<< 1 >>
Rating:  Summary: excellent.... Review: A lot of information pact on one book and its easy to read and follow,no complicated fancy stuff,right at the point,It a excellent book...
Rating:  Summary: Druid Hokum Review: As a practicing Druidic Neopagan and a teacher of the history of the Celtic nations and their spiritual traditions, I've been frankly astounded at some of the recommendations I've seen for this book. Serious-minded modern Druidic practitioners who have argued for years against claims for shamanic traditions among the ancient Druids seem to have laid down their arguments wholesale in the face of a book that does nothing more than relabel most of those practices as "Druid Magic", rather than "Celtic Shamanism". If one sets aside quibbles over labels like these, there are vastly better and more reliable works out there, such as THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CELTIC WISDOM.Setting aside the historical inaccuracies covered by others who have already reviewed this book, in general, this is an overinflated hodgepodge of a few quotes from primary source materials taken out of context and tarted up for inclusion in a sort of "DIY" modern Druid training scheme mixed with the New Agey men's group sexual agenda of co-author Mann--most of which has nothing whatsoever to do with the sexual politics of the ancient British Isles (for which readers would be better off starting with SEX AND MARRIAGE IN ANCIENT IRELAND). Though this book is nowhere near the level of idiocy to be found in books like THE 21 LESSONS OF MERLIN or WITTA, it is still rarely better than silly. ...And don't fall for the "Ph.D." after co-author Sutton's name...it apparently stands for her self-bestowed title, "Practicing Holistic Druid."
Rating:  Summary: Some Spirit, Some Inaccuracies Review: Druid Magic is a book that is certainly an interesting look at the beliefs and worldview of neo-Pagan Druidry--the contemporary reconstructionist Druid philosophy that has largely been inspired by the English 17th century Romanticist movement of Edward Williams. However, I feel that it is important to make note that it cannot be taken as an accurate representation of the Druid tradition as a whole--the ancient religion of the various Celtic peoples. The book attempts too much, attempting to serve as an authoritative historical perspective (which it falls short of, including a couple of glaring inaccuracies), and an offering of the practices of modern Druidry (which it could have done more of). New students and seekers exploring these ways will certainly find some valuable basic material addressing certain components of orientation that one will find in both neo-Pagan Druidry and in Druidism (the ancient druidic religious stream, as opposed to the neo-Druidry of today, which does in fact survive today in certain practices that have their source with continuing rural Celtic folk faiths as opposed to neo-reconstructionism). However, unfortunately, many readers may be duped by DRUID MAGIC into taking their rendition of neo-Pagan Druidry to somehow be the full spectrum of the actual Druid tradition, and this is inaccurate. I have to agree with the reviewer from Boulder, Colorado (see below) on two points as well. There WERE in fact organized colleges or learning centers of Druidism, most especially in Ireland and Scotland, including the Isle of Iona and North Uist. The authors make a claim against such a phenomenon, yet even a scanty survey of druid history will suggest that many of the Celtic countries sent fledgling students to Scotland for tutelage. One of the most famous of the Draoi (druids) in Scotland was named Durach, who maintained a learning center on the Isle of Iona (known even today to some Scottish Highlanders as Isla na Druideach, Isle of the Druids) where he transmitted, essentially, the arts and skills of advanced psychic ability and extra-sensory perception ... Likewise, the evidence is also overwhelmingly clear that in parts of Scotland and Ireland certain families of Druidic origin (namely the O'Cassidys, the MacPhersons, the MacMillans, the Lamonts, the MacEwens, etc.) transitioned into either bardic roles or church ecclesiastical roles within the Celtic Church, or both. The authors make the classic mistake of neo-Pagan scholarship today (which almost always has an instant knee-jerk reaction to anything Christian without holding open the reality that there were very druidic-like versions of contemplative Christian practice) by suggesting that Druidism and the pre-Roman Celtic Christian contemplative and mystical traditions were somehow completely at odds, which they were not, historically, nor even theologically up to a certain point ("Christ the Word has always been among us. There has never been a time when the Druids of Britain did not know of the Word."--Taliesin) The authors do offer some interesting visualizations and meditations for the seeker and practitioner, to at least attune themselves to the spirit of certain druidic orientations and themes (the Otherworld, nature, etc.)--which might be helpful to some, but like so many of the Llewelyn books I was disappointed.
