All is relatively well in the land of me. I spent yesterday down by the ocean with my family, and despite the horror that is searching for a bathing suit, things went well enough. I will, however, be replacing the interim suit I bought with something basic, and black, and one piece. Two-piece suits are the bane of my existance.
I've been spending my free time going through some Pagan books that I'd been meaning to read. I'm working on Deborah Lipp's Elements of Ritual which covers the "why" more than the "how" of rituals. Phyllis Curott's new book, The Love Spell, is okay... I'm having many of the same feelings about it as I did about Book of Shadows, Curott's other prose-form book.
While I feel that Witch Crafting is an ultimately superior Craft book / manual, Curott's prose books leave me unsatisfied, craving more beauty. Or strange beauty, I should say. The emotion is there, but it's so entrenched in predictable writing and the same old adjectives that it becomes almost mundane. Her writing just isn't particularly captivating to me, I suppose. In a manual or a book on theory, one generaly expects mostly technical writing on theory, mythology, or ritual. This may be mixed in with the author's poetic invocations in the like, but I don't really pay much attention to creative writing bits in such books because I write my own invocations. At the very most, I look at the author's creative writing for ideas or imagery.
When I pick up a Craft manual, I'm primarily looking for clarity or new ideas. In a memoir or novel, however, it's all about the quality of the writing. If the author doesn't draw me in, engaging both my mind and my emotions, the book will most likely be shelved or passed along. I simply don't have the time to trudge through books that don't interest me.
I picked up The Love Spell because I've always had an interest in sacred sexuality and the connection of love and sensuality to the Divine. For a book that focuses on the Divine's more erotic attributes, I'm not getting many tingles. Part of it is because I've always felt that Curott rarely addresses any of her shortcomings, or at least the flaws that makes her human. It's hard for me to particularly care about the persona she's cultivating when she's writing about herself. She's too goody-goody, too pure-- or at least she puts forth great energy to seem as such. I think that she's definitely an attribute to the Pagan community and she's got a lot to say-- I'd love to attend a seminar or a lecture she's giving because there are many things that I could learn from doing so. However, reading about her own personal journey tends to put me to sleep. I'm much more interested in every other character that the book presents. I can at least say that this book is not nearly as hard as men as BOS, which irritated me to no end because it seemed almost borderline misogynistic. She's at least trying to take a fairer, more balanced look at masculinity-- both expressed through the men in her life and the masculine Divine.
That said, I enjoy the ideas that I'm getting for my own work and learning about concepts that are unfamiliar to me. It's a good way to spark ideas and further research. I'm going to finish the book and write up a full review over on
witchy_reads.
Also-- Tarot people: Has anyone used Yasmine Galenorn's Tarot Journeys? I personally have enjoyed the three books of hers that I have read, and I see she's got a book/cd set on a topic that I'm wanting to learn more about. I've acquired / lined up decants of about half of the BPAL tarot blends to further this goal, and I'm probably going to pick up a Rider-Waite deck sometime next week.
As for tonight: I have to update my spirituality journal, dye my mother's hair, do laundry, and meet my Annabean for a book drop-off / dishing session.
For all of you IRL people, don't forget about the party next Sunday, from 12-evening. Patapsco State Park's Avalon Pavilion -- you can find directions here. Noble /
egosomnio, are you coming?
Confidential to Hyp: There were several Care Bears movies. I'd say you've got a few of those left! :)
I've been spending my free time going through some Pagan books that I'd been meaning to read. I'm working on Deborah Lipp's Elements of Ritual which covers the "why" more than the "how" of rituals. Phyllis Curott's new book, The Love Spell, is okay... I'm having many of the same feelings about it as I did about Book of Shadows, Curott's other prose-form book.
While I feel that Witch Crafting is an ultimately superior Craft book / manual, Curott's prose books leave me unsatisfied, craving more beauty. Or strange beauty, I should say. The emotion is there, but it's so entrenched in predictable writing and the same old adjectives that it becomes almost mundane. Her writing just isn't particularly captivating to me, I suppose. In a manual or a book on theory, one generaly expects mostly technical writing on theory, mythology, or ritual. This may be mixed in with the author's poetic invocations in the like, but I don't really pay much attention to creative writing bits in such books because I write my own invocations. At the very most, I look at the author's creative writing for ideas or imagery.
When I pick up a Craft manual, I'm primarily looking for clarity or new ideas. In a memoir or novel, however, it's all about the quality of the writing. If the author doesn't draw me in, engaging both my mind and my emotions, the book will most likely be shelved or passed along. I simply don't have the time to trudge through books that don't interest me.
I picked up The Love Spell because I've always had an interest in sacred sexuality and the connection of love and sensuality to the Divine. For a book that focuses on the Divine's more erotic attributes, I'm not getting many tingles. Part of it is because I've always felt that Curott rarely addresses any of her shortcomings, or at least the flaws that makes her human. It's hard for me to particularly care about the persona she's cultivating when she's writing about herself. She's too goody-goody, too pure-- or at least she puts forth great energy to seem as such. I think that she's definitely an attribute to the Pagan community and she's got a lot to say-- I'd love to attend a seminar or a lecture she's giving because there are many things that I could learn from doing so. However, reading about her own personal journey tends to put me to sleep. I'm much more interested in every other character that the book presents. I can at least say that this book is not nearly as hard as men as BOS, which irritated me to no end because it seemed almost borderline misogynistic. She's at least trying to take a fairer, more balanced look at masculinity-- both expressed through the men in her life and the masculine Divine.
That said, I enjoy the ideas that I'm getting for my own work and learning about concepts that are unfamiliar to me. It's a good way to spark ideas and further research. I'm going to finish the book and write up a full review over on
witchy_reads. Also-- Tarot people: Has anyone used Yasmine Galenorn's Tarot Journeys? I personally have enjoyed the three books of hers that I have read, and I see she's got a book/cd set on a topic that I'm wanting to learn more about. I've acquired / lined up decants of about half of the BPAL tarot blends to further this goal, and I'm probably going to pick up a Rider-Waite deck sometime next week.
As for tonight: I have to update my spirituality journal, dye my mother's hair, do laundry, and meet my Annabean for a book drop-off / dishing session.
For all of you IRL people, don't forget about the party next Sunday, from 12-evening. Patapsco State Park's Avalon Pavilion -- you can find directions here. Noble /
egosomnio, are you coming?Confidential to Hyp: There were several Care Bears movies. I'd say you've got a few of those left! :)
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