-
Book Review – Pagan Portals: Harvest Home by Mélusine Draco
Book Review Pagan Portals: Harvest Home by Mélusine Draco Moon Books 96 Pages Publication date: August 25, 2022 This book, one of a series of Pagan Portal shorts, focuses on two of the three harvest festivals: Lammas/Lughnasadh and the Autumnal Equinox/Mabon. Mélusine Draco presents the history, customs, traditions, symbolism, and folklore associated with a variety of autumn festivals from “ye olden days,” when emphasis switches from the goddess to a “male domination of the seasonal rites.” Harvest celebrations occur over a number of weeks, as the crops are gathered, culminating with the cutting of the last sheaves of Lammas grain,…
-
Book Review – Pagan Portals: Demeter by Robin Corak
Book Review Pagan Portals: Demeter by Robin Corak Published by Moon Books 128 pages Publication date: October 1, 2022 Pagan Portals: Demeter by Robin Corak is a short, well-researched book offering a modern, magical, and psychological approach to working with the ancient goddess. Corak begins with Demeter’s story as it is relayed in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, along with a few mythological tidbits from other ancient sources to give different perspectives of the goddess. The book moves on to discuss the rites specific to the historic worship of Demeter, to provide a basis for the personal work to follow.…
-
Book Review – Pagan Portals: The Temple Priestesses of Antiquity by Lady Haight-Ashton
Book Review Pagan Portals: The Temple Priestesses of Antiquity by Lady Haight-Ashton Publisher: Moon Book Publication Date: July 29, 2022 128 pages Temple Priestesses are sadly a thing of the past. These women were revered and held in high esteem, unlike a lot of women nowadays. This book was not only empowering, but informative and a joy to read. Lady Haight, a Third Degree Gardnerian High Priestess, wrote this, not just intellectually, but with such reverence that I could not put it down. She explains the life of the ancient Temple Priestesses and how society saw them as if she was there and experienced it herself. I learned…
-
Book Review – Pagan Portals: Polytheism: A Platonic Approach by Steven Dillon
Book Review Polytheism: A Platonic Approach by Steven Dillon Publisher: Moon Book Publication Date: March 22, 2022 144 pages Polytheism is the belief in multiple gods. When I got this book to review, I was expecting a completely different book than what I got. I am polytheistic so I was quite excited by the title. I thought this sounded like an interesting approach and possibly a book I could give to any of my monotheistic friends so that they could maybe get a better understanding of what polytheism was. Sadly, that was not what I got. Instead of a book easy for anyone to read and understand, this…
-
Book Review – Pagan Portals: Scrying- Divination Using Crystals, Mirrors, Water and Fire by Lucya Starza
Book Review Pagan Portals Scrying-Divination Using Crystals, Mirrors, Water and Fire by Lucya Starza Publisher: Moon Books 86 Pages Publication Date: March 1, 2022 This was the first book I have read on scrying. I liked that it is a shorter book, but don’t let the length fool you. There is a lot of great information packed in here. As an avid reader, and bit of a nerd, I loved how it opened with a Lord of the Rings reference. There are quite a few references to Lady Galadriel and her mirror. Lucya explains that scrying isn’t the same as using things like tarot cards, but you…
-
Book Review – Pagan Portals: Aos Sidhe- Meeting the Irish Fair Folk by Morgan Daimler
Book Review Pagan Portals: Aos Sidhe Meeting the Irish Fair Folk by Morgan Daimler Publisher: Moon Books 104 Pages Publication Date: August 1, 2022 The Pagan Portals range from Moon Books is a popular and wide range of introductions to various topics connected to Paganism. Morgan Daimler’s latest instalment in this series explores the Aos Sidhe – who they are, how they fit into folklore and mythology, plus the many different beings that can be classed as Aos Sidhe. For those that don’t know, Aos Sidhe are the “folk of the fairy mounds,” Irish beings often called fairies, the Fae, or more cautiously and safely, the Good Neighbours.…
-
Book Review – Pagan Portals: Artio and Artaois – A Journey Toward the Celtic Bear Gods by Andrew Anderson
Book Review Pagan Portals: Artio and Artaois A Journey Toward the Celtic Bear Gods by Andrew Anderson Publisher: Moon Books 120 Pages Publication Date: July 1, 2021 Andrew Anderson’s Artio and Artaois – A Journey Toward the Celtic Bear Gods is tour de force exploring ancient European bear worship – Arctolatry – from the Neolithic through its echoes in the twenty-first century. After meeting an ancient she-bear spirit when he invokes a guardian for his home, he discovers she is Artio, a Celtic Bear Goddess, and follows her trail through Europe and the United Kingdom on a pilgrimage in search of her roots and worship. During his journey, he…
-
Book Review – Pagan Portals: Blodeuwedd-Welsh Goddess of Seasonal Sovereignty by Jhenah Telyndru, Cover Art by Dan GoodFellow
Book Review Pagan Portals: Blodeuwedd Welsh Goddess of Seasonal Sovereignty by Jhenah Telyndru Cover Art by Dan GoodFellow Publisher: Moon Books 136 Pages Publication Date: August 1, 2021 Do you know Blodeuwedd? If you do, you may, as most do, think she is a cheater at best, and an attempted murderess, at worst. If you do not know her, this is the perfect introduction. This book, by the wonderful Jhenah Telyndru, is part of the Pagan Portals series by Moon Books, and is a perfect addition to this series. I was particularly intrigued by how Ms. Telyndru’s narrative has been influenced by the rights of women – then…
-
Book Review – Pagan Portals: Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow and Messenger of the Godds by Irisanya Moon
Book Review Pagan Portals: Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow and Messenger of the Godds by Irisanya Moon Publisher: Moon Books-John Hunt Publishing 96 Pages Publication Date: July 1, 2021 Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow and Messenger of the Godds* by Irisanya Moon is a new release that is part of the Pagan Portals collection of books published by Moon Books, an imprint of John Hunt Publishing. I must say that given all that we have been through with politics, global affairs, COVID-19 and more this past 18+ months, the timing of this title speaks to me of hope and the fresh and beautiful start a rainbow provides at the…
-
Book Review – Pagan Portals:Lugh- Meeting the Many Skilled God by Morgan Daimler
Book Review Pagan Portals Lugh Meeting the Many Skilled God by Morgan Daimler Publisher: Moon Books 112 Pages Publication Date: 04/30/2021 I’m always keen to read just about anything Morgan Daimler pens, from their exciting Between the Worlds fiction series to their many detailed and well-sourced books on Irish paganism and fairy lore. This book in particular, though, was high up on my TBR (to be read) list, as I am fascinated with Lugh and have had a back and forth relationship with this complex deity over the years. As Morgan notes in the introduction, there isn’t really a single, solid source out there about Lugh, which seems…
