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cloudy__queer's review against another edition
3.0
This was a wild ride. Advice on everything from dog training to gardening to bee & chicken keeping to candlemaking to mead making. This was not at all what I expected but I am interested in those sorts of things so I enjoyed it. Stay away if you are an atheist pagan, while he is open to many different pantheons all rituals involve dieties.
mollyk's review against another edition
3.0
Trying to get more in touch with nature and spirituality. This book made me want to plant a garden, take care of bees, and make my own incense 😂 maybe when it's warmer out...
emilygaynier's review against another edition
2.0
Dnfing at 50%
I'm really not vibing with the author. I might return to this one day but today is not that day
I really liked how the author does into details about several different types of paganism, but while this is a beginner book, the author makes several assumptions about the reader that interrupted the reading and learning experience.
I'm really not vibing with the author. I might return to this one day but today is not that day
I really liked how the author does into details about several different types of paganism, but while this is a beginner book, the author makes several assumptions about the reader that interrupted the reading and learning experience.
caustic_wonder's review against another edition
3.0
If you wanna start a homestead, this book contains some great beginning knowledge. Beekeeping, bread making, magic gardens. All very useful info.
tourmaline_and_tomes's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. I have been looking for ways to incorporate more ritual spirituality into my practice since that is something I have been missing since I've left a Christian community. But, after the first chapter, this small book progressively went downhill for me. The most useful part of the entire book is the very first chapter, "Seven Steps To A New Way of Living," which was a lovely little essay on ways to incorporate Pagan spirituality into your everyday life. The rest of the book just was unnecessary: random informational dumps about different types of Pagan calendars, familiar spirits (in which the author insists you can make your pet your familiar!), and beekeeping, chicken keeping, and crafts. I am absolutely 100% on board with connecting with nature and melding your life with the rhythm of the year, but so much of this "practical" spirituality is inaccessible for most people. This is a personal gripe, but I also took issue with the fact that the author says to never refer to yourself as a witch because of people's prejudices, and he also says that all pagan children should be given a book of children's Bible stories. I understand that this author is a Saxon Pagan and as such as a polytheist, but come on. The children's Bible stories I grew up on were a study in indoctrination. The fact of the matter is, this author is a Saxon Pagan, and as much as he attempts to give nods and information on other Pagan paths, he clearly knows his own path the best. As such, this book will only be useful to you if you are also a Saxon Pagan. Which I am not.
empat's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a great introduction to Paganism. Albertsson is a Saxon Pagan, so much of this book speaks to his own traditions, but he does a good job of trying to reference other paths, such as Hellenic and Norse Paganism. As he does this, he reminds you that many of the rituals and holidays he references can easily be adapted to fit these other traditions.
dayfree's review against another edition
2.0
Started off strong and there was some useful information, but I definitely did not need to know SO MUCH about raising chickens, training dogs and beekeeping. Just a lot of droning on and I wouldn't really call becoming a beekeeper or raising chickens 'practical spirituality for every day' unless you live in the middle of nowhere.
sdawson's review against another edition
2.0
This book has been on my list for at least five years and I’m sad to report I didn’t get much out of it. Actually I didn’t enjoy reading it much either. As a Pantheist and a vegan I found much of the information in here (the section on familiars especially) absolutely ridiculous.
While there is a lot of good info when it comes to holidays and the calendar year I didn’t get anything I haven’t gotten from somewhere else. I also found half of the tips and tricks suggested completely useless to me as I live in a apartment in a city and don’t have my own land to keep bees, raise chickens, or garden.
I’m sure this book is perfect for someone out there and I just went into it expecting something very different than what it was, but I still wouldn’t recommend it. There are much better works out there with tips and tricks that everyone in all kinds of situations can use.
While there is a lot of good info when it comes to holidays and the calendar year I didn’t get anything I haven’t gotten from somewhere else. I also found half of the tips and tricks suggested completely useless to me as I live in a apartment in a city and don’t have my own land to keep bees, raise chickens, or garden.
I’m sure this book is perfect for someone out there and I just went into it expecting something very different than what it was, but I still wouldn’t recommend it. There are much better works out there with tips and tricks that everyone in all kinds of situations can use.
innowen's review against another edition
3.0
Disclaimer: I received a PDF ARC of this through netgalley.com
Following a pagan path is very spiritually fulfilling. The basis of the book is that pagans don't need to feel spiritual on holidays and sabbats. That with some creativity and understanding of our personal yearly devotions, we can walk a pagan path every day. Early chapters focus around learning one's personal Wheel of the Year and personal holidays and how to incorporate these into your life; while later chapters discuss specifics of getting back to nature and spirituality. Albertsson shares his personal Saxon beliefs for examples but balances these with other ideas from heathens and others. A great majority of the book discusses working with the land and critters to understand nature and its cycles.
What I liked: I loved Albertsson's creativity. He really does show that he lives an inspired pagan path every day. The book is filled with examples of how many different pagans can live their spirituality daily. There are spells, rituals, and recipes (food and incense). I liked that Albertsson starts us out with thinking about our own personal Wheel of Life. That we should look at what dates are important to us and use that as a basis for our holy year. What a unique and awesome idea.
What I disliked: I felt that the chapters on working with familiars and the land went a bit long. Albertsson is a dog owner and he spent way too much time discussing how to care for dogs. It was cute and good information but i felt a bit out of scope of this book. Likewise, he's very connected to the land and describes how to farm, raise chickens, and keep bees to a dizzying detail. I felt that he should have given a few more suggestions on how non-land people could connect to the land when they're in a city (he does get into potting plants for house, etc).
Bottom Line: If you are a pagan and find your days lacking some touch of spirituality, then this book is for you. It will show you techniques and ways to reconnect your self and your daily lives back into a earth-bound path.
Following a pagan path is very spiritually fulfilling. The basis of the book is that pagans don't need to feel spiritual on holidays and sabbats. That with some creativity and understanding of our personal yearly devotions, we can walk a pagan path every day. Early chapters focus around learning one's personal Wheel of the Year and personal holidays and how to incorporate these into your life; while later chapters discuss specifics of getting back to nature and spirituality. Albertsson shares his personal Saxon beliefs for examples but balances these with other ideas from heathens and others. A great majority of the book discusses working with the land and critters to understand nature and its cycles.
What I liked: I loved Albertsson's creativity. He really does show that he lives an inspired pagan path every day. The book is filled with examples of how many different pagans can live their spirituality daily. There are spells, rituals, and recipes (food and incense). I liked that Albertsson starts us out with thinking about our own personal Wheel of Life. That we should look at what dates are important to us and use that as a basis for our holy year. What a unique and awesome idea.
What I disliked: I felt that the chapters on working with familiars and the land went a bit long. Albertsson is a dog owner and he spent way too much time discussing how to care for dogs. It was cute and good information but i felt a bit out of scope of this book. Likewise, he's very connected to the land and describes how to farm, raise chickens, and keep bees to a dizzying detail. I felt that he should have given a few more suggestions on how non-land people could connect to the land when they're in a city (he does get into potting plants for house, etc).
Bottom Line: If you are a pagan and find your days lacking some touch of spirituality, then this book is for you. It will show you techniques and ways to reconnect your self and your daily lives back into a earth-bound path.