Books reviewed by Z Budapest

“Make Merry in Step and Songs” by Bronwen Forbes (Llewellyn )

Spring is warm enough to take a book out and read it while you inhale the fresh new air with flower scents. Reading about pagan rituals and enhancing your vocabulary in songs and folk dances, for circle leaders what a gift.

This is a great book! I love old England and loved learning about these many dances. The music is written down, and one can actually learn it. The dances are explained with meticulous precision, and the gentle prodding towards more practice makes the book a delight.

The author is a great lover of folk art, it shows in every selection, but those who think this is all about sugar and a little spice don’t know the English. Some of the heritage is gruesome, the character of the players murderous and unpredictable.

Yes there are the well behaved May Dance participants, wooing the fair Elinor, but there is also a story of a mother who hexed the young wife of her son with infertility. She can never have a child, until the son learns what she has done to hex her and undo the spell.

Then there is the humor. In the John Barleycorn Play, Old Woman questions Doctor Brown .

“What diseases canst you cure?” Doctor Brown: “The hips –pipsy, the palsy, the gout, a man having twenty-two senses in his head. I can cast twenty one out. Why I cured a snag tail last week nearly twenty-five feet long! Surely I can cure thy son who is not quite gone.” And then proceeds to raise her dead son from the dead. Not your everyday pabulum culture here.

I find it exciting that so much has remained still in practice, which the rebirth of the pagan traditions I am sure will contribute with more longevity.

This kind of culture requires costumes and props, a bit of pageantry peasant style. I think this is the kind of book you can consult at each turn of the seasons plus to make more merry at pagan parties. The information in here creates community, cohesiveness and entertainments. Well done Bronwen!

“Echoes of the Goddess” by Simon Brighton and Terry Welbourn (Ian Allan Publishing)

This is a book that should be made mandatory for all Women’s Studies students, and of the Craft and Goddess studies. Beautifully laid out with splendid color photographs just the object of the book itself is classy.

The English do not usually come out with this “in your face we got the Goddess all over our country” narrative. I recall when I was in England looking for the pagan heritage, the locals didn’t brag a lot about it. The London National Museum put the goddesses in room 22, a side show. It was all well known near the temples and stone, yet hush, hush at the same time. With this book, England at last owns her pagan heritage.

I have never seen goddess book this thorough, a well produced overview of the Goddess Culture. Starting with the Lost Goddess, prehistory goddesses, subterranean goddesses, holy wells, freshwater sirens, saltwater sirens, the Celtic and dark goddesses, the rude goddess, the Christianized goddess, the goddess in myths, legends, and in the labyrinth.

Rich chapters lead you through the countryside of England showing you what even tourist guides cannot see. And the Goddess is here bold and beautiful. Indeed, this book has a Holy book quality to it in content and presentation.

It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I am partial to stones. Looking at the breathtaking spiral paths, on a slab from Malta boggles the mind. Four to six thousand years old, these were people who knew about the spirals in the sky, understood the world to be part of the great whole. Another favorite of mine is the image on the Picardy Stone Aberdeen shire, from the 6/7^th century AD; it was a tombstone once on an ancient grave. It has a curvy snake, a symbol of reincarnation; several images which could be maps of the stars said that it had a relationship to the hill of Dunnideer. Mysterious, yet riveting.

When you absorb all this good information take it easy, do a chapter at a time. Its like a rich meal for your mind you want to savor. The book takes you through history and accurately documents where the goddess was worshiped, by whom, for example the Pictish people, who gave women equal rights even back then. Then the great goddess was taken down with misinformation, destruction of her legacy and values. The Synod of Whitby in 664 AD finally crushed the Goddess Culture; all her physical representations were destroyed.

But not the She na gig, the vagina Goddess, she survived decorating the Christian churches, inside and outside. Good luck was her value and sexuality. The same folk also had many Green Man images to keep her company.

Make this book a success. Give them to friends for high occasions. Share it with your book clubs, keep it where you can see it and reach for it.

I found myself saying, “Nice. Really nice.” After reviewing a copy of Clea Danaan’s Voices of the Earth.

Green spirituality is on the minds of lots of pagans these days. It’s a central theme running through out our spirituality, no matter the tradition. Clea Danaan embraces this idea and vets it in practical application.

I love gardening and having my hands in the earth’s rich soil, so I have a deep appreciation for this book. But you don’t have to be a gardener to appreciate and apply the life’s lessons Danaan has for you on this path. Anyone can pick up this book and start practicing it’s common sense approach to spirituality.

