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Dark Night of the Soul
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 Customer Reviews
tough reading..but worth it, 12 Nov 2008
reading this book is like wading through very deep sticky treacle..but when you begin to understand and get his points it is excellent. I would recommend reading a guide/companion book first then reading this, as it's tricky, v tricky...i am by no means a thickie but this was..tricky.
A couple of points he made really made sense to me - eg not always thinking your spiritual directors are correct - if you feel lead a certain way, go with it - you may be holier with a better understanding than them!
Also the ladder of love and 6 stages of faith were v interesting - and so true.
I will prob read it again after reading a help book (elizabeth ruth obbard has one out and she is fab, would always recommend her)
tricky but worth it for those few diamonds
Beware, 26 May 2008
Beware of this book - the Christian message of St John of the Cross has been removed in this 'paraphrase' - I will not call it a translation. A great Christian book is turned into a New Age book!
A life review guide , 03 Dec 2006
This book answersed all of the questions i had, in terms of my own spiritual journey. It explains why the dark days are so awful and why the light days are so in abundance with joy. Having read many spiritual guidance books, in religeons across the board, i found this to be the definative guide to understanding my own true existence.
God has to make us endure pain, desolation and deep emotion in order for us to appreciate and fully understand the path we are on. If we had only 'positive' days we would not endlessley search for spiritual fulfillment. This journey is fully explained in this book and its a reflective tool that we can use daily to enchance our understanding of a spiritual journey.
The soul is illuminated by positive experiences, the serenity felt lulls the soul into feeling comfortable. however, each stage of the journey brings a deeper, and more desolate emotion. Through this book, you learn to battle through this, and achieve a sense of calm that enables you to proceed to the next stage.
Its a book that i am able to read again and again, each time gaining a deeper understanding of my own spiritual journey. Well worth a read!.
Read it when the Spirit leads you to, 09 Nov 2006
This is a classic book - richly descriptive of spiritual realities, and providing sound guidance by a Doctor of the Church. It is probably best to have had an introduction to the spiritual life first, try 'The Introduction to the devout life' by St Francis de Sales; for a contremporary and helpful introduction try Fr Thomas Dubay ' Prayer Primer' and his introduction to St John of the Cross ' The Fire within'.
Just a note - St John would have laughed at the idea that the devil is only your own ego! Or that God is a deeper region of yourself! This book takes seriously the idea of growing closer to a real god who is passionately in love with you, expect to be challenged to change and grow.
A book for those further along the spiritual path, 14 Sep 2006
You have to read this book at the right time; if you read it too early into your spiritual contemplations it probably won't make any sense and the wisdom on offer might fail to connect. Ideally you'd read this book only after you've begun to feel the presence of the Spirit alive within you, but then suddenly, or gradually, you find yourself deeply confused and even abandoned by it. That is the perfect time to absorb this very wise, knowing book, written by a man who obviously underwent the entire process of spiritual awakening and union with what the religions call God - which is really, actually a deeper region of your own self that you have the potential to experience directly, although not until you give up the spiritual quest: a daunting, painful period aptly known as the dark night of the soul. What stops this material getting a five star rating is the occasional lack of clarity in the writing style. St. John may have been a true mystic but he was no Hemingway or Shakespeare and at times the text is unnecessarily dense and overly complicated. But this is a trifling criticism, out-weighed by the timelessly valid insights supplied on each page. One final piece of vital advice, wherever you read the word "devil" (mentioned very often) you'd do well to consider this as a reference to the Ego, your own, rather than interpreting the phrase to mean the actual existence of Christianity's arch enemy. A great deal of important understanding falls into place when you do this. In fact, it would help if the Introduction section to all translations stressed that the term "devil" should not be read literally but metaphorically. Overall, though, this book is an invaluable spiritual guide.
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Product Description
Until recently Wiccans--the name that present day witches prefer--used to claim that their religion was a recreation, even a continuation of ancient beliefs widespread in Europe before Christianity drove them out. Most of today's Wiccans are more honest, more ready to accept that theirs is a new religion, self-consciously created to serve a need not met by existing mainstream religions. Ronald Hutton's The Triumph of he Moon is a history of modern pagan witchcraft, examining not only its origins half a century ago but the many ideas and enthusiasms of the last few centuries that paved the way for it. He finds powerful influences in 18th and 19th-century Freemasonry, 19th-century Rosicrucian-type societies, including the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, as well as in the tradition of wise women, dispensers of herbal remedies and folk wisdom. Interestingly, these last, who many Wiccans would see as the main forerunners of themselves, Hutton finds to have little real significance. With the benefit of scholarly insight, he also points out the unreliability of the most influential literary and / or supposedly academic works supporting the idea of ancient European religion, such as Charles Leland's Aradia, Margaret Murray's The Witch-Cult in Western Europe and The God of the Witches, J.G. Frazer's The Golden Bough and Robert Graves' The White Goddess. Hutton, a regular contributor to TV documentaries about Neo-Pagansism, is Professor of History at Bristol University. The Triumph of the Moon is that rarity, a very readable academic book, which will be fascinating to anyone with an interest in the history of witchcraft. --David V. Barrett
Customer Reviews
tough reading..but worth it, 12 Nov 2008
reading this book is like wading through very deep sticky treacle..but when you begin to understand and get his points it is excellent. I would recommend reading a guide/companion book first then reading this, as it's tricky, v tricky...i am by no means a thickie but this was..tricky.
A couple of points he made really made sense to me - eg not always thinking your spiritual directors are correct - if you feel lead a certain way, go with it - you may be holier with a better understanding than them!
Also the ladder of love and 6 stages of faith were v interesting - and so true.
