Spirits of the Sacred Grove: The World of a Druid Priestess by Emma Restall-Orr

I just finished reading Orr's "Spirits of the Sacred Grove: The World of a Druid Priestess". I found it refreshing - no spells, no rituals, and no "how-tos". Instead, Orr presents a vignette of each celebration along the wheel of the year. While there are some obvious differences in her practice and the American Druidry I've been exposed to, they're not relevant to enjoying the book. After all, this book isn't really about the particulars of her belief, but rather how she celebrates her beliefs and the interactions she has with various people, deities, and spirits along the way.

Depending on who the reader is, it might be a perfect book to give to someone to give them the "flavor" of Druidry. It's possible that parts of it would be unclear, where she speaks to various animals, gods, and spirits, if a person isn't familiar with the notion of more than one named personality within a religion. I think, though, that she eventually identifies all of the guides and deities she speaks with. She does make it clear that all Druids do not worship the deities and spirits she knows.

I did find her references to shape-shifting odd. I couldn't tell if she meant it in a literal sense (which, for me, would make it a less appropriate book to give to someone else), or in a symbolic sense.

Although she indicates at the beginning of the book that not all of the experiences she describes are from the same year, or even from the same ceremony, the book feels authentic. I particularly liked that in at least one of her experiences, she has a crisis of faith -- something that's nice to be reminded that even Elders have.

I'm not sure if it is the sort of book I would go back to and read again, though - I bought it, but I might have just as well checked it out of the library. It was interesting, but there aren't really any "revelations" in it (for lack of a better term), nothing particularly thought provoking. I mean, as someone who's also walking the wheel of the year, I enjoy reading about other people's experiences. But ultimately, it's my experiences that matter most to me.


Copyright © 2001 Jonobie Ford
All rights reserved.
May be reposted for non-commerical use as long as the attribution and copyright notice are retained.

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