a conniving fraud. It depends on the narrators’ points of view and your own.

What is known about Athena makes for interesting reading as Coelho dissects her the way he does his other protagonists like Santiago, Veronika, and Brida. Athena was born in Romania to an unwed Romany mother and was adopted by Samira R. Khalil and her husband, a well-to-do Lebanese couple. While they name her Sherine, they are aware of Anti-Middle Eastern sentiment and suggest that she get her name changed.

Overhearing her uncle mention Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, young Sherine decides that is to be her name. This passage involving Athena's name change foreshadows Athena's interest in shaping others, almost the world, to fit her needs and her connections to a Higher Power that she believes is directing her actions.

Athena is often seen as a woman who is always searching for some deeper meaning and purpose to her life. One character described her as “a woman of the twenty-second century living in the twenty-first and made no secret about that fact.” In other words, she is someone who sees beyond her physical world and has a hard time living in it.

Athena bounces through several jobs until she settles on working at a bank for a time. She marries quickly to an engineering student, Lukas Jessen-Petersen, not out of love or desire  but so she can become a mother. It is no surprise that two years after giving birth to her son, Viorel, they get divorced.

She goes to Catholic Church but when she is denied communion because of her divorce she walks out in a fury. The priest is adamant at first but after Athena and Viorel leave his church, he dreams that he sees Jesus Christ who says “It has been a long time since they let me in (the Church).” revealing that strict dogma in the male-dominated church had replaced love and forgiveness that Jesus spoke about.

Athena comes into her own when she takes direction in her life through three passages which explores an eventual connection to Spirituality and Goddess Worship. The first passage is when she joins her landlord in a dancing ritual. This dance gives her a fresh perspective and connection to a Higher Power. She is so influenced by the dance that she leads her co-workers at the bank into dancing sessions. At first the dancing confuses her manager. But, when he sees how happy and centered his employees are, he relents and she begins engaging her colleagues in dancing sessions at the beginning of each day. This shows her growing influence over others.

The second and third passages happen when she takes a trip to Romania to meet her birth family and rediscover her roots. First, she is reunited with her birth mother who introduces her to the concept of Goddess Worship by referring to St. Sarah, the patron saint of the Romany. Second, she meets Dr. Deirdre “Edda”O’Neil who teaches Athena to embrace her inner wisdom and intuition.

Athena takes to those lessons so well that when she returns to London, she reshapes herself into a teacher and guru. She begins teaching classes by channeling a spirit called Hagia Sofia who answers deep questions that Athena's friends and students ask. She also leads them in dance and meditation courses to awaken the Goddesses inside themselves.

This is when Athena becomes unclear to the people around her and she becomes a target of controversy and suspicion. Her meetings in Portobello Road, London (a street in London famous for its street markets) become the target of protests headed by Rev. Ian Banks, a Christian Conservative who protests what he calls “the Satanic heart of England.’

Athena also encounters uncertainty within her inner circle. Herron Ryan, a skeptical journalist who first encounters Athena in Romania while he is researching a documentary on the history of Dracula, is curious about Athena's following and drawn by her charisma. He is both suspicious of and enchanted by her.

Another Narrator that is equally appalled and fascinated with Athena is Andrea McCain, an actress and one of Athena's students. She doesn't like Athena as a person. Andrea thinks she is a neglectful mother to Viorel and a slut who makes a habit of seducing other men particularly Andrea's boyfriend, Herron. Though she doesn't like Athena personally, Andrea relates to the meetings and finds them effective.

Because we get multiple narratives but not Athena's, we are left wondering who she is. Is Hagia Sofia real? Is she a con artist trying to get money from lost souls? Is she a cult leader buying into her own hype and obtaining a Goddess complex? We don't know and that's what makes her so fascinating.

