When I was asked to review these two books I thought, how timely! One of our daughters is expecting her first child in December. And, with that excitement comes the memories of my own pregnancies and the five (including twins) beautiful children that we were blessed with. I wish there had been titles like these when I was pregnant. So, I will most definitely be sharing these with my daughter.

Pregnant Goddess: Your Guide to Traditions, Rituals and Blessings for a Sacred Pagan Pregnancy by Arin-Murphy Hiscock. Adams Media, 978-1507213834,224pp, June 2020

….When a woman is pregnant, she becomes the very essence of the Goddess: she who carries life within her, she who will rebirth new life created from old…

The first of our books is Pregnant Goddess: Your Guide to Traditions, Rituals and Blessings for a Sacred Pagan Pregnancy by Arin-Murphy Hiscock and is a perfect gift for the Mom-to-be. The information is separated into nine (9) chapters covering a range of topics including the Divine Mother of folk wisdom and cultures, unexpected events, using energy effectively and with consideration of your body’s changes, labor, post-partum and more.

Chapter 1: Preparations and Beginnings reminds us that each pregnancy is unique and cannot be compared in expectation with any other, even if this is not your first. Amidst all of the worry, appointments and daily goings on, the emphasis is on taking time to simply “be” with your pregnancy and be fully present in the emotions, thoughts and physiological changes. The attention of this chapter is immediately given to the sacredness and spirituality of conceiving and makes use of ritual, meditation and creation of a “pregnancy shrine”.

The importance of knowing the lineage of Divine Motherhood is beautifully outlined in Chapter 2: Exploring the Universal Mother. This was a lovely addition to the book and really allows the reader to not only recall many of the stories already known, but now see the deeper meanings as the resonance of pregnancy is brought to the forefront.

Moving through the subsequent chapters of Pregnant Goddess: Your Guide to Traditions, Rituals and Blessings for a Sacred Pagan Pregnancy the author provides a list of Goddesses traditionally associated with pregnancy/childbirth and highlights their attributes offering an opportunity to connect and call to the wisdom and assistance of the Divine Feminine.

I particularly enjoyed Chapter 4: Using Energy for Strength, Support and Insight. Here, we find a compendium of correspondences, meditations to align with the alchemical elements, Tarot, animal guides, plants and flows into Chapter 5: Responsible Energy Work. Physiological changes that occur during pregnancy change the energetic signature of the individual and it is very important to be mindful of the energy expenditures and styles you engage in during this time of great change.The author gives particular attention to the need for caution in working with certain magickal supplies while pregnant and the potency for toxicity.

Chapters 6: Preparing for Change is written in a way that truly celebrates the pregnant goddess within any expectant mother. Self-care, pregnancy journaling, techniques for relaxation and massage exemplify the many ways of honoring your body.

With any pregnancy there is the possibility of things not going as you had hoped. Ms. Murphy-Hiscock discusses some of the concerns and potential outcomes such as pre-term labor and delivery, miscarriage and grieving in a way that is comforting and realistic. Chapter 7: Dealing with Unexpected Events, in keeping with a spiritual practice, provides suggestions to ritually honor the pregnancy, fetus and decisions for adoption of your or another’s baby.

Chapters 8: The Rhythm of Labor and Birth and 9: Postpartum Changes and Challenges honor the power, joy and pain of birth and what to expect after the blessed event. Birthing charms and talisman, and a ritual “Creating a Spiritual Birth Plan” allow the intention of birthing as a sacred event to flow through the actual experience. And, the time after birth, post-partum and beyond ensures that the gamut of feelings will be broad and many with a reminder to be kind to yourself and patient with the extraordinary changes occurring physiologically and spiritually within the new mother.

The concluding Bibliography shows the breadth of research and information that went into the crafting of Pregnant Goddess: Your Guide to Traditions, Rituals and Blessings for a Sacred Pagan Pregnancy. The book clearly lives up to its title, making it a beautiful fusion of information about pregnancy and what more can be offered to that sacred state of being when entered into with the intention of the sacred.

