by David F. Vennells
Llewellyn, 2001 $9.95 US
ISBN 0-7387-0098-3

Review by Daven

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Please understand something, this book has NOTHING to do with Wicca, Witchcraft, Magick or any esoteric practices that have been part of the occult in the past. This is a book on health, like a book on aromatherapy, massage, or a book of herbs. You must keep this in mind as you read this book.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Reflexology, it is a preventative application of direct stimulus to the nerve endings in the feet and hands. Still confused? The theory of Reflexology states that by massaging nerve endings in the feet and hands a healthier body can be achieved and maintained, since all nerve terminate in the feet and hands. It is anecdotally proven over the years that it can aid the healing process.

Reflexology has migrated to America along with Acupuncture, Acupressure, Chiropractic treatment, bowel health, warmed stones, Shiatsu massage and other forms of good Eastern pathways to good health. Herbal supplements have nothing on some of these disciplines.

This is a book for beginners of this discipline. It has a lot more information than just “how to”, but those critical instructions are there.

I have been practicing this for a while as an amateur on my wife and myself. I had one little card in my wallet that showed me the regions of the foot that related to the different parts of the body. It’s one reason I was interested in this book.

I can find little to criticize about this book. From what I observed as I went through this book, it is complete and whole in and of itself. This is exactly the book I would write and there is little information that I would remove if I could. The ONLY criticism I have is that the information after the “how to” is geared toward someone setting up a practice in this field, which apparently is much easier than it was several years ago.

Going through the chapters: The first chapter discusses theory and history. It is always a good idea to give a person a basis to start from in this field. The second chapter is dedicated to how and what the regions of the foot relate to and where to rub to affect regions of the body. The third chapter is “how to” rub the feet, what kind of massages to use, which order to rub the feet in, and techniques that will affect a specific cure.

Chapter four is how to more in depth, how to be a clinician with regards to the treatments you need to practice, and special cases you have to pay attention to like pediatric treatments. Chapter five is more in depth exposition in the treatment of patients, and this is where it implies that you could set up a medical practice in this field. Chapter six is practical advice and more theory. Seven is case studies from other practitioners of Reflexology and how they did what they did. Chapters 8, 9 and 10 are dedicated to further study in preparing yourself for practical practice on others, like where disease comes from, how to meditate to clear your mind, and where reflexology is going now.

The appendixes take some of the information that was mentioned but not explored in depth, like core concepts of Buddhism and how that affects reflexology and the history of reflexology and gives more information on those topics only. I assume that the student can take these sections more slowly and delve into them as their interest is piqued.

The author does state multiple times that the person who reads this book does not have to create a medical practice if they choose not to do so. He makes sure that this concept is clear for the reader. Then throughout the text he speaks as though the reader was indeed going to begin a practice. I don’t understand why, but I can assume that it may be because practice on anyone but oneself is technically a practice. I could wish that one of the appendixes contained more detail on how to go about finding a suitable building, acquiring medical insurance as well as a certificate to practice legally, and some of the downfalls of doing so.

There should probably be a comprehensive chart of the feet and what areas correspond with which region of the body. It is covered in chapter 2, but it’s piecemeal. One page deals with just the reproductive areas, one page is just the digestive tract, and another page covers the heart/lungs. It would help to have all those merged into one page, clearly labeled and broken out. Even an advertisement in the back for a wall chart soon to come from Llewellyn would be helpful.

I have to give this book 4 1/2 stars out of 5. The parts I object to are minor, and this is one of those books that are a must have for anyone who is interested in this kind of medicine. I believe that this is a good book for a new person to start with, and I highly recommend it to all.

Originally posted 2009-11-15 17:29:27.

The Witches’ Almanac LTD., 2010 $11.95 US
ISBN 978-0-9824323-0-3

Review by Daven

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

I honestly thought this was a mistake when it was sent to me. I hadn’t requested this book, and I tend to avoid reviewing things like calendars and date books, since their usefulness is very limited. But I am glad to have the opportunity to review this book.

Like all almanacs that I have ever seen, this has a calendar in it. It has articles and also information on planting cycles. The required articles and mentions of astrology are also present. But as the title implies, this also is a book packed with information for Witches.

No, there are no recipes for making your own wormwood flying ointment, but there is an article on the use of Cauldrons in Celtic Myth. There is an article on the Mexican Day of the Dead. The Holidays for most Pagans are listed in the calendar accurately. There are moon phases in the calendar as well.

One thing that I noticed for this book, and it is the first time I have seen it, is that the calendar, instead of being broken down into January, February and such months on the Gregorian calendar, is instead broken into Zodiac Signs. So the “year” of the calendar starts with Capricorn, and then goes to Aquarius and on until the entire cycle has been covered, and then it continues for three more signs to give you time to pick up a new copy to continue the cycle.