Her death is also mysterious. It gets one line of mention with no foreshadowing beforehand so no one knows exactly who killed her and why. An epilogue gives a possible solution but still leaves a lot of unanswered questions. With a character like Athena who is shrouded in mystery, a conventional ending would have been anticlimactic. Instead she leaves the book just as she entered: a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

Like Brida, Coelho uses a lot of Goddess and magic imagery to describe his lead character. To use Goddess terms, Brida is the Maiden, the young innocent beginning her lessons and discovering her path. Athena would be the Mother, an experienced woman in the prime of her life both literally to Viorel and figuratively to her followers as she guides them in their sessions. Now all we need is for Coelho to write a book about an older woman to be the Crone. Then he could turn his duo of magical ladies into a trio.

Classics Corner: Drawing Down The Moon: Witches, Druids. Goddess-Worshipers and Other Pagans in America by Margot Adler; The Ultimate History of Neo-Paganism

Classics Corner: Drawing Down The Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshipers and Other Pagans in America by Margot Adler; The Ultimate History of Neo-Paganism

Pagans have had a mostly bad reputation. There are many who call them witches and fear them believing they worship the Devil. Those that are not afraid, ridicule and mock them believing that they are just play acting scenes from Harry Potter and worship beings that don't exist. NPR producer/correspondent and author, Margot Adler did much to open the public's perceptions of Neo-Paganism in her book, Drawing Down The Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshipers and Other Pagans in America. She helped the public see Neo-Paganism as a unique religion that brings it's followers closer to nature, helps them relate to the ancient Gods and Goddesses of the past, and maintain their individuality in a society bound by largely Abrahamic religious dogma.

Adler explores both the murky history of the following and the variations of the spiritual practice in its many forms and identities. (Much like Christianity can be divided into other denominations like Catholicism, Baptist, Lutherans, and Methodists and so on.)
The book is a fascinating read in recounting the history, teachings, philosophies, mythologies, and the individuals who practice them. The key is diversity, Adler believed, “The open message of Drawing Down The Moon has always been that the spiritual is like the natural world-only diversity will save it.”

Diversity is a key theme to the book and to Neo-Paganism itself. Most Pagans subscribe to what is called the Wiccan Rede: If it harms none,do what thou will or to put it simply “Whatever works for you.”
However, there are many groups that take a high-handed approach to their members and other movements. You never want to go to a Pagan festival and mistake a Gardnerian for an Alexandrian or vice verse at least not if you don't have two hours to kill. And if I have heard the term “fluffy bunny pagan” once I’ve heard it a hundred times.
But unfortunately, it is human nature that any movement is going to have it's different distinctions, large egos, and plenty of arguments over who is doing it “the right correct way” and who isn't.
But the Neo-Pagan religions are known for having members who adapted their practice, accepted various theories, and added their own touches. Many Pagans are nothing if not creative.

Even the origins are often under suspicion and confusion. Originally many Pagans believed the s-called Pagan Myth in which the current incarnation is simply the latest in a long line of an organized pre-Christian nature religion which worshiped a Mother Goddess and her consort a Horned God. This is based on the theory that many artifacts from different countries which would have had little contact with each other had the same small carvings of a goddess, a full figured woman in a seated position like the Venus of Willendorf.
When Christianity became the prime European religion, at first they adapted to the current Pagan religions by assimilating their symbols and standards. God and Goddess figures transformed into Saints, like Ireland's Brigid. Dates were moved to celebrate Christian alternatives to existing Pagan holidays such as Jesus's birth being declared December 25th to compete with Saturnalia and Yule, already holidays celebrated at the time.
Eventually the Catholic Church became less willing to cooperate with the pre-existing religions and created the Inquisition a period of over 200 years called “The Burning Times” in which over 9 million particularly women were executed, imprisoned, tortured, or exiled.
However despite the public scorn and attacks, some families and covens continued their religion in secret passing them orally through the generations. They were finally established as an official religion in 1951 by the decline of the Witchcraft Act in England mostly through the efforts of Wicca founder, Gerald Gardner and his other coven members such as Doreen Valiente.


