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Summary: If Your Pantheon is Egyptian, This is the Book for You.
Review: Circle of Isis is to the modern witch what the internet is to the computer. If your pantheon is Egyptian, this is the book for you. Packed with more than three hundred pages, author Ellen Cannon Reed has filled the void with her experience, knowledge and love of Egyptian witchcraft. Ms. Reed begins Circle of Isis with the Gods and Goddesses of Egypt. In this first section, she provides a prayer or blessing with each deity, along with the hieroglyph and a personal story relating to each which gives you insight into the author and deity both. After you complete your overview of deity you move smoothly on in Rituals, Meditations and Developing Relationships with Deity. This section is packed not only with Rites and Meditations but also with songs for the Gods, Incenses, Oils, Recipes for food and drinks, along with very soulful and meaningful prayers. Coming into the next section, you are riveted by all the new knowledge you have acquired, yet your anticipation is more than fulfilled as Ms. Reed bows to the readers' command of "More!" No worries, the void is filled to the rim with Magic and Magical Tools. Learn about amulets and figurines. Learn how to make a Sistrum, a Scarab, or perhaps a kilt or wand, and let's not forget making a Nemyss. This book would not be complete without divination, and it was not forgotten. With an appendix of Tamaran names and a calendar, everything you need for your journey is all in Circle of Isis. As you welcome Egyptian Deities into your life, be sure to welcome Circle of Isis into your magical library. It's defiantly a must have! ...
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Summary: This is diffrent from Khem!
Review: CIRCLE OF ISIS
By Ellen Cannon Reed The title is decieving becasue the book is not all about Isis and thats the big reason I ordered this book. But I understand why she called it the Circle of Isis for her love of Isis is so strong. I think Egyptian Wicca would have been more appropiate. Now Mrs Reed doe not claim that she is recreating the magick that the ancient Egyptians used, she states that she is adopting the Egyptian pantheon into her Wiccan beliefs. She gives the experience that she had with the Egyptian deities and the experience that her coven had with them as well. You will find magick in this book but not spells like "to get a lover" or to "to heal a burn" the magick you will learn is with the deities. She gives some wonderful information on quite of few of the gods and goddesses major and minor deities. She gives you recipes for oil and incense for diffrent deities. Also she gives out guided meditations on meeting the deities and ritual on how to contact them. She gives out rituals that are suitable for solitary practice and rituals suitable for a group of people. there are wonderful hymns to the gods and goddesses, instructions on making an Egyptian wand, sistrum, kilt, scarab, wax and ushbati figures and more. She also includes Hierogyphics and their translations and other stuff as well. I honestly could not put this book down I was so fascinated with it. This book is indeed interesting. The book is pure devotion you can feel the authers love for the gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt.
Im giving it 4 stars
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Summary: HORRIFIED........
Review: I had to give this book a star in order to review it, however if I had my way I would not have given it any stars at all. I DO NOT recommend this book to anyone, and this is the reason why I would not recomend this to any buyer or anyone serious about Wicca, Paganism, or Witchcraft.
"Circle of Isis", author Ellen Cannon Reed, pages 24 and 25,
There had been, I'm sorry to say, a sad incident in our community. A student in a group had been physically abused. The incident horrified the rest of us not only for the her sake, but also for the sake of community, as well as the craft. Most members of of our community were hard-working, devout Withches, and to have two groups leaders use their office to abuse a student in the name of the God and Goddess enraged and sickened us. ............................................................................................................................................................(paraphrase) Ra tells the author he will punish the group leaders.................................................................................................(back to authors own words) One of the problems of this situation was our helplessness, our inability to DO anything. If the authorities were informed about the incident, the Craft would be on trial, not the two people involved..(end)
I will not recommend this author or this book because my personal code of beliefs do not condone anyone covering up a crime for the "Good" of the religion.
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Summary: An excellent starter book on knowing Egyptian deities
Review: I just bought this book and liked the fact that's easy to read and understand. The god profiles are based on personal experience rather than encyclopedia entries. There are even gods mentioned in this book that I didn't know existed. And the practical knowledge isn't bogged down in complex terms. This book is good for experienced witches or Wiccans that wish to explore the Egyptian pantheon without necessarily recreating the Ancient Egyptian worship style. It is also easy enough for beginners who want to learn magic through an Ancient Egyptian lens.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent starter book on knowing Egyptian deities
Review: I just bought this book and liked the fact that's easy to read and understand. The god profiles are based on personal experience rather than encyclopedia entries. There are even gods mentioned in this book that I didn't know existed. And the practical knowledge isn't bogged down in complex terms. This book is good for experienced witches or Wiccans that wish to explore the Egyptian pantheon without necessarily recreating the Ancient Egyptian worship style. It is also easy enough for beginners who want to learn magic through an Ancient Egyptian lens.