About the Author:

Arin Murphy-Hiscock is the author of Spellcrafting, Wicca, The Way of the Green Witch, The Green Witch, The Way of the Hedge Witch, Pagan Pregnancy, Power Spellcraft for Life, Solitary Wicca for Life, and The Hidden Meaning of Birds: A Spiritual Field Guide. She has been active in the field of alternative spirituality for over twenty years and lives in Montreal, Canada.

And, For the New Parents!

Babystrology: The Astrological Guide to Your Little Star by Judi Vitale. Adams Media, 978- 1507213797, 224 pp., June 2020

The second book, Babystrology: The Astrological Guide to Your Little Star by Judi Vale is the perfect addition for the new parents. This book takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the twelve (12) astrological signs and what predispositions you may anticipate in your baby’s temperament based on his/her Sun sign (date of birth). Each chapter provides the reader with core astrological information relating to your child’s birth sign and an additional section mapping how the parent’s birth sign interacts in combination upon that core sign.

Babystrology: The Astrological Guide to Your Little Star begins with a brief introduction to the basics of astrology to make the information useable by anyone. It continues from there with twelve (12) chapters, each dedicated to a specific astrological sign moving around the great wheel from Aries and ending with Pisces.

Descriptive titles, such as Aries: The Wild Ram – Leo:The Dramatic Star – Scorpio:Still Waters Run Deep and more set the tone for what to expect from your little one. Each chapter begins with five(5) immediate correspondences – Born Between (date timeline); Ruling Planet, Exalted Planet; Color; and, Gemstones.

The journey around the sun is complete with lots of information about the basic proclivities of each sign and how they are expressed as a son or daughter, talents and affinities, challenges, and discipline style. A chart lists songs, movies, games, books and foods specific to your child’s sign and continues with tips and techniques for calming, environment, stimuli and style.

The next section of the chapter offers suggestions relating to skills and considerations in “Parenting…”. This section goes through the twelve (12) astrological signs aligned with the parent(s) and what type of interaction that will ensue in combination with parent and child.

There is lots to reveal and feast on in this book. And, having it useable and specifically written for what is already the joyous and exciting adventure of new parenthood gives an extra dose of fun to getting to know your baby. In recommendation of this book, my thoughts are aligned with the reminder of the author. Anything you read of astrology should be held in the spirit of pre-dispositions, not fixed qualities that are written in stone and will always be true. There are many things that go into the development of an individual and part of the human experience is one of opportunity for change and growth. And, especially when making application of these attributes and qualities, the developmental changes that occur from birth into the early first years is exponential in potential outcomes.

About the Author:

Judi Vitale is a writer, speaker, and empowerment coach. Her horoscopes have been published by Marie Claire, Redbook, Seventeen.com, and Tarot.com. She is certified as an astrologer by NCGR Professional Astrologers’ Alliance. After thirty years in New York City, she now resides near Pittsburgh, PA.

Fall has arrived and cooler weather invites us outdoors before the Winter cold sets in. This book was a lovely inspiration to get me out there and communing in nature. Enjoy….

Encounters with Nature Spirits: Co-creating with the Elemental Kingdom, by R. Ogilvie Crombie

Findhorn Press, 9781620558379, 232 pp., 2018 (3rd. Edition)

Encounters with Nature Spirits: Co-creating with the Elemental Kingdom is one of those rare books that immediately takes you out of your head and transports you into the woods or a park, sun shining down and warm as you observe the play and interactions of those lesser seen beings. This little treasure is separated into bite-size chapters and explores the relationship between the author R. Ogilvie Crombie (“ROC”) as he is affectionately known, Pan and the many and diverse elementals and spirits of the natural world.

There is no doubt that Ogilvie was an initiate of an ancient and veiled spiritual tradition…(he) never revealed his spiritual lineage, but it’s clear he had a profound understanding, not only of what used to be called “the occult” but of all the world’s major religions, and many of its more obscure ones. ^1.

