Goddess in the Office by Z. Budapest - This wonderful little book is full of inspiration ideas for incorporating the Goddess and your Wild Woman into your daily workspace. Each day of the week is covered and includes scents, crystals ands colors to help you attune to the sacred on that day. In addition to these tidbits Z. offers her trademark stories and spells to try out. It's inexpensive and unobtrusive as well as a great way to help you destress on those horrible days we all have at work.
The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara
Walker - This voluminous tome is full of interesting and fascinating
information. Every woman should find something of interest in this
book. There has been some debate about the conclusions drawn by Walker
and how accurate some of this information is but regardless of its accuracy
this book truly makes you think and question must of what we were taught
in history class. This encyclopedia is so comprehensive that it's a
tad overhwhelming in scope. But if you read it in small pieces it's
must easier to digest.
Women's Rituals by Barbara Walker - This interesting book is full of ideas for creating rituals to honor various aspects of a woman's life. Barbara Walker includes ceremonies for such things as celebrating heroines, self-expression and storetelling (a condensing of story-retelling) as well as rituals for the 8 Sabbats and various guided meditations. What is useful about this book is that it is not specifically Pagan. It would be a wonderful tool for creating ceremonies for women's circles that include Pagans, Christians, Jews and other religious paths. Next time you're in your favorite Witch shop take a look at this book.
Eclipse of the Sun by Janet McKrickard - I learned about this book from browsing through the White Dragon web site. Their review caught my attention so I did some searching and was lucky enough to find it. It's an excellent and thought-provoking book. The author delves into myth, legend and history and creates a fascinating portrait of the many Sun Goddesses and Moon Gods that populate the world but seem to have become lost in modern times. Ms. McKrickard also makes an excellent arguement against the modern tendency to assume that all Goddesses are Lunar and all Gods Solar. If you have fallen into this pattern then read this book. It is a very liberating experience.
O Mother Sun by Patricia Monaghan - Another wonderful book by Patricia Monaghan. It's topic is the same as Eclipse of the Sun - an attempt to reclaim the Sun Goddess. Ms. Monaghan looks into a wide range of cultures in an attempt to weed out the remnants of the Sun Goddess. She offers excellent arguements that some modern Moon Goddesses were once Sun Goddesses who were "reassigned" either by a conquering race or by modern historians. This book and Eclipse of the Sun are must haves for anyone who wants to expand their horizons.
The Women's Comfort Book by Jennifer Louden - This book is marvelous. It's full of simple, easy to follow ideas for comforting yourself when the world seems overwhelming. Each idea is covered on one or two pages and covers such topics as Letting Off Steam, Seasonal Celebrations and Nuture Your Body Image. In addition to the ideas Louden offers, she provides a reading list for anyone seeking to go deeper into the topic. I would say this is a must have addition to any woman's library.
Red Moon by Miranda Gray - A useful look at how women can begin reclaiming the power of menstrual magick. Menstruation is still looked upon as somehow unclean or nasty. Miranda Gray offers some interesting ideas for honoring yourself at that time of the month. Any woman seeking to get in touch with a side of herself that has been discredited for many years should enjoy this book.
Sister Moon Lodge by Kisma Stepanich - I have to admit I was a bit leary of reading tis book because the autor's Faery Wicca books have set off my alarm bells. I was suprised to find that I not only enjoyed this book but I would recommend it to any woman interested in getting more in touch with that side of herself that truly experiences menstruation. The book has ideas for meditations, rites and other ways to incorporate your menstrual cycle into your everyday life. I really liked her suggestion to wear clothing and accessories that match the phase of your menstrual cycle. If you are ovulating then wear sexy, seductive clothing, while menstruating you could wear clothing that makes you feel powerful and magickal. I thought this was a unique yet simple suggestion to help women become more in-tune with their personal cycle.
