Customer Reviews

Clan of the Goddess

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are so many books that approach Wicca and Witchcraft as a woman's spiritual empowerment path. Ms. Brondwin is a documentary journalist and is well versed in herbalism and homeopathic medicine. She is also a senior executive at two universities, which makes for an impressive background for this author.
Her book is about her tradition. She calls the Clan of the Goddess and Clan Mothers, and her associations are Celtic in nature. She is very female oriented, matriarchal in flavor and very Goddess/female empowered.
Which makes this beginners book interesting to read. There are many who are just finding their path who need this kind of personal empowerment and are very interested in the Celtic path. And the fact that this book does not include the usual male bashing that can many times be included in this kind of book made it all that much more pleasant.
For first steps onto a path, this book is gentle in it's approach while encouraging for the reader. Ms. Brondwin does an excellent job of giving the reader material to exercise their own female spirit and encouraging personal growth.
As for the Celtic part of the path, I have seen so many different kinds of "Celtic" that one more version does not seem to be as critical as it could be made out to be.
What this book does offer is a starting point for those who want to be more Goddess oriented and who feel a calling to the Celtic pantheon. And what I found was a very well presented female oriented personal empowerment book. Well worth it if this is where you want to begin.

I purchased this book sight unseen based on the glowing reviews on Amazon. Once I received the book, was very disappointed and returned it. I've been doing goddess-oriented work for over 30 years and have read and published reviews of many books in this genre. While the writer is sincere, most of the time the book seems to be addressed to a five-year old. Lots of gushy, pep-talk writing. For the very very beginner, if anyone.

A much-needed guide to Feminine wisdom from a thoroughly modern witch. Clan is one of those rare books that breaks through the Esoterica Barrier and humanizes the practice of working with the Earth Mother and the Life-force itself.

It is an especially important book because it creates the impression that Wicca in all its forms makes total sense and that the natural magic Brondwin refers to in her Woman-orientated rituals is the birthright of every female on this planet. For too many centuries women above all, have feared even the idea of spells and incantations because of the legacy of the Inquisition, which Penny Shuttle and Peter Redgrove (The Wise Wound) referred to as "Nine million menstrual murders".

Just reading Brondwin's book, you cannot help but realize that the suppression of the Feminine is nothing less than the suppression of the Life-force itself. After all, we are living in a patriarchal society that changed Menopause from a sacred transition into a form of mental illness. Well, they have to inhibit the Wisewoman somehow, don't they?

The irony is that man bashers like Andrea Dworkin and Mary Daly have made it harder for progressive feminists like Barbara G. Walker, June Singer, Jean Shinoda Bolen and C.C. Brondwin to write about Women's Issues. The problem being that over-sensitive males often see Pro-Female as being a form of Anti-Male, which it is NOT.

Apart from her erudition, which gives the book its credibility, Brondwin also throws in lashings of sass and humour, and many modern examples to illustrate her points - references to Riverdance and Loreena McKennitt, for example. If you're a guy reading this, buy it for a woman you love, whether it's your wife, girlfriend, mother, sister or whoever. If you're a woman, just buy it.

Whether you are looking for spiritual development or Love spells, this book has it all. Brondwin is not an armchair academic pagan. This Wisewoman walks the walk. I can only urge as many women as possible to join her. I have four daughters, and I shall certainly be urging them, too.

Steven Cain (author of Sirius Moonlight: The Origins Of The Suppression Of The Feminine).

This book has a lot to offer to empower women, in terms of the author's affirmations, and her rituals that she's provided in detail. I really appreciate the effort that went into putting all of that together.