Chapter 1, “Afternoon With A  Faun”begins the journey of Ogilvie into the mysteries of teh natural world, when he sees a faun dancing about a tree. As any “rational” man would do he dismisses this as fancy, yet the visage persists and he relinquishes disbelief as we are also reminded…

Here was a strange and wonderful experience. Why should I not accept it, see what happened and analyse it later? ²

Thus begins the dialogue between man and the nature spirits of greater earth, as we too surrender our disbelief and read the recounting of a lovely afternoon’s revealing of what lay hidden, but only by our own skepticism. As the years, and chapters progress we are reminded that once the doors have been opened, more will follow and the illusion of our separateness and aloneness in nature falls away.

One of my favorite encounters occurs in Chapter 3, “Meeting Pan on Iona”. This chapter, in particular, speaks of the increasing disconnect between humanity and nature, the demonizing of the God, Pan and the sadness within that world devoid of human interaction.  These meetings and interactions between ROC and the spirits of the natural world served as opportunities for reconciliation, through the author’s retelling of his encounters and the relating of their words and thoughts.

About R. Ogilvie Crombie and the Findhorn Community

One of the things that makes this book so relevant in opening up the “possibilities” that we co-exist beside an entire world that is not only living, breathing and evolving as we are, but that we can become co-creators of a more harmonious world, simply by recognition. These writings and philosophies came from one who was a scientist at heart. And, driven by an innate sense of curiosity and a large dose of intuitive action, layered into that foundation proficiency in mythology, history, esotericism and the love of the fine arts. Add to this the fortune of living in Edinburgh, Scotland, in and of itself one of the natural sacred sites and you have the recipe for clear-headed analysis and openness to what lay beyond the realms of the usual human experience.

Chapter 13, “The Wild Garden”, exemplifies the impact a single individual can have on what has been tradition. The tradition of formal gardens was long established in Britain, and those garden not so finely manicured gardens were off limits to humans, being the domain of the fairies and elves. Lest a human stray from the path and be seduced into the timeless realm of the Fae. On the other hand, ROC, having long been in contact with Pan and others of the natural realm knew the importance of respect and reverence for these lesser tended spaces, leaving them to be the domain of the elementals and wilder spirits. I felt this as a timely reminder of a call to return to caring for and nurturing the lands; having enough for all seen and unseen, and being mindful of leaving a legacy of nature our gentle hands and hearts.

Communication between ROC and the nature spirits of Findhorn continued regardless of where ROC was, as Peter Caddy recalls. ^3.

The “Afterword” of Encounters with Nature Spirits is written by Dorothy Maclean, the co-founder of the Findhorn Garden community (with Peter Caddy). ROC and Dorothy met sometime in the 1960’s, well after contact with the nature spirits of Findhorn had been established and the community and gardens were thriving, guided by the Devas and nature elementals. The years following found ROC and Findhorn collaborating, each informing the other the experiences held in their own “neck of the woods” so to speak and we learn that Findhorn was further informed in its success by ROC’s more extended interactions and contacts.

When ROC talked about his connection with nature beings, his imagination was clothing these entities in images arising from the many planetary cultures…in this case images from Greek mythology….he was picking up thought forms already existing within the collective consciousness of humanity.”  ^4.

I could go on and on offering praises to the value and content of Encounters with Nature Spirits, but this is one of those books and readings that have to be experienced first hand. As I read further into the book, I found myself doing so outside, surrounded by nature; imbibing in a fully visual and tactile experience calling me “home”. Did I see any nature spirits in my travels? Ah, that is mine to know, and yours to find out!

To read more on the Findhorn Community:

The Findhorn Garden: Pioneering a New Vision of Man and Nature in Cooperation by the Findhorn Community

Footnotes:

1. Prologue, xiii
2. p. 5
3. p. 119
4. p. 181-182