There are full length articles in the front and back of this book, and there are little snippets of articles on the pages facing the month that you are dealing with. A glance at the calendar is enough to show you what the moon phase is, as it is printed graphically on the days it occurs. I was a bit confused by the days having the signs of the zodiac on them until I read the planting suggestions that are just before the section of the calendars. There it tells me that the zodiac names are qualities in effect as the Moon moves through the houses, and what you should be planting on those days.

ON the calendar pages are little snippets of information on the zodialogical attachment to what stone or metal. They call come from the “ABC of Magic Charms” and I’d bet you that it is another book published by this publisher.

I have to say that like most almanacs that I have read, I like this a lot. There is useful information in there instead of the information that I have to ignore because it’s not for me, like the times of tides and so on. The articles are informative (if in some cases short), but I did find myself reading those articles and learning something from them each time.

All in all, I’m giving this 4 out of 5 stars. The reason it’s not higher is the limited usefulness that it will have after the Spring of 2012. But don’t let that stop you if you find a copy in a used book store, the facts contained in these articles won’t change, and it can be used for reference later.

Who knows, maybe next year’s edition will have the date of the End of the Fifth world in it.

Originally posted 2010-11-13 20:51:08.

by Janell Moon
Red Wheel/Weiser 2004 $24.95 US
ISBN 1-59003-058-3

Review by Daven

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Apparently I’m now getting advanced copies of books that aren’t available for purchase yet. For example, “The Prayer Box” is due out in April of 2004, according to Amazon.com and is an interesting release.

It’s not a book that’s difficult to review, as there is not a whole lot of content. Let me give you my impressions in the order I experienced them.

When I opened the envelope, I instinctively questioned the appropriateness of the request for review. The title on the box suggested that it would make a better offering to a Christian someplace, as Pagans as a general rule aren’t into prayer. But I resolved to open it and give this a fair review.

I pulled out two books and a whole bunch of notepaper with a background feather imprinted on it. The feather matched the feather graphic on the box and books. I first looked in the actual prayer book. The second book is a prayer journal, and it’s blank. So, 100 sheets of blank paper, one book of blank paper, one book of information regarding the use of the blank paper, and a box made of paper. It’s an environmentalist’s nightmare.

I delved into the actual book of instruction on paper use. It is 85 pages of information on prayer. Stories about prayer, how other faiths pray, what prayer means to the author. She shares inspirational stories about her life as a child and those in her family who prayed. She talks about her desire to pray and how prayer changed her life.

There is information in this book about the technique you should use to make the best use of the prayer box. She suggests that you write your prayers down on the papers after writing thoughts out in the journal and isolating key elements of what is needed in your life based on what you just wrote. Depending on what you have written, you can burn the papers or put the prayers into the box and then putting the box on your altar.

All in all, it’s not a bad book in and of itself. Reading it is like reading a self-help book and there is good advice throughout. The stories are very good and uplifting. I think that this could have been done as a stand-alone book, instead of a boxed kit. This smacks too much of the “Teen Witch Kit” for my taste. Had this been published simply as a book, with suggestions for purchasing a journal and some stationary for the other needed components, I would rate this higher. As it is, you are paying nearly $25 for things that could be bought for $3 at a stationary store and the book to go with it.

I’m reluctantly giving this work 3 stars out of 5. This is ONLY because I think the book is worth it as a guide to meditation and as a starting point for your own growth in spirituality. I don’t think the papers and blank journal are worth this. I’d suggest that if you don’t have the money don’t worry about purchasing this particular volume. The book is well written and is a reasonably good addition to those libraries where massive spiritual change is needed.

Originally posted 2009-11-15 18:21:12.

By Richard Abanes
Harvest House Publishers, 2005 $11.99
ISBN 0-7369-1700-4

Review by Daven

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ 

I shouldn’t be disappointed. I knew what I was getting into. I knew this was a book about the evils of witchcraft and Harry Potter from a fundamental Christian perspective. I knew all this, but I still hoped.

I had interacted with Richard Abanes through a weblog. Specifically a discussion that ensued at Wildhunt.org. The exact thread is at “My Falacy is Made of Straw” (and I know it says “No comments”, but trust me, there are comments. Click the link and you will see them.) Yes, I know that I don’t come across in the best of light, but as you can see, there is baiting on both sides.

Well, I talked to his publisher and got a copy of the book. I read it. Man is it disappointing.

It is not that the author is a poor writer. Far from it, Richard is an engaging and convincing author. It’s not that he has his facts wrong, for I’m sure that he did the research required for this book. That information is available, and it is footnoted as well, but I didn’t have the time to go behind him and look up all the citations he states.

What I’m disappointed about is his blatant Wicca-bashing.

Yes, I say “blatant” and I mean it. This is one of those books that takes some coincidences and turns it into one of the biggest conspiracies there is. And not just once, but he does it in multiple different places.

Let me walk you through the book for a few minutes.

