Magic of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses: A Guide to Their Spiritual Power, Healing Energies, and Mystical Joy

by Carl McColman and Kathryn Hinds

Book Overview

Celtic gods and goddesses are among the most popular of deities revered by today's Neo-Pagans, Witches, Wiccans, and Druids. Figures like Brigid, Cernunnos, Rhiannon, and CuChulainn are honored for their magic, their bravery, and their mythical deeds. Among Pagans, the gods and goddesses of Gaul, Ireland, Wales, and the other Celtic lands rank with the Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian pantheons as the most popular and influential deities in the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1564147835
• ISBN13: 9781564147837
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: New Page Books
• Length: 203 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.2" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

great for beginners )0(

i liked this book. It explains practical ways to show devotion on a daily basis. Learning about the Irish ,Welsh and Celtic deities. Listing their different names and different aspect. Great read!

An Excellent Resource

The authors have presented one of the first popular efforts to explain the Irish and Welsh Gods in a way that Neopagans will understand and appreciate. The book is written with a moderately reconstructionist sensibility that helps break down modern misunderstandings of Celtic lore, but it maintains a friendly and instructive voice that doesn't put the reader off. Scholasticly sound without being stuffy, and spiritually aware as well. Recommended. Ian

An impressively organized and presented reference

Pagans and wiccans seeking new connections with Celtic gods and goddesses would do well to consult Magic Of The Celtic Gods And Goddesses: A Guide To Their Spiritual Power, Healing Energies, And Mystical Joy which provides readers with an overview perspective to their spiritual potentials and healing energies, tracking down often-elusive details for a non-academic audience seeking tips based in fact. Research and spirituality blend in an overview of Pagan deities, rituals, and exercises, Magic Of The Celtic Gods And Goddesses is an impressively organized and presented reference for personal and academic Metaphysical Studies collections.

Fine and Commendable Survey of the Celtic Deities

I admit to being a bit put off by the title and especially the subtitle of this book--which seem to promise so much in a rather fluffy sort of way. But like the other reviewers here, I was very pleasantly surprised. Drawing on archeology as well as legend and literature, the book describes the major mythological figures that have come down to us from the Gaelic, Welsh, and Gaulish traditions. The scholarship is solid and substantial, yet presented in a highly readable form. The authors do not shy away from suggesting the reality of the gods and goddesses they describe, yet are always scrupulously careful to separate what is known from the scholarly record from what might be their personal experience or the tradition of one or another group of contemporary Neo-Pagans. Appropriately, they consistently point their readers in the direction of experiencing the spiritual realities for themselves. I enthusiastically recommend Magic of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses to anyone interested in reading about the the mythology and lore of the Celts, as well as anyone wishing to develop or deepen their own spiritual relationships with these deities.

Wonderful book for beginners as well as advanced students!

Katherine Hinds and Carl McColman's book is both delightful and informative. The authors combine several research streams into a succinct yet in-depth profile of their chosen gods and goddesses. The hypotheses that the authors make are clearly pointed out as such. With the gluttony of books in the pagan and new age market, it is refreshing to read a book that uses research and historical documents as its starting point with the authors acting as both scholars and storytellers. The chapter on Cernunnos was one of my favorites and a shinning example of the authors explaining a deity's occurrences in history and archeology along with hypothesizing possible cross cultural connections. This book is accessible to beginners as well as those who are more advanced in their studies and is a great addition to anyone's library that is interested in mythology.