It's a nice origin story. Too bad much of it is either untrue or unsubstantiated, according to Adler’s book. Many people including Pagans have questioned the veracity of this official story and the sources from which it came. Sources like The Witch-Cult in Western Europe by Margaret Murray, The White Goddess by Robert Graves, and Aradia or the Gospel of the Witches by Charles Godfrey Leland had questionable research or may have been completely fabricated.
While there were of course pre-Christian pagan religions (and certainly the Christian assimilation cannot be disputed), none have been found that worshipped the exact same deities. They had their own figures, customs, and followings. Though some Archetypes and similar figures were featured in many myths and legends.
The numbers of “The Burning Times” victims were smaller than believed closer to 50,000 victims rather than 9 million. Though as one of the interview subjects said in the books “whether it's sixteen or sixty thousand, murder is still murder.” Most certainly believe no matter the final tally that is 9 million or 50,000 too many.

As far as the story about whether the Pagan religion successfully thrived through the Family Traditions (called Fam-Trads by many Pagans) are mostly anecdotal.
Wicca founder, Gerald Gardner said that he learned witchcraft under a mentor, Dorothy Clutterbucket who taught him magic. She may have existed but may not have had anything to do Gardner though more than likely Gardner changed her name.
While there is no proof of an organized Pagan religion before Wicca began, Adler pointed out that many magical organizations like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and plenty of folk religions that practiced magic like Voodoo and Santeria thrived during those times suggesting that there could be some truth to the so-called Pagan Myth. (Not to mention many books and authors expressed what could only be described as very Pagan ideals. Later I intend to compose a Lit List of books with Pagan philosophies and themes. Some of them are rather surprising.)
So there is a chance it may have existed in one form or another just not as conclusive or as organized as the followers of the Pagan Myth believed.

Certainly the most well-known Pagan religion is Wicca, a largely nature based religion in which it's practitioners worship mostly a Mother Goddess and Father God, celebrate eight holidays called Sabbats that are based on the yearly cycle, and practice magic or chant to the deities to allow things to happen. The book is quick to point out that it's not the only one.
Wicca itself has different divisions. There are Gardnerians who follow the procedures laid out by Gardner. (including the specific number of coven members and that they must practice skyclad or nude.) Alexandrians followed the teachings of Alexander Sanders with an emphasis on ceremonial magic. Raymond Buckland started the Saex Wicca in which fed up with the other Traditions claiming they were the oldest, Buckland cleverly responded his was “the youngest."
There are Wiccan practices which are solely practiced by women like the Dianics and men like the Minoan Brotherhood. In both cases, the branches were formed because members were uncomfortable with the Great Rite ritual only emphasizing the heterosexual union of the Goddess and God or the duality imagery of male/female, Goddess/God practiced by other forms of Wicca.
Dianics such as Z. Budapest's Susan B. Anthony Coven focus almost exclusively on the Goddess and her roles as Mother, Creator, Healer, Lover, and Warrior. The Minoan Brotherhood mostly consists of gay men who use the practice to explore their sexuality and the dual nature within themselves.

Adler explored these many forms expertly showing them as individuals and recognizing their differences as well as their similarities such as thirsts for knowledge through study and commitment to causes like Environmentalism and Feminism.
One glaring omission Adler left out in the book were Solitary Wiccans, those who practice without a coven. Usually they have to make things up as they go along and get information from the assistance of books from authors like Scott Cunningham. (I speak from personal experience.)

Adler explored other Neo-Pagan followings besides Wicca. Many of them worship the old gods but bring them to a modern sensibility. The members of The Church of Eternal Source worship the Egyptian gods and goddesses in elaborate ceremonial rituals where they dress in traditional costumes and robes. They are known for using many Egyptian rituals and practices, but adapting them to modern times. For example, while they respect the ancient Egyptian practice of mummification, instead they cremate their dead.