I will prob read it again after reading a help book (elizabeth ruth obbard has one out and she is fab, would always recommend her)
tricky but worth it for those few diamonds Beware, 26 May 2008
Beware of this book - the Christian message of St John of the Cross has been removed in this 'paraphrase' - I will not call it a translation. A great Christian book is turned into a New Age book! A life review guide , 03 Dec 2006
This book answersed all of the questions i had, in terms of my own spiritual journey. It explains why the dark days are so awful and why the light days are so in abundance with joy. Having read many spiritual guidance books, in religeons across the board, i found this to be the definative guide to understanding my own true existence.
God has to make us endure pain, desolation and deep emotion in order for us to appreciate and fully understand the path we are on. If we had only 'positive' days we would not endlessley search for spiritual fulfillment. This journey is fully explained in this book and its a reflective tool that we can use daily to enchance our understanding of a spiritual journey.
The soul is illuminated by positive experiences, the serenity felt lulls the soul into feeling comfortable. however, each stage of the journey brings a deeper, and more desolate emotion. Through this book, you learn to battle through this, and achieve a sense of calm that enables you to proceed to the next stage.
Its a book that i am able to read again and again, each time gaining a deeper understanding of my own spiritual journey. Well worth a read!. Read it when the Spirit leads you to, 09 Nov 2006
This is a classic book - richly descriptive of spiritual realities, and providing sound guidance by a Doctor of the Church. It is probably best to have had an introduction to the spiritual life first, try 'The Introduction to the devout life' by St Francis de Sales; for a contremporary and helpful introduction try Fr Thomas Dubay ' Prayer Primer' and his introduction to St John of the Cross ' The Fire within'.
Just a note - St John would have laughed at the idea that the devil is only your own ego! Or that God is a deeper region of yourself! This book takes seriously the idea of growing closer to a real god who is passionately in love with you, expect to be challenged to change and grow. A book for those further along the spiritual path, 14 Sep 2006
You have to read this book at the right time; if you read it too early into your spiritual contemplations it probably won't make any sense and the wisdom on offer might fail to connect. Ideally you'd read this book only after you've begun to feel the presence of the Spirit alive within you, but then suddenly, or gradually, you find yourself deeply confused and even abandoned by it. That is the perfect time to absorb this very wise, knowing book, written by a man who obviously underwent the entire process of spiritual awakening and union with what the religions call God - which is really, actually a deeper region of your own self that you have the potential to experience directly, although not until you give up the spiritual quest: a daunting, painful period aptly known as the dark night of the soul. What stops this material getting a five star rating is the occasional lack of clarity in the writing style. St. John may have been a true mystic but he was no Hemingway or Shakespeare and at times the text is unnecessarily dense and overly complicated. But this is a trifling criticism, out-weighed by the timelessly valid insights supplied on each page. One final piece of vital advice, wherever you read the word "devil" (mentioned very often) you'd do well to consider this as a reference to the Ego, your own, rather than interpreting the phrase to mean the actual existence of Christianity's arch enemy. A great deal of important understanding falls into place when you do this. In fact, it would help if the Introduction section to all translations stressed that the term "devil" should not be read literally but metaphorically. Overall, though, this book is an invaluable spiritual guide. Immensely detailed and riveting history of neo paganism , 11 Jul 2008
Profound and sympathetic knowledge permeates the whole of this superb history tracing the origins of modern pagan beliefs back to the eighteenth century.
The first part entitled "Macrocosm" examines each component part of the new religion and how it evolved into its final form. The second part entitled "Microcosm" is about the personalities, their rivalries, and the divergent nature of the outcomes.
Hutton is undoubtedly correct that neo paganism as known today is a modern construct, but although he is even handed in his treatment of the subject, one has to remind oneself when reading the book that there is undoubtedly an ancient precedent.
In addition Hutton closely observed and researched 21 covens comprising 213 practitioners and the results form a fascinating conclusion to a remarkable achievement.
The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft Dated and actually quite a bit biased?, 12 Jun 2008
Having just read Wicca Magickal Beginnings for the first time, I thought I would revisit Triumph of the Moon (and a few other works) to see what I think of it after all these years. I read Triumph of the Moon when it first came out you see and then I was relatively new to the world of paganism. My knowledge and understanding has grown quite a lot since then and I was surprised that I found many errors in the book which I never noticed the first time. Some of them have already been noted by other reviewers here so I won't go into detail.
All and all this is a great book, but it is a product of its time. I got the feeling that the author might have been a bit biased in places with the views he presented. It also in hindsight seemed really strange to me that he included large sections on authors such as Starhawk, who is clearly not connected to either British Paganism or to the Wicca of Gerald Gardner. So why include her? Just to be sarcastic and put her down? I am not a great fan of the work of American pagans in general, but it has to be said that Starhawk's material was hugely influential. By including her, the author is giving credit to her and promoting her approach which he clearly does not agree with in the first place. All the same, one has to concede that she did have an influence and therefore might be worthy of inclusion.
He other thing that struck me is that the author clearly set out to prove his point that Wicca is the only religion given by the UK to the rest of the world. How can this be true? What about Druidry? The Church of England? Aetherius? Celtic Christianity? Its a nice idea, but its not true and unfortunately now a great many people echo him in saying that it is the only religion given by the UK to the world! The power of the written word in the hands of those who follow, rather than think.
Read widely on the subject of your history, be it the history of your culture, religion or origins. Knowledge is power! Brilliant. A book for open minds., 29 Feb 2008
Buy it. I've had this book for a couple of years and keep going back to it (rare for me with most the books on the craft I have.) Yeah Mr Hutton writes like the accademic he is and at times you'll feel like you're sat in a uni lecture but stick with it.
