Customer Reviews

A Voice in the Forest: Spirit Conversations with Alex Sanders

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

 

 

This book was not an easy read - at least for me. My emotions run very high when I even casually read a page or two. Please understand that this might be due to my past. I am of the Alexandrian Wicca and Alex was my teacher.

We never met in person but his life, teachings, experiences, and the man he was influenced every aspect of my life since I first encountered the Wicca when I was 22 years old. I was accepted for training in the first Alexandrian coven in the United States...even though other witches at that time had a problem with my last name - HA! - just a coincidence the way it is spelt.

Over the years since Alex died, I since retreated from teaching and even active participation with others of my kind, mainly due to a major move to my new home in San Francisco, or with other things I thought more important, like career or just living day by day. But I never forgot the man, his work, and his influence in making me the witch I am today, but in the passage of time, I strayed.

This book however snapped me awake. Reading it became an eye opening, blow your socks off, rude wake up call for me. No longer was I able to give false excuses for not living fully who I am. This book is filled with stories, insights, myths and realities of not only the man named Alex Sanders, but of the passion I feel for Craft. This book restored my faith and love for the Craft and the Goddess and her children of which I am just one of them.

Since reading the book, I am back to teaching and sharing with others what I feel for the Goddess and for the man most responsible for this - Alex Sanders. On a personal note, I also personally know the author (and can attest to his authenticity), and while at first was hesitant about anything channeled, the way the book reads makes you feel as though it is NOT a channeled session. When you read the book, you begin to actually feel the presence of this great leader, Alex, right next to you. The hair on the back of the neck begins to rise - it can feel almost spooky and even more so if you knew Alex personally, as the information is as if he is speaking directly to you.

I would highly recommend that you read the book for a number of reasons, such as being of the Wicca, or of being an Alexandrian witch, but more importantly if you are one of those who on a moonlit night, feel the wind calling to you and seek the Goddess within, and wonder if its more than just your imagination. Read the book and awaken once again. Read the book and realize you are never alone.

My mother swore by the information that she had received through her (Ouija©) board, information about my soldier father fighting in WWII at Normandy and Ardennes -- and other place names of obscure European cities and towns that an American housewife couldn't begin to confabulate! So I believe that, while the board doesn't ALWAYS work, sometimes it DOES -- and Jimahl di Fiosa's experiences with it are another example of the times it DOES!

I read A Voice in the Forest in a way waiting for the bunk that is often so inevitable when things like spirit contacts are written about. I was pleasantly surprized-- and, in fact, damned impressed by di Fiosa's ability to narrate the story while all the while questioning the validity of his own experiences -- often afraid to share them for fear of being labeled among the lunatic fringe. But the validation that he has received from people who knew Alex Sanders (the deceased founder of Alexandrian "wicca" and the spirit whom di Fiosa has contacted) intimately is all the proof that I need to believe the story.
I was touched by the revelations that the once flambouyant Sanders may even be content to slip quietly into the shadows, if only his Craft and his Goddess will survive in the hearts of his followers. I did not read the first edition, but it seems that the sections of the book that are new to this edition add so much to the story. I applaud di Fiosa for putting it all "out there" for us to partake of its inspiration. There is an honesty here that is heartfelt. And a passing of the cup... to each of us.

In this book the author and his companions claim that via a talking board and automatic writings they have successfully channeled Alex Sanders between the years of 1998 and 2003.

What unfolds in this book is the recounting of the contact, some of the material that was passed on to them by the spirit of Alex Sanders and a heartfelt story of a Coven's love for the founder of their tradition, insight into the growth and development of this coven in the United States over this time period, and messages of warmth and encouragement for their path and personal growth.

I've never had the pleasure of knowing Alex Sanders. I know him only through the small amounts of writings available about him as most people do. I personally would not know neither his personality nor his way of speaking, writing, or have anything that would enable me to say... yes, this is Mr. Sanders, or no, sorry.

But there are testimonies presented in this book to the content of some private messages sent via this group to persons who did know him that indeed, they feel it was Alex.

I read the messages that were allowed to be made public. There is nothing there that indicates, at least to me, that this is Alex Sanders. And there is nothing here that says this is not.

What does come across in this book is a spirit which encourages belief and connection with the Goddess. The spirit also speaks of dedication to the Craft and awareness of personal connections to spirituality. The spirit also reminds this coven of personal commitment to continued teaching and growing our community in order to assure our continued success as a viable spiritual path.

