Reason for edit: While adjusting the tags, I hit "enter", which posted before I had written most of the body of the post!
Second Edit: tagged sources for quotes when they have a dreamwidth account.

A few weeks ago, I asked about resources for getting started learning about Shinto on a Magic Monday post. I thought it might be helpful to gather the responses together into an easier-to-find post similar to what causticus did with the information on Roman Polytheism. I asked a similar question about Hinduism on the same MM, and I'll likely put together a post gathering that soon.

It strikes me that it might be worthwhile to have a "getting started" page for as many varieties of polytheism as we can gather credible resources for. If we gather enough, we might even have a pinned or otherwise prominently linked entry that gathers links to all of these round ups of starter resources.

For now, though, here's what the Magic Monday community was able to share on resources for learning more about Shinto, lightly edited by me to make this post more easily read and used as a reference. You can find the original comment thread here.

Resources for Learning More About Shinto

Core Religious Texts

The two core Shinto texts are fairly similar in terms of "what they are" (a purportedly historical chronicle from the earliest of times to when they were written that includes mythic material), and in terms of what myths and stories are conveyed, there is overlap, but they are not identical and both have played a role in shaping current practice.

• The Nihongi: A chronicle of early Japanese myth and ancient history.


• The Kojiki: A chronicle of early Japanese myth and ancient history.

tunesmyth shares some thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of various translations of the two core Shinto texts:

As far as Shinto source texts go, the two primary texts are the Kojiki and the Nihongi (aka the Nihon Shoki), which were recorded at very nearly the same time-- the general consensus is that the Kojiki came first, though there are some who disagree. Right now, due to historical reasons that were in part responsible for the split between Buddhism and Shinto in the 19th century, the Kojiki has come to predominate as far as fame with the the general public goes. Through most of Japan's history, though, it seems that the Nihongi was more considered the first place to go for the mythology, often offering multiple versions of the same mythological stories for comparison within the text itself (but missing some crucial stories that appear in the Kojiki, including one of my favorites, The Hare of Inaba).
If one is just dipping their toes into Shinto, I strongly recommend the Heldt translation of the Kojiki, which keeps its language simple but pleasant, and is of a length that isn't too daunting. One quibble though, it has a major weakness in that all the kami and place names are translated as their literal meanings in English, rather than by the names that anybody who actually prays to these great spirits actually uses to address them with (though there is a glossary in the back). If you need to go for a free version of the Kojiki, the original Basil Hall Chamberlain version is readily available, though it suffers for many of the same problems as JMG has lamented with Waite's translation of Levi.
The only currently extant English translation of the Nihongi, by W.G. Aston, is also a Victorian translation, but I find it quite a bit more readable than Chamberlain's Kojiki.

Histories, Commentaries, and Explanations

• Kami no Michi by Guji Yukitaka Yamamoto: The reflections of the former high priest of the only Shinto Grand Shrine in North America, he explains how his experiences have shaped his view of Shinto and its place in the world today. The full text is available on the Tsubaki Grand Shrine's website here.


• Dancing With Spirits: the Festivals and Folklore of Japan by Denny Sargent: Recommended by Justin Patrick Moore, he had this to say: "Denny Sargent, aka Aion 131 is a founding member of Horus-Maat Lodge with a long background in Western magic, and he his wife lived in Japan for awhile if I recall correctly. This book, I believe, came out of that time spent there."
  And here's the blurb from the back of the book:
  

  
  Nowhere are religious traditions more uniquely tied to the historical, cultural and spiritual identity of a people then in Japan. Almost all Japanese follow one intertwined religious mixture of Shinto, Matsuri and Buddhism. This forms the basis of much of their culture. To know this is to know Japan. Dancing with Spirits is an intellectual but accessible 'travel guide' through the history and fun reality of the most important Shinto, Matsuri and Buddhist festivals of Japan. It features entertaining first-hand accounts of wild revels like Tanabata and Setsubun, but it also offers something more; the history of the these festivals and explanations of the symbolism and meaning behind them, things that even many of the Japanese revelers themselves often don't know. Other aspects of Buddhism, Matsuri and Shinto are covered within these pages as well, from a succinct history of the origins of these great traditions in Japan to chapters about specific deities and Amulets. Come and leap into the amazing world of Shinto, Matsuri and Buddhism and the 'floating world' of Japanese rituals and folklore as it is being celebrated today! Dozo!
  