This book is nothing but information that the eager pagan mind can eat up. Blows the myths and all the 'fictional' history of the craft. My favourite part is the second section that deals with the history of modern witchcraft, at present, though that might change, I feel, with additional readings. I'm a cottage witch and keep feeling a urge to back and read the chapters on the cunning folk for the imformation I might have missed on the first few reads.
Don't buy it if you like the Llewllyn 'be a witch, power, power, power, learn spells rule the world.' DO BUY IT if you've out grown that kind of stuff and wan't to know where the 'real' modern wiccan movement originated from and the true pagan liniage of the craft.
A classic for the well read wiccan's library.
My tip: order some high-lighter pens as well for all those parts relevant to the craft you're interested in.
Those who aren't wiccan/pagan but interested, please read it. So much truth about England's folk lore you can't afford to miss it. This book shoots holes in many of the modern wiccan claims you'll love it as much as the objective wiccans who read it. You might also learn something from it about the bigotry, highlighted in the first part of the book, of those who were different or practiced the old folk methods as part of their heritage.
A blessing on Mr Hutton for telling the truth (all be long winded a times) Fantastic!, 29 May 2006
Hutton's treatment of the history of modern Paganism not only clarified the facts about paganism as a whole, it also gave me a greater understanding of what draws me to paganism. He sweeps away some of the myths around modern Paganism while recognising it as a valid spirituality. I thoroughly recommend this book to any Pagan, or indeed to any non-Pagan. Fab & Must Read, 11 Sep 2005
It took me a long time to read this book and then I had to go back and start all over again. There is simply no doubt that this book is a must read for anyone interested in and everyone practicing Wicca today. Get a copy, read it and keep it for reference. It provides not just an overview of the history of the people and places, but also useful information which may help you reconstruct rituals. (Although not intended in that way)
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Customer Reviews
tough reading..but worth it, 12 Nov 2008
reading this book is like wading through very deep sticky treacle..but when you begin to understand and get his points it is excellent. I would recommend reading a guide/companion book first then reading this, as it's tricky, v tricky...i am by no means a thickie but this was..tricky.
A couple of points he made really made sense to me - eg not always thinking your spiritual directors are correct - if you feel lead a certain way, go with it - you may be holier with a better understanding than them!
Also the ladder of love and 6 stages of faith were v interesting - and so true.
I will prob read it again after reading a help book (elizabeth ruth obbard has one out and she is fab, would always recommend her)
tricky but worth it for those few diamonds Beware, 26 May 2008
Beware of this book - the Christian message of St John of the Cross has been removed in this 'paraphrase' - I will not call it a translation. A great Christian book is turned into a New Age book! A life review guide , 03 Dec 2006
This book answersed all of the questions i had, in terms of my own spiritual journey. It explains why the dark days are so awful and why the light days are so in abundance with joy. Having read many spiritual guidance books, in religeons across the board, i found this to be the definative guide to understanding my own true existence.
God has to make us endure pain, desolation and deep emotion in order for us to appreciate and fully understand the path we are on. If we had only 'positive' days we would not endlessley search for spiritual fulfillment. This journey is fully explained in this book and its a reflective tool that we can use daily to enchance our understanding of a spiritual journey.
The soul is illuminated by positive experiences, the serenity felt lulls the soul into feeling comfortable. however, each stage of the journey brings a deeper, and more desolate emotion. Through this book, you learn to battle through this, and achieve a sense of calm that enables you to proceed to the next stage.
Its a book that i am able to read again and again, each time gaining a deeper understanding of my own spiritual journey. Well worth a read!. Read it when the Spirit leads you to, 09 Nov 2006
This is a classic book - richly descriptive of spiritual realities, and providing sound guidance by a Doctor of the Church. It is probably best to have had an introduction to the spiritual life first, try 'The Introduction to the devout life' by St Francis de Sales; for a contremporary and helpful introduction try Fr Thomas Dubay ' Prayer Primer' and his introduction to St John of the Cross ' The Fire within'.
Just a note - St John would have laughed at the idea that the devil is only your own ego! Or that God is a deeper region of yourself! This book takes seriously the idea of growing closer to a real god who is passionately in love with you, expect to be challenged to change and grow. A book for those further along the spiritual path, 14 Sep 2006
You have to read this book at the right time; if you read it too early into your spiritual contemplations it probably won't make any sense and the wisdom on offer might fail to connect. Ideally you'd read this book only after you've begun to feel the presence of the Spirit alive within you, but then suddenly, or gradually, you find yourself deeply confused and even abandoned by it. That is the perfect time to absorb this very wise, knowing book, written by a man who obviously underwent the entire process of spiritual awakening and union with what the religions call God - which is really, actually a deeper region of your own self that you have the potential to experience directly, although not until you give up the spiritual quest: a daunting, painful period aptly known as the dark night of the soul. What stops this material getting a five star rating is the occasional lack of clarity in the writing style. St. John may have been a true mystic but he was no Hemingway or Shakespeare and at times the text is unnecessarily dense and overly complicated. But this is a trifling criticism, out-weighed by the timelessly valid insights supplied on each page. One final piece of vital advice, wherever you read the word "devil" (mentioned very often) you'd do well to consider this as a reference to the Ego, your own, rather than interpreting the phrase to mean the actual existence of Christianity's arch enemy. A great deal of important understanding falls into place when you do this. In fact, it would help if the Introduction section to all translations stressed that the term "devil" should not be read literally but metaphorically. Overall, though, this book is an invaluable spiritual guide. Immensely detailed and riveting history of neo paganism , 11 Jul 2008
Profound and sympathetic knowledge permeates the whole of this superb history tracing the origins of modern pagan beliefs back to the eighteenth century.