One of best lessons by Danaan came early on in Voices of the Earth. In fact, I actually bookmarked it because I wanted to share it with you. It’s that important. Danaan says…

Our bodies and souls love the natural world, and only very recently have our minds disconnected fromt he natural currents of life on our planet. In our highly technological, capitalistic culture, we have largely lost touch withchanging season, the sources of our food, and the living land. This disconnect is an illness. While there is nothing inherently wrong with money and technology, when we divorce our conscious awareness from our roots, we become zombies. Instead of being controlled by an evil sorcerer, we are driven by our demons of greed, fear and narcissism. (page xiv)

When you sit back and take in what she just said, you realize the depth of the impact this statement has on our lives. Here we are as magical people who believe we can influence the outcome of events favorably, and yet most of us are totally disconnected from the very thing we hold most sacred … the land. And ultimately, that means we are disconnected from ourselves.

I liked Voices of the Earth because it was a gentle blending of herbal arts, pagan beliefs and Faery faith all rolled into one book. It’s an easy read and kind of reminded me of Scott Cunningham’s books with it’s easy to follow and easy to do exercises, practices and journaling. It’s not a hard core witchcraft book. In fact, it’s something that you could gift a friend with quite easily because the book simply preaches the common sense rituals of “being Green.” And let’s face it, all of us could use a little greening up. Get your own copy of Clea Danaan’s Voices of the Earth: The Path of Green Spirituality.

by Bobbie Grennier

I met psychic Jane Doherty by pure chance, which is to say that nothing is ever left to chance when it comes to the psychic world. Her book, Awakening the Mystic Gift: The Surprising Truth About What It Means to Be Psychic, chronicles Jane’s own psychic awakening and what it truly means to be psychic. For those seeking more information on what it means to be psychic, this book is a very compelling read.

Jane Doherty is a gifted psychic and medium of international acclaim. Many refer to her as the “real deal” because of her accuracy and sincere caring nature. In fact, Hans Holzer, known best for his many books on ghosts and paranormal activities, has named Jane Doherty as “One of the top twenty psychics in the world.”  A born teacher, Jane feels part of her own purpose in life is to teach others to open to their own psychic abilities.

Widely recognized and respected for her extraordinary psychic skills and sensitivities, Jane Doherty has been featured on Fox Network News, CNN, The Today Show, Sightings, MSNBC Investigates, WB11 and numerous publications, including The New York Times, The New York Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She has been named one of the top twenty psychics in Woman’s Own magazine. Reuters News Media has featured her in Australia, Austria, Germany, England, Russia, and the major Spanish network, Telemundo. She has also co-hosted a psychic call-in radio show for eight years and has been featured in three books, as well as in Woman’s World Weekly magazine.

Jane is featured on The Learn Channel’s Dead Tenants show. The Dead Tenants TV show follows the journeys of the Preternatural Research Society (PRS) — a team of paranormal investigators — through the attics, basements, living rooms and back yards of some of the most haunted houses in the country. Coming to the aid of families experiencing very unwanted ghosts and unexplainable activity in their homes, Jane Doherty and the PRS team do their best to assist the families. The Dead Tenants show weaves the historical, scientific and psychic into a rich tapestry to help the viewer better understand the hauntings.

A renowned psychic for more than 15 years, Jane Doherty works with PRS as a psychic and channeler, helping to discover ghosts at haunted locations and to communicate with them directly. She also provides individual guidance through private consultations, while also offering classes and workshops to those who are interested in discovering and developing their own psychic abilities.

Meeting Jane Doherty has changed my life for the better. Her devout belief in the power of God is very infectious. Jane uses her God-given talent to bring comfort to hearts that are hurting; hope to those who have lost all hope, and encouragement to the beleaguered and down-trodden. She has also assisted law authorities in cases of missing persons and homicides.

“There was never a question of how I would use my gift,” Jane says firmly. “I have taken every possible opportunity to help others.” Jane Doherty is the real deal. Her words are like the words of her book – so compelling, you won’t be able to put it down.

Get a copy of Jane Doherty’s  book  Awakening the Mystic Gift.

When Ghosts Speak

When Ghosts Speak is an absolute page turner for those who wanted to know what happens after you die … which means, this book is a must read for most of us!

I received my copy of When Ghosts Speak as a gift from a friend who said the book literally yelled out to her … SEND ME TO BOBBIE! Without hesitation, she bought it and shipped it off to me and honestly, when I opened it and began reading … I didn’t stop until it was finished.

Mary Ann Winkowski answered some of the nagging questions I’d been asking for years, and I am forever grateful to her for writing this book; as I’m sure are many of her readers.

And, I’m also grateful to Winkowski for setting the record straight as to what is fact and what is fiction with regard to the TV show The Ghost Whisperer, which is loosely based on the life and experiences of Winkowski.

Reading When Ghosts Speak allowed me delve deeply into many of the possible scenarios and circumstances under which ghosts consciously decide to stay earth bound. I wasn’t too surprised to hear that fear of what awaits them at the pearly gates of judgment is a primary reason for staying put.

