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Book Reviews |
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[ November/December
2002 ] Reviews by Dawn Brunke
Johnson combines sacred notions with playful creativity. Arranging the recipes, rituals and meditations to reflect the changing cycles of the earth, she invokes the seasonal goddesses to make food preparation and eating a more nourishing spiritual practice. What's particularly great about this book is the author's homey writing style and lovely sense of humor. She laughingly confesses to having scorched soups by distractions, while urging all of us to banish perfectionistic shoulds and should nots from our lives. Have fun, is Johnson's refrain. She offers songs of thanks and celebration, encouraging us to create our own "kitchen magic" (an entire section is focused on this) and view the kitchen as a sacred space of power, joy and excitement. Even such ordinary (and dreaded) tasks as cleaning become magical under Johnson's sparkling care - sing a special cleaning song, she advises; make yourself a cleaning crown! This is a well-written, humorous, yet surprisingly deep and ultimately magical book. It would be an excellent gift this holiday season for all kitchen-witch wannabes in waiting. A Book of Women's Altars ~ How to create sacred spaces for art, worship, solace, celebration
As the title implies, this book explores much of what you think it might, answering such questions as what is an altar; why make an altar; how does one create an altar, and what can one do at an altar. Cunningham also looks at seasonal and special intention altars; that is, altars that are by their nature specifically focused, designed to be impermanent or changing. Illustrated with sharp black and white photos – some depicting altars, some surprising visuals of nature and our relationship to nature – this book has a simple yet elegant layout, with some terrific placement of Cunningham’s poems, short meditations, words of advice and suggestion. Also included are ideas for special ceremonies, personal rituals and those aimed at larger gatherings and celebrations. As with Johnson’s book, Cunningham encourages creativity and a breaking of rules and forms. Her ideas are presented gently, as an encouragement to us all to breathe deeply and happily, to find peace as we rejoice with our own unique expressions of self. Crystal Meditation ~ A Book of Meditation with Crystals and Cards
The cards and meditations focus on different adventures, including the Crystal River and Tree of Self, Swimming in the Rainbow, the Valley of Abundance, and Marvels of the Universe. Although the meditations are somewhat specifically focused, there is certainly room for expansion and blossoming one’s own creativity. My 8-year-old daughter loved the set and we spontaneously made up a game of choosing a card and moving the crystals upon the cards while telling a story. There are many possibilities here, and that is why it’s a fine introduction to crystals and meditation. This set is a perfect gift for older children, teens and adults, especially for those with interests in opening to the world of healing, crystals and meditation. The Old Girls’ Book
of Spells ~ The Real Meaning of Menopause, Sex, Car Keys, and Other
Important Stuff
This book is a witty, forthright, and oddly whimsical assortment of spells, charms, rituals, projects and ideas that add up to (as the back cover notes) just “about everything any woman of a certain age might want – and how to get it.” The spells and charms may be simple or fairly complicated, yet are always intriguing (who would have known that wolf’s hair is the greatest thing in the world to protect yourself with?). They range from the helpful (spell to heal the body after major surgery; charm to ward off bad dreams) to the calming (the “ready for the nuthouse” spell); from the slightly manipulative (the “kiss up to the judge” spell) to the downright emphatic (the “God, you’re such a nuisance, please disappear” spell); from the general (money charms) to the incredibly specific (spell to help you resolve a messy inheritance case; spell to use when it’s time to move and you have no place to go). As you may have guessed, Cal doesn’t mince words (“Dealing with Depression, Bad Moods, Bitchiness & Hormonal Insanity” was one of my favorite subtitles). Whether you’re in desperate
need of a potent spell or just need a good, healing laugh this winter,
this book has it all. A great gift for your favorite crone or crone-to-be. Do you have a book to recommend? Would you like to write a guest book review? Please call or e-mail Dawn Brunke at (907) 373-4667 or brunke@matnet.com. |
Author
Cait Johnson wrote this book for all who would like cooking and eating
to be a more magical and soul-satisfying experience. In this, she succeeds
marvelously. Johnson is a friendly, insightful and witty guide who presents
a wide variety of recipes, rituals, spells, meditations and creative
ideas as building blocks through which we can all deepen our relationship
to food as well as our connection to ourselves and the earth.
As
author Nancy Cunningham notes, “When a woman creates an altar,
she re-collects the scattered parts of herself, reconnects with her
inner beauty, and reflects on the Essential Feminine within her psyche.
Her altar represents her essential self and becomes a visual metaphor
for her woman-spirit…It is a place of her own where she can take
time to make sense of the insane pace of life, where she can find the
space to simplify, where she can just sit and stare.”
While
the first portion of this book overviews the power of crystal healing,
the chakras, meditation and color therapy, it also introduces us to
the crystals included in this boxed set: amethyst, adventurine, carnelian,
clear quartz, rose quartz, sodalite, tiger’s eye and yellow calcite.
The remainder of the book (and it is more of a booklet actually, of
only 32 pages, though this is not to say it isn’t full of some
delightful and engaging material) focuses on ten mediations, each designed
to allow a mental and physical journey inward as one places various
stones upon the corresponding large, colorful and beautifully illustrated
meditation cards.
As
Cal Garrison, the funny and feisty author of this hilarious yet totally
serious book, notes, “menopause is a portal that takes us to higher
levels of awareness….As crones, we have ‘the gift,’
girls!”