The first part entitled "Macrocosm" examines each component part of the new religion and how it evolved into its final form. The second part entitled "Microcosm" is about the personalities, their rivalries, and the divergent nature of the outcomes.
Hutton is undoubtedly correct that neo paganism as known today is a modern construct, but although he is even handed in his treatment of the subject, one has to remind oneself when reading the book that there is undoubtedly an ancient precedent.
In addition Hutton closely observed and researched 21 covens comprising 213 practitioners and the results form a fascinating conclusion to a remarkable achievement.
The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft Dated and actually quite a bit biased?, 12 Jun 2008
Having just read Wicca Magickal Beginnings for the first time, I thought I would revisit Triumph of the Moon (and a few other works) to see what I think of it after all these years. I read Triumph of the Moon when it first came out you see and then I was relatively new to the world of paganism. My knowledge and understanding has grown quite a lot since then and I was surprised that I found many errors in the book which I never noticed the first time. Some of them have already been noted by other reviewers here so I won't go into detail.
All and all this is a great book, but it is a product of its time. I got the feeling that the author might have been a bit biased in places with the views he presented. It also in hindsight seemed really strange to me that he included large sections on authors such as Starhawk, who is clearly not connected to either British Paganism or to the Wicca of Gerald Gardner. So why include her? Just to be sarcastic and put her down? I am not a great fan of the work of American pagans in general, but it has to be said that Starhawk's material was hugely influential. By including her, the author is giving credit to her and promoting her approach which he clearly does not agree with in the first place. All the same, one has to concede that she did have an influence and therefore might be worthy of inclusion.
He other thing that struck me is that the author clearly set out to prove his point that Wicca is the only religion given by the UK to the rest of the world. How can this be true? What about Druidry? The Church of England? Aetherius? Celtic Christianity? Its a nice idea, but its not true and unfortunately now a great many people echo him in saying that it is the only religion given by the UK to the world! The power of the written word in the hands of those who follow, rather than think.
Read widely on the subject of your history, be it the history of your culture, religion or origins. Knowledge is power! Brilliant. A book for open minds., 29 Feb 2008
Buy it. I've had this book for a couple of years and keep going back to it (rare for me with most the books on the craft I have.) Yeah Mr Hutton writes like the accademic he is and at times you'll feel like you're sat in a uni lecture but stick with it.
This book is nothing but information that the eager pagan mind can eat up. Blows the myths and all the 'fictional' history of the craft. My favourite part is the second section that deals with the history of modern witchcraft, at present, though that might change, I feel, with additional readings. I'm a cottage witch and keep feeling a urge to back and read the chapters on the cunning folk for the imformation I might have missed on the first few reads.
Don't buy it if you like the Llewllyn 'be a witch, power, power, power, learn spells rule the world.' DO BUY IT if you've out grown that kind of stuff and wan't to know where the 'real' modern wiccan movement originated from and the true pagan liniage of the craft.
A classic for the well read wiccan's library.
My tip: order some high-lighter pens as well for all those parts relevant to the craft you're interested in.
Those who aren't wiccan/pagan but interested, please read it. So much truth about England's folk lore you can't afford to miss it. This book shoots holes in many of the modern wiccan claims you'll love it as much as the objective wiccans who read it. You might also learn something from it about the bigotry, highlighted in the first part of the book, of those who were different or practiced the old folk methods as part of their heritage.
A blessing on Mr Hutton for telling the truth (all be long winded a times) Fantastic!, 29 May 2006
Hutton's treatment of the history of modern Paganism not only clarified the facts about paganism as a whole, it also gave me a greater understanding of what draws me to paganism. He sweeps away some of the myths around modern Paganism while recognising it as a valid spirituality. I thoroughly recommend this book to any Pagan, or indeed to any non-Pagan. Fab & Must Read, 11 Sep 2005
It took me a long time to read this book and then I had to go back and start all over again. There is simply no doubt that this book is a must read for anyone interested in and everyone practicing Wicca today. Get a copy, read it and keep it for reference. It provides not just an overview of the history of the people and places, but also useful information which may help you reconstruct rituals. (Although not intended in that way)
What a load of tosh!!!, 06 Dec 2007
Gospel??? Pure fiction an distortion. Talking about taking out of context. The absence of any attempt at highlighting the 'true words' to extricate fantasy makes the whole book completely pointless. How anyone can treat this concoction as gnostic or vaguely factual is shocking. If you want sexual fantasy, read Nancy Friday. If you want to know more about Jesus, read the bible.Period.
A heartfelt communion between Jesus and Magdalene, 03 Dec 2007
This is a book that you will not wish to lend to your friends, because it is one that will not be returned. The heart of this book, its scripture and the excellent narrative by Jean-Yves Leloup is one that you cannot easily forget. The purity and innocence of Magdalene is charming, her questions include how it is possible that she can see Jesus clairvoyantly, the dialog of these beloveds is enchanting. If one knows and understands the other mystic texts, it's not surprising to view the disbelief from the male Apostles regarding Jesus revealing himself to her.
Wonderful Jean, thank you, I recommend it to everyone.
Seemed preachy, 25 Oct 2007
Given the relative neglect of Mary Magdalene by the orthodox Church, her role for the Cathars, and given that this gospel's text intrigues me, a helpful commentary of this Gospel would be welcome.
It's not this one: the commentary is mostly LeLoup's advice, not particularly gnostic and not focused so much on this gospel. There seems to be little attention to any relevant conditions of the times when the Gospel was written. At times the commentary sounds like pop psychology. I'm afraid I didn't learn anything from Leloup's commentary.
