Celtic Myth & Magick: Harness the Power of the Gods and Goddesses (Llewellyn's World Religion and Magic Series) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "It matters little exactly what tools, directional orientations, garb, jewelry, instruments, music, dances, or settings were used in the proverbial "once upon a time..." (more)
Key Phrases: magick and ritual, faery contact, accepted family tree, King Arthur, Triple Goddess, Tuatha De Danann (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Although there are many different Pagan traditions, in the West, one of the most popular and widely-practiced traditions is that of the ancient Celts. Indeed, some would argue that the ancient Celtic system was the source for modern Wicca and Witchcraft. Finally, Edain McCoy has brought together all of the various bits of information on this culture into one of the most important books of Celtic lore ever, Celtic Myth & Magick.

Here you will find all of the important pieces of information which can unite your knowledge into a clear and complete tradition. Just look at what is included:

-  A dictionary of over 325 Celtic Goddesses and heroines, including information about their myths, uses in magick and correspondences
- A dictionary of over 400 Celtic Gods and Heroes, also including information about their myths, uses in magick, and correspondences
- A huge cross-referenced list of the deities
- A listing of resources and suppliers
- A massive bibliography for further study
- An introduction to almost fifty Pagan traditions directly related to the ancient Celts
- The rituals tools used by Celtic Pagans and their attributions
- The Celtic Wheel of the year, its festivals and celebrations

But this only scratches the surface of what's in Celtic Myth & Magick. You will also learn what to do with this information. You will learn how to use the deities and spiritual ideas to make magick in your life. This includes such things as spells for healing, safety, love, and money. It shows you how to do evocations and invocations. You will discover how to do guided meditations — pathworking — in order to find more information on your own. And you'll learn how to create your own pathworkings, spells, and rituals and even how to pick your Craft name.

Never has so much information on the Celts been found in one book. If you are involved in Paganism or simply want to know more about the ancient Celts, this book is a must.

From the Publisher

Have you ever noticed how some of the most useful things in the world are also the most common? You can get hammers and screwdrivers at convenience stores, yet they make taking care of your home easier and more efficient. You would think that such valuable devices would become expensive and rare, but just the opposite is true.

The same is true for dictionaries. They have become inexpensive and you can even get them in formats that are small enough to keep in a purse or pocket.

Perhaps we should have called Edain McCoy's Celtic Myth & Magick a dictionary. After all, it does list over 700 Celtic deities, heroes, and heroines in alphabetical order, sharing their myths, correspondences, and uses in magick. This is of incredible value to anyone using the Celtic pantheon of deities in his or her spiritual system.

Or perhaps we should have called it a complete guide. Besides the dictionary, it includes an introduction to Celtic tradition and lore, information about rituals, rites, festivals, ceremonies, and spells you can do. You'll also learn Celtic pathworking; invocation and evocation; and information on almost fifty popular Pagan traditions that draw upon the Celts as a source. The book also shares data on resources for supplies and even includes Celtic music and Celtic dress.

But there is no reason for Edain to brag in the title. The book speaks for itself. And what it says is that it is simply the most complete book on Celtic traditions ever published. For even more details you can check out the large bibliography of sources.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Paganism, Witchcraft, or the ancient Celts. If you really want to learn about the ancient Celts and how you can put their traditions, knowledge, and wisdom to use in your spiritual practices, get this book.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567186610
• ISBN-13: 978-1567186611
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,807 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More Wicca than Celtic... and questionable in places..., January 9, 2004

By	blackrose "rosendubh" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

When I first bought this book several years ago I was very excited. I had only been a practicing neo-pagan for a couple of years, and was very interested with expanding the Wicca 101 stuff with particular cultural interests - especially the elusive "Celtic" being that my Irish father raised me with such inclinations.

When I first read the book I thought it was accurate enough. It was pretty much the only source of its kind that I found, and it looked authentic and detailed enough. However, as the years I have passed I've found myself reconsidering this opinion greatly - especially as I've compared it to other source material.

I think the first glaring red flag went up when I re-read it and, in the opening pages, declared that 'Celtic culture' was really pantheistic and not polytheistic. It then proceeds to treat the gods and goddesses as synonomous and interchangeable - ignoring the cultural differences which make them unique, and being horribly disrespectful to the "contributing cultures" to boot.

Besides my opinions regarding pantheism used in such ways, it bothered me that the gods and goddesses were treated, as many neo-pagan books do, as spell components rather than viable entities. I know others don't share my opinion that this book is guilty of this - but then, this is just my opinion.

I was also bothered by the fact that it seemed more Wicca and New Age than Celtic - and this little fact even stood out in my first reading, when the only resource materials I really had were of the Wicca 101 variety.

Now while I'll say that it's not the worst resource material out there, it's far from the best... and those truly interested in a deep exploration and understanding of the Celtic cultures and their gods, they'd do better looking elsewhere (Peter Bellesford Ellis and 'Gods and Heroes of the Celts' by Marie-Louise Sjoestedt are good for a start).

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Gods and Godesses are not just tools!, December 7, 1999

By	Druid Tala (San Diego) - See all my reviews

I felt that she presented the gods and godesses as objects to use for personal gain (as they are often used, but they are more than just that). Not that I don't ask for help or things that I want from them, but it was just not presented very...spiritually. Just sort of a cut-and-dry this is the name, this is what they were known for, this is the best way to use them. Nothing about they're characters or using them as primary Gods/Godesses, only who to use when you want this, and who to use when you want that. The list of names was very, very good, and it does have many ritual examples and step-by-step instructions on how to do certain kinds of rituals/spells (evocation, invocation, pathworking) and info about the Celtic year and holidays, etc. It just doesn't go in-depth about how to do things yourself, the way you want to do them (no one does the same things in a spell for the same outcome, although her tips are helpful for beginners). Also, there's some info on how to construct rituals and spells, though not much, as well as Celtic songs and recipes. Lots of info, just not the mindframe I was looking for.

BTW, for those who want info on how to create spells/rituals/Book of Shadows, I HIGHLY recommend "Your Book of Shadows: How to Write Your Own Magickal Spells" by Patricia Telesco. My bf bought it for me and its absolutely fantastic (almost TOO MUCH info!)!

38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars For real Irish or Welsh religion, look elsewhere, April 27, 2000

By	Francine Nicholson (New England) - See all my reviews

Sometimes people hear an Irish or Welsh tale or a Scots Gaelic song and become interested in the mythology and beliefs that gave birth to the cultures. The figures of the myths and the ways that they were venerated are fascinating--but you won't learn about them from this book. To the ancients, the deities were powerful figures with whom one could create alliances based on respect. To McCoy, they are forces to be manipulated. Her methods have almost nothing to do with ancient religious practices and her descriptions of the deities are superficial and sometimes inaccurate. McCoy seems to have little if any appreciation for the connection between the religious figures and the cultures. If this is a subject that interests you, consider the various books by Miranda Green and folklore collections such as the Carmina Gadelica, or commentary/collections such as Noragh Jones's _Power of Raven, Wisdom of Serpent_, or _The Apple Branch_ by Alexei Kondratiev.