Book Title: Horns of Power: Manisfestations of the Horned God
Publisher: Avalonia
Cost: $24.99
Pages: 204
How I got it: Free for Kindle
My Rating: ★★★★★
My Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis:
The raw, ancient and primordial force symbolised by horns has long had associations with mystery, magick and power. Our ancestors often envisaged their gods as anthropomorphic beings who encapsulated this wild essence. Today the gods of the bull, the ram, the goat and the stag still hold tremendous power and are invoked at rituals by a new priesthood who continue to seek the wildness of nature and the inspiration that it holds. These deities transcend the safe and known boundaries of human structure, sometimes even luring us across the threshold of the known into the unknown worlds beyond. This unique anthology brings together the work of more than twenty people, including that of dedicated scholars and modern day mystics. Through their written and artistic contributions they illustrate some of the many manifestations of the Horned God.
My Review:
I used to be a Christian (shocker I know), when I left I sought the Craft because there was a Divine Feminine, something totally missing in the patriarchal traditions. Like many of those who are refugees from the heavy handed and jealous God; I found it hard to look to the Divine Masculine the way I embraced the Divine Feminine, and for that reason I found it especially hard to reconcile or even work with the male energies within the Craft. Obviously knowing this the God stepped back and allowed me to grow in my understanding of myself and my faith in the Goddess before stepping back into my life.
The raw, ancient and primordial force symbolised by horns has long had associations with mystery, magick and power. Our ancestors often envisaged their gods as anthropomorphic beings who encapsulated this wild essence. Today the gods of the bull, the ram, the goat and the stag still hold tremendous power and are invoked at rituals by a new priesthood who continue to seek the wildness of nature and the inspiration that it holds. These deities transcend the safe and known boundaries of human structure, sometimes even luring us across the threshold of the known into the unknown worlds beyond. This unique anthology brings together the work of more than twenty people, including that of dedicated scholars and modern day mystics. Through their written and artistic contributions they illustrate some of the many manifestations of the Horned God.
My Review:
I used to be a Christian (shocker I know), when I left I sought the Craft because there was a Divine Feminine, something totally missing in the patriarchal traditions. Like many of those who are refugees from the heavy handed and jealous God; I found it hard to look to the Divine Masculine the way I embraced the Divine Feminine, and for that reason I found it especially hard to reconcile or even work with the male energies within the Craft. Obviously knowing this the God stepped back and allowed me to grow in my understanding of myself and my faith in the Goddess before stepping back into my life.
As I have grown in the Craft I noticed that the God has taken on a stronger role in my life. One of my Patrons who came looking for me was Anubis, of the Kemetic tradition. Since the Kemetic tradition is based mostly on academic research and the left over tales, legends, myths, rituals and actually written texts of Egypt, there is plenty of information on which to base my practice on. I am also heavily influenced by the Celtic traditions, and was fascinated by Herne, here however there wasn't as much.
When I realized I was comfortable working with the male energy I went seeking to understand the Horned God and discovered that unlike the deluge of books dedicated to the Goddess in all her guises, and traditions very few were written on the God. The few that were written were directed at men in the craft. That left me with very little to fall back on or to even guide me in my workings with Him.
I recently was told about this book being offered by amazon for kindle for free and i went ahead and downloaded it. It sat on my pc for a few weeks until I got an android phone and downloaded the kindle app there. That was probably one of my better decisions.
This books is amazing. I read and fell in love with the poetry, the well researched and referenced articles,the amazing artwork. This book is so good I'm purchasing a physical copy to have as reference for myself.
Each author did their level best not just to give the academic knowledge of the article but their personal stories as well. Those that could not empirically prove thier points academically made sure to note that even though there is no 'known' proof having worked with the God themselves they can share this information. Each author let the love of the God and all he meant and does mean to their tradition shine through.
From discussion of known Gods and their connections to the different kinds of horns of power to the little known Gods and their own manifestations. There were even articles that dealt with the Goddesses who had Horns of Power as well. The God was discussed in such a way as to make him real and accessible to any who wished to meet him. There are even meditations on how to meet and walk with certain Gods.
For me reading the personal stories made the God come alive like never before. This wasn't just a dry academic tome about the 'how' of the God but a living translation of the 'who' the God is.
I love this book and think it should be included in every witch's bookshelf who wishes to become more well rounded and balanced.
A burn rubber to get this amazing book.
Happy Reading
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love my readers, and your comments help me to know how you feel, so please share.
Thank You and Goddess Bless.