Fortunely, an outstanding commentary on the Gospel of Mary exists: "The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the Woman Apostle" by Karen King of Harvard Divinity School.
Brilliant-excellent link to Course in Miracles, Gary Renard etc, 29 Aug 2006
I am thorougthly enjoying this book and can sincerely recommend it to anyone who is insterested in the spiritual quest.
enlightened, 20 Aug 2006
This gosple reveals an insight into the true gender politics within the early christian church, in this gosple Mary is a companion to Christ and a chief disciple, she is very different form the Mary portrayed in the canonical Gosples of today, it is interesting to read how Mary also faces discimination from her fellow disciples who reject her understaning of Christs word. Mary also gives an insight into the early Jesus and offers a totally different perspective than that being offered by the modern day church on spirituality and its true meaning. I highly recomend this Gosple its very thought provoking. Maybe thats the reason why it was ommitted by the early church fathers !
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Entering the Castle
Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £10.71
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Customer Reviews
tough reading..but worth it, 12 Nov 2008
reading this book is like wading through very deep sticky treacle..but when you begin to understand and get his points it is excellent. I would recommend reading a guide/companion book first then reading this, as it's tricky, v tricky...i am by no means a thickie but this was..tricky.
A couple of points he made really made sense to me - eg not always thinking your spiritual directors are correct - if you feel lead a certain way, go with it - you may be holier with a better understanding than them!
Also the ladder of love and 6 stages of faith were v interesting - and so true.
I will prob read it again after reading a help book (elizabeth ruth obbard has one out and she is fab, would always recommend her)
tricky but worth it for those few diamonds Beware, 26 May 2008
Beware of this book - the Christian message of St John of the Cross has been removed in this 'paraphrase' - I will not call it a translation. A great Christian book is turned into a New Age book! A life review guide , 03 Dec 2006
This book answersed all of the questions i had, in terms of my own spiritual journey. It explains why the dark days are so awful and why the light days are so in abundance with joy. Having read many spiritual guidance books, in religeons across the board, i found this to be the definative guide to understanding my own true existence.
God has to make us endure pain, desolation and deep emotion in order for us to appreciate and fully understand the path we are on. If we had only 'positive' days we would not endlessley search for spiritual fulfillment. This journey is fully explained in this book and its a reflective tool that we can use daily to enchance our understanding of a spiritual journey.
The soul is illuminated by positive experiences, the serenity felt lulls the soul into feeling comfortable. however, each stage of the journey brings a deeper, and more desolate emotion. Through this book, you learn to battle through this, and achieve a sense of calm that enables you to proceed to the next stage.
Its a book that i am able to read again and again, each time gaining a deeper understanding of my own spiritual journey. Well worth a read!. Read it when the Spirit leads you to, 09 Nov 2006
This is a classic book - richly descriptive of spiritual realities, and providing sound guidance by a Doctor of the Church. It is probably best to have had an introduction to the spiritual life first, try 'The Introduction to the devout life' by St Francis de Sales; for a contremporary and helpful introduction try Fr Thomas Dubay ' Prayer Primer' and his introduction to St John of the Cross ' The Fire within'.
Just a note - St John would have laughed at the idea that the devil is only your own ego! Or that God is a deeper region of yourself! This book takes seriously the idea of growing closer to a real god who is passionately in love with you, expect to be challenged to change and grow. A book for those further along the spiritual path, 14 Sep 2006
You have to read this book at the right time; if you read it too early into your spiritual contemplations it probably won't make any sense and the wisdom on offer might fail to connect. Ideally you'd read this book only after you've begun to feel the presence of the Spirit alive within you, but then suddenly, or gradually, you find yourself deeply confused and even abandoned by it. That is the perfect time to absorb this very wise, knowing book, written by a man who obviously underwent the entire process of spiritual awakening and union with what the religions call God - which is really, actually a deeper region of your own self that you have the potential to experience directly, although not until you give up the spiritual quest: a daunting, painful period aptly known as the dark night of the soul. What stops this material getting a five star rating is the occasional lack of clarity in the writing style. St. John may have been a true mystic but he was no Hemingway or Shakespeare and at times the text is unnecessarily dense and overly complicated. But this is a trifling criticism, out-weighed by the timelessly valid insights supplied on each page. One final piece of vital advice, wherever you read the word "devil" (mentioned very often) you'd do well to consider this as a reference to the Ego, your own, rather than interpreting the phrase to mean the actual existence of Christianity's arch enemy. A great deal of important understanding falls into place when you do this. In fact, it would help if the Introduction section to all translations stressed that the term "devil" should not be read literally but metaphorically. Overall, though, this book is an invaluable spiritual guide. Immensely detailed and riveting history of neo paganism , 11 Jul 2008
Profound and sympathetic knowledge permeates the whole of this superb history tracing the origins of modern pagan beliefs back to the eighteenth century.
The first part entitled "Macrocosm" examines each component part of the new religion and how it evolved into its final form. The second part entitled "Microcosm" is about the personalities, their rivalries, and the divergent nature of the outcomes.
Hutton is undoubtedly correct that neo paganism as known today is a modern construct, but although he is even handed in his treatment of the subject, one has to remind oneself when reading the book that there is undoubtedly an ancient precedent.
In addition Hutton closely observed and researched 21 covens comprising 213 practitioners and the results form a fascinating conclusion to a remarkable achievement.
The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft Dated and actually quite a bit biased?, 12 Jun 2008
Having just read Wicca Magickal Beginnings for the first time, I thought I would revisit Triumph of the Moon (and a few other works) to see what I think of it after all these years. I read Triumph of the Moon when it first came out you see and then I was relatively new to the world of paganism. My knowledge and understanding has grown quite a lot since then and I was surprised that I found many errors in the book which I never noticed the first time. Some of them have already been noted by other reviewers here so I won't go into detail.
