{"id":23389,"date":"2020-12-01T01:10:58","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T05:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/?p=23389"},"modified":"2020-11-26T16:29:10","modified_gmt":"2020-11-26T20:29:10","slug":"book-review-practically-pagan-an-alternative-guide-to-health-well-being-by-irisanya-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2020\/12\/01\/book-review-practically-pagan-an-alternative-guide-to-health-well-being-by-irisanya-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review – Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Health & Well-Being by Irisanya Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Book Review<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

Practically Pagan<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

An Alternative Guide<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

to Health & Well-Being<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

by Irisanya Moon <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

Moon Books<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

160 Pages<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I have always been a practical person, possessing a sense of self-preservation that has allowed me to live for over sixty years in relatively good health. When I saw this book, I was quite naturally intrigued. I expected to read about holistic ways of keeping oneself hale and hearty in body and mind and spirit, and I wasn\u2019t disappointed in that at all. Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Health & Wellbeing<\/u> certainly delivers. The thing is \u2013 there isn\u2019t very much about it that\u2019s pagan. <\/i>No mention of gods or goddesses or pagan ritual or any <\/i>of that. There\u2019s mention of spirituality but it could be any <\/i>kind of spiritual practice. I\u2019m not bringing this up as a criticism \u2013 I think it\u2019s an asset. I just want to point out that there\u2019s a bunch of people who might walk by this book because of the \u201cPagan\u201d in the title \u2013 because of silly prejudices against Pagans \u2013 and they would sadly miss out on a wonderful self-help book. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Health & Wellbeing<\/u> is written by Irisanya Moon and published by Moon Books, an imprint of John Hunt Publishing. It\u2019s available on Amazon for your Kindle or as a paperback. I read it on my laptop in my E-reader. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Irisanya Moon is a witch \u2013 part of the famous Reclaiming coven \u2013 working in the Bay Area in California. Her website is here ~~> https:\/\/www.irisanya.com\/<\/a> Be sure to check it out \u2013 there\u2019s a <\/span><\/span>lot <\/i><\/span><\/span>of information. There\u2019s classes, workshops and witchcamps \u2013 some are now online-only because of COVID-19 \u2013 there\u2019s a blog and of course links to order her other books. I am definitely going to buy her <\/span><\/span>Aphrodite<\/u><\/span><\/span> book soon \u2013 I have been a devotee of the Goddess of Love for many years. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Much of what I read in Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Health & Wellbeing<\/u> was not unknown to me, due to my own long-term association with both alternative religions and recovery. But I always enjoy reading a new book about how to take care of myself and how to better my health, be it my physical health, my mental health or my spiritual health. As I read, I found myself nodding my head in agreement. Like basic black, common sense never goes out of style! <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I really liked the idea about making and keeping promises (pages 19-20). If you can\u2019t keep a promise to yourself, just to whom can you keep a promise? I keep lists of things I want to do but I never really thought of my daily tasks as promises <\/i>to myself. But getting out for a daily walk \u2013 no matter what the weather might be \u2013 is something I do on a daily basis. I realized, as I was reading, that this is a promise <\/i>to get daily exercise that I keep. A promise to myself. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the chapter, \u201cYour Body as the Foundation\u201d, Moon writes, \u201cThere is no one way, no right way to eat \u2013 no matter what you\u2019ve been told.\u201d (Moon, 32). I couldn\u2019t agree more. We are bombarded with messages that we must eat this specialized diet or that particular food regimen or that all animal foods must be eliminated or whatever it is. But the fact is, we\u2019re all different and what works for me might not work for you. Again, Moon\u2019s common-sense approach to an often-contentious subject is refreshingly rare in these days of didactic diet advice. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I also agree with her statement: \u201cWeight is not a measure of your health or worth.\u201d (Moon, 36). While I agree with this entire discussion, I do wish that she had brought up the idiocy of BMI (Body Mass Index) chart. More than anything else, this chart has doomed thousands \u2013 if not millions \u2013 of people to being labeled as \u201coverweight\u201d \u2013 even \u201cobese\u201d \u2013 when they were perfectly healthy. Honestly, this is really my only true criticism of the entire book. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The next chapter is \u201cSettling Your Mind\u201d and after that is \u201cActivating Your Spiritual Practice\u201d. The two chapters somewhat go together in that you can\u2019t have a decent spiritual practice without a settled mind. Even though the book is called \u201cPractically Pagan\u201d, there\u2019s no talk of paganism or anything even remotely witchy in the spiritual practice chapter. Honestly, it reads like it was written by a Buddhist. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 When things are falling apart around you, go to your daily practice.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 When things are wonderful, go to your daily practice.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 When things are confusing, go to your daily practice. (Moon, 73)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Honestly, I\u2019ve heard that from more than one Buddhist teacher. But never from anyone within the Pagan\/Wiccan community. But it doesn\u2019t really matter, right? It\u2019s the truth \u2013 no matter who\u2019s saying it. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I could really identify with the chapter, \u201cThe Myth of Balance.\u201d As someone who has a diagnosis of Bipolar-1, I have gone through over thirty years of psychiatrists and therapists prescribing me medications and talking me through how to achieve \u201cbalance\u201d. But as Moon writes, \u201cIt sounds today as though it is a static point where you arrive. But in truth, balance is the constant shifting of things to come back to balance. It might be perfectly aligned for a moment, but we have to make choices to come back to what balance looks like for us. And balance might just mean different things in different areas of our lives, in different times of our lives.\u201d (Moon, 79). The truth is, there is no true balance ever \u2013 life is ever changing, and that is the way it is. Would anyone of us want to live with our moods a straight line of sameness all the time? I know I wouldn\u2019t. Not to mention that to be a creative person, one must experience the full spectrum of moods \u2013 not just the safe ones in the middle of the extremes. Her exercises for finding balance in your own life are worth the time and effort. In some ways, they mirror other exercises that I have done in other therapies. But it\u2019s always good to review and renew! <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The remaining chapters are about keeping oneself strong and healthy in these times of social upheaval \u2013 removing toxic people from one\u2019s life, if necessary and finding people who nourish you (page 98) and dealing with trauma (pages 117-18). The last two chapters list tools and support systems \u2013 always important in recovery or just for someone who wants to live a healthy life! The very last pages are dedicated to resources.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In all, I can\u2019t recommend Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Health & Wellbeing<\/u>, by Irisanya Moon, enough. I am so <\/i>glad I was given the chance to read it and review it for Pagan Pages. I only wish that I had the paperback version so I could set it on my bookshelf with my other recovery books! But the E-version is OK by me. I hope you all get out and find yourself a copy of this wonderful book.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Moon, Irisanya. Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Health & Wellbeing<\/u>. Winchester, UK:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hunt Books, 2020. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Practically Pagan – An Alternative Guide to Health & Well-being on Amazon<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