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Summary: The primer for Wiccans interested in Ancient Egypt
Review: The New Page Books revised edition of "Invocation of the Gods" has been long awaited by several people who loved the original. Ellen herself was interested to get a revised edition printed so it is wonderful that it finally is available.
If you're Wiccan and are interested in the Ancient Egyptian Pantheon, get this book first, before you get any other (especially any Llewellyn publication). While not another "Introduction to Wicca" book, this is an excellent resource for information regarding the Ancient Egyptian Pantheon from a Wicca perspective.
The section on Bast is definitive, the best information on this Goddess that I have read. Ellen shows a Goddess who is focused on protection and silence rather than a "fluffy kitty Goddess" like most people seem to think She is. She has even written, published only in this New Page version, a "Charge of Bast" that will knock your socks off if you're a Bast-focused person.
Ellen offers insights on other deities that are fresh and exciting, as much now as they were when this was first published.
She offers poetry, crafts, guided meditations and "contact rituals", indexes and information about festivals. There are the recopies from the original as well as new ones. Updates include an Ancient Egyptian glossary of names and words and an Internet Links section, as well as updated addresses and contact information for catalogs.
The rituals are refreshingly simple and written for this book. There is no pseudo-archaic language and the rituals and poetry are also simple and lovely. The only things I miss about this edition are Ember's incenses and the beautiful black and white -interior- artwork that appeared in the Llewellyn "Invocation of the Gods". I wish she'd kept that in this one but it's still a very solid and intelligent book without them. One more important point: This is a WICCA book, not a "Reconstructionist" or an "Egyptian Magick" book.
Ellen says on the first page that she is -not- attempting to recreate the religion of the Ancient Egyptians. "We are a Wiccan coven working with the Ancient Egyptian Pantheon" (paraphrasing mine).
She further mentions in other parts of the book that the Ancient Egyptians did not "Cast Circles", use traditional Wiccan tools or "Draw Down the Moon".
A couple of reviewers gave this book negative reviews because they "didn't want Wicca/New Age [stuff]". The book should be shelved in the Wicca/Witchcraft/Magic/New Age section of any bookstore, and it is labeled as Wicca on the back, so if they were not expecting Wicca, that's their problem. I would recommend they -read- the back of the material they are buying before buying it in the future. In summation, if you're a Wiccan, get this book.
If you're looking for a whole book on Isis, get "Mysteries of Isis" or "Isis Magic" (both Llewellyn; "Mysteries" is better, but they both leave a lot to be desired).
If you're looking for a book on Ancient Egyptian Religion, Egyptian Magick or Egyptian Mythology, go to the Archaeology, Ceremonial Magic or Mythology section, not the WICCA one.
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Summary: Beyond Wicca, A book of Enlightenment and Wisdom
Review: This book is an update of one of Ms. Reed's books and it's good to see that it has been revived.
A good book on the Gods and Goddesses of a particular pantheon is a valuable tool. Ms. Reed is well versed in the Egyptian pantheon and presents in this book her own personal perspective on the Gods and Goddesses that make up this pantheon, and how she has come to work with them.
Included in this book are the basics when working with this pantheon. An excellent history and overview of who the Gods and Goddesses are, correspondences to this pantheon, rituals, tools and making them yourself, songs to sing, recipes for food and for incense and oils (including a few from "Seahorse"). There is also information about amulets, how to make a sistrum, a primer on reading Egyptian hieroglyphs and a section on choosing a name for yourself in Tameran. All of this is included in an index in the back of the book for easy reference.
Ellen Cannon Reed is well versed in the subject of the Egyptian Pantheon, and she comes across in the book as being able to impart this information in a way that it can be understood by anyone. She also includes her own personal journey and experiences which help you to understand how these Gods and Goddesses can interact with each of us. While basic knowledge is good, personal experience gives us the wisdom we seek to be able to work with the Gods and Goddesses we choose to be our own personal Deities.
I highly recommend this book for those who are walking the Wiccan path and have chosen the Egyptian Pantheon as the Deities they wish to work with. Ms. Reed is the source for Egyptian Wicca and this book does the topic justice.
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Summary: Perspective is too personal
Review: When I bought this book, I hoped to learn more about Isis and ancient Egyptian beliefs. What I discovered was one Wiccan's personal interpretation of the material. I was disappointed. I was seeking hardcore information, not a soft interpretation. The rituals are modified Wiccan rituals. but If you happen to be of Wiccan persuasion, and want to wear an Eyptian costume, this book might make you feel Egyptian. This book will make a beeline for my trade-in stack of books.
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Summary: Ow!
Review: While the book is full of information, it is one of the worst written books I have read in my adult life. Ms. Reed's commentaries are, at times, preachy, conversational, defensive, and condescending. It's a very difficult read for someone looking for a scholarly text. Were I not as interested in the subject as I and hoping to glean some insites, I would have simply written down her references and read those books instead.
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