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Reviews

The Well-Read Witch

Reviews by Carl McColman

Given the plethora of “Ooh-let's-cast-a-spell” books currently flooding the market, it could be easy to dismiss Paganism, Wicca and Goddess spirituality as only so much New Age fluff, concerned more about superficial wish-fulfillment than with true inner transformation and spiritual practice. That wouldn't be an entirely fair judgment – many Pagan teachers and leaders are profoundly dedicated to the esoteric dimensions of their path – but it would be understandable. Thankfully, one of the brightest stars in the Neopagan firmament (Gardnerian priestess Judy Harrow, author of Wicca Covens and Spiritual Mentoring) has joined forces with three of her colleagues to create a book entirely dedicated to the mystical, devotional side of Pagan spirituality. Even its title (Devoted to You: Honoring Deity in Wiccan Practice, Citadel Press, $12.95) reveals that this is not just another cookbook of magic tricks. Instead, it features four gifted and literate Pagan authorities (Geoffrey W. Miller, Alexei Kondratiev, Maureen Reddington-Wilde, and Harrow) writing informative and in-depth essays on the history, spirituality, and modern devotional practices associated with four different pagan deities: the Egyptian God Anubis, the Celtic Goddess Brigit, and the Greek Goddesses Aphrodite and Gaia.

Going far beyond the typical Wiccan book that offers a breezy paragraph or two explaining the “correspondences” associated with each deity (as if ancient Gods and Goddesses are little more than entries in a database), these essays take the time to introduce the reader to the religious and cultural background associated with each deity, along with helpful ideas on how to relate these ancient figures to a modern American spiritual practice.

Each of the four chapters follows a format used by Harrow's coven in training its members: first, becoming knowledgeable about a pagan deity by learning the stories and myths associated with that God or Goddess; then honoring the deity by developing modern rituals, meditations, and practices in which the energies associated with the figure can be celebrated in modern ways.

That each essay was written by a different pagan leader is a strength of this book: not only were the four contributors chosen because of their knowledge and devotion to the specific God and Goddesses featured, but the different philosophical and spiritual perspectives of these authors provide a glimpse into the diversity of religious experience available within the framework of modern Paganism.

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