***<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Polly MacDavid<\/b>\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan but she gets along with a few of the masculine deities. She loves to cook and she is a Bills fan. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She blogs at\u00a0<\/span>silverapplequeen.wordpress.com<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/u><\/span>. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Review Practically Pagan An Alternative Guide to Health & Well-Being by Irisanya Moon Moon Books 160 Pages   I have always been a practical person, possessing a sense of self-preservation that has allowed me to live for over sixty years in relatively good health. When I saw this book, I was quite naturally intrigued. I expected to read about holistic ways of keeping oneself hale and hearty in body and mind and spirit, and I wasn\u2019t disappointed in that at all. Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Health & Wellbeing certainly delivers. The thing is \u2013 there isn\u2019t very much about it that\u2019s pagan. No mention of gods or goddesses or pagan ritual or any of that. There\u2019s mention of spirituality but it could be any kind of spiritual practice. I\u2019m not bringing this up as a criticism \u2013 I think it\u2019s an asset. I just want to point out that there\u2019s a bunch of people who might walk by this book because of the \u201cPagan\u201d in the title \u2013 because of silly prejudices against Pagans \u2013 and they would sadly miss out on a wonderful self-help book. Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Health & Wellbeing is written by Irisanya Moon and published by Moon Books, an imprint of John Hunt Publishing. It\u2019s available on Amazon for your Kindle or as a paperback. I read it on my laptop in my E-reader. Irisanya Moon is a witch \u2013 part of the famous Reclaiming coven \u2013 working in the Bay Area in California. Her website is here ~~> https:\/\/www.irisanya.com\/ Be sure to check it out \u2013 there\u2019s a lot of information. There\u2019s classes, workshops and witchcamps \u2013 some are now online-only because of COVID-19 \u2013 there\u2019s a blog and of course links to order her other books. I am definitely going to buy her Aphrodite book soon \u2013 I have been a devotee of the Goddess of Love for many years. Much of what I read in Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Health & Wellbeing was not unknown to me, due to my own long-term association with both alternative religions and recovery. But I always enjoy reading a new book about how to take care of myself and how to better my health, be it my physical health, my mental health or my spiritual health. As I read, I found myself nodding my head in agreement. Like basic black, common sense never goes out of style! I really liked the idea about making and keeping promises (pages 19-20). If you can\u2019t keep a promise to yourself, just to whom can you keep a promise? I keep lists of things I want to do but I never really thought of my daily tasks as promises to myself. But getting out for a daily walk \u2013 no matter what the weather might be \u2013 is something I do on a daily basis. I realized, as I was reading, that this is a promise to get daily exercise that I keep. A promise to myself. In the chapter, \u201cYour Body as the Foundation\u201d, Moon writes, \u201cThere is no one way, no right way to eat \u2013 no matter what you\u2019ve been told.\u201d (Moon, 32). I couldn\u2019t agree more. We are bombarded with messages that we must eat this specialized diet or that particular food regimen or that all animal foods must be eliminated or whatever it is. But the fact is, we\u2019re all different and what works for me might not work for you. Again, Moon\u2019s common-sense approach to an often-contentious subject is refreshingly rare in these days of didactic diet advice. I also agree with her statement: \u201cWeight is not a measure of your health or worth.