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Summary: An excellent ministerial reference for modern Pagans
Review: An invaluable book for high priests and priestesses of neo-Pagan religions, who - often with limited formal pastoral training - must take on the daunting task of ministering to coven members, family, and even non-Pagans in their times of grief.This book addresses not simply the thealogical aspects of Neo-Pagan views on death and rebirth, but gives concrete advice on mourning and grief, such hot topics as abortion, misscarriage, right-to-die issues, and AIDS-related deaths.Through first-person stories and specific advice, this book (by an experienced priestess whose group is well known for their public Samhain celebrations) helps the reader to gain a better understanding of the grief process, and guides them to becoming a more effective priest/ess
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Summary: Will use it again and again.
Review: I can't say enough good about this book. Thank the goddess there is a book from a Pagan perspective. That celebrates the diversity of pagan belief and addresses loss and death. From how to help children deal with the loss of a loved one (bird or teacher or...) to how to conduct a home-made cremation to mourning rituals and healing songs to advice for being with a loved one who is dying. My only complaint is that it isn't long enough. Deep enough. Hopefully it is only the first volume of future books...
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Summary: A MUST HAVE!
Review: I do not want to reiterate what everyone else has written but... It'snot just for the pagan community but for the world at large.Allrituals in this book, as well as those in The Spiral Dance, are not designed as "gospel" but to give you a frame-work to take, expand and modify to make it work for you, make it your own -- whatever the circumstances!
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Summary: Extremely Helpful
Review: I received this book in December 1998 at Yule Tide from my sister. It has been a great addition to my library and there is a great amount of information about just about any momentous life event. I recommend this book to everyone.
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Summary: It Comforts the Heart and Restores the Soul
Review: If a loved one's passing has brought you great sorrow or if you simply wish for a better understanding of death, this is truly for you. This book is honestly one of a kind; it takes Pagan beliefs and presents them in a whole new light. The reader is guided through the process of caring for someone who is dying, grieving for a loved one who has passed on, planning for a funeral, preparing for death, understanding death, and so much more. Words cannot express how unique and uplifting this book is. Just reading it can change your life forever. It is filled with rituals, prayers, songs, chants, poems, and meditations and visualizations. I believe is the only book of its kind and if every Pagan's library had only one book in it, this is the book it should have.
Perhaps one of the greatest things about this book is you do not have to be Pagan to appreciate and understand the contents of it. You could be an athiest and it would still help you and bring you comfort. This is by far the best non-fiction book I have ever read. If you are looking for a book to help you cope with death or learn more about it, buy this one. Even, and especially, if you are only going to buy one on the subject.
It will help you greatly. It has helped me and any many other countless people greatly. I was extremely close to my mother, for years I cared for her and I love her more than life itself so when I was 22 years old and she passed away suddenly after a battle with cancer everyone thought she had recovered from, my whole world seemed to crumble to peices and I honestly wondered if I could even go on living, if life would ever again be the same, if I'd ever smile again. Then a very dear friend of mine handed me her copy of this book. She told me if I read it that it would give me a better understanding of death and help my heart heal. I read it and I would be lying if I said it did not do just that. It changed my life and while I was reading it, just two months after my mother passed on, my husband and I discovered we were pregnant with our beautiful little boy so while finishing reading the book I was also able to experience the circle of life firsthand and it was so beautiful it was beyond words. I could even feel my mother's presence when my son was born and it was the most amazingly wonderful feeling there could ever be. I think the knowledge in this book honestly has the power to enhance your life as you begin to look at death in a whole new light, see it from a completely different point of view, one that will warm the heart, comfort the spirit, and make you see happiness where there was sorrow.
Read this book sometime and you'll forever be grateful you did!
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Summary: One of the best books of its kind I have ever seen!!!
Review: This book covers a subject few people, let alone Pagans or Witches, think about - death, dying and how to care for those who cross over, as well as caring for the caregivers. Starhawk, Macha Nightmare, and the others at Reclaiming give practical suggestions and moving personal testimony about this subject, as well as introducing the reader to the philosophies of the Craft and the Reclaiming Tradition. This book brought tears to my eyes while reading it, and is one book that ALL High Priests, Priestesses, and Elders of the Craft should read and use. I cannot recommend it highly enough!!!
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Summary: A much needed work for modern paganism
Review: This book is a sign that Wicca and other modern pagan religions are coming of age. A very powerful compilation of rituals and stories designed to assist with living in the midst of pain and death, it is very comprehensive and surprisingly non-preachy... I know people who have been directed to this book by their Christian clergy. Previous to the existence of this book, I could never name a book that *every* Wiccan should own. This book is a must own.
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Summary: Powerful
Review: This is a book that goes beyond 101. Wrestling with the issues of living and dying from a Pagan perspective, this book gives many ideas and real stories in what it means to live and die.
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Summary: Powerful
Review: This is a book that goes beyond 101. Wrestling with the issues of living and dying from a Pagan perspective, this book gives many ideas and real stories in what it means to live and die.
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Summary: Inspiring and essential
Review: Using essays, poetry, songs and rituals, Starhawk shares with us this wonderful collection that deals sensitively with the issues surrounding death. Touching on issues ranging from SIDS to AIDS, this book contains beautiful and comforting words for both Pagans and non-Pagans. The use of prayer and meditation is strongly recommended in the book, which may put off the non-religious person. However, being as the book is aimed largely at the Pagan population, it may be a moot point. I found the commentary compassionate without being patronizing, a task that is difficult within itself. "Living and Dying" is certainly a book we've needed for a long time. So rarely is death treated with such respect and objectivity. Death is a reality, a part of life that we need to embrace, and not fear. And while I'm nowhere near the state of embracement, I can, with the help of this book, at least reconcile the fact that "inevetable" should not mean "hopeless". I recommend this book, for many reasons - the dialogue, the topic coverage, the compassion - and I'd include it as "essential reading" for any Pagan.
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