Book of Hours: Prayers to the Goddess [Hardcover]

Galen Gillotte (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001

This guide to self-transformation provides 11 inner life exercises to show the reader how to master the forces that determine life choices and destiny. It tells how to dismiss inner fear, cancel self-wrecking resentment, and stopping self-sabotage and blaming others for the way you feel. The book advises how to: slow down life and gain self-command; release resentments and stop being a slave to painful relationships out of your past; take conscious risks like saying "no" as a catalyst for inner change; stop stalling and learn how you can succeed at anything each time you are sure you cannot; and release vital energy by practicing inner quiet.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Galen Gillotte has been a Solitary Wiccan for more than twenty years. She believes that it is important to honor her Hermit self, and seek silence, solitude, simplicity, and prayer as a way to follow the Goddess and the God, and to maintain balance in her hectic life.

She enjoys writing, reading fantasy and horror novels, creating original needlepoint art, playing the bowed psaltery, and collecting thimbles. Pre-Raphaelite art, Celtic music and the smell of fresh herbs feed her soul. Galen lives in southern California with her dog, Sophie.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 118 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567182739
• ISBN-13: 978-1567182736
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,487,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, well-crafted prayers for Goddess Worshippers, May 13, 2001

By 

Barbara A. Bolek - See all my reviews

This review is from: Book of Hours: Prayers to the Goddess (Hardcover)

Breathe. Breathe. Wingspans reaching into eternity. The everlasting filling my lungs until all I can do is breathe. Goddess is within and without, Now Goddess is within and without-- me. (From the introductory chapter of the Book of Hours)

Though somewhat small in scope (you just want more once you start reading this collection), this 118-page hardcover book is absolutely wonderful. Many people would like to bring themselves closer to the Goddess, but don't know how, or lack the words to express themselves confidently. Many would like to just thank the Lady for the light of day, the depth of night, the turning of the wheel, honor the cycles of their lives, or pray for an intercession.

Author Galen Gillotte, a solitary 20-year practitioner of Wicca, does a beautiful job of evoking the magic and mystery the Goddess, giving both the novice and experienced alike, a collection of prayers to use on a daily, moon cycle, or seasonal basis. She also includes prayers for those seeking divine interventions, or just to celebrate special occasions or life transitions.

This book is far deeper than the Wiccan Prayer Book. Gillotte exhibits a truly devout spirit and seems to capture the spirit of the Goddess and the moment well through her simple, yet profound, use of poetry and metaphor. In the introductory chapter, Gillotte adequately describes the four types of prayer she emphasizes in the book, prayers of expectation, prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of celebration and prayers of contemplation. She speaks on setting up sacred space for praying, thoughts concerning praying alone or in larger groups, and how the book should best be used. At the back is some nice background information regarding the Goddesses used in her invocations.

The book has a morning, evening, and night prayer for every day of the week, for the wheel of the year, and for the full and new moon. For each, there is a small introductory prayer and a closing. For the morning and evening prayers there is also a very brief meditation, and affirmation. The night prayer has a meditation and dream images in place of the affirmation.

The final section is comprised of brief prayers for special occasions, such as the birth of a child, for a handfasting, before meal prayers, etc. There are also prayers to release anger, to bring love into your life, for self-blessing, healing, to help one find their life path, and for coping with loss or grief.

My only complaint is that I want more from this author who seems to capture the spirit of Goddess worship so well. The only complaint I have is about layout. I wish the morning, evening and night prayers for each day of the week could have been lumped together under the day of the week rather than subdivided in chapters by morning, evening and night prayers...it just makes a little more sense keeping it all together by day of the week. The seasonal and moon prayers are done the opposite way, which I believe works far better.

I highly recommend this for those Pagans, Wiccans and Goddess worshippers who recognize the positive benefits praying can bring to their daily lives and who want to deepen their relationship with divinity. Here are a few other related books prayerful Pagans might be interested in: *Earth Prayers*, *Life Prayers*. *Celtic Devotional*, *Her Words*.

I would like to thank Llwellyn Worldwide for publishing a wonderful resource for the growing Goddess-centered communities and encourage them to seek out more such material.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and spiritually moving, October 5, 2003

By 

Kelly (NEWARK, DE, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Book of Hours: Prayers to the Goddess (Hardcover)

Llewellyn has outdone themselves with the presentation of this book. It comes in a hardcover edition with lovely gold cover writing and a ribbon marker. It looks like a book to treasure and leave by the altar, which is exactly what I do.

After such a spectacular outside, the inside doesn't disappoint. There are 3 prayers for every day of the week (Morning, Evening, and Night) and 3 prayers (likewise Morning, Evening, and Night) for each Sabbat. She even includes 3 daily prayers for each moon phase. Galen Gillotte has an absolutely amazing way with words. Even the introductions to the sections roll beautifully. As for the prayers themselves, I have found spiritual insight in every single one, and I find it comforting and relaxing to make time every day for prayer. Using this book, I definitely feel like my spiritual practices have been kicked up a notch.

You might think "3 prayers a day! No one has time for that!" but really it only takes a few minutes for each one, and the result is a closer connection to the divine. If you want to add daily prayed to your spiritual practices, then this is the book to have! I highly recommend it for pagans and those exploring Goddess spirituality. Both beginners and the highly advanced can get something out of this book.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Spiritual Gift, January 28, 2003

By 

The Faerie Green (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Book of Hours: Prayers to the Goddess (Hardcover)

There is a sacred energy around this volume. The wisdom of design, yes, but this is not a hollow package. The comfort and spirit inside far exceed the outer beauty.
The word "prayer" is not commonly heard among Pagans, why? The Book of Hours fills a deep need for simple daily devotion, meditation and joy, that requires only you. When you may not have time to perform a New Moon ritual, you'll have an outlet that allows your dedication. It is the purest ritual you can undertake.
Light and thin, this is a book you can carry with pride that won't cause stares or unwanted questions, as well. To tell non-Pagans that you are "praying" is a spiritual bridge and shield at the same time. This is a book to which people of other religions are very receptive, because it is after all, a book like their own.
There are modest poetic prayers for waking and sleeping, morning and night, each day of the week, and the Moon cycles and Sabbats. Most blessed is the (too short) section of "Common of our Lives Prayers" which has the wonderfully memorable "Prayer for a Safe Journey", among others. This also contains the "Prayer for the Loss of a Pet" which was what sold the book to me. Anyone who writes with such compassion should be rewarded.
The Book of Hours is inexpensive as well, and my copy still looks new after a year and a half of reverent use. I cannot recommend it enough. Dare I say it's like a bible to me?