First he talks about the history of fantasy and literature. How reading and fantasy affect a child’s psyche. Then the looks at “The Lord of the Rings” and does a credible job of breaking it down along with many biographical and behind the scenes facts that I was peripherally aware of, but upon which I didn’t have researched knowledge (I did a report on TLotR in High School for my 10th Grade Literature class. I got a C+ in it.) He is full of glowing praise for the series. To hear him tell it, TLotR is the book that should be read to bring about the second coming. Then he looks at The Chronicles of Narnia and is filled with the same glowing praise. The same amount of compliments and lavish acceptance. He almost fawns on the books.

Then he looks at Harry Potter.

Now, to be fair, he does raise a lot of points of concern about the series. He mentions many things in the Harry Potter series that cause me to stop and consider for a few moments. He also raises no points that have not been discussed before and dismissed as irrational fears. He talks about how willful and disobedient the children are, how the role models they look to are not any better, and how the only shining example of what a “Christian” would call a righteous person is is one of the worst antagonists in the book, namely Professor Snape. How the good guys are using the same tools the bad guys are using, and he digs back 15 years to show JK Rowling in the worst possible light in quotes and interviews.

Then he talks about Wicca.

When this section started, I said “What the Fuck???” There is absolutely no reason to have this tangent in this book, about what Wicca is, what Wiccan believe and what modern Paganism is. There is NO reason for it to be there. He admits that what is in the Harry Potter books has nothing to do with Wicca, and that Wicca has nothing to do with the Harry Potter books. But then he goes on to give us multiple pages about Wicca and how it is unrighteous, dangerous, and could “foster a dangerous interest in the occult”. He discusses at length the books available in the fiction section talking about and promoting Wicca. Not one word about the other books promoting the Occult or Witchcraft (like “The Witch Next Door” or “Strega Nona” or “Iktomi”), only Wicca is singled out for this.

Now, please remember this has nothing to do with anything, it’s a tangent and a red herring thrown into this book. It is solely meant to connect, by contamination, Wicca and Harry Potter as both being dangerous.

It seems that Mr. Abanes is a bigot of the highest order, one where he thinks he’s doing the world a favor by speaking out. Just like Jack Chick. Just like Jimmy Swaggert. Just like many other fundamentalists who only want to bring the ends about, not caring who they injure or harm or trample on their way to whatever “paradise” they envision. And Wicca is not the only group he targets, he has another book targeting Mormons as well.

Then he goes back to talking about Harry Potter and the marketing machine behind the books who pumping expectations up. He talks about how the media basically brainwashed people into believing that if they didn’t have Harry Potter everything, they were uncool. What he fails to mention is that this same marketing machine goes to work for EVERY new product and book that comes along, and it works overtime to do the same for the movies.

With all that, it is a well researched book. It can stand on it’s own, and as long as the facts are in order, there is nothing really wrong or outright lies in here that I could spot. The references he uses are also slanted and biased, chosen to prove his thesis rather than to be fair. But the linking of Harry Potter with Wicca, by mentioning them in the same book together, one right after the other, takes this book from a scholarly reference to thinly veiled hate-mongering. Had the references to Wicca been removed, I would have little problem with this book outright.

It is biased. Oh my Gods and Goddesses is it biased. But it is being written by a Christian for Christians in an attempt to save the children from the evil that is Harry Potter, so one would expect bias. It panders to every fear a parent has, bad role models, dealing with fantasy instead of reality, learning morals and qualities which are far removed from parental control and so on. But it is presented as though the Lord of the Rings and Narnia are books of such unimpeachable merit that they should be read in addition to the Bible at every turn, while the Harry Potter books are one step up from the Alister Crowley collected works. And then when Wicca is linked to them, well… as our Hebrew cousins say “Oy vey….”

In honest reflection, this book is not for most Pagan audiences. It is designed to spread fear and hatred in the Christian mind, fostering the belief that Pagans and Wiccans are bad and out to take the children over by any means necessary. It will get Pagans mad. It will give most Pagans another reason to hate Christians. But it is well written hate mongering. In no place *I* could detect is there actual out and out lies. So judging this on it’s own merits, I would rate it at a 3 1/2 stars out of 5. For its usefulness to the average Pagan, I would say it’s about a 1 star of 5. Personally I would probably borrow it from the library or buy it from a used book store, so as not to encourage the author in writing more of this brand of hatred.

Originally posted 2009-11-15 15:13:56.

By Ann Moura
Llewellyn Publications, 2002
ISBN 0-7387-0181-5

Review by Daven

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

When I first got this book, I went into it with an open mind, willing despite her previous successes with Green Witchcraft series and failure with The Origins of Modern Witchcraft to enjoy this book. I’m glad I read it now.

This book does focus on the pure Witchcraft of her tradition, rather than on Wiccan magick or any other kind of magick, but that is not a detriment, but rather it is a help. Ann does a really good job giving the basics of a magickal system without much religion mixed in. There is, of necessity, some spirituality mixed in, but she presents a system of magick that is very interesting.

It is drawn from her experience with Green Witchcraft, and she reprises much of her writings from her first three books, but unlike those first three books, this book can and does stand on it’s own.

