Be A Goddess : A Guide to Magical Celtic Spells for Self-Healing, Prosperity and Great Sex
Author: Francesca De Grandis
List Price: $14.95
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ISBN: 0062515055
Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco (25 February, 1998)
Sales Rank: 9,348
Average Customer Rating: 4.36 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 4 out of 5
Good ceremonial headshrinkery
The subtitle is something of a misnomer. While De Grandis does explain how and why to cast spells for your material desires -- she's definitely an anti-ascetic -- she spends much more time on how to use magic to determine your real needs, hangups, and discover what the universe made you for. Be a Goddess! is a 15-week introductory course in Faerie magic. It provides enough psycho-spiritual-magickal ammunition to get you through most of life's crises, snarls and knots; although De Grandis urges the reader to take magick and the gods literally, the rituals are really more like psychological/spiritual disciplines, mostly meditations with very few props. For instance, the first stage of a three-week love spell consists of a week of meditative sessions on why you are seeking love, what might you really need instead, and whether you should continue with the spell at all. This is a good book of magickal discipline for the emotionally honest.
De Grandis is of the Faerie Tradition, which is about ecstatic work and the use of art as spiritual discipline, and was trained by Victor Anderson, the tradition's originator/reconstructor/rediscoverer. He draws principally from Welsh and Hawaiian traditions -- or so goes the story: I know little about either.
Rating: 5 out of 5
A wonderful book for the beginning witch or shaman
It has been said that there is no such thing as a master shaman; if there is such a thing as a master teacher, however,
Ms. DeGrandis would be one. Her book takes the student step by
step through the process of learning how to call up power, cast
a spell, and, most importantly, how to protect oneself from unwanted spiritual influences. A warning to novice witches, however: this book may lead you down a different path, that of being a shaman.
Some of the best things about Ms. DeGrandis' method of casting spells is that there is no casting of circles involved, no need for special equipment, and no need for other people to help you invoke the God and Goddess. Also, she keeps reminding her students not to beat themselves up if they can't seem to do everything just right. She says that the Gods/Goddesses honor an honest effort. And isn't that just what most of us need to know, after all?
When the rituals are done faithfully, they will help you to feel better about yourself, as well as to have more confidence in your own abilites to use magic. I would highly recomend this book to anyone who is alone on her/his path and is seeking practical nowledge about performing magic and being safe in the work.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Be a Goddess stands the test of time!
A little over four years ago, I worked through the 15 weeks of lessons in Be a Goddess and found, to my great surprise and pleasure, that these lessons were fun, inspiring, and, most of all, life-transforming. The psychology was sound, the spirituality was amazing, and the teacher was warm and caring. Since then, I've gone on to train extensively with Francesca and have been delighted to discover that the teacher I found in her book is the Real Deal. She is everything I hoped to find and more.
I continue to recommend Be a Goddess for anyone who is interested in exploring Goddess spirituality, beginning a path as a magical practitioner, or just looking for spiritual guidance and inspiration.
As for the reviewers in this section who maligned Francesca and her work, I am saddened and a little angry. Attacks on a person's work and personal worth are unseemly and undignified. Disagree, if you must, but attacking anonymously is reprehensible.
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