Winkowski, while Catholic, isn’t your typical “there’s only one way” type of theology-minded individual. There’s just no way that you can have these types of experiences and not grow beyond your own religious ideologies.

I also loved that Winkowski continues to use the family folklore and heed superstitions as passed down through her Italian lineage; keeping the old ways alive. She honors her grandmother’s memory and her living relatives by using the quince seed charms to keep discarnate spirits from sucking energies from their wearer. Winkowski has a website where you can buy quince charms from her directly.

When Ghosts Speak is a very touching series of stories about compassion for souls who find themselves stranded in the wrong side of eternity. Winkowski’s abilities to see ghosts was fostered by her grandmother at a very early age; would that more families would encourage their children this way. The world would be a lot better off. This is a wonderful lesson for all families on dealing with death.

It’s ultimately a lesson for us all about what to do if we find ourselves haunted. What we should and should not do in an effort to help ourselves stay healthy, while also helping the spirit to cross-over. Winkowski says learn to make the white light or direct the ghosts to the nearest funeral home where the recently dead will have white light for them to pass over through. Brilliant! I’d never thought of it.

Personally, I loved this book so much that I went out and bought a copy for my best friend. I can hardly wait for her to read it so we can discuss it together. As for my copy, I find myself continuing to carry it around the house. I’ll most likely reread it … it’s just that fascinating. Get your own copy of When Ghosts Speak.

I thoroughly enjoyed Melba Goodwyn’s book, Ghost Worlds. It was an enjoyable read with easy to understand concepts presented by the author on the art of ghost hunting with a few of her ghost stories tossed in here and there for good measure.

The book’s full title is Ghost Worlds: A Guide to Poltergeists, Portals , Ecto-mist and Spirit Behavior, and the author delivered information on all of this and then some.

The book also includes Goodwyn’s thoughts and experiences with imaginary playmates, orbs, vortexes, energies and ghost hunting techniques and tools. It is a smorgasbord of Goodwyn’s experiences as a ghost hunter in the wild and woolly state of Texas. Based on the tales Goodwyn recounts for her readers, she’s had more than a few of those experiences that would simply make your head spin.

If you’re seriously interested in ghost hunting, then I think this book is a good and solid read for you. If you’d like to learn a little more and enjoy a few ghost stories in the process, this book is for you too. If you’re looking for scare the crap out me ghost stories, this isn’t the book for you because Goodwyn goes out of her way to help the reader to not be afraid of ghosts … except for the very last tale in her book … which is a be afraid, be very afraid type of ghostly experience we call possession. And oddly enough a topic that Goodwyn doesn’t address in this book save for recounting that one experience. That part kind of leaves the reader hanging at the end. But if you haven’t dealt with possession, you’re not going to be able to explain it too well.

Ghost Worlds has a chapter dealing with orbs and their existence. With regard to this chapter, I had some disagreements with the author. Goodwyn states, that it’s her own opinions with regard to orbs. Meaning that if you have a different opinion, more power to you.

Goodwyn sees all orbs as ghosts and that anything photographed that looks like an orb is an orb. Based on my own experiences, I’d have to disagree with her on this one. I’ve taken photos that appeared to be full of orbs, but in reality were in fact dust particles refracting light from the camera’s flash. That happened a lot at the last Goddess Gathering. I have photos that I’d taken in ritual space where women were stamping upon the dirt. I started getting dust particles that looked like orbs in my photos, so I climbed higher up and keep snapping photos … and whalla, the orbs were gone. But eventually, the dust rose higher into the air. So no, I don’t agree that everything that looks like an orb is an orb. Dust and flying bugs often appear to be orbs. I think a good ghost hunter has to discern the difference. Other than this small difference of opinion, I think the chapter on orbs is right on.

I really enjoyed the chapter dealing with poltergeists, which according to Goodwyn …  is not a ghost in any form of manifestation. Poltergeist activity usually appears when conflicts arise that cannot be resolved. These conflicts can be of a spiritual, emotional, physical or even psychic nature. Poltergeist activity is an awesome force generated in the subconscious mind of the agent and is a direct result of repressed emotions that conceal resentment, frustration, repressed anger or guilt, and even sexual stresses. Poltergeist activity is often misunderstood and it was blessed to have an author speak about it from a place of unknowledge and caring.

I did enjoy reading Ghost Worlds, and this book will remain in my personal library for good how-to books. Who knows maybe someday I’ll get to go ghost hunting with Melba Goodwyn and experience her otherworld ghost hunting talents in person. Until then, I’ll simply embrace her philospohies about death and the otherside. Get your own copy of Ghost Worlds: A Guide to Poltergeists, Portals , Ecto-mist and Spirit Behavior.