Rating:  Summary: Amazing Review: I am just starting to practice this and its a very helpful book. It has well written humor plus true facts, not like in some other books were they make up their own information. A must read!
Rating:  Summary: Druid Magic Review: I became interested in Druidism from my love of Authorian legend.This was the first book I came across that I felt answered my questions about Druids and not Celtic Magic or Witchcraft. It was easy to read and follow. There could have been some depth added in spots but, overall I feel that it was well put forward and will keep your attention to the end.
Rating:  Summary: Quite Worthwhile Review: I first picked up "Druid Magic" on the advice of a fellow Druid and close friend. His claim that it was quite insightful and well worth the read was very true, but I came away from the work without a feeling of awe. As a book of Druidry, both historical and practical, it has a vast wealth and resource of information. It has taken much of what modern scholars know of the ancient Druids and condensed it into an easily readable work. The difficulty that I found with it, however, was that it was without heart. Perhaps this is a result of the commitee writing, or perhaps the authors didn't put their personal experiences and ritual work into it. Either way, I felt that by the end of the piece I wasn't any closer to the writers. This definitely was not a personal work. I would have given this book 5 stars if it had given me a larger view of the authors own spiritual workings. If you are looking for an informative guide in modern Druidry, then this piece will help you. If you are looking for a body of rituals to practice or adapt, then this book isn't the right one to pick up.
Rating:  Summary: very disappointing Review: I have also read some of the comments posted about this book and I cannot help but wonder if they even read the book in detail. I found it to be an incredible tool and have given it as a gift to other pagans. It has completely opened my mind to the fact that anything is possible when you have your own inner wisdom. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:  Summary: Not Enough Review: I was, by turns, very interested and very disappointed in this book. The information inside is accurate, intelligent and well-written, but what it lacks is depth and solidity. What I mean by this is that most of the subjects were merely skimmed over and not really explored to their fullest extent. The book was also very "fluffy", by which I mean it was very new age and PC rather than revealing some of the grittier, dirtier truths of the Druid path. Most of the rather abhorrent and barbaric practices of the ancient Druids aren't even touched upon, instead it seems as if they are purposefully ignored. I gave the book three stars because it does have some interesting tidbits of information that can be used by a student. I wouldn't recommend this book as a beginning primer because some of the conecpts require a certain pre-familiarization. I also wouldn't wholly recommend this book to an expert, because they are probably already quite familiar with what the book has to say. I would say this book is perfect for the middle student who has a good grasp of the basics of Celtic wisdom and is ready to go deeper.
Rating:  Summary: Waste of money Review: Like many other people, I bought this book on the overall rating given by other readers. To say I was stunned and disappointed is an understatement. I have been following a celtic spiritual path for many years and druidry for some time now. I have read countless books on the subject and found this to be one definitely not worth reading if you really want to follow the druid path. Take other reviewers' advice and take a look at John and Caitlin Matthews or better still, find a local group and learn from experience. This book is really not worth your money or time.
Rating:  Summary: Waste of money Review: Since studying about medicinal herbs, I came across books about the Celtic religion and the Druids. I find the Druids fasinating. My love of nature and being in the woods really enticed me to read more on these people. I find the book very intriguing and fasinating. They cared so much about nature. They respected, worshiped, and did not take more than what they needed. I read a chapter a day to take it all in. People could see the title "Druid Magic" and back off just because of the word "magic". After reading the first chapter and it explained "magic", it's all about you and how you feel about yourself and really building up your self worth, independence, and self-esteem. For someone with anxiety problems, this was right up my alley. I find it relaxing to read.
<< 1 >>
|