Visually, the cover and interior drawings are excellent and add quite a bit to the overall impact. It’s easy to read and the type is well designed for those who have trouble with their eyes.

Being a teacher of magick, I can appreciate the line Ann walks in presenting her magickal system, and never quite crossing the line over into “one true wayism” where her system is the only system of magick there is. She freely admits that this is what she learned and what she teaches, but that this is not the only way to do things.

There are some objections I have with the text however, most of which could be passed off for various reasons. For instance, she once again states that Wicca is the direct descendent of the Sind religion and basically represents the core belief of her book The Origins of Modern Witchcraft, which is full of inaccuracies. She does cross reference her own works again, but not to an extent that someone who has not read her works would be lost. The absolutely necessary information is there.

There are aspects of magick that are glossed over, such as ceremonial magick, but she is presenting her system, rather than one comprehensive book on all magick. The information that is in this book is accurate and well described, complete and whole. Her table of correspondences for subjective things like the Elements are presented as the only thing there is, but it is whole and takes up an entire appendix in the back of the book. But anyone reading any other book on the Craft or on Wicca will find a simmilar table in those books that do not necessarily coincide with what she put down.

Ann does advocate something that I’m not sure I like or approve of, that of doing spells for any and all reasons. In Chapter 6, she states:

“… The extension of energy to hold the traffic light green until you are through the intersection, the envisioning of the empty parking space at the crowded shopping center, the movement between the beats of time to arrive at work without being late, the shielding of the car through heavy traffic to ward off accidents, the holding off of the downpour until indoors, and the finding of a desired item on the store shelf that wasn’t there the first time you looked — these are all little spells that the connected Witch tosses off during a normal day’s routine, and opportunity to practice the Craft through living it.”

Ann Moura, Green Magick, pp. 93-95

While this statement is completely true and correct, and this kind of thing does happen every day for most Witches, I don’t know if it’s particularly wise to be advocating it for those who are new to this magickal path. But I tend to be a cautious person, making sure that those who would practice magick understand what they are dealing with, so some Guardian someplace does not have to come along and save their behind from something that was attracted to all the unshielded energy being tossed around. But that’s me. I would advise those who pick this book up and read it because of or in spite of this review to use some common sense in this area. Most of us who are practiced in this magick do, but she never mentions this to the reader.

For the experienced practitioner, Wiccan or another kind of magickian, I would recommend this book without hesitation, especially since the slanted areas are easily found and discarded. For the person just starting on the path of magick, I would advise some caution, or reading it under the tutelage of someone who is experienced who can give the proper perspective on the contents.

All in all, I give this book 4 stars out of 5. She did another wonderful job with this one, with very little for me to object to. It IS a good book, despite some of my comments, and the material in there is really good. I’m planning on advising my High Magick students to pick it up and read it when we do the chapter on Witchcraft.

Originally posted 2009-11-15 10:45:52.

by Gwinevere Rain
Llewellyn Publications, 2002, $12.95 US
ISBN 0-7387-0225-0

Review by Daven

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

I must say this up front: This is a cute book. The lime green cover and the pink dress on the female figure on the cover is cute. The interior decorations on every page is cute too, stars, diamonds, circles, pretty hearts and so on make this book cute.

Gwinevere does succeed where Silver RavenWolf didn’t in her book “Teen Witch”, this is MUCH better in describing what a Wiccan is and how we worship. This book is not just spells, spells, and more spells. There is actually practical advice, suggestions, thoughts and lessons.

I think Llewellyn is capitalizing on Gwinevere’s age to sell this book. Most of the content can be found in any other Wicca 101 book out there, and “Teen Witch” gives such information as is not covered in this book. It is my supposition that Llewellyn is trusting in the novelty of “a book on Teen Witchcraft, written by a teen” to sell this one. That and how cute this book is.

There are some things that are irritants. The author makes the same mistake so many others make in perpetuating the myth that ALL magick is Wiccan in origin. She states repeatedly that the magick’s rules will insure that one gets back what one puts out and that it can’t be used for harm (the Rede and Threefold Law). While the author states that these moral constraints are Wiccan, she does so without informing her readers that there are other magical traditions available for study.

Perhaps my discontent stems from the fact that this book is written by a teen for teens and yet seems to assume that its audience is so lacking in perception that “cuteifying” the book will cover up the dearth of content. ALL this information appears in other places, many of them the “standard works” of Wicca like Buckland’s Book, Cunningham’s works and so on. The only thing that is new is the layout and the spells.

I’m not saying that Gwinevere did a bad job of presenting this information; on the contrary, she did MUCH better than Ravenwolf. It’s a good introduction to Wicca and I daresay that teens WILL be attracted to this book (especially the girls) because it is so cute. While I was reading it, however, I felt as though someone had spilled a box of “Lucky Charms” on the pages while it was being printed. After the first few dozen pages, the additional graphics are a distraction.

