Customer Reviews

A Circle of Stones: Journeys and Meditations for Modern Celts

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is not your usual "Let's pretend we're ancient, Atlantian Celts" book!!! This is a thoughtful, insightful look at Celtic Spirituality, written by a woman who knows her stuff! The passages from Celtic literature add to this work, taking the reader on a truly magickal journey to the Celtic Otherworld and back. If you're Celtic in heritage, this is one way of 'getting back to your roots'; if you're Celtic in spirit, this is one way of appreciating and experiencing one aspect of Celtic Spirituality in a totally new context. (Knowing the author as I do, and knowing how hard she and her husband worked on it, I am truly in awe of their wonderful creation!)

Okay, let's say I was expecting actual meditations to record and listen to. Not so. What you get with this book is basically a Celtic rosary. Tells you what kind of beads to acquire to assemble your own rosary-type thing, and gives short Celtic poems to recite. Kinda interesting. I am actually inspired to make my own take-off from this idea and write little "prayers" that are meaningful to me. The little poems are presented in Gaelic and English, though there are no pronunciations next to the Gaelic, which was a little disappointing. There is a little pronunciation guide in the back, though, but I find it lacking many sounds I couldn't figure out. It is by no means a large tome. You could nearly call it a booklet. Based on looks, I probably wouldn't have bought it, or certainly wouldn't have paid as much as I did sight-unseen.

Although I don't look at Danu and Bile (Erynn's main "Celtic" deities) in the same way, the rest of the information is very helpful in creating, not only a Celtic Pagan rosary, but a Celtic Pagan circle of magic. I tend to see the winds differently than she does too (I stand in the South, to call the North wind across the "land" to welcome the energies of Samhain and full new year-winter stuff) but everything else is either completely useable without changing it, or just needs a little tweek to fit. I would recommend that anyone who uses it, even if they use each prayer word for word, that they copy it in their own writing. It will orient you physically with the magic of the words and into her idea of a Celtic circle.

Highly recommended for anyone wishing to get to know their Celtic Pagan roots without the trappings of too much neo-pagan and Wiccan influence. I hope she writes another book again soon.

The author (that's me) has now made the book available on her website for the original cover price. While I do feel that the text is outdated and I've learned a lot since it was first published, I still get a lot of requests for this book and feel that the prices being asked by used book shops can be extortionate.

If you're interested in the original book on Pagan prayer beads or one of the historical documents from the early days of Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism, you will probably enjoy this book. Buying it from the author saves you money and makes her writing other books possible!

I read this book in a day--but don't let that fool you into thinking it's an emprty read!

Far from it. *This* is Celtic paganism for modern people. Have you been disappointed by the "Celtic WIcca" that gets tossed around? Pick up this gem.

Erynn starts with an explanation of how to create and use a devotional circle of beads tied closely to Celtic cosmology as gleaned from original myth and lore. She devotes a couple of pages to each step of the journey, explaining their origins and how to connect with them in everyday life.

She then dedicates the rest of the book to thoughts and suggestions on honoring the Celtic deities and spirits. No stone is left unturned; however, rather than spoonfeeding you, she instead gives you the tools to create your own sacred space.

The real beauty of this book is that it's genuine. Erynn's scholarship is solid, and she is careful to explain that this is the best approximation of Celtic religion that she, in this day and age and with the resources available, could create. She doesn't try to say "This is exactly how the Celts did it". In addition, she also mentions when certain facets come from a specific group of Celts, such as those on the European continent rather than Ireland. And she does her own translations from Gaelic to English, which I bet is more than most Celtic pagan authors can boast.

I think that Celtic Reconstructionism is highly needed in modern paganism; this book is a fine example of a solid scholarly foundation put to practical and spiritual use, even more than a decade after its initial publication. I can hardly wait for Erynn's book on ogam, due out in 2007!

I just got this a couple of days ago. I expected a little gift style book of Irish poetry and wisdom. Instead I got a wonderful insight into the beliefs of the ancient Celts of Ireland.

I've been trying to find a book on the religon of ancient Ireland and this is a wonderful insight into their beliefs. I plan to make my own Circle of Stones and practise the meditations provided.

For anyone following a Celtic path, who have Irish ancestry or love all things to do with the Celts, this book is a must.

I enjoyed this book very much, but the Celtic poetry, while beautiful, didn't really resonate with me. So I took Laurie's bead arrangement and modified it to suit my own worldview (the Sacred Land for me is not Ireland but the Rocky Mountains, for example, and I think of the four treasures as being the four familiar tarot suits). I wrote my own prayers based on her ideas. I made a bracelet of small beads using her design, and I carry it with me when I go hiking. After years of doing this, I find that when I go through these prayers at home, I'm transported back to the mountain trails I love.

One thing that would have made this book better would be a summary of the prayers in once place. I loved the meditations, but when I first tried to read through the prayers with the beads, flipping through the pages was distracting. I finally ended up typing them out in order so that I could see them in one place. It was after that that I modified them. It would also have been helpful, for those who wanted to follow her suggestion of saying the prayers in Gaelic, to have a better pronunciation guide, or even a cassette to listen to. Those are the only reasons I gave this book four stars instead of five. The concept itself is wonderful.

I'm not a pagan (or a Christian either. I'm a Unitarian monotheist.) But the lovely earth-centered quality of this bead arrangement has a more universal possibility than just Celtic paganism. Anyone who is interested in prayer beads should read this book.

If you're fortunate enough to get a copy of this out-of-print book and you're into celtic Reconstructionism buy this book! Although I read this book in a day, I can honestly say that what I found in it was excellent to read, particularly if people choosing to work this path actually do the practices in the book.

If the practices are done you will find this book to be a slower read, one where the ideas are steeped through the practices in the text. Take your time.

In my opinion this is a good introductory text to CR. Read it, explore the ideas, and take what you can from it.

I watched part of the process of the research for this book, and have used the system for some years. In the beginning, I was curious, but I got hooked early on. The suggested exercises are very interesting and revealing (mostly of self). The work is extremely well researched. I would recommend this book (and have!) to anyone who wants to work with some beginning Celtic material, or to more advanced folk who want something to enrich their practice.

This book was a suggested read from a friend and fellow Celt. I bought it, read it, and took several weeks finding just the right stones for my Circle Of Stones, what an extraordinary and wonderful idea! This is one of the best books I've had the privilege to own and experience. It is not your normal read, the author takes you on a journey, follow these meditations and you will open yourself up to a new world or an old one :-). Just can't enough good things I'm impressed and waiting NOT so patiently for the next book!!