Dancing Down the Moon

Book Review: Voices of the Earth

Once upon a time I had dozens of books on Pagan spirituality, Wicca, and magic.  I read every book on the subjects I could get my hands on, and bought most of them from used bookstores.  My shelves overflowed with volumes printed by Llewellyn, Weiser, Crossing Press, New Page. 

The last few years, I have all but stopped reading Pagan/Wiccan literature.  The landscape of my bookshelves has changed dramatically--there are still a number of those books there, but now books on Wicca are sharing equally with books on Eastern religions, vegetarianism, mysticism, yoga, and spiritual self-help from authors like Martha Beck.  Last month I purged a large percentage of my old books, sending them on to new homes that needed them. 

Although part of the reason for my loss of interest in Pagan books is that my path has diverged significantly from its prior course, another reason is that now that Wicca has fallen out of the spotlight of popular culture, and the economy is stumbling about like a drunken frat boy, there simply aren't that many books coming out, and those that have...well, to be frank, most of them suck.  (Note: Being a Wicca 101 book doesn't make a book suck.  I've always read beginners' books, just to see what was being taught to newcomers, and also because on the off chance that the author's perspective was innovative instead of a regurgitation of the same old thing, I could always learn something.)  Publishers aren't willing to take as many risks right now, particularly in a niche market. 

At any rate, I haven't picked up a new Pagan book in months.  Then last week at the library I happened upon a shiny new copy of a book called Voices of the Earth: The Path of Green Spirituality by Clea Danaan.  I figured, what the hell?  It's free.

I was pleasantly surprised and surprisingly pleased, so much so that I felt a recommendation was in order.

Voices of the Earth is not specifically Wiccan, or even Pagan; one might call it shamanistic, but thankfully it has none of the superficial trappings of coopted Native American practices.  There are no dream catchers or fake eagle feathers in this book, and in fact there aren't really any tools at all, or any traditional rituals.  It is a book written by a self-professed "nature intuitive," and through personal experiences, meditations, journal exercises, and art projects, Danaan encourages a deeper, reverent connection with the natural world that is refreshingly free of dogma and posturing. 

Danaan discusses a variety of topics that deal with our relationship with nature:  the sanctity of the body, getting to know the land where you live, environmental responsibility, the home as an extension of self as well as a mirror of one's connection with the Earth.  She covers gardening, herbalism, and animal allies.  Most interestingly she devotes a chapter to psychotropic plants, which she calls "entheogens;" she has no overt agenda pro or con the use of marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol, but writes about the pros and cons of their use for spiritual purposes.  Few writers are ballsy enough to do that in a book of this sort. 

Voices of the Earth isn't particularly in-depth; it's a short, small book about the size of The Circle Within and is a lot more food for thought than concrete how-tos.  If you're looking for a "stand here, say this, do that" book, this is not the way to go. If you're looking for a good grounding in the concepts of green spirituality, or want to add another layer of depth to your own path, I recommend Voices of the Earth--it's mystical without being choked with fluff, and inspiring without being preachy or overly sentimental.  I'd love to see more of this kind of book. 

Book Review: Skinny Bitch

As always, I feel I should say that these are my personal observations upon reading the book--your mileage may vary.  Whether I like or hate something I would encourage you to head to your local bookstore, take a look at it and form your own opinions. 

I really don't like giving bad reviews--having seen a few directed toward my own work I know how painful it can be to have created something and have people spew bile all over it.  For the most part the only books I bother reviewing in public are those I liked.

However, I have a hard time discussing the Skinny Bitch phenomenon without getting extremely pissed off, and I've been asked my opinion several times, so I feel I should be straight with you in how I feel about the whole thing.

In case you haven't been in a bookstore in the last year, the latest hip diet trend is, apparently, veganism with a side of sizeist misogyny.  Authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, both former models who have never shopped Lane Bryant in their lives, have taken their personal vegan agenda and framed it in a "tough love" format that's supposed to, essentially, shame overweight women into veganism.

Over the years I've found that "tough love" is rather like "brutal truth."  It's an excuse for passive-aggressive people to be tough or brutal behind a facade of love or truth, with the disclaimer that you should be able to take what they dish out because it's from a place of love.  It's usually little more than a very convenient way to mask cruelty. 

The authors call their readers morons, fat asses, and, of course, bitches; they heap tons of scientific info on the reader that, thanks to their disrespectful tone, can be pretty easily dismissed as pro-animal-rights propaganda.  At no point do they ever come across like the compassionate animal loving people they claim to be.  Basically, they take the usual hateful attitude aimed at farm animals and aim it at fat women.