The message is a good one, one that you will find repeated by many elders in our community, not just here in the United States, but also abroad. The participants believe they have contacted Alex Sanders and continue to pass on encouraging messages to not just immediate family and friends of Mr. Sanders but also to the students and those students who are now teachers. He talks from beyond the grave to assure his follows and others who follow the Craft that we are on the right track, to hold fast to our belief in the Goddess and that She is there for us all the time.

The book is a curiosity, one with a positive message. While we may not be able to validate the experience of the participants, we can understand and relate to the messages.

Mr. diFiosa documents the events well, giving plausibility to the work. The material is easy to read, well organized, and draws the reader into the deeper workings of mediums and channelers.

But it is the message which will prevail in this work. We all need positive messages of encouragement. While we may not be able to relate to the specific path or to Mr. Sanders, we can easily understand the message, and draw from it some idea of self worth, validation and hope for the future. And if you are an Alexandrian, or if you are walking the path of the Craft, you will find this book enjoyable, intriguing and insightful.

Although I'm not a practitioner of witchcraft, I was drawn to this book out of a sense of curiosity and an appreciation for its serious undertaking. I was not disappointed. "A Voice in the Forest" offers more than insight into witchcraft and spirituality - in many ways it's a window into the workings of life itself.

Di Fiosa writes a convincing meditation on his experiences in communicating with Alex Sanders. He has a way of revealing foreign-seeming and complicated information in an understandable and tantalizing form, resulting in a book that is simultaneously documentary and literary, feels spare and elegant, and contains moments both hair-raising and peace-giving.

I was particularly interested in the themes of mediation that di Fiosa raises - the issues he takes on concerning the channeling of spirits can also be read as a metaphor for the balance between one's spiritual and mundane lives - this is a complex book. I highly recommended it for anyone interested in matters of spirituality or even those just looking for a good read.

This is one truly amazing book. As a Wiccan myself, this book is very inspirational as it shows how real both magick and spirit contact is and the people who live this as part of their lives. This is one of the most different and important books that you will find in the "Wicca" section today.

Alex Sanders was the founder of Alexandrian witchcraft up until his passing in 1988. He was known for being "the King of Witches" the, at times flamboyant, unofficial spokesperson and publicist for the Craft. So it should have been no surprise that his death did not still his voice. He did not seem done with the world or the inhabitants he considered family so he found a way he could still participate and advise.

A camping trip in the New Hampshire woods in July 1998 begins the contact. diFiosa and friends, all fellow witches, brought out the spirit board on a whim. It is then that they successfully attempt to contact Alex. This becomes the first of numerous conversations they are able to have with him. Alex dispenses advise to his friends and followers both through the spirit board and automatic writing. Each time it is diFiosa who is the vessel through whom Alex communicates. A Voice in the Forest is this story including complete transcripts of the conversations diFiosa chooses to share.

This is a very personal story. While it includes others in its tale, it is a diFiosa's journey that is foremost. He allows the reader to become a part of his quest for truth and understanding in his own life. He fairly lets others speak for themselves, especially in the ending "Voice Retrospectives" while maintaining the privacy of those who wished it. It is also about meaning of faith for one man and the growth and changes in the world of modern witchcraft.

This book can appeal to both believers and non believers alike. It is a fascinating look at a unique perspective on modern witchcraft, Wicca, and its believes. This is the second edition of the book and includes parts not in the original book. diFiosa has a fluid writing style, very colorful and descriptive when appropriate, detailed and concise when the facts are concerned. It is difficult to imagine that he is not a writer by trade. That makes it an interesting and fulfilling read no matter what the readers' personal beliefs or acceptance.

I knew Alex as a friend in 83/84 and he drank one particular kind of drink and smoked one particular kind of cigarette and used one particular word repeatedly as a joke.

While cleaning out a closet the other day, I found this book and started to leaf through it, trying to remember the story. I was so captivated by di Fiosa's writing that I eventually re-read the whole thing -- and never got the closet cleaned!

Di Fiosa tells the true story of a spirit communication during a camping trip and recounts his anxiety and worry over whether he should make his story public. In his telling, he's gentle and descriptive, and never in your face. Great read!

Whether one believes that Jimahl and his friends truly contacted Alex or not, his story is fascinating. He describes how he and friends contacted Alex through use of a "spirit board" (like a Ouija board) and their doubts and concerns as they delve deeper into the mystery.

This second edition contains bonus material not present in the first: Pictures of Alex, a previously-unpublished 1974 interview, and a thoughtful appendix on the concept of tulku.

Fascinating, quick read. Jimahl's an excellent storyteller.