Best of
Goddess

2016

Brigid: Meeting the Celtic Goddess of Poetry, Forge, and Healing Well


Morgan Daimler - 2016
    Primarily looking at the Irish Goddess but including a discussion of her Pan-Celtic appearances, particularly in Scotland. Her different appearances in mythology are discussed along with the conflation of the pagan Goddess with Catholic saint. Modern methods for neopagans to connect to and honor this popular Goddess include offerings and meditation, and personal anecdotes from the author's experiences are included as well. Who was Brigid to the pre-Christian pagans? Who is she today to neopagans? How do we re-weave the threads of the old pagan Goddess and the new? Learn about Brigid's myths among the pagan Irish, the stories of Bride in Scotland, and the way that people today are finding and honoring this powerful and important deity to find the answer.

Burning Woman


Lucy H. Pearce - 2016
    Pearce. Burning Woman is a breath-taking and controversial woman’s journey through history— personal and cultural—on a quest to find and free her own power. Uncompromising and all-encompassing, Pearce uncovers the archetype of the Burning Women of days gone by—Joan of Arc and the witch trials, through to the way women are burned today in cyber bullying, acid attacks, shaming and burnout, fearlessly examining the roots of Feminine power—what it is, how it has been controlled, and why it needs to be unleashed on the world during our modern Burning Times. Burning Woman explores: Burning from within: a woman’s power—how to build it, engage it and not be destroyed by it. Burning from without: the role of shame, and honour in the time-worn ways the dominant culture uses fire to control the Feminine. The darkness: overcoming our fear of the dark, and discovering its importance in cultivating power. This incendiary text was written for women who burn with passion, have been burned with shame, and who at another time, in another place, would have been burned at the stake. With contributions from leading burning women of our era: Isabel Abbott, ALisa Starkweather, Shiloh Sophia McCloud, Molly Remer, Julie Daley, Bethany Webster ...

Witches and Pagans: Women in European Folk Religion, 700-1100


Max Dashu - 2016
    She shows that old ethnic names for “witch” signify wise-woman, prophetess, diviner, healer, and dreamer.

The Warrior Goddess Way: Claiming the Woman You Are Destined to Be


HeatherAsh Amara - 2016
    In this much anticipated follow-up, The Warrior Goddess Way, Amara goes deeper, revealing three additional pillars of Warrior Goddess living that readers can apply to travel further down this sacred path: Wisdom, Authenticity, and Yes! Wisdom arises naturally when we learn to listen. Not to the voices in our head, but the voices in our cells, our natural discernment, and our creative knowing. Authenticity is embracing your vulnerability, your silliness, and owning all your superpowers. It’s accepting and loving what is, not what “should be.” Yes! is about celebrating everything. All the time. (Even your greatest defeats.) In exploring these three pillars, Amara delves into topics such as forgiveness, relationships, and finding your inner stillness. You will learn the art of maintaining emotional balance, cultivating self-respect, practicing heartfelt communication, and the power of consciously embracing life’s beginnings and endings. Like Warrior Goddess Training, this book is packed full of exercises and explorations designed to help you integrate the Warrior Goddess Way into your everyday life. You CAN learn to enjoy everything you do. Your potential for dancing through life is waiting to be awakened. Live the Warrior Goddess Way and claim the woman you are destined to be.

A Witch's Book of Silence


Karina BlackHeart - 2016
    Silence is the space from which creative impulse flows. In silence we touch the power we call God/dess and become attuned to wisdom beyond our own. We learn to commune with the spirits of land, our ancestors and others of the unseen realms. We enter the ineffable mystery sought by ancient and contemporary mystics alike. Through silent communion we attain ecstatic union with the Divine. The book addresses some of the most pressing and controversial concerns of the Craft as both a modern-day movement and private, religious system. A Witch's Book of Silence is a mirror for us individually and collectively. Here we see reflected our beauty and power as well as our fear and foibles. Divided into three segments. The first defines terms, explores concepts and discusses how and why we resist the practice of silence. The second segment offers practices leading the seeker into the heart of silence where the mysteries are revealed . The final segment offers a glimpse of what awaits us should we dare to steep ourselves in the cauldron of transformation. A Witch’s Book of Silence is born out of decades of studying, practicing and teaching the art of Witchcraft during which time the author noted the impact of the internet on the transfer of once closely guarded information. The Witch's Pyramid became unbalanced as the powers to Know, Will and Dare were highly sought after while Keeping Silent fell out of fashion--a silly, scary and inconsequential relic of the past. The Witch must confront and overcome her fear and resistance to entering the realms of silence. Keeping silent is necessary to build power, perform effective magic and engage deeply with the mysteries. While written from the perspective of a Feri Witch, the concerns, practices and resolutions offered will be equally valuable when applied to any spiritual path requiring the practitioner develop self-awareness, personal integrity, cognizant communication with spirit and the use of meaningful speech imbued with creative force.

The Goddess in America: The Divine Feminine in Cultural Context


Trevor Greenfield - 2016
    An anthology with contributions from nineteen writers, The Goddess in America is a book that identifies the enduring experience of Goddess Spirituality through a four-part discussion focused on the Native Goddess, the Migrant Goddess, the Goddess in relation to other aspects of American culture (Feminism, Christianity, Witchcraft etc.) and the Goddess in contemporary America.

