The Art of Discernment
One of the things I have learned in my many years in the Pagan community is that, if you can't locate the books/articles/podcasts that you need, perhaps it is time to create your own, as it's likely that others are searching for the exact same thing you are. I remember in the late 1990s and early 2000s looking for more advanced books on the craft and not finding much. I was disappointed, to say the least.
We have come a long way since then, of course - there are so many excellent authors out there presenting well-researched information that was just not available when I was starting out. But in this age of information there is a lot of regurgitation of the same old facts, that aren't fact checked. We must be careful to differentiate between unverified personal gnosis (UPG) and historical fact, being sure to correct historical discrepancies as they come to light. Discernment is key.
I come from a scholarly background, so when I read something that is glaringly historically inaccurate, it irks me to no end. I get that sometimes the Gods might reveal things to us that might be missing from the written record - they have done so with me. My issue is the perpetuation of a false narrative in light of new information.
The role of discernment comes into play when receiving UPG, particularly for those of us who are choosing to disseminate their knowledge to others. We need to make sure the information we receive makes sense. If the information received doesn't fit the overall narrative that is currently established about the Gods, or anything magical - we need to ask why. Critical thinking is key here. This is where book learning and experience meet - the two should create a complementary picture. For example, if you are working with the nice Egyptian God of chaos and destruction, Set, and he starts giving you love advice - would you take it without question? Is that within Set's character? Or is there something strange going on that requires some deeper research and reflection? Likewise, if Aphrodite started to encourage you to curse everyone in sight - does that sound right?
Sometimes it takes some deep digging to uncover the truth. I tell my students that the advice that one of my professors holds when reading an author - look at that person's footnotes. Then go to the new author's footnotes to see their footnotes, and so on. Good Pagan writers rely on a combination of UPG and documented sources (Jason Miller and Jason Mankey are both excellent at this). Sometimes you need to go to an original source to locate a bread crumb. Sometimes you need to read ten different authors on the same topic and get a consensus of opinion (if the topic is solely based on UPG).
I bring this up because I'm being reminded, time and time again, about the vast wealth of information that is out there. Some of it is, as I said before, excellent. Some of it is self-published, with all the typos and inaccuracies, and it shows (not to knock self-published works - there are some really good ones out there. You need to be aware of what you are buying though). As I am looking to put my own knowledge out there for those to see, and encouraging others to do the same, I am faced with the reminder to write what I wanted to see published for myself all those years ago - and to make sure that I am providing quality information to those who choose to read.