The Asatru worship the Norse gods. In proving there is no definite in who a Pagan is or what they believe, in contrast to the mostly liberal Wiccans, Asatru, Adler found, were mostly conservative and militaristic and favored more traditional roles for men and women. The Asatru have received some negative connotations over the recent years because since they adopted the ancient Norse symbols like the swastika and the hammer, they have been associated with Neo-Nazis and Anti-Semitic groups. Adler states while some members of the Asatru have an interest in their ethnicity, she implies that it's less of a means of racial superiority than it is to simply explore their family history and cultures. (Though not in Adler's book, an anecdotal and possibly apocryphal tale shows the divisions between the Asatru and Neo-Nazis. According to the story, a group of Neo-Nazis learned that a Pagan coven had planned an outdoor ceremony in a forest. The Neo-Nazis planned on ambushing and attacking the Pagans figuring that since many were pacifists, they wouldn't fight back. Unfortunately the particular Pagan group were Asatru who were ready with knives, swords, and other weapons in hand. One Asatru member with a ceremonial hammer even threatened that if the Neo-Nazis so much as installed or burned a cross, they were going to be nailed to it. Needless to say the Neo-Nazis left without attacking.)

Some of the more unique Pagan religions are the ones that started in very unusual ways. Adler devotes a whole chapter to The Church of All Worlds, a religious movement founded by Oberon and Morning Glory Zell. The Zells were inspired by Robert Heinlein's science fiction novel, A Stranger in a Strange Land in which a native Martian starts a religion on Earth. The practitioners of the Church of All Worlds retain customs from Heinlein's novel like “groking” intuitively passing knowledge to each other and greeting each other with an open palm saying “Thou Art God or Goddess.” While some may question a religion that was inspired by a science fiction novel, many people have cited unusual sometimes fictional or literary means of approaching Paganism.
This Reader certainly has no room to judge. I acknowledge the Disney animated series, Gargoyles as one of the sparks that led me to become fascinated with Shakespeare's plays, Celtic and Greco-Roman mythology, Arthurian legends, and then to Wicca itself.

Another Pagan movement that had a unique origin story is that of the Reformed Druids of North America founded by Isaac Bonewits. The Reformed Druids were created in 1963 at Carleton College as a humorous protest against the college's mandatory religious requirement. Though some members of the RDNA don't consider themselves Pagan, they do have similar beliefs such as a reverence to Nature and an unwillingness to adhere to strict dogma. Even though the movement started as a joke, Bonewits himself became a prominent musician and speaker on Paganism (even though he was known for disagreeing with other prominent Pagans. For example he was one of the most outspoken critics of the Pagan Myth). Bonewits later founded the Arn Draoicht Fein (A Druid Fellowship) which studies the history and practices of the ancient Druids and adapts them to modern society.

Then there are the Discordians, a religion founded by Malaclypse The Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst to worship Eris/Discordia, the Greco-Roman Goddess of Chaos. The Discordians thrive on being a parody and use play, paradox, and pranks in their traditions. (One of their “saints” is Joshua Norton, a man who claimed to be the First Emperor of San Francisco.) Well you don't expect a religion based on the Goddess of Chaos to take itself seriously.

One of the most fascinating chapters explores how Paganism has changed in the 21st century. The stereotype of the Pagan is a peace loving hippy who lives in rural areas and is practically off the grid. Adler found many who fit the stereotype to the letter she also found others who lived opposite ways of life. One pagan mentioned that he meditated to the God and Goddess every morning and evening on his way to and from his job on a military base. Hardly a peace loving hippy, he said his commitment to Paganism allowed him to embrace his warrior side to protect and defend his country.
Many Adler found lived in the cities “That's where the jobs are” one said. Another said people were more accepting towards Pagans in their city.
She also found a surprising number who worked in science and technology particularly in computer programming. Many say that they work in computers because it's a secret world of codes and different languages much like the other worlds many Pagans explore through meditation and ritual.
Others also say that Paganism and Computer jobs attract the same type of people: usually introverted
iconoclasts who are highly intelligent and curious.
In contrast to those who believe Science and Technology will destroy the Earth, many Pagans use their education and experience to study Environmental Science and Zoology to help preserve the environment and Medicine, Education, and Social Sciences to help with humanitarian causes.

Someone may begin reading Drawing Down The Moon with an idea of what they think a witch should be. Once they finish this book, they will realize that there is a lot more. They may even find as many of Adler's interview subjects said, “I always had a religion. I just never knew it had a name.” They may feel like “they are coming home.”