The Village of Bones: Sabalah's Tale


Mary Mackey - 2016
    Filled with the belief that love drives out fear, it contains stunning twists that will leave you wanting more." —Dorothy Hearst, author of the Wolf Chronicles In 4386 B.C., a young priestess named Sabalah conceives a magical child with a mysterious stranger named Arash. Sabalah names the child Marrah. This child will save the Goddess-worshiping people of Europe from nomad invaders called Beastmen, but only if her mother can keep her alive long enough to grow up. Warned in a vision of the coming invasion, Sabalah flees west with Arash to save her baby daughter, only to discover that she is running into the arms of her worst enemies. In the dark forests of northern Europe, other humanlike species left over from the Ice Age still exist. Praise for the Earthsong Series and Mary Mackey "Grand adventure and a grand reading experience ... sexy, explosive." —Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides "A fascinating evocation of a prehistoric world..." —Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of The Mists of Avalon

Arc of the Goddess


Rachel Patterson - 2016
    The authors hope to help you connect with the magical energies of each month as well as giving you lots of practical exercises to work with and suggestions on how to make your spiritual connection stronger. At the end of the course it is hoped you will not only have discovered your own personal pantheon of goddesses to work with but also uncovered The Goddess Within...

Sabat 2: The Mother Issue


Elisabeth Krohn - 2016
    Persistent in her duality, mother is vastness, Nature, a love unyielding and beyond, sacrifice and almighty power, creation and destruction embodied. She performs the ultimate act of human magic, creating new life.Highlights: -Rites for the bees, the queen and the hive we all share. -An Other Mother — from Lilith to the Venus of Willendorf.-The ambiguous Hidden Mother in found Victorian imagery.-The man, the myth — our never ending fascination with the spawn of Satan. -Household magic and maternal heritage with The Hoodwitch founder Bri Luna. -The aesthetic of the altar from the #witchesofinstagram.

The Book of Sacred Baths: 52 Bathing Rituals to Revitalize Your Spirit


Paulette Kouffman Sherman - 2016
    Larry Dossey, author of One Mind and The Science of PremonitionsImmerse Yourself in Healing Waters for Relaxation, Clarity, and WholenessGain inspiration and rejuvenation through the sacred act of bathing. With fifty-two bath recipes, one for every week of the year, The Book of Sacred Baths shows you how to use this relaxing practice to improve your love life, succeed in your career, strengthen your health, and transform your spirit.Each recipe is tailored to a specific emotional or spiritual need, from stress relief to divine assistance to self-connection for overall well-being. Using essential oils, candles, and color therapy along with visualization and ritual practice, you'll raise your vibration and release negative energy down the drain.Praise: Fans of Sherman are in for an impressive treat with her collection of 52 fun and sacred baths to improve every aspect of your physical and spiritual life.--Publishers WeeklyA sacred bathing of the body ultimately becomes a sacred bathing of the mind, spirit, and soul, which unearths a mindfulness of self-nourishment that we might then gift as kindness to others as we go about our day.--Cathie Borrie, author of The Long HelloI highly recommend this beautiful book of spiritual bathing for inner joy and healing.--Raven Keyes, author of The Healing Power of Reiki and The Healing Light of Angels

For the Love of the Gods: The History and Modern Practice of Theurgy


Brandy Williams - 2016
    The lives and passions of the early Pagan philosophers come alive in these pages, immersing you in the bustling cities and diverse cultures that spawned theurgy as we know it today. Theurgy is best understood when it is deeply experienced. The stories presented here re-create the experience of these ancient practices and show how they were passed down through generations of teachers and students of differing ethnicities, genders, and ages.It's commonly believed that ancient Pagan theurgy traditions were erased from the earth and replaced by monotheistic religions--but this is a myth. The way to the gods was never lost. For the Love of the Gods shares step-by-step instructions for theurgic rituals, so that you can create relationships with the gods and love them as the ancients did. Discover how to offer devotionals, create living statues, invoke into yourself and others, and achieve personal communion so that you, too, may dwell in the happy presence of the divine.

Sheela na gig: The Dark Goddess of Sacred Power


Starr Goode - 2016
    Appearing on rural churches, castles, bridges, holy wells, tombs, and standing stones, these powerful images of a figure fearlessly displaying her vulva embody the power of the Dark Goddess over the mysteries of sex, life, death, and rebirth. Exploring the art and myth of the Sheela na gig from Celtic and Classical times back to Paleolithic cave art, Starr Goode shows how the Sheela embraces a conundrum of opposites: she clearly offers up her ripe sex yet emanates a repelling menace from the upper half of her hag-like body. Through more than 150 photographs, the author shows how the Sheela is a goddess with the power to renew, a folk deity used to help women survive childbirth, and, as a guardian of doorways and castle walls, a liminal entity representing the gateway to the divine. She explains how these powerful images survived eradication during the rise of Christianity and retained their preeminent positions on sacred sites, including medieval churches. The author provides meditations on the individual Sheelas she encountered during her 25 years of research, allowing readers to commune with these icons and feel the power they emanate. Exploring comparable figures such as Baubo, Medusa, the Neolithic Frog Goddess, and vulva depictions in cave art, she reveals the female sacred display to be a universal archetype, the most enduring image of creativity throughout history, and illustrates how cultures from Africa and Ecuador to India and Australia possess similar images depicting goddesses parting their thighs to reveal sacred powers. Explaining the role of the Sheela na gig in restoring the Divine Feminine, the author shows the Sheela to be an icon that makes visible the cycles of birth, death, and renewal all humans experience and a necessary antidote to centuries of suppression of the primal power of women, of nature, and of the imagination.