In short, most of my objections to this book are not directed at the author, but rather at the publisher. I do think the author messed up and presented this as a guide to Teen Spellcrafting, a “how to”, when all that is presented is another Wicca 101 book. I’m reluctantly giving it 3 stars out of 5. It’s not total trash, and teachers of the Craft would be advised to be familiar with the contents so they know what their students are reading, but it is useful if you have never come across Wicca before.  I believe that this book and “Teen Witch” would do well together.

Originally posted 2009-11-15 17:41:23.

(part of the Oberon Zell Presents series)

by Ash “LeopardDancer” DeKirk
New Page Books, copyright 2006 $16.99
ISBN 1-56414-868-8

Review by Daven

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ 

One of the hazards of reviewing books for a website or a publication is receiving unsolicited books to review. Reviewers are sent advanced copies of books to promote talk about the volume when it’s released. Unfortunately this means that those reviewing the book don’t really have a choice in receiving the book; their only choice is whether or not they actually review it.

When I received this book, I was somewhat put off by it from the beginning, mainly because I have worked with Dragons in the past and have yet to see a book that actually does them justice.

I have to make a few statements before I get into the book’s mechanics. It’s no secret that I don’t like the Grey School or “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard” (the book that started all this) by Oberon. This review is going to make clear, I still don’t. To some it may seem that I am on a campaign against the school and all associated with it and not attempting to be fair. Point in fact, I have re-written this review three times trying to be exceedingly fair to this author because I hate giving bad reviews.

Compendium books like this one is fall into two classes of work, exceedingly good or bad. Unfortunately, the majority of the compendiums I have seen are far more commonly found in the latter category.

This book is to be used as part of the standard curriculum of the Grey School, run by Oberon. It is a required text for the class in the School taught by the author. If this is a sample of what is taught, I will never be in line take this class.

The foreword was written by Oberon Zell, the headmaster of the Grey School. No where is there any information from the author of this book, regarding the book’s purpose or how it is supposed to be used, which is odd.

I can’t say that this book is a joke, or a serious scholarly text, or simply a collection of sources or anything else. The need for and methodology behind the book may be stated in class. If so the book should have been kept in the school and not released to the general public.

Personally, all I can go on is Oberon’s words about this book, and from what he says this is going to be required reading at some point.

The first chapter deals with the species of dragons, but instead of settling for what is identifiably a dragon, snakes, hydras and wyverns are added into the mix. Now, while it can be argued that they are descended from draconic stock (if you believe that dragons actually physically existed on this planet), you can’t call them “dragons” anymore. That would be like coming up with a compendium on Horses and adding Giraffes and Hippos into the book.

As I said, the first chapter is about the different types of dragons in the various regions of the world, discussing their abilities, habits and powers attributed to them from myth and story. It is interesting that in this chapter the author discusses what criteria they use to define what is and is not a dragon, but those criteria are so broad and vague as to be able to be applied to almost anything.

Quoting from page 21:

“So how do we tell what is a dragon and what is not? Below is a list of traits and attributes that the myths and legends of the world grant dragons. If your creature in question has one or more of them, then chances are you would be safe calling it a dragon.

• reptilian in looks or behavior
• avian traits such as feathers
• utilization of fire or poison as a natural defense
• being associated with water
• having control over natural occurrences such as the weather, earthquakes, tsunamis and so forth
• being a guardian of something, be it treasure or knowledge
• magickal (sic) or supernatural abilities
• being able to fly, with or without wings
• shape shifting ability
• being viewed as a god or the servant of the gods”

Got that? By that logic, every High Priestess is a Dragon (guardian of knowledge, having magickal abilities and servant of the Gods). All Chickens are Dragons (flight and feathers), a Shrimp Boat Captain is a Dragon (associated with water), and a Gecko is a Dragon (reptilian looks and behavior). Oh, and Witches are Dragons also (stories give witches the power to control the winds and the weather, look no further than the cords where the winds were knotted up in them).

The Second Chapter is the beginning of the stories of the Dragons, taken from myth and legend. Siegfried and the Wurm is in here, as too is the fight between Thor and the Midgard Serpent at Ragnarok also called Gotterdammerung. Saint George and the Dragon is in here as well as… wait? Melusine? A woman cursed to become a dragon is included with the lore of Dragons? Or is half serpent and part faeire and is a guardian of a particular dynasty. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melusine ) I wouldn’t include this story, but I’m not the author. But then, why Quetzalcoatl? Why have stories of an Aztecan deity who is called the Feathered Serpent, but isn’t a dragon? Also included is Kiyo, a revenge tale about a spurned girl who goes and learns a spell to turn herself into a dragon to kill the priest who spurned her. Not one I would include either, since it has more to do with revenge and a draconic shape is the medium of that revenge.

