Magical Gardens: Myths, Mulch and Marigolds [Paperback]

Patricia Monaghan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1997

Plant an Angel Garden, which comes into its own in the moonlight, shining with its own secret radiance ... an Aphrodite's Bower, abundant with flowers and passion, crowded and dense with bloom ... or a Sorcerer's Secret Garden, where in voluptuous privacy you can feel secure enough to envision utter freedom. Myths, meditations, and magical rituals are combined with garden plans that honor the old divinities and the old ways.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

One of the leaders of the contemporary earth spirituality movement, Patricia Monaghan has spent more than 20 years researching and writing about alternative visions of the earth.  Raised in Alaska, where much of her family still lives, she considers herself blessed to have learned the ecology of the taiga, the subarctic forest, in her youth.  She was a writer and reporter on science and energy related issues before turning her attention to the impact of mythic structures on our everyday lives.

The worldwide vision of the earth as feminine--as a goddess, called Gaia by the Greeks--led her to recognize the connection between ecological damage and the oppression of the feminine in Western society.  Much of her work since that time has explored the question of the role of feminine power in our world, in an inclusive and multicultural way.  

An avid traveler, Patricia has researched earth spirituality and goddess worship on three continents.  She has traveled widely in Europe, especially in Ireland.  She holds dual US/Irish citizenship and has edited two anthologies of contemporary Irish-American writing.

Patricia is a member of the resident faculty at DePaul University's School for New Learning in Chicago, where she teaches science and literature.  

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567184669
• ISBN-13: 978-1567184662
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #805,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pollinate with prayer, January 25, 2000

By 

Berkeley Bibliophile (East Bay Hills) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magical Gardens: Myths, Mulch and Marigolds (Paperback)

This is a book about beauty. I have had gardens since I was a child. They have been pretty and abundant and raggedy and weedy, but they all had one thing in common-they were places of retreat, prayer, and satisfied creativity. Magical Gardens is a delightful book, full of soulful understanding of magic and mediation, lightened with sly humor (Chapter 4 is "A Course in Marigolds"), and plans for luscious gardens Martha Stewart never imagined. This is a book to treasure for its wisdom and practical ideas. It's also a great gift for any gardener, whether they are exploring magic or not, because every garden is a place of miracles. It's a worthy gift to someone already exploring magic, because it illustrates the principle of creative change of the world around you in such a beautiful and easily understood way. What's best is I can offer this book to anyone as an explanation of my belief in magic. Gardens teach us how to pray, I can tell them, here, see for yourself how beautiful a prayer can be when it is full of flowers and birds. I'd like to see Patricia Monaghan do another magical garden book on the simple veggie garden. We face the challenges of chemical poisoning, genetically modified "Frankenfoods" like the GM corn that poisons butterflies, and massive soil loss inflicted by corporate agri-business. A veggie garden could be a radical act of magical resistance to the destruction of our environment.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating tie-in..., December 2, 1998

By 

Helen Clark "Red1332" (PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magical Gardens: Myths, Mulch and Marigolds (Paperback)

Having always been interested in the myths, medicinal qualities and other properties associated with plants and herbs, I picked up this book hoping it might show me how to make my garden a place of ritual and magick. Not only has it done that, but it shows one how to go through the seasons while still maintaining the garden as a sacred space physically, spiritually and mentally. The various harvest stories and the activities contained within the book flow together nicely to introduce one to the true miracle of all growing things.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing book, March 20, 2003

By 

wiccanlez "wiccanlez" (Valley Village, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magical Gardens: Myths, Mulch and Marigolds (Paperback)

I was really disappointed in this book because I have enjoyed her other books so much and I have been a gardener since birth. You would be better off buying Patricia Telesco's "Gardening with the Goddess". Ms. Monaghan instead of using her imagination for the plants in the various gardens uses the named cultivars and not the attributes of the plants. Such as buying the "Fairy tm" rose and not using plants that attract faery energies such as columbine. abutilon, primrose etc. Using trademarked plants is a big cop out.