All and all this is a great book, but it is a product of its time. I got the feeling that the author might have been a bit biased in places with the views he presented. It also in hindsight seemed really strange to me that he included large sections on authors such as Starhawk, who is clearly not connected to either British Paganism or to the Wicca of Gerald Gardner. So why include her? Just to be sarcastic and put her down? I am not a great fan of the work of American pagans in general, but it has to be said that Starhawk's material was hugely influential. By including her, the author is giving credit to her and promoting her approach which he clearly does not agree with in the first place. All the same, one has to concede that she did have an influence and therefore might be worthy of inclusion.
He other thing that struck me is that the author clearly set out to prove his point that Wicca is the only religion given by the UK to the rest of the world. How can this be true? What about Druidry? The Church of England? Aetherius? Celtic Christianity? Its a nice idea, but its not true and unfortunately now a great many people echo him in saying that it is the only religion given by the UK to the world! The power of the written word in the hands of those who follow, rather than think.
Read widely on the subject of your history, be it the history of your culture, religion or origins. Knowledge is power! Brilliant. A book for open minds., 29 Feb 2008
Buy it. I've had this book for a couple of years and keep going back to it (rare for me with most the books on the craft I have.) Yeah Mr Hutton writes like the accademic he is and at times you'll feel like you're sat in a uni lecture but stick with it.
This book is nothing but information that the eager pagan mind can eat up. Blows the myths and all the 'fictional' history of the craft. My favourite part is the second section that deals with the history of modern witchcraft, at present, though that might change, I feel, with additional readings. I'm a cottage witch and keep feeling a urge to back and read the chapters on the cunning folk for the imformation I might have missed on the first few reads.
Don't buy it if you like the Llewllyn 'be a witch, power, power, power, learn spells rule the world.' DO BUY IT if you've out grown that kind of stuff and wan't to know where the 'real' modern wiccan movement originated from and the true pagan liniage of the craft.
A classic for the well read wiccan's library.
My tip: order some high-lighter pens as well for all those parts relevant to the craft you're interested in.
Those who aren't wiccan/pagan but interested, please read it. So much truth about England's folk lore you can't afford to miss it. This book shoots holes in many of the modern wiccan claims you'll love it as much as the objective wiccans who read it. You might also learn something from it about the bigotry, highlighted in the first part of the book, of those who were different or practiced the old folk methods as part of their heritage.
A blessing on Mr Hutton for telling the truth (all be long winded a times) Fantastic!, 29 May 2006
Hutton's treatment of the history of modern Paganism not only clarified the facts about paganism as a whole, it also gave me a greater understanding of what draws me to paganism. He sweeps away some of the myths around modern Paganism while recognising it as a valid spirituality. I thoroughly recommend this book to any Pagan, or indeed to any non-Pagan. Fab & Must Read, 11 Sep 2005
It took me a long time to read this book and then I had to go back and start all over again. There is simply no doubt that this book is a must read for anyone interested in and everyone practicing Wicca today. Get a copy, read it and keep it for reference. It provides not just an overview of the history of the people and places, but also useful information which may help you reconstruct rituals. (Although not intended in that way)
What a load of tosh!!!, 06 Dec 2007
Gospel??? Pure fiction an distortion. Talking about taking out of context. The absence of any attempt at highlighting the 'true words' to extricate fantasy makes the whole book completely pointless. How anyone can treat this concoction as gnostic or vaguely factual is shocking. If you want sexual fantasy, read Nancy Friday. If you want to know more about Jesus, read the bible.Period.
A heartfelt communion between Jesus and Magdalene, 03 Dec 2007
This is a book that you will not wish to lend to your friends, because it is one that will not be returned. The heart of this book, its scripture and the excellent narrative by Jean-Yves Leloup is one that you cannot easily forget. The purity and innocence of Magdalene is charming, her questions include how it is possible that she can see Jesus clairvoyantly, the dialog of these beloveds is enchanting. If one knows and understands the other mystic texts, it's not surprising to view the disbelief from the male Apostles regarding Jesus revealing himself to her.
Wonderful Jean, thank you, I recommend it to everyone.
Seemed preachy, 25 Oct 2007
Given the relative neglect of Mary Magdalene by the orthodox Church, her role for the Cathars, and given that this gospel's text intrigues me, a helpful commentary of this Gospel would be welcome.
It's not this one: the commentary is mostly LeLoup's advice, not particularly gnostic and not focused so much on this gospel. There seems to be little attention to any relevant conditions of the times when the Gospel was written. At times the commentary sounds like pop psychology. I'm afraid I didn't learn anything from Leloup's commentary.
Fortunely, an outstanding commentary on the Gospel of Mary exists: "The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the Woman Apostle" by Karen King of Harvard Divinity School.
Brilliant-excellent link to Course in Miracles, Gary Renard etc, 29 Aug 2006
I am thorougthly enjoying this book and can sincerely recommend it to anyone who is insterested in the spiritual quest.
enlightened, 20 Aug 2006
This gosple reveals an insight into the true gender politics within the early christian church, in this gosple Mary is a companion to Christ and a chief disciple, she is very different form the Mary portrayed in the canonical Gosples of today, it is interesting to read how Mary also faces discimination from her fellow disciples who reject her understaning of Christs word. Mary also gives an insight into the early Jesus and offers a totally different perspective than that being offered by the modern day church on spirituality and its true meaning. I highly recomend this Gosple its very thought provoking. Maybe thats the reason why it was ommitted by the early church fathers !
