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!