• The Essence of Shinto by Motoshisa Yamakage: This was recommended by jruss, with this comment by tunesmyth: "It is an excellent introduction to Shinto as a form of religious practice for the lay reader. It eloquently describes a coherent worldview of interaction with the world via a Shinto lens and I found it extremely inspirational when I was first exploring Shinto."
  Politics Warning: the author of this book has been accused of anti-semitism, and tunesmyth, despite the positive quote above about the book itself, had this to say about the author: "All that said, the antisemitic stuff is for real and pretty much poisons one's ability to read it in a mood of "This stuff is so good!" like I had when I first read it-- let alone recommend it to others. Nothing antisemitic shows up in "The Essence Of Shinto" itself; rather it's that he wrote a whole series of apparently strongly antisemitic screeds. To be fair I haven't gone so far as to read any; but with titles such as "Final World War: How to Counter Jewish Money" and "The Jewish Strategy for World Dominance" (volumes 1, 2, and 3) I don't really have any desire to either." Make your own decision about whether the author's views about other matters can be separated from what he wrote about Shinto.


• Myth and Diety in Japan by Kamata Toji: recommended by jruss, but apparently pretty expensive.


• Japaneseness by Yoji Yamakuse: also recommended by jruss, who says "it's more about the core concepts of being Japanese by going over values anyone can adopt but as Shinto is rooted in Japanese culture this can help explain things."


• The Catalpa Bow by Carmen Blacker: recommended by tunesmyth, he says of this and the next entry: "They're both erudite, readable, and manage to convey a sense of the spiritual power that resides in Shinto."


• The Fox and the Jewel by Karen Smyers: recommended by tunesmyth, he says of this and the entry above: "They're both erudite, readable, and manage to convey a sense of the spiritual power that resides in Shinto."

Books Focused on Practice

• Shinto Norito by Anne Llewellyn Evans: According to JMG, it "gives you the actual text of traditional Shinto prayers, and a robust appendix full of practical instructions."

Websites

• The Tsubaki Grand Shrine of North America


• Green Shinto: Recommended by tunesmyth, this blog is now mostly inactive, but has an extensive archive, including a few series that do an in-depth comparison of other polytheistic religions and Shinto, as well as a series on ancestor worship in Shinto.


• Living With Kami Reading List: An extensive reading list compiled by a practicing Shinto Priestess


• Shinto, Paganism, and Witchcraft Syncretism: a private Facebook group described by jruss like this: "lots of good discussion but the other English speaking Shinto groups have nothing to do with it as they see Shinto as a vehicle for their politics."


• Buddhism & Shintoism in Japan: Also recommended by jruss and tunesmyth, this website has an especial focus on sculpture and art in Japan, and is slightly more focused on Buddhism, but given how interwoven they are in Japan, it contains a lot of useful information.

I'd like to share a few sources below that I have found helpful for shaping my individual daily and seasonal practice, and to invite anyone willing to do so to please share some of their own, ideally with a bit of commentary on what you've found helpful about them.

Personally, I'll be focusing more on individual practice, as I feel like most flavors of polytheism these days have books or websites available explaining how to do community rituals, and by definition, if you're participating in a group ritual, the group has some kind of approach to doing it! I suppose the one thing left out here would be if you are an individual trying to establish a group, so if that's your situation, feel free to share that as well.

The other thing I'll mention is that I have not included books whose primary value is for studying and understanding myth, or as many in my tradition like to refer to it the Lore. While fascinating and enjoyable, I feel like that's the least-transferrable kind of work, and therefore the least helpful for folks following other paths.