\u201d (Moon, 36). While I agree with this entire discussion, I do wish that she had brought up the idiocy of BMI (Body Mass Index) chart. More than anything else, this chart has doomed thousands \u2013 if not millions \u2013 of people to being labeled as \u201coverweight\u201d \u2013 even \u201cobese\u201d \u2013 when they were perfectly healthy. Honestly, this is really my only true criticism of the entire book. The next chapter is \u201cSettling Your Mind\u201d and after that is \u201cActivating Your Spiritual Practice\u201d. The two chapters somewhat go together in that you can\u2019t have a decent spiritual practice without a settled mind. Even though the book is called \u201cPractically Pagan\u201d, there\u2019s no talk of paganism or anything even remotely witchy in the spiritual practice chapter. Honestly, it reads like it was written by a Buddhist. \u2022 When things are falling apart around you, go to your daily practice. \u2022 When things are wonderful, go to your daily practice. \u2022 When things are confusing, go to your daily practice. (Moon, 73) Honestly, I\u2019ve heard that from more than one Buddhist teacher. But never from anyone within the Pagan\/Wiccan community. But it doesn\u2019t really matter, right? It\u2019s the truth \u2013 no matter who\u2019s saying it. I could really identify with the chapter, \u201cThe Myth of Balance.\u201d As someone who has a diagnosis of Bipolar-1, I have gone through over thirty years of psychiatrists and therapists prescribing me medications and talking me through how to achieve \u201cbalance\u201d. But as Moon writes, \u201cIt sounds today as though it is a static point where you arrive. But in truth, balance is the constant shifting of things to come back to balance. It might be perfectly aligned for a moment, but we have to make choices to come back to what balance looks like for us. And balance might just mean different things in different areas of our lives, in different times of our lives.\u201d (Moon, 79). The truth is, there is no true balance ever \u2013 life is ever changing, and that is the way it is. Would anyone of us want to live with our moods a straight line of sameness all the time? I know I wouldn\u2019t. Not to mention that to be a creative person, one must experience the full spectrum of moods \u2013 not just the safe ones in the middle of the extremes. Her exercises for finding balance in your own life are worth the time and effort. In some ways, they mirror other exercises that I have done in other therapies. But it\u2019s always good to review and renew! The remaining chapters are about keeping oneself strong and healthy in these times of social upheaval \u2013 removing toxic people from one\u2019s life, if necessary and finding people who nourish you (page 98) and dealing with trauma (pages 117-18). The last two chapters list tools and support systems \u2013 always important in recovery or just for someone who wants to live a healthy life! The very last pages are dedicated to resources. In all, I can\u2019t recommend Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Health & Wellbeing, by Irisanya Moon, enough. I am so glad I was given the chance to read it and review it for Pagan Pages. I only wish that I had the paperback version so I could set it on my bookshelf with my other recovery books! But the E-version is OK by me. I hope you all get out and find yourself a copy of this wonderful book. References Moon, Irisanya. Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Health & Wellbeing. Winchester, UK: Hunt Books, 2020. Practically Pagan – An Alternative Guide to Health & Well-being on Amazon *** About the Author: Polly MacDavid\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic. Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan but she gets along with a few of the masculine deities. She loves to cook and she is a Bills fan. She blogs at\u00a0silverapplequeen.wordpress.com. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10005],"tags":[11847,11263,10346,10095,12115,11024,12606,10378,12604,10075,12605],"class_list":["post-23389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-alternative","tag-an","tag-author","tag-book","tag-guide-to","tag-health","tag-irisanya-moon","tag-pagan","tag-practically","tag-review","tag-well-being"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23389"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23391,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23389\/revisions\/23391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}