"Hey, fat ass!  Yeah, you moron!  You're so stupid you eat McDonald's and you're going to die of a heart attack!  Be nice to cows!"

Right.

Considering "bitch" is a word for a female dog, you would think that the authors would have connected that they were perpetuating the speciesist idea of dismissing women by equating them with female animals.  The trendy attempt to reclaim the word hasn't really done much to help women, now, has it?  Not any more than telling overweight people they're stupid and lazy has helped people lose weight.  I haven't exactly noticed droves of newly skinny bitches walking the streets since this vegan polemic came out.  Have you?

Naturally the book was followed up with a cookbook, a journal, and now a series of exercise DVDs.  It's all in the merchandising, after all.  The authors have said that they were more interested in furthering their animal rights message than in being kind to humans, which reinforces the stereotype that vegans only care about animals, not people--which has never been true in my observation, as the human heart is capable of loving more than one thing at a time.  Apparently Freedman and Barnouin don't bother with that sort of thing. 

I've also heard people say that the "bitch" thing was all marketing, and that the authors don't really feel that way, but that they wanted to sell books.  Does that make it all right, somehow?  I don't know either author personally, but it's hard not to draw conclusions based on their writing.  Either they're extremely mean people or they're willing to pretend they are to get on the Bestseller List.  Neither of these possibilities endears them to me.

Worst of all the diet advice comes off as extreme or at least impractical for people trying to lose weight in a healthy, gradual manner.  A single piece of fruit for breakfast?  Are you kidding me?  The authors sound more like they're teaching people how to eat like models; maybe the next cookbook will have a cocaine smoothie and a post-purge mint tea.  With this kind of impracticality in their eating plan, the sound information they include about nutrition and factory farming comes off as equally farfetched.  There are much better sources for facts about both these subjects that don't intentionally make you feel like a worthless loser. 

Playing into the fears and insecurities of women who already have been taught to hate their bodies in the hope of making them conform to an unrealistic standard of beauty has nothing to do with wanting to make the world a better place for animals or helping people lead healthier, happier lives.  It has to do with selling books and humiliating women into buying workout DVDs.  It's my opinion that Skinny Bitch has accomplished a lot--it's set women and vegans back a couple of decades, and made vegans look like assholes who eat a totally unrealistic diet. 

If that's what a Skinny Bitch is, well, I think I'll keep my membership in the Fat Ass Moron Club.

The Spirit of Nia

I'm cross-posting this to both blogs because I wasn't really sure where it fit.  On the one hand it's about movement, dance, and wellness; on the other it's about a really intense spiritual experience...so forgive me if you receive it twice. 

Recommendations - Dance/Movement DVDs

This weekend I'll be at Festival of the Goddess, a women-only event here in Central Texas.  I'm not doing a workshop or anything (I should be, but I ran out of time and energy to put one together), although my friend Metis is giving what I know will be an excellent chant workshop.  If you happen to attend the festival, come say hello.

I am often asked to recommend music for trance dance, so I thought I might periodically add reviews of CDs and artists whose work I use for such purposes.  Practically every Pagan knows about Loreena McKennitt, but there are many other artists out there and I discover new ones all the time.  Of course, what I consider the perfect CD to get my groove on to may be starkly different from what moves you, but still, it's a place to start.  I may even suggest playlists--being a mix CD maven I love creating ritual background mixes, and dance ritual discs are my favorites.

Today, however, I have a slightly different form of recommendation for you:  DVDs.

A great many people are interested in the idea of blending movement and spirituality; they feel in their bones that the body was meant to move, to offer its sweat up to the sacred.  This is a hard thing to find in most of today's "workouts," which are designed around the concept of losing weight and becoming "toned," whatever the hell that means to those of us for whom a six-pack is a party, not a life goal.

I personally demand more from my workouts than feeling the burn.  I want to feel the fire of the Divine move through me as I move. 

Freeform dance, of course, gives you the most room for your own spiritual expression, but I have found that just turning on music and saying "okay, dance your way to God" intimidates a lot of people.  Our body issues run deep and long, and often tangle around our feet when we try to dance.  People worry about looking weird, being laughed at, falling on their faces.  I worried about the same things myself, once, and truth be told the only way to get over it is to get up and do it. 

A little structure, however, can be a big help, especially if you want to combine your spiritual movement practice with something a bit more targeted toward cardiovascular health and muscle strength. 

