The Magick of Reiki by Christopher Penczak
Topic: Book Reviews
I really like Christopher's writings for many reasons, but primary among them is common sense. Although his books are all about magical topics that ask you to stretch the bounds of your belief, he doesn't ask you to stretch them impossibly far. He explains things in a way that is practical and makes a lot of sense. The Magick of Reiki shares this excellent approach.

If you already know about reiki, you can skip this paragraph of the review. Reiki is a method of energy healing where the healer acts as a channel for universal life force and sends it into the body of the person being treated. In order to be able to channel the reiki energy, you have to be attuned to it. In traditional reiki (called Usui after the founder) there are 3 levels of attunement - 1, 2 and Master.

The book gives all the necessary background information including reiki history and traditional hand positions. There is a section on each level of attunement, and the information is very detailed and well presented. Because this section of the book is so thorough, it could definitely be used as a manual for a reiki class. I especially like that he confronts common reiki fallacies in an even-handed manner. He talks you through what he believes and why and then leaves the final decision up to you. Like I said, this guy works with a lot of common sense, and it's a refreshing point of view.

The rest of the book is devoted to a dictionary of reiki symbols, new and old, and suggestions for how to integrate reiki into your magical practice. I like having many symbols laid out for me, and I appreciate that the author believes that level 1 reiki practitioners can use the symbols (this is not a common belief). However, I really wish he would have expanded the section on using reiki in magical practice. After all, the title implies that this is the whole subject of the book, even though it's only a section. There are great suggestions in there, such as charging herbs and candles for spells or even casting a circle with reiki. I would have loved to have seen the ideas fleshed out more.

The Magick of Reiki was an enjoyable read, and I recommend it to anyone who is both a reiki practitioner and a witch. However, I would have liked to see less reiki manual and more information about integration with magical practice.

Twelve Wild Swans by Starhawk and Hilary Valentine
Topic: Book Reviews
First of all, I'm going to be totally honest and say that I've only read the introduction and first chapter of this book. Still, from that small sample, it's already amazing.

So what is this book anyway? you're probably wondering. It's a book that will take you on a pagan initiatory journey. The whole book is centered around the story of the Twelve Wild Swans, which the authors feel is a metaphor for spiritual initiation. Each chapter deals with a part of the story and therefore a part of the initiation. Each chapter is further subdivided into the practical aspects of witchcraft (the elements, etc), inner journeys of self-discovery and things you can do in your community. Definitely a book to be worked through as well as just read. In fact, I'll probably be working through the book with some like-minded women. I can't wait to start.

The writing is vibrant and moving and has validated so much of what I've been feeling lately. For one thing, Starhawk is totally about the marriage of paganism and activism. After my last post, you can see why I appreciate that. Another part that really struck me was when Valentine was speaking about the longing that many of us feel for no apparent reason. She says that in order to start off on our initiatory journey in earnest, we need to keep asking questions until we get an answer, a reason for our longing. Of course, she put it much better than I am here. Simply incredible. Even if the things I've listed don't do anything for you, there's sure to be something in there that will make you say "wow!" and inspire you to new spiritual heights.

Remember, I'm saying this after only reading a little bit! This is definitely one of the best pagan books out there. If you can get your hands on a copy, do so!