Most of my sources below are Germanic-flavored, but I'll try to point out what I think is helpful about them even for other traditions.

Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner by Galina Krasskova and Raven Kaldera
Despite the potentially depressing title, I have found this book rather helpful. It gives a number of different viewpoints of what daily Germanic polytheist practice might look like. It follows the framework from Dale Cannon's Six Ways of Being Religious (itself mostly focused on Christianity, with some inputs from Buddhism and other traditions) and gives suggestions adapted to Germanic beliefs. What I like best about this book is that it makes a strong case that "devotional" practice of various kinds is not the exclusive property of Christianity and can be usefully integrated into a polytheist worldview. Includes a lot of practical tips on setting up an altar and using prayer beads.

Viking Poetry for Heathen Rites by Eirik Westcoat
The specific poetry in this book is likely only going to be helpful if you worship the Germanic Gods, but if you do, wow is it helpful! Also helpful, it explains the conventions of traditional Germanic alliteration and stress, so you can compose Germanic style poetry in modern English, which I suppose might even be helpful for other pantheons. Even if this particular book doesn't do it for you, I'd say I've found it very helpful to have a ready source of calls to Gods/Goddesses and prayers to them in the form of poetry, so looking for something similar in your tradition might be helpful (like the Orphic or Homeric Hymns, if you follow a Greco-Roman tradition).

The Druid Handbook by John Michael Greer
This is likely familiar to most folks here, but this book gives a nice entry point to a nature-focused spirituality that is extremely flexible when it comes to the finer points of personal beliefs. For myself, I'm currently celebrating the 8-point year with the rituals given here, but with Germanic deities. See below for another work I might use for future ritual timing, but this is a great place to start if you don't have something else to follow. Oh, also has a fantastic explanation on discursive meditation.

Pagan Prayer Beads by John Michael Greer and Clare Vaughn
Written by JMG and his wife, I found this most helpful for the actual, physical "how to make a string of prayer beads" advice, less so for the example prayers or strings given, but maybe I ought to revisit them. Pairs especially well with sources of poems/prayers like I mentioned above (someone following a Germanic tradition might consider a string with one bead per rune and match it to the relevant Rune Poem, for example, or write your own)

By the Sun, the Stars, and the Moon and To Hold the Holytides by Thorbeortht Ealdorblotere
These two books kind of need to be taken together, as one discusses the calculation of holy days following what the author believes to be closest to what we can figure out about ancient Anglo-Saxon practice, and the other explains what rituals to hold on those holy days. As the title suggests, you can determine some days by the Sun, some by the Moon, and some by the Stars, and I like the attention it gives to integrating and balancing these cycles (for example, you might select a seasonal ritual date as the first full moon after the equinox). While the conclusions are likely not as relevant to most folks not interested in the Anglo-Saxons specifically, it is a nice example of a ritual calendar that isn't the Wicca-derived 8-points of the year.

True Hearth by James Allen Chisholm
I like that this focuses on integrating your beliefs/practices into your life and household. Includes some good advice on setting up a household altar and rituals for things like moving into a new house or naming a baby. Mostly pretty Germanic-focused, but again, some of the occasions marked might provide some ideas.

Path to the Gods: Anglo-Saxon Paganism for Beginners by Swain Wodening
One of many "intro to Germanic religion" books I read, this one sticks in my memory as providing a nice, flexible framework for ritual/prayer that works individually or for a group: 1) hallow a space, 2) call on/praise the God(s) to be worshipped, 3) make a toast to your ancestors with a hallowed drink, 4) share drink among those participating, 5) sprinkle some of that drink on participants, 6) give what's left of hallowed drink to the God(s) called on, 7) close hallowed space.

The Art of Divine Meditation by Bishop Joseph Hall
Recommended by JMG, this book is very explicitly Christian, and many of the specific recommendations for what to do or think about won't apply to many traditions, but the general approach of "how do I take meditation and find more things to do with it?" is helpful.

Edited because I accidentally posted before complete