For those without the funds or access to a Nia studio or other sort of dance class--and for those who are too body-shy to shake it with a crowd--I recommend three DVDs, discussed here in order of complexity and difficulty. 

Review: Skinny Legs and All

I tend to resist things that "everyone" loves.  I refused to listen to Tori Amos for years, until From the Choirgirl Hotel jumped me one night in the car and I was hooked.  I avoided Harry Potter like the plague until the fourth book was already out and I couldn't fight it anymore.  The more I hear people I know raving about something, the less I am inclined to give it a chance until I am able to approach it on my own terms.

I used to think it was a fear of conformity that made me run screaming from anything popular; then I thought it might simply be a big dumb stubborn streak.  What I've realized over the years, however, is that sometimes the gods whisper into my subconscious, "Psst...you're not ready for this."  Then a year later I happen across the book/CD/film again, and tumble into it like Alice down the rabbit hole.

The lesson:  trust your intuition.  Deep down you know when you're ready for something new. 

Review: The Llewellyn Tarot

A caveat:  this is the first genuine Tarot deck I've worked with in any depth, so my opinions are not based on years of experience comparing and contrasting the merits and pitfalls of various decks.  These are just my initial impressions after reading with the Llewellyn Tarot nearly every day for two weeks.

The Llewellyn Tarot is named after, you guessed it, the grand patriarch of Llewellyn Worldwide, Llwellyn George.  A Welsh immigrant, he came to America and started a small press that still exists over a century later.  To commemorate the founding of that press, Llewellyn commissioned this deck, which combines traditional Tarot symbolism with Welsh mythology.

The deck and its accompanying book were both created by Anna-Marie Ferguson, who also created Legend: the Arthurian Tarot.  It comes packaged beautifully in an outer box with the book and a gorgeous gold beaded bag.  I think the bag may be my favorite thing about the deck, which shouldn't be taken as a slight against the deck, but a testimony to how much I love pretty bags.

Reader-Inspired Topic #2

I suppose it was inevitable that someone would ask me what I thought of The Secret.

To tell you the truth, I had no idea what the big hubbub was about; I don't have cable and I avoid the mainstream news like the plague that it is, so I'm a bit out of the loop on all the latest from the Church of Oprah.  I had heard a bit here and a bit there on the radio ("Call in and tell us if The Secret has been working for you!"), but when asked, I had to look it up on Wikipedia.

Now, I can't really give an informed opinion here because I haven't seen it and have no intention of seeing it, but I can tell you how I feel about the general idea of it.

For the uninitiated, The Secret is this DVD being heavily circulated, well, everywhere, that teaches the Law of Attraction, which is the power of positive thinking dressed in New Millennium drag.  According to the DVD, all  you have to do to get whatever you want is think you will.  Furthermore,  this "secret" has been hushed up by a vast conspiracy (of course!) but passed down via a network of "Secret Teachers" over the centuries including Carl Jung and Albert Einstein.

Wow, just like Wicca! 

(Smell that?  Yes, it's sarcasm.)

Okay.  I have a couple of comments here.

Review: Eat, Pray, Love

One cold November night in the opening throes of what would be a traumatic and drawn-out divorce, Elizabeth Gilbert found herself curled up on the bathroom floor, praying. 

Having lived her life reaching for the kind of success American women are supposed to desire--a husband, a family, a country house, a lucrative career--she suddenly realized that despair was threatening to swallow her whole, and she called out to the Divine for guidance…and was answered, not with a burning bush or a thunder from the heavens, but by a sudden internal silence, a moment of perfect clarity, and her own authentic voice.

From this moment, a long and winding journey began--through the abyss of divorce, then onward through Italy, India, and Indonesia, and at last to herself.  Eat, Pray, Love is a memoir of that journey.

This book quite literally fell at my feet.  I was browsing through Whole Life Books here in Austin and accidentally bumped my hip into a table, causing a trade paperback to slide off and hit my shoe.  I bent to pick it up…and didn’t put it back down again for days.

Twelve Words for Pan's Labyrinth

dark
disturbing
violent
terrifying
horrifying
bloody
nightmarish
tragic

and

absolutely
achingly
heart-stoppingly
beautiful

Review: The Red Book by Sera Beak

On a cursory inspection you could dismiss The Red Book by Sera Beak as yet another foray into the world of pop spirituality, a symbol-sampler-platter for the Sex and the City crowd whose Bible is the latest Cosmo and who considers shoe shopping the holy of holies. You could say it's another attempt at injecting something meaningful into the essentially meaningless framework of popular culture.

You could say that.

But if you say that, well, I would have to say you're a moron.