Pagaian Cosmology: Re-Inventing Earth-Based Goddess Religion [Paperback]

I'm a book junkie. I'd much rather read than watch the tube. Hell, I'd rather read than eat, and I love to eat! Spirituality, theology, science, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, humor -- you name it. And yet, withal, PaGAIAN COSMOLOGY is unique. Reading it is like sitting down to a banquet of rich and exotically seasoned foods. Beautifully presented and lusciously prepared, one has to eat slowly or one will miss the subtleties not to mention fail to digest them properly.

PaGAIAN COSMOLOGY is not so much a book as it is a trip, both literally and in the 60's sense of a hallucinogenic experience. I find myself rereading the same sections over and over in order to stay in the field of the author's vision. And what a vision! Solid, sane, and spiritual; engaged and engaging; holistic, healing, and humorous; Glenys has succeeded in doing what in my vast reading experience no one has done: mythologized the universe for nontheists by opening its processes to reenactment, embodiment and celebration, with cosmological sophistication and intuitive immediacy. By seeing the Triple Goddess of Old European religion as a metaphor for the creativity of the universe, Glenys has crafted a functional and spiritually edifying pagan naturalism (or naturalistic paganism) for those for whom reality is what's for dinner (back to food again :-)

Glenys includes rituals for each of the eight "Seasonal Moments" of the old pagan calendar (equinoxes, solstices, and cross-quarters). Her language is earthy and voluptuous, tasting of the climate of her native Australia. While meant for group participation, one can tailor the rituals for individual use. They do not involve magick or other occult technologies, and lack the silliness and 'seriociousness' of many other attempts to (re)construct pagan authenticity. Glenys' is an intentional exercise in 'Poetry,' a term she uses to excellent effect to move the locus of conversation from theology to lived engagement.

I have only a minor complaint about the book and that is its idiosyncratic use of capitalized nouns. They can be, and were meant to be, speedbumps to slow down one's automatic associations. One can pause over them, as the author intends, or one can drive over them, as I tend to do. As I said, a minor complaint.

PaGAIAN COSMOLOGY deserves far more intention than it has received. If you've read any of my other reviews for Amazon you'll note that I rarely describe a book as 'important,' no matter how many stars I give it. PaGAIAN COSMOLOGY is important -- vital even -- to the spiritual sanity of our times.

There is simply not enough PRAISE for this book!

As a spiritual mid-wife, teacher, and ritual facilitator, this is by far, one of the most important books in my collection. My ideas and philosophy on spirituality have been greatly influenced by Glenys's work. Her book and its teachings have become part of the heart beating at the center of my own spiritual practice. Through her personal "Great Work", Glenys shares with us a dazzling, powerful and inspiring blend of mythology, art, poetry and ritual that celebrate the turning of the wheel of the year in which she refers to as "Seasonal Moments". Her profound wisdom and teachings throughout this book are incredibly thought provoking, deep and insightful. This is a book meant to be not only read but lived and its wisdom danced into being. When one puts into practice and lives the teachings presented in this book, they open themselves up to the amazing awareness of the beautiful marriage of the scientific and spiritual that only deepens the connection and understanding of the ever unfolding Sacred. This is a book that even the non-theist or the spiritual atheist can appreciate. Highly recommended