Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I got this book because my main focus is Irish paganism and more generally Celtic paganism. I was excited to see something new on the market which aimed to introduce beginners to the topic, but was quickly disappointed by the book and it's contents. The spiritual system is only very loosely based on anything Celtic, as interpreted through a very modern lens, but that in itself isn't a huge problem. Although I might quibble that it isn't particularly Celtic I'm sure it has value for people. The reason I gave it one star, however, is that it is absolutely riddled with factual errors. She claims the ancient name of Britain - Albion - is from a Greek titan when it is actually from a word for "white". She treats the invasion myths of Ireland as actual history, and relates each wave of mythic invaders to actual human groups, something that was trendy a hundred years ago but is generally understood as unrealistic now. She denies that the Druids sacrificed animals or people, implying it was largely propaganda, even though there is a great deal of evidence that they did indeed do so (as did most cultures at that time). The author refers to Britain and Ireland as interchangeable when they are not. She says that the Welsh goddess Cerridwen is a member of the Irish Tuatha De Danann, when she isn't. She claims the Morrigan, goddess of war and battle, is a sea goddess with a gentle nature associated with whales and sand dollars something I can honestly say I have never sen anywhere else (that's not a good thing). She says that the Wiccan phrase "perfect love and perfect peace" is Celtic - it isn't - and in fact filters a great deal of the book's theology through the very modern, not Celtic, idea of "the God" and "the Goddess", and triple goddess, even though the maiden-mother-crone triple goddess doesn't date back further than the mid-1940's and doesn't suit the Celtic goddesses well; generally Celtic triple goddesses were age equals, usually sisters. Her holidays, altar set up and circle casting are all standard Wiccan, but often with a strange twist thrown in. For example she claims Yule is a Welsh Druidic holiday celebrated by the renewal of a god named Tarvos represented by a live evergreen tree that is ceremonially lit by three woman representing the maiden, mother, and crone. Tarvos is a Gaulish god not a Welsh one, and the maiden, mother, crone paradigm is modern and not Welsh. Also Yule itself and the word yule are Norse. She claims people let their fires die out on Imbolc and re-lit them from a temple fire, but this practice didn't exist in any Celtic culture. I could go on, but hopefully you get the idea. They aren't terrible ideas for modern practices, but they are not in any way historic or traditionally Celtic, from any Celtic culture, and the author often gets the mythology references wrong. Lughnasadh isn't Lugh's wedding, nor does the word nassadh mean wedding at all - it means funeral games and later assembly, and Lughnasadh means funeral games or assembly of Lugh, with the funeral referencing his foster mother Tailtiu. Her mythology is generally a mess and not very accurate, and what she describes as "Celtic spirituality" as if it were the core of all Celtic spirituality in general simply isn't. At best this book is one person's very unique take on a modern Celtic practice inspired by imagination rather than history. In short if you are interested in Celtic Wicca try reading Celtic Wicca: Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century if modern Irish witchcraft is what interest you try A Practical Guide to Irish Spirituality: Sli Aon Dhraoi if you are looking for a good general overview of Celtic spirituality a good book to read is The Apple Branch: A Path to Celtic Ritual or Celtic Flame: An Insider's Guide to Irish Pagan Tradition if you want historical Celtic practices you have many options but good introduction would be The CR FAQ: An Introduction to Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism which has a great reading recommended reading list itself