However...what I mean by "good but excessive" is that while the rituals and affirmations are good for the practicing Witch, I personally found the writing style to be a little over the top. The author seemed to be "cheering" and redundant through many passages, which in my humble opinion, is just fluff writing. It almost seemed as though she were trying to reach a higher a word count without actually saying much more, similar to what many of us did in high school when our teachers asked for a paper to be a certain amount of words. We'd go back and repeat ourselves, and say something in several ways, and be artful and creative by coming up with new ways to say the same thing. See what I mean? It got a bit tiresome to get through the redundancy. To be honest, the hip-hip-hooray phrases were just a bit too frequently placed. It's not that I'm not a cheerful person, but when reading for education, I can do without it at every other sentence.

I'd recommend this book for the rituals alone, but if you have a hard time taking writing seriously if it's far too "pep squad" then you might want to look at another book.

I've got to say after reading this book that the several "Gushing, Glowing" reviews must have been seeded by C.C.'s chums, because this is no a five-star book, not even a three or four star book in my opinion. I've been reading this genre (New Age/Celtic) for twenty years, and with few other exceptions, I found this book to be a fanciful, useless mish-mosh of all sorts of kooky suggestions and "psuedo-Celtic Factoids." C.C. is obviously a fun-loving jokester who's taken a little Celtic, Native American, Wiccan, and New Age thought and rewritten it into the fantasy world of Clan of the Goddess to make a few bucks. There are much better books than this on the market that more historically accurate (or at least believable) and with much better suggested rituals. Don't waste your time or money -- seek out well-known, respected authors who write on the topic(s) covered here and do yourself the favor of missing this book completely. My copy is now on its way to my local thrift store, since it's not even worth the shelf space and occasional dusting required to keep it.

I have been doing spiritual counseling for 30 years and have a trunk full of techniques I use for myself and others. This book gave me a new technique for communicating to spirit which is now one of my very favorites for myself and also in my practice. I am recommending the Clan of the Goddess to all the new-to-spiritual-growth people I come across and also to the many friends I have who have done spiritual work for years. This book is a 'must have' in my library. Clan of the Goddess triggered some really old past life Celtic memories. All the rituals are to be done in a fun way with easy to obtain stuff, like the candles and music and herbs. The writer speaks to me with an easy and casual manner as if we have been friends forever.

I picked up Clan of the Goddess on a whim and now all my friends Must read it!! It is an easy and beautifully written practical guide that keeps giving women the much needed boost for our busy lives. The inspirational wisdom of the ancient Clan Mothers provided me with a 'tool kit' full of everyday resources for empowering myself and my family. Do yourself a favor go out of you way for this book, it Is the Real Thing! I can't wait to see more of CC's work. Thank You CC.

If you are not afraid to step outside the rules of conventional healing and want to empower yourself by exploring ancient feminine rituals, this is the book for you!

Updated versions of mystic Celtic rituals are outlined by C.C. Bronwin - formulas on how to reach the power of the goddess within the feminine soul. This is not an alternative to today's religions but an exploration of the spiritual in the form of the goddess as the Druids saw it. Embracing the healing powers of herbs and other earthy talismans Bronwin uses the magic of candlelight rituals to guide us on to inner strength. There are our personal spirit guides to discover and ways to defeat our debilitating monsters. It's about conquering negative forces by accessing the power of our joyful experiences. The beautifully illustrated Clan of the Goddess is an awakening for the mind and a treat for the eye.

What a beautiful book this is. The author has done a marvelous job in making the book not only user friendly and down to earth
but comprehensive in bringing forth the knowledge she wishes
to share with you. For Goddess lovers and Celtic lovers, a must have for your library.

Not everyone that wanders into the 'alternative religion' section of the bookstore is a lost soul seeking "home", however, many are. Should they stumble upon this book at the beginning of their journey they will count themselves doubly blessed. I have read and re-read this countless times. I have given it to my friends as gifts no matter what their religious beliefs. Brondwin speaks to the reader as an understanding friend and leads the reader through a self-strengthening journey. There are many exercises, rituals and explanations within the book's cover. Each one is worth the price of the book but together they can bring the reader a journey into her inner-self that is priceless. This is a book every female should read at least one!