Sacred Gifts: Reciprocity and the Gods 2nd Edition

by Kirk S Thomas (Author), Manny Tajeda (Editor), Cathy Wayman (Editor),

8 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0988900912

ISBN-10: 0988900912

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In Sacred Gifts: Reciprocity and the Gods, Rev. Thomas, Archdruid of Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship (ADF), explores the development of personal relationships with Gods and Spirits. He describes the subtle and complex integration of personal commitment, devotion and reciprocal offerings that begin and sustain with the Gods and Spirits. Sacred Gifts is all about reciprocity (the give and take of life) and how the religions of the ancient world relied upon this gift exchange to even exist. Just as people give to each other in life, so may we give to the Gods and Spirits, expecting blessings in return. The book researches the history of reciprocity across various ancient Pagan cultures and organizes the common nature across them. Sacred Gifts explores this timeless way of looking at our dealings with the Gods mirrors how our own society holds together even today. We give love and aid to our friends and family, and they return the favor. And we can give love and aid to the Spirits so that They can return the favor to us. I give so that you may give. We give so that They may give.

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Product details

Publisher : ADF Publishing; 2nd edition (December 9, 2015)
Language : English
Paperback : 224 pages
ISBN-10 : 0988900912
ISBN-13 : 978-0988900912
Item Weight : 14.1 ounces
Dimensions : 6 x 0.51 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,274,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,279 in Paganism
- #21,012 in Religious Studies (Books)

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8 ratings

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J. Michael Rollins

Extremely Insightful Book

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great insight into how our ancestors interacted with their gods. Each chapter builds your knowledge until the last fourth of the book which gives you advice, in a very simple way, in how to apply the previous theories.

Helpful

thanson02

Great resource for new and seasoned polytheist

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2019

This book is filled with insightful tidbits and is easy to read. I found it reinforcing many if the views that I had come to in my own through research and practice. The author does spend a fair amount of the book talking about the history of both animal and human sacrifice (not to promote and he is quite clear on that point) and I think it would have been nice to hear more on the best alcohol for libations or more details on different views on how to dispose of ritual offerings, but to be honest, these are minor points and they are small compared to the value this books brings to the table. I highly recommend this work to any polytheist both seasoned and brand new.

Helpful

Michael Dangler

An Excellent Choice for Beginners, Practitioners, and Scholars (and now revised!)

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2016

Over the last several years, the idea that modern Pagan religions ought to model themselves on the ancient notions of reciprocity held by pre-Christian religions has taken firm root. Thomas' book, "Sacred Gifts: Reciprocity and the Gods," is an excellent primer on those ancient notions, and also on how to bring them into sharp focus for modern practitioners.

At once both accessible and deep in its examination, deeper, more scholarly asides can often be found in his footnotes for those who are interested in either the source of the information, or the occasional aside that offers deeper explanation of a point. This helps keep the book moving at a quick pace without becoming too wrapped up in its own virtues.

Thomas has a particular knack for providing an exploration of key concepts, such as the idea of microcosm vs. macrocosm, or the evaluation of sources, in an elegant yet deep way. Very often, he provides an example rather than an explanation, which ensures the material is both relevant and accessible, and helps to support his argument at the same time.

I was pleased, as well, to see that Thomas did not rely on a single set of theories about religion in this work: while the book offers an excellent introduction into relevant thought by Eliade, he also discusses the theories of Huizinga, Lincoln, and Burkert as they apply to notions of reciprocity in religion in general. Also refreshing, Thomas mostly limits his discussion to religions from Indo-European-speaking cultures, which helps to avoid the pitfalls of generalizing too broadly when it comes to his theories (he notes the limitation in both introduction and conclusion).

Thomas spends a good deal of time examining key notions that we could all benefit from learning more about: friendship, sacred space, historical types of sacrifice (and their modern reflexes), the rules of sacred play, and many others. The book is well-organized to help the reader build an understanding for coming concepts, and help keep you from getting lost in details.

The book is not entirely about mythic and ritual history, though you might be forgiven for mistaking it as such for the first few chapters: toward the end of the book (in the last chapter), Thomas provides hands-on work for a person who might want to apply these concepts of reciprocity and engage with a spirit as well, offering a quick (and excellent) primer on meditation, trance, piety, and ritual work, with two rituals (one to meet a spirit, and one to forge an alliance with that spirit).

The division of the book into these two parts (chapters 1-7 being about reciprocity in a sacred context, and chapter 8 being about the hands-on work) helps to ensure that those interested in the subject from a scholarly point of view aren't inundated with modern Pagan work throughout, but those who are interested have a place to work those skills into their religious work. Thomas is the Archdruid of Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship (ADF), so his personal stories and work occur frequently in the book, but not in an intrusive manner that might impact the scholarship of those first seven chapters.

A good companion book for this might be Ceisiwr Serith's Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans , also from ADF Publishing, which I've also reviewed and found to be a fabulous resource. I might recommend starting with Thomas' book, and reading Serith's book next, though they compliment each other in whatever order you might read them.

In the end, I highly recommend this book: it's accessible, deep, and provides a fascinating window into the practices of Pagans, ancient and modern, giving us a roadmap for applying these practices to enrich our own, modern lives.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Sara Blackwelder

This book is easy to read with a conversational tone

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2016

This book is easy to read with a conversational tone, but with such great information packed into it! It has good scholarship to learn about the topic and also practical exercises to work on developing relationships and building mental discipline. A must have for the basic Pagan library, as it helps to explain why we do the work and practice as we do, and makes it very accessible and understandable. I highly recommend this book.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Deryk the Gypsy

Kirk did a fine job, a subject that many neo pagan's/heathen's need ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2015

Kirk did a fine job, a subject that many neo pagan's/heathen's need to consider. Forming the relations with the kindred's. Reciprocity is a very important concept. I give, so that you may give is an important thing in any relationship, particularly with the Gods!

The book was a fairly easy read, but backed with sources. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

7 people found this helpful

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Holli

Thank you for this valuable contribution on a subject I ...

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2016

Thank you for this valuable contribution on a subject I confess I hadn't given serious contemplation before. Writing this in the wake of the many shootings the past week and months, it strikes me that this model of reciprocity not only applies to our relationships with the gods, but also could help bring sanity, healing and eventual peace to our troubled world.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Yewtree

Well worth a read, needs a thorough proof-reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2015

Verified Purchase

This is a really interesting book, well-argued and thought through, and has some great suggestions for rituals to express and create reciprocity.

It is generally well-written and engaging, and worth buying.

However, it could have used a really thorough proof-reading. On the Kindle edition, the footnotes were in the middle of the text instead of at the foot of the page. And "it's" vs "its" needed checking. And there is no need to write "[sic]" after ever use of the word "colour" in quotes from English writers - that is very irritating for a reader who uses British English.

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Sacred Gifts: Reciprocity and the Gods 2nd Edition

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