The next chapter talks about Modern Dragons, and here my credulity was stretched so far that it snapped. In this section one can find whole references from such works as Harry Potter, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, the Forgotten Realms (from D&D), Dragonheart (the movie), Dragonslayer (the movie), Final Fantasy (yes, from the game) and many other fictional sources. I didn’t see any of the many stories I know of however (one published in the “Sword and Sorcery” anthologies or “Dragonslayer” by Barbara Hamby), though there are some new short stories that I didn’t bother to read. There was even a reference to the Dungeons and Dragons Movie in this.

I read this chapter in gape-mouthed shock. I wanted to grab my Monster Manual out of storage to compare, but I had an eerie feeling of dejà vu when I started reading as there was EVERY dragon that Dungeons and Dragons ever listed in any of their books. I wonder if Wizards of the Coast (the current copyright holders for the entire AD&D franchise) knows about this. The suggested reading section lists such works as “Pete’s Dragon” and “Dragonball Z“.

The last chapter dealt with Dragons in the Natural World, and I assume this is meant to be archeological evidence that Dragons exist. The listing includes Dinosaurs, of all things, not just the Plesiosaurs, but listing a Triceratops and Ankylosaur as a Dragon. Such notables as a Python or an American Alligator are listed as Dragons, along with the Komodo Dragon. I’m sorry, I don’t care how often you call a walnut shell with feathers a roast turkey it is still a walnut shell with feathers.

The bibliography is not much better. It is full of references to works of fiction; from Harry Potter to movies to the Dragonriders of Pern series (where there are creatures called dragons, they are actually genetically altered aliens on another planet, not true dragons at all).

In short, this book is an assemblage of references from mythology abbreviated to a point of near uselessness with modern fiction about dragons taking precedent. Apparently any creature being called a dragon once in the text of the story , or looking vaguely draconic when it is described, qualifies that story for inclusion in this work. Even creatures who have no right being called dragons at all are added to this text, simply because they might be somewhat maybe perhaps related to or look like a dragon. I personally can’t call a Hadrosaur a Dragon.

In short, this volume cannot be considered a serious scholarly work at all. It ignores the actual serious discussions on Dragons completely, such as the Discovery Channel’s recent well publicized show on how a dragon could be real. And yet, included are things like a discussion of a dragon-seal in the Anime series Full Metal Alchemist and dragons on a card in the card game of Yu-Gi-Oh the cartoon of the same name.

And for the life of me I can’t determine if the author intended it this way or not. If this is a text book on Dragon Lore for the Grey School, one would hope it has some basis in fact. But no, that is not evident in this book. If this is meant to be a fun book, like many other compendiums of lore on creatures, then one would hope that it would be stated somewhere that this is not a serious work, but that’s not in this work either. I believe that text books should entertain and enlighten but, texts books for any school should have some gravitas.

This is not a book that should be used in paganism on any level unless you have a lot of room on your bookshelf and must have everything Dragon.

How to rate this book? I give it one star out of five. The only reason it’s not lower is that there is some information in there of use, like the abbreviated myths that were compiled and some of the names of the Chinese Dragons. None of the rest of this is worth anything in my opinion, and I don’t think that it is nearly worth the $16.99 asking price. Pick it up, read the first chapter, put it back on the shelf.

Originally posted 2009-12-15 18:24:18.

By Hans Holzer
ISBN 0-88405-096-3

A Review by Daven

I was sent this book by a friend, who had quite a number of negative things to say about the book. After reading it, there are multiple things that are highly questionable, but not truly objectionable depending upon your point of view.

At the beginning of the book, one must assume that the story is true. With that as an unverifiable assumption, the book becomes compelling look into power trips and mind games.

Heather was a woman from a midwestern town who moved to New York and began a journey into Wicca. She was attracted to Wicca because she had several psychic gifts, all of which came on strong in her teenage years. She had no one to help her control them, nor did she have any kind of training in those gifts.

In addition to that, it seems that either she was an untrained channel, or she had multiple personality disorder (MPD). I am betting on the MPD personally.

Throughout the book, she constantly blames her “uncontrollable” urges on someone she calls “her”. This person is the manifestation of all the buried urges with which she refuses to come to terms. When Heather finally finds the NeoPagan movement, in the form of a co-worker/Coven recruiter for the local Gardnerian coven, it seems to be the answer to her prayers.

Heather is introduced to this world through her friend, and taught by the High Priestess on the weekends. To all appearances, Heather takes to Wicca like a duck to water.

Then things start taking a bad turn. The High Priest has strong objections to including Heather in the Coven, but she is allowed to attend a working Esbat anyhow. Apparently the entire coven, with the exception of the High Priest, like her so much that after a year of training under the HPS, she is initiated into the Coven.

So far, everything is true to life, as far as I can tell. Having never been in a Gardnerian coven, the rituals she reports are almost identical to the Alexandran rituals that I have seen. For that reason alone, I am inclined to believe parts of this book.

The High Priestess gets sick enough that she retires from the Coven. The rest of the group elect Heather to be their new High Priestess over the objections of the High Priest. She drives the HP out of the Coven with her psychic abilities. Nowhere in the book is initiated into the Second or Third Degrees, even though by Gardnerian law, no one under Second Degree can hold the office of Priestess.

