Author: Francesca De Grandis
Trade Paperback, 312 pages
Publisher: Harper San Francisco
Publication date: February 1998
ISBN: 0062515055
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As most of you know by now, if you're a regular reader, I am a pretty eclectic witch. Improvisation is my main source of ritual, and I've always hated being tied down to certain words and acts time after time. This is the only book that contains prayers and rituals that I actually like to use word for word, moon after moon.
Be a Goddess! is De Grandis' text version of her "Third Road" course/tradition. It's written in a 15 lesson format in which you "visit" with her each week, follow her instructions and do assignments. It's one of the few 101 type books that emphasizes the religion, ethics, and self-healing.
Third Road is supposedly a Faerie tradition, however, she does not show you how to work with the Fey. That does not bother me, as I am not called to work with them anyway. However, those who start the book with that expectation may be disappointed.
She not only talks about the Goddess and God and their place in the Universe, but she also teaches truly practical magic - the spells you are taught are for personal goals, home cleansing and security, and self-healing. The love spell is handled very well, with an excellent discussion of free will and the consequence of interfering with the will of others. There is an entire chapter on ethics that is very good.
There are also sections on altar building, bringing "ritual" into everyday life, and our responsibility towards the earth. I do consider this more a book for adults, and not teens. The writing style is intimate and familiar, without the sugariness that annoys me in Silver Ravenwolf's books. All in all, Be a Goddess! is one of the few books that I would be happy to point a beginner to, with few reservations.
Reviewed by Leigh
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