Well worth having ..., 26 Jan 2008
I found this to be an excellent set of cds. I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to enhance their spiritual journey in a non-religous way although the meditations are suitable for all.
My only real criticism would be of Caroline's delivery of the information in parts.
She sounds quite dictatorial, stern and unforgiving in places. If you can get past that these cds are well worth having, and there are 9 in the set so well worth the cost.
Good Spiritual Practise, Presentation sometimes off, 09 Aug 2007
I think that the Interior Castle practise that Caroline Myss describes is a very powerful and truly enlightening practise. It is described in a very useful and deep manner. Very good listening.
My only criticism to the program is the harsh criticism rained down on "new age" practises. It is presented in a way entirely contrary to the attitude one who has entered his castle should have achieved (as you are taught in the program). This made the introduction very tedious for me.
Ecumenical Reader's Guide to St. Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle, 05 Jul 2007
Let me begin by noting that I enjoyed Sacred Contracts and its multicultural perspective on understanding your soul very much. It was my enthusiasm for that work that led me to Entering the Castle.
I was taken aback to find that Entering the Castle is an ecumenical reader's guide to St. Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle. If I had known that, I would have read The Interior Castle instead for a deeper Christian reading on St. Teresa's mystical experiences and guidance for the rest of us.
If you aren't a Christian, you may like Entering the Castle because the book is careful not to take a Christian perspective while referencing figures from the faith. Jesus, for instance, is typically described as a spiritual figure rather than the son of God. Although Caroline Myss describes herself as a Catholic, her personal beliefs seem to be that all religions are essentially identical. It's more of a Unitarian view than a Catholic description of religion.
If you are a Christian, why wouldn't you want a purely Christian perspective?
The book is very slow to begin. It takes around a hundred pages before you reach the first part of what St. Teresa of Avila described. I didn't find the writing to be tight and engaging like the writing is in Sacred Contracts.
St. Teresa wrote about her mystical experiences as a kind of roadmap that someone can follow who wants more a more direct relationship with God. As described in Entering the Castle there are seven metaphorical mansions in the castle. Within each mansion, there are rooms that represent stages of mystical experience and development. These rooms are described as exercises for you to do. There's a caution that St. Teresa reported that some nuns couldn't get past the first few mansions, and that progress will take years. Think of this book as describing a life journey rather than a quick fix to improve your life.
Here are the mansions and their main subjects:
1. Prayer, humility, chaos, and Divine seduction
2. Inner vision, spiritual companions, and commitment to God
3. Moving past reason into faith, and surrendering to God
4. Receiving God fully
5. Being led by your soul
6. Channeling grace to dissolve self
7. Carrying your fully developed soul back into the world
The author adds prayers, examples, and directions to make these steps easier to grasp. I found that her personal examples were the most helpful as she pursues a quest that began when St. Teresa spoke to her.
A disappointing aspect of the book is that the three early mansions receive most of the attention, even though where most people want to be is in one of the latter mansions. Perhaps that's because St. Teresa indicated that it was up to God for you to make progress through those last four mansions.
I have been interested in these same subjects for many years, and I used this book to help me get a sense of where I was in my journey. What surprised me was that my roadmap seems to be a lot different than this one. From that I conclude that there's more than one path to mystical connection to God. Now that I realize that lesson, I intend to read more of what Christian mystics have had to say so that I can learn from each of them.
I was particularly surprised to see the emphasis on healing of others in this book. I hadn't thought such an activity would be part of a path to mystical experience. That lesson indicates to me that I have much to learn.
May God bless you, your family, and all you do!
Liberating St. Teresa from the Inquisitors, and Much More, 01 Apr 2007
Before commenting on Caroline's "Entering the Castle", it is important to note how her book is based on sixteenth-century mystic St. Teresa de Avila (Teresa Sanchez de Cepeda). When St. Teresa wrote her theological treatises, the Church did not consider women competent to be authors in general, nor to write about theology, in particular. Although in her book "The Interior Castle" (Las Moradas), St. Teresa proved theologians of the time wrong on both counts, she had to write in a circumspect and self-deprecating style in order to pass the scrutiny of the Inquisitors. These limitations made her writings cumbersome and somewhat fragmented.
In her CD "Entering the Castle", Caroline Myss has liberated St. Teresa from the suffocating Inquisition, and has brought sixteenth-century psychology of the spirit to the twenty-first century. Caroline's CD offers courage, methodology and hope about how, independent of religious affiliation, we can enter our own "castle" to navigate our spiritual journey. More importantly however, Caroline very wisely suggests, we must be "mystics out of the monastery" so that we can reach others with the wealth of spirit required to advance global consciousness. As a clinical psychologist who teaches mystics wellness for their arduous journey to find union with the divine, I strongly recommend "Entering the Castle", for anyone who is seeking spiritual guidance that goes beyond New Age "quick fix".
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Customer Reviews
tough reading..but worth it, 12 Nov 2008
reading this book is like wading through very deep sticky treacle..but when you begin to understand and get his points it is excellent. I would recommend reading a guide/companion book first then reading this, as it's tricky, v tricky...i am by no means a thickie but this was..tricky.
A couple of points he made really made sense to me - eg not always thinking your spiritual directors are correct - if you feel lead a certain way, go with it - you may be holier with a better understanding than them!
Also the ladder of love and 6 stages of faith were v interesting - and so true.
I will prob read it again after reading a help book (elizabeth ruth obbard has one out and she is fab, would always recommend her)
tricky but worth it for those few diamonds Beware, 26 May 2008
Beware of this book - the Christian message of St John of the Cross has been removed in this 'paraphrase' - I will not call it a translation. A great Christian book is turned into a New Age book! A life review guide , 03 Dec 2006
This book answersed all of the questions i had, in terms of my own spiritual journey. It explains why the dark days are so awful and why the light days are so in abundance with joy. Having read many spiritual guidance books, in religeons across the board, i found this to be the definative guide to understanding my own true existence.