With all the normal controls gone, it’s Heather and the other 6 members of the Coven to control “her”. From the descriptions, Heather did appear to be inexperienced in having to study the Rites and rituals before the Sabbats and Esbats. However, she was only initiated for about 5 months at that point, and the High Priest of the Coven is correct in saying that she was too inexperienced to be a Priestess.

All of these factors contribute to her breakdown that occurs throughout the rest of the book. With no moral governors over her actions, someone so new to her position CANNOT be trusted to run a coven. According to the story, she had no elders helping her. Yet one by one, the rest of the Coven decide to abrogate responsibility to her, as a duly elected (elected?) High Priestess.

She met a man in her mundane life and decides that spell crafting was the only way to get him to love her. She gets jilted by him at one point in the book and “She” decided to cast massive spells, both personally and in the Coven to get him back. She gave no thought to the consequences of her actions, and violated the Rede completely as she did this. She completely ruined his life as well as his fiancé’s life. However, this almost seems secondary to the power trip she was on.

The final insult to an intelligent reader is that at the end of the book, she not only had everything backlash on her, with minor consequences instead of the massive price she SHOULD have paid, but when she cut this guy loose, the world realigns and everything went right again.

Huh?

First, she sold her spells to the President of the Company she worked for in mundane life, and she did this more than once. She also asked for a transfer about 4 times from the president, yet when he put through the paperwork, she then canceled the transfer time and again.

The High Priest came back to the Coven after she left, due to one of the putative transfers, and he banishes her from the Coven forever for ruining a Beltane Sabbat. The next Esbat meeting, she shows back up and she is welcomed back with open arms.

Once again, huh?

For violating her vows, breaking the Rede, and according to the threefold law, she should have lost her job, never been welcomed in the Coven again, and had every Gardnerian’s hand turned against her. Heather was a true danger to the Coven, as proven by telling others about the Coven and their activities. A Warlocking would not have been out of order.

None of this happened to her. Either she was lying to make things seem better than they actually were, or she lied to make the problems with Wicca and the Power seem greater than they were, or the author of the book (who was writing it for her) lied completely and made the whole thing up based on the knowledge he had.

I’m inclined to believe the latter.

Don’t get me wrong, the developments Heather went through are critical to the purpose of the book. In the Introduction, the author states very clearly that the book is being written to demonstrate the dangers of “The Power” as it is called. This is a good thing, but any student of Wicca will recognize the nonsensical parts in the book and those problems alone destroy the message that is trying to be presented.

At the end of the book, Heather is married to the High Priest, despite his, till then, active dislike and his banishment of her. She is also the High Priestess of the Coven again without a word being said by the rest of the Coven.

I finished this book quickly to get it over with. At first, it seemed to have a lot to say that was good about Wicca, but the more I read, the more confused I became.

If you treat this story as a fictional account of a Witch, then it makes for good reading, but as a factual account, there is a lot that is missing from this book.

I would like to issue a blanket call for High Priestess Selina (the Craft name of Heather) to step forward and talk to me about this book, or for the author to provide SOME kind of evidence as to the veracity of this book. Otherwise, I will recommend that this book be read as a fictional story, and nothing more.

Stars light your path.

Originally posted 2009-11-15 15:19:48.

By Alferian Gwydion MacLir
Llewellyn 2011, $18.95 US
ISBN13: 978-0-7387-2002-9


Review by Daven

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Instead, I got a non-fluffy book with a lot of good info in it.

One of the first things you will learn, this book was written by a Druid of the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids. Keep that in mind since this information is written from a Druidic point of view. There is a lot of discussion about the trees themselves, the way the plants feel and more. This is all to the good in my opinion. The chapters discussing the qualities of different woods are almost the first thing you read.

Then there are discussions about stones, minerals, metals and all the items of needed to craft a wand.

Included are designs, their meanings, the various letters that can be carved on the wands. You’ll find out how construct them, what tools are needed and how to actually craft the finished product.

I didn’t see any “shortcuts” using pre-made dowels or pipes of any kind. The author assumes you actually want to carve it with a knife and use a wild-crafted branch for your wand. To truly create something in tune with you in a way an artificial or “bought” wand cannot. To me, this is the whole purpose of making a magical tool.

There are some points of concern for me, but I understand why the author included them.

In the section about the magic behind wand crafting, he includes a significant section on “magical cores”, the center of the wand, as in Harry Potter cores. Included in there are things like Dragon Scales, Phoenix Feathers, Griffon and Hippogriff feathers and so on. He spends time explaining how to insert these cores into your wand. This was my first “WHAT” moment.

The author goes on to explain that he included these not to seem “fluffy” or to try to capitalize on the Harry Potter craze (like so many other authors have tried to do). Instead, it’s to bring the essence of these mythical creatures into the wand, to help them operate.

