Book Review-Pagan Portals: Mestra The Shapeshifter: Ancient Heroine of the Sacred Grove by Dianna Rhyan

Book Review

Pagan Portals: Mestra the Shapeshifter: Ancient Heroine of the Sacred Grove

By Dianna Rhyan

Publisher:  Moon Books

136 page E-Book

Release Date: November 1st, 2024

Pagan Portals: Mestra the Shapeshifter is another installment of the Pagan Portals series by Moon Books, and a favorite series of mine. Rhyan tells the story of Mestra from the literary sources that are available, and weaves these sources into a story of Mestra, from birth, to her eventual shapeshifting to flee the oppression of men wishing to marry her. She is the Heroine of the Sacred Grove, and can often be found in the forests, rivers and streams as a bird, an animal, the gentle breeze blowing, and certainly as a towering oak.

I had this book on my radar since its’ release was advertised by Moon Books on social media, and I can say that I honestly knew nothing of Mestra before encountering her in this book. I found myself clinging to the pages with a desire to learn more about this divine shapeshifter that feels so familiar to me, yet so new. I appreciate the author’s consistent and heavy use of academic material to back up some of the more modern, UPG based beliefs and views of many deities, with Mestra being no exception. My only wish was that Rhyan had included a section listing correspondences of Mestra to incorporate into a practice with her, as many including myself find this helpful in connecting with the divine. That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Pagan Portals: Mestra. I give it a 5/5, my only criticism, as I stated above, is that I wish that there was a section for modern devotion and veneration; other than that, this book is wonderful! Perhaps Rhyan’s point in not including this section that’s so common in other Pagan Portals books is so that we build our own relationship and correspondences with her; being a shapeshifter, it could also be hard to give such a list for Mestra.

Dianna Rhyan is a mythologist and therapist whose work centers on ancient nature goddesses, tree worship, forgotten voices and the spirituality of sacred landscapes. She earned a PhD in Ancient Greek and Latin, and spent thirty years teaching college. When not studying ancient myth, she can be found in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Northeast Ohio (not far from the Modern Merlin’s location), visiting the trails and admiring the beauty of nature.

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Author Bio:

The Modern Merlin has been a Polytheist and Animist Pagan, Witch, Sorcerer, Wizard, Druid, Mystic, Ceremonial Magician, Occultist, Shaman, Seer and Soothsayer for 15 years, worshipping and casting magick with deities and spirits from many cultures, including Ancient Greece, Rome, Norse & Germanic, Celtic, Egyptian, Sumerian, as well as many Faeries, Nymphs, Dryads, Ancestors and other nature and land spirits and spirits of place. He is a Priest of Hecate, Diana, Hades, Lilith and Persephone. He has experience in the Left and Right Hand Paths, working with both hands as needed. He currently practices Necromancy and Deathwalking, as well as Traditional Witchcraft, Druidry, Hellenism and Ceremonial Magick, incorporating all of them into a cohesive practice, with some shamanic touches. He studies and practices Astrology as well as Tarot and other forms of divination such as Runes, Palmistry and Ogham. He has a personal blog where he shares Astrological, Pagan, and other magickal wisdom for free! He gives readings and other spiritual services on his Facebook Page, The Modern Merlin, as well other free informational posts for everyone to see!