|
The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess | 
 enlarge | Authors: ", Starhawk"
Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £5.89
You Save: £4.10 (41%)
New (17) Used (13) from £5.25
Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 120809
Media: Paperback
Edition: Special 20th Anniversary Ed
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.3 x 1
ISBN: 0062516329
Dewey Decimal Number: 299
EAN: 9780062516329
ASIN: 0062516329
Publication Date: November 15, 1999
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New Book direct from the publisher. Takes 7 business days to ship from New York. Usually delivered in 10 business days from despatch date.
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 Must-read: as relevant now as 20 years ago October 15, 2008
Kate Large
I was first told about this book by my boyfriend, who had read it some time back when it was pretty new. As I was reviving my old interest in Wicca, I thought I'd give it go - and I'm so glad I did. Starhawk is quite simply a very gifted writer who also happens to be a witch - this means there's no wading through clunky, mawkish prose to get to the ideas - everything leaps off the page, taking you along with it.
Another thing I love is Starhawk's joy in science - physics, astrophysics, microbiology - there's no positing of the scientific *against* the spiritual - or, indeed, the intellectual - she embraces it all. There are ideas here on magic, ritual, covens, the sabbats - but what makes this book unique to any other wiccan book you'll read is that she also covers feminism, ecology, politics, the 'roles/identities of the sexes' (an conceit she rightly explodes, and wonderfully) - and as I've mentioned before, science.
*Another* great aspect of the latest edition of this book it that is also includes all of Starhawk's addenda - from ten years after publication, and then 20 years. It's wonderful to see how her conception of Wicca - and how Judaeo-Christian and other religions relate to it - develops over the years. And she's not afraid to admit when she think she's been wrong, most noticeably in her attitude to eastern religions.
I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about wicca - though solitaries will find it extremely coven-based. But I'd also recommend it to anyone, of any age, who wants to read a wonderfully-written book, full of passion and poetry, that explores our role in the contemporary world, and gives plenty of inspiration for ways we can improve it. I'd also particularly like to recommend it to men - you'll learn more about how men and women can relate to each other by reading the two chapters on the god and goddess, than you'll *ever* get from some crappy "men are from mars..." style nonsense.
Quite simply wonderful. A book to turn to when you want to learn, be inspired, or even comforted.
 Too much Feminism not enough Paganism May 22, 2003
Ms. M. Frier (Newcastle, UK)
22 out of 27 found this review helpful
Spiral dance is without doubt an influencial book towards Paganism and Feminine spirituality, however I found that the feminine aspects were far too heavy and took the attention away from the Pagan topics that were suposed to be covered in this book.
The book covers feminine spirituality and feminine aspects of modern Paganism and Goddess worship, thats not to say that it isn't one for the men here too, there is a lot of positive female takes on Paganism in this book that are benificial to both sexes/genders.
Basic aspects of Goddess worship are covered, it is clean cut and Starhawk has a wonderful way of writting, this book although does not cover the specifics of the faith and practice so much, it does however give a wonderful example of life inside the Pagan and Goddess worshipping communities. The problem is that Starhawk puts too much of herself into this book, or more specificaly too much of her causes, eco work and feminism, both good causes to go after but I didn't feel that they needed to be included in this book quite as much as they were.
If you are not a fan of feminism which follows ideas such as 'Pornography degrades women' then you are really not going to aprove of a lot of the events she talks about in this book. At one point she goes on to talk about male/female polarity, saying that she doesn't agree in diferentiating so much between 'Male' / 'Female' yet in a lot of her activities within feminism she does just that. This is a good book and it will benifit a lot of people, giving a bit more of an insight on the more feminine aspects of paganism and how feminism influenced this particular form of Paganism. It is an influencial book, but you really have to be awear of Starhawks point of view before jumping into this book or else you will be in for a hell of a dive into outdated feminism.
Witchcraft from a spiritual and community-based stance June 21, 2001
Mrs. Rebecca Jane Holton (West Yorkshire)
22 out of 23 found this review helpful
This is an excellent book. It is very condensed and Starhawk crams so much in. It is very coven based, but I didn't find this a problem, even as a confirmed solitary. Starhawk is a very visual person which fitted in with me very well. Most of her exercises are visually based. For a beginner I would recommend reading this book and another less concentrated one at the same time. I found that I sometimes had to take breaks from it for a day just to let my thoughts gel and settle. If you are a tentative beginner then some of the exercises in this book may feel rather like throwing yourself off a cliff. They are worth it though, despite having to screw your courage up into a ball before beginning them. On the subject of eco-feminism, I personally think this is as relevant now as it was when the book was written so I liked her tone of voice. 5 stars! - oh yes, this is a fab book!
Brilliant April 9, 2001
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
This is an incredible book. It goes into far more depth than most books on the subject and beginners may find it a bit tricky to read. It is however, one of the best books I've ever read. It made me see the world in a different way.
Good for the beginner April 21, 2000
ridgechick@wwfwcw.com (Bristol,England)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
I think that this book will benifit someone who is just beginning to explore paganism and wicca. I found it informative and intresting as well as a nice break from the usual traditional approach to an earth based path. It does however contain alot of opinions rather than information and a lot of spells and invocations which I don't really think are nessesary. If you are looking for a book to expand on what you've learnt so far I wouldn't be that bothered with it but if your looking for one to start as a corner stone on which to build on I really would recommend it !
|
|
|
www.pcprotech.co.uk | |