He’s not saying that the Unicorn Hair needs or can be bought from a store here on this Earth. Rather, he urges the crafter to do a vision quest and talk to the Unicorn, Hippogriff, or other symbolic animal, in question and ask them to contribute a part of themselves to your wand, to help the wand and the wielder better express the qualities that the being has.

This was of interest to me since I do a lot of work on the Astral Plane myself. I could see what the author was after and how it should work in a properly crafted wand. I could understand how it was supposed to work and why it could be done. The author also says that it is not necessary for the wand to have this in order to work properly.

These revelations alone had me revising my review of this book several times. He acknowledges when he gets into territory that is “out there”, but he takes the time to explain these esoteric aspects in a way that make sense. In that alone, he is ahead of a lot of the people who write books like this.

I should point out to my readers that the author is a teacher at the Grey School of Wizardry. Long time readers will understand why I point this out, but for those of you who are new, let me explain this for a bit.

Since the Harry Potter books came out, there have been a lot of people trying to capitalize on that franchise, and it has caused a slow downward spiral in the quality of books dealing with esoteric topics.

The head of the Grey School has stated that I do a hatchet job on books that come out from that school, out of some vendetta I have towards him. I have told him multiple times that if he sent me good books, no matter if they were of use in the School, I would review them highly.

This is that book.

I am giving this book four and a half stars out of five. This is a book that I think could be very useful to many in the metaphysical community, and it doesn’t matter that it is associated with the Grey School.

It stands as a very good “how to” book. There is very little information in here that I think could have been omitted, and all the information I would have expected to see is here as well.

So, congratulations Mr. MacLir. You have produced something which most Pagans and those who will be making staffs and wands should have.

by Dana D. Eilers
New Page Publications, 2002 $13.99
ISBN 1-56414-601-4

Review by Daven

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Normally when I review a book, no matter the book, I try to make sure that the review reflects the good and bad aspects of the book. I try to be fair, I try to be honest. I try to ensure that up to 2 pages are used in my review, mainly because I find that I can’t write a review that covers all that in less than 2 pages.

Unfortunately, this review is probably not going to be 2 pages. It will probably be shorter. I have only one objection to this book, mainly because it’s just a personal irritant.

Let me start this by saying what this book is not. This book is not a Wicca 101 book. It does not discuss the spirituality of Wicca, nor Paganism in general. It never goes into rites or rituals that other Pagans put a great amount of stock into. There are no discussion of the Gods, the devas, the angels, or spells. None of the things that make up a “normal” pagan book can be found here. If you are looking for these things, pick up another book.

If, however, you are want you need a book on what it actually means to be a Pagan, then this is required reading. The Practical Pagan goes into great depth about what it actually means to be living as a pagan, all the time. There are discussions on how this will affect your life, how it should affect your job, what will happen as far as the law is concerned, and a LONG discussion on coming out of the broom closet.

This is the book that fills in the holes of other Pagan books. Where Cunningham gives you a long in depth discussion on the Gods and what They want, Dana gives you a long in depth discussion on a Pagan’s sex life. Where Starhawk talks in detail about the Goddess and how the concept of the Female is centuries old, Dana talks about where to find your ritual equipment on a budget. Where Silver Ravenwolf gives you reams and reams of spells to perform, Dana tells you what to expect when you go looking for other Pagans to associate and worship with.

To be sure, some of the darker aspects of being Pagan are somewhat lightened, not painted in as much gloom as it could be, but intentionally scaring others without cause would just be wrong. Along with that slight irritation, I personally was irritated with her constant saying of “The Practical Pagan…. [whatever]“, but that was really very minor.

This book fills in the holes that EVERY other Pagan book has in it, simply because the authors are so concerned with putting down the spiritual practice that they forget the “real world” out there.

This book is not filled with the wisdom of the ages either. It IS filled with common sense. It’s a sad commentary that so few Pagans these days don’t have that precious commodity.

In one section of the book, she states something along the lines of “If you wear ten pounds of Pagan Jewelry and your ritual robes to go out in public, it’s your own fault if people stare at you.” I have tried to find the exact quote for the last two hours as I write this review, and I haven’t found it anyplace.

Know what? She’s right.

This is exactly the kind of common sense information that is contained in this book. It’s nothing that couldn’t be discovered on your own, nothing Earth-shattering, just simple, practical advice and yet it is so rare that this book is a precious gem. Dana presents all this information in a no holds barred style that had me avidly turning pages to find the next memorable piece of advice.

All in all, along with her other book “Pagans and the Law” I give this book 5 stars out of 5. I feel that every Pagan and Pagan teacher should go out and buy this book and put it on the reference shelf right next to all the other books one goes back to multiple times. The Teachers and Elders should have it so they can hand it to new members and require them to read this book.

Congratulations Dana on getting my highest award twice out of two books. Fully two thirds of my highest ratings are now held by her. Way to go.

Originally posted 2009-11-15 18:19:14.