God has to make us endure pain, desolation and deep emotion in order for us to appreciate and fully understand the path we are on. If we had only 'positive' days we would not endlessley search for spiritual fulfillment. This journey is fully explained in this book and its a reflective tool that we can use daily to enchance our understanding of a spiritual journey.
The soul is illuminated by positive experiences, the serenity felt lulls the soul into feeling comfortable. however, each stage of the journey brings a deeper, and more desolate emotion. Through this book, you learn to battle through this, and achieve a sense of calm that enables you to proceed to the next stage.
Its a book that i am able to read again and again, each time gaining a deeper understanding of my own spiritual journey. Well worth a read!. Read it when the Spirit leads you to, 09 Nov 2006
This is a classic book - richly descriptive of spiritual realities, and providing sound guidance by a Doctor of the Church. It is probably best to have had an introduction to the spiritual life first, try 'The Introduction to the devout life' by St Francis de Sales; for a contremporary and helpful introduction try Fr Thomas Dubay ' Prayer Primer' and his introduction to St John of the Cross ' The Fire within'.
Just a note - St John would have laughed at the idea that the devil is only your own ego! Or that God is a deeper region of yourself! This book takes seriously the idea of growing closer to a real god who is passionately in love with you, expect to be challenged to change and grow. A book for those further along the spiritual path, 14 Sep 2006
You have to read this book at the right time; if you read it too early into your spiritual contemplations it probably won't make any sense and the wisdom on offer might fail to connect. Ideally you'd read this book only after you've begun to feel the presence of the Spirit alive within you, but then suddenly, or gradually, you find yourself deeply confused and even abandoned by it. That is the perfect time to absorb this very wise, knowing book, written by a man who obviously underwent the entire process of spiritual awakening and union with what the religions call God - which is really, actually a deeper region of your own self that you have the potential to experience directly, although not until you give up the spiritual quest: a daunting, painful period aptly known as the dark night of the soul. What stops this material getting a five star rating is the occasional lack of clarity in the writing style. St. John may have been a true mystic but he was no Hemingway or Shakespeare and at times the text is unnecessarily dense and overly complicated. But this is a trifling criticism, out-weighed by the timelessly valid insights supplied on each page. One final piece of vital advice, wherever you read the word "devil" (mentioned very often) you'd do well to consider this as a reference to the Ego, your own, rather than interpreting the phrase to mean the actual existence of Christianity's arch enemy. A great deal of important understanding falls into place when you do this. In fact, it would help if the Introduction section to all translations stressed that the term "devil" should not be read literally but metaphorically. Overall, though, this book is an invaluable spiritual guide. Immensely detailed and riveting history of neo paganism , 11 Jul 2008
Profound and sympathetic knowledge permeates the whole of this superb history tracing the origins of modern pagan beliefs back to the eighteenth century.
The first part entitled "Macrocosm" examines each component part of the new religion and how it evolved into its final form. The second part entitled "Microcosm" is about the personalities, their rivalries, and the divergent nature of the outcomes.
Hutton is undoubtedly correct that neo paganism as known today is a modern construct, but although he is even handed in his treatment of the subject, one has to remind oneself when reading the book that there is undoubtedly an ancient precedent.
In addition Hutton closely observed and researched 21 covens comprising 213 practitioners and the results form a fascinating conclusion to a remarkable achievement.
The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft Dated and actually quite a bit biased?, 12 Jun 2008
Having just read Wicca Magickal Beginnings for the first time, I thought I would revisit Triumph of the Moon (and a few other works) to see what I think of it after all these years. I read Triumph of the Moon when it first came out you see and then I was relatively new to the world of paganism. My knowledge and understanding has grown quite a lot since then and I was surprised that I found many errors in the book which I never noticed the first time. Some of them have already been noted by other reviewers here so I won't go into detail.
All and all this is a great book, but it is a product of its time. I got the feeling that the author might have been a bit biased in places with the views he presented. It also in hindsight seemed really strange to me that he included large sections on authors such as Starhawk, who is clearly not connected to either British Paganism or to the Wicca of Gerald Gardner. So why include her? Just to be sarcastic and put her down? I am not a great fan of the work of American pagans in general, but it has to be said that Starhawk's material was hugely influential. By including her, the author is giving credit to her and promoting her approach which he clearly does not agree with in the first place. All the same, one has to concede that she did have an influence and therefore might be worthy of inclusion.
He other thing that struck me is that the author clearly set out to prove his point that Wicca is the only religion given by the UK to the rest of the world. How can this be true? What about Druidry? The Church of England? Aetherius? Celtic Christianity? Its a nice idea, but its not true and unfortunately now a great many people echo him in saying that it is the only religion given by the UK to the world! The power of the written word in the hands of those who follow, rather than think.
Read widely on the subject of your history, be it the history of your culture, religion or origins. Knowledge is power! Brilliant. A book for open minds., 29 Feb 2008
Buy it. I've had this book for a couple of years and keep going back to it (rare for me with most the books on the craft I have.) Yeah Mr Hutton writes like the accademic he is and at times you'll feel like you're sat in a uni lecture but stick with it.
This book is nothing but information that the eager pagan mind can eat up. Blows the myths and all the 'fictional' history of the craft. My favourite part is the second section that deals with the history of modern witchcraft, at present, though that might change, I feel, with additional readings. I'm a cottage witch and keep feeling a urge to