Customer Reviews

Neopagan Rites: A Guide to Creating Public Rituals that Work

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a Pagan for over 20 years, and in that time I have read scores of Pagan and Pagan related books, dozens of which claiming to be "Advanced" or "Beyond the Basics" or "What Next" kind of books. Of all those titles, and of all of that reading, I think I can safely say this is the ONLY book I have read that qualifies as "Advanced" learning, without even claming to be so!

I design and lead ritual in my own coven, and have designed and lead public rituals for various local groups and for Pagan Pride Day in our area. I've been extremely happy with some of the rituals I've written/participated in, and other I've felt were a little flat. When those times have happened I was left scratching my head as to exactly *what* was missing.

This book really sheds some light on areas anyone designing rituals could use. Although written for people designing `large public' rituals, I can easily see how the ideas presented here in this book will help me for my small coven rituals as well.

Who should buy this book?

* Anyone who wants to improve the strength and power of their rites
* Anyone who wants a better understanding of *good* ritual design
* Anyone who cares about the research behind what they are reading
* Anyone who wants to know *why* certain things are done in the context of ritual with actual experience, and explanations as to why, and no FBC
* Anyone who wants more from a book then `by rote' instruction (ie. Now pick up Athame A and insert into Cup B and repeat the following...)
* Anyone who wants a valuable tool in helping to prepare rituals for years to come.

Mr. Bonewits, thank you so much for writing this book! This one goes right into my recommended reading list for students ready to start writing their own rituals.

Since my blog entry mentioning this book will eventually scroll off the screen for this page, it seems appropriate for me to repeat here that Neopagan Rites is an updated and expanded edition of Rites of Worship: A Neopagan Approach, now out of print. If you go to that page you will find twelve five-star reviews (and none less than five stars) from Neopagan and other clergy familiar with the earlier edition. Until we have a few reviews here, please visit the earlier ones to get a clear vision of the book -- then come back here to buy it, of course!

"Neo Pagan Rites" Is by far the best book I have read in quite a while.
It really got me thinking about how my rituals are put together and ways to make them better for everyone. It got me thinking about aspects I would have otherwise overlooked. I recommend this book to any Priest/ess old and new.

Really good read for someone wanting to understand magic better. Clearly written and interesting, to the point always. Explains the why of it well. Great sense of humor. I would buy more of his books having read this one.

For everyone who ever attempts a pagan, druid, wiccian, ritual. This book outlines ritual and the natural flow that the ceremonies should follow. This book will help anyone have better, more effictive rituals and more understanding of what we are doing in ritual. Wish I would have had it when I first started, but even after years of writing, and leading rituals I walked away with a fresh perspective and new ideas.

This is an enormously practical book, rich in accounts of actual experience. I recommend it very highly to everyone. Even Egyptian reconstructionists , Feraferians, high church Wiccans, Asatru, and Neo-Romantics who sometimes disdain the label "Neo-Pagan" will find much practical, valuable advice here. Bring the book home in a plain brown wrapper if you must, but buy it, read it, and grow richer. For beginners it provides an absolutely critical comprehensive introduction to a vast complex subject, one which will continue to be valuable as one's accomplishments grow. What Isaac has to say on the existence of God(s) is more perceptive than anything you read in Philosophy class, and the answer he comes up with is: yes.

Some may find the idea of this book off-putting, thinking that they don't need anybody telling them how to worship. Some will say, "Religion is emotional! I don't want to read about it, I just want to do it." But, there is a great deal of value here regardless of your mindset. Isaac has a lot to say about the need for faith and spontaneity in ritual. With the intention of achieving consensus on the meaning of terms, the book begins with a broad, analytical, brilliantly perceptive survey of religion and religious practice that ought to be required reading for every religious person on earth. Much of it agrees with things I have written myself, but Isaac and I have not compared notes. Isaac and I have come to many of the same conclusions from studying the same subject from the same analytical viewpoint.

One point Isaac does not elucidate is the concept of spiritual orgasm. That is, or ought to be, the goal of every religious gathering, the furthering of spiritual orgasm in the participants. Spiritual orgasm, like other kinds of orgasm, is accompanied by increase in heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure, and often visual disturbances and hallucinations, resulting in an overwhelming sense of release. While some of us have little ones at rare intervals, the big ones experienced by Paul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus; or by Joseph Smith in Palmyra, New York; or by Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531 have, if not changed the course of history, certainly profoundly affected many millions of people. But in our rituals, little ones are perhaps more practical and better for domestic tranquillity and the stability of civilizations.

This book is part of the curriculum for Minister's Training for our pagan church. I had seen it before under another title, but this one is the newer version that Llewellyn offers, and since the older version is now considered 'collectible' due to the author's recent death, I chose this less expensive volume.

This book is the best thing since The Spell of Making as far as practical advice for those who are writing and performing rituals for groups. Having met the author on a couple of occasions, I had the benefit of being able to hear his voice while reading and injecting his humor into it. You don't need to be able to do that to benefit from this book.

I may disagree with some of the material offered in some respects, don't get me wrong; but over all, this is a wonderful book, tremendous resource, and certainly something any pagan Minister should have on their shelves for reference.

I look forward to sharing this volume with others in the future. It's a source worthy of textbook status in any pagan oriented curriculum. I daresay, even those of a Christian persuasion could find some of it's perspective interesting.

All in all, a marvelous book. Read it, use it, enjoy the results. This book gives you exactly what it says on the cover...a Guide to Creating Public Rituals that WORK.

I bought this book for my Liturgy I course for ADF, and thought it was just going to be another text book. I was quite surprised that I loved this book. It was great for learning about ritual, and not just how to set it up. The book includes tips for people who are ritual leaders or organizers for a grove/ circle/ or any Pagan group. Topics cover things like weeding out the bad seeds and how to manage large groups versus small groups.

This is a practical book full of practical advice and practical suggestions for creating practical (and supposedly effective) Pagan liturgy. So much so, in fact, that at times the book's practicality seems to drain some of the real aesthetic and spiritual pleasure out of ritual.

I had difficulty, in particular, with Bonewits's explanation of the theology behind his basic ritual theory. Overly-focused on magical work (and redefining worship and prayer as a way of "doing magic on ourselves" to commune with the gods), his theology sounds a great deal like some kind of RPG explanation of worship: it "feeds" the gods "mana." Why this is necessary, or why we should even bother to do it instead of refraining from ritual and allowing the gods to lapse into nonexistence--he never takes the time to discuss. Certainly, conceiving of the gods as spiritual parasites (even in a symbiotic relationship that can give "blessings" in return, like a battery you charge until you're ready to use it) does not inspire me to perform meaningful or beautiful ritual.

On the other hand, this book is chock full of very practical advice. Perhaps nothing you couldn't figure out on your own eventually, but certainly a good resource for a beginner to have on hand. Bonewits covers a wide variety of topics (incorporating music and chanting, addressing group dynamics, writing effective prayer, etc.) that can help provoke the reader to consider what they might do in similar circumstances, which is infinitely helpful. If the reader can find a way to a meaningful theology of their own that helps them connect meaningfully with their gods, Bonewits practical advice will most assuredly help them in crafting a ritual to speak to those sacred relationships.

This is the single most valuable resource about Pagan rituals I've laid my hands on. Bonewits makes some persuasive arguments for the cultivation of the art of liturgy and provides useful hints. Although I was slightly put off by the occasional anti-Christian puns, he still gives some good clarifications for Pagan theology. Just remember that people who left the church tend to be biased and don't take these parts as holy writing.