The Twelve Wild Swans: A Journey to the Realm of Magic, Healing, and Action (Hardcover)

by Starhawk (Author), Hillary Valentine (Author) "A queen makes an ill wish: she would trade her twelve strong sons for one daughter..." (more)
Key Phrases: wicked vows, twelve wild swans, core worth, Younger Self, Outer Path, Talking Self (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Starhawk and Hilary Valentine, renowned leaders in the Wicca movement, use the transformative fairy tale of The Twelve Wild Swans to teach an advanced class on magic. More significantly, this is an introduction to a mature level of Wicca called "reclaiming," a model of witchcraft that blends magic, personal growth, and activism. The book begins with the first chapter of the fairy tale, in which a foolish queen wishes to exchange her 12 sons for a daughter. An old woman "dressed all in black" overhears the queen and makes the wish come true, granting the queen a daughter but turning her sons into wild swans.

From here the coauthors launch into a back-and-forth structure of telling the story and then stopping to show how it applies to a witch's initiation and transformation. For example, we all must leave the castle in order to heal our past. We all must spend some time wandering in the wilderness before finding our true home, and we all must conquer some form of "wicked vows" before we can reach full maturity. These are wise leaders and strong guides, well worth following on this life-altering fairy tale. --Tara West

From Publishers Weekly
Starhawk (The Spiral Dance; Truth or Dare, etc.), founder of a new spirituality effort called the Reclaiming Movement, teams up with co-religionist Hilary Valentine for this training and instruction book in magical methods. Their spirituality embraces several popular modern categories, including Wicca, paganism and the goddess movement. The term reclaiming refers to the goddess movement's Eden story, which posits a prehistorical time when matriarchal societies lived in harmony with one another and nature through worship of a female earth goddess, a pristine state that was ended by the rise of patriarchal religions focused on a male sky god. The authors are reclaiming the goddess traditions they believe existed in that ancient paradise, and their book offers others the chance to join in. To suit the needs of their presentation, they have adapted an ancient fairy tale about brothers turned into swans, whose sister wove magic shirts to turn them back into men. The book combines storytelling, instructions for performing magic rituals and advice on how to use these rituals as a form of therapy. The authors adapt popular psychology for an occult audience by translating psycho-jargon into witchcraft terminology. Readers who embrace goddess theology may well find this work instructive, though its advanced magical training will be a bit daunting for beginners. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1st edition (September 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062516841
• ISBN-13: 978-0062516848
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #862,696 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece of Wiccan ritual instruction, October 4, 2000

By	Scott Martin (Ann Arbor, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In 1979, Starhawk set the bar for Wiccan/pagan instruction with her book _The Spiral Dance_. Now she and coauthor Hilary Valentine have raised the bar with _The Twelve Wild Swans_. Where most other books focus on the basics of solitary and small-group Wiccan ritual and magic, this one also delves into the training of a priestess for group (especially large-group) ritual and political action, as well as the self-healing exercises and challenges that few in our community have written about openly. The layout is very friendly: the three paths are constructed to be independent while still allowing for easy movement among them, and the text is filled with wonderful examples and anecdotes gleaned from twenty years of Reclaiming's ritual classes and Witchcamps. The authors assume nothing, beginning with the basics of ritual work (grounding, casting circle, invoking) and using these basic concepts and techniques to build their more advanced lessons. An advance warning: the exercises are not always easy, particularly in the Inner Path - you will be challenged to examine yourself in uncomfortable ways, to ask hard questions. Go for it! Learn who you truly are, and why - it will inform your life, not just your ritual practice. This book is the perfect manual for both solitary and group study; I can't wait to dig into its exercises with my own group. An instant classic that belongs on the bookshelf of every serious student of Wiccan ritual.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just like being at Witchcamp..., November 2, 2001

By	jbs "jbs" (Portland, OR, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Twelve Wild Swans: A Journey to the Realm of Magic, Healing, and Action (Paperback)

...Well, sort of. No late night howling at the moon or camp songs, but this book is organized in a way analogous to camp. There are excellent tools in this book, for beginners to advanced Witches. In fact, I think it is one of the few books really suited for the intermediate to advanced Witch. This book could sustain one's personal work for quite a long time, if needed.

I do find it interesting to read the comments of the reviewer who mentioned the "rabid feminism." I certainly don't perceive this book to be that way. In meeting Starhawk and reading her work, I've never percieved her as a "rabid" feminist or man-hater... interesting how some men think anyone who uses "she" and "her" instead of "he" and "him" as generic pronouns is rabid. I've been putting up with books with a generic male audience my entire life! I guess I'm not really sure why some men are so offended by the book addressing a generic female audience instead.

I believe this book is an incredible, valuable addition to the available literature on Witchcraft, and I strongly recommend it, both to women and (secure) men. ;-)

Blessed be!

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another gem from the Reclaiming Community, January 21, 2001

By	J. French "93 93/93" (Oakland, California United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

All too often, books on the Craft seem superficial. One is left with the feeling that there is a deeper mystery that is not being explained, a richer, darker, more passionate way to approach the Old Religion. The works of Starhawk and the Reclaiming Community stand apart from this depressing state of affairs. Each one unearths deep emotion and is filled with insight. This is the real thing, and that reality is felt bone deep.

"Twelve Wild Swans" is no exception. The lessons are based on an old, somewhat unsettling fairy tale. This story is approached from three different directions that enhance eachother. The most important thing, in my opinion, is the stress the authors both put on the seriousness of commiting one's self to the Craft. Witchcraft is a life altering journey, and that journey should not be embarked upon as a fashion statement. The Outer Path sections make this especially clear.

As a book that stresses dedication and a deep commitment to the Goddess, "Twelve Wild Swans" takes its place as a classic on par with, if not exceeding, "Spiral Dance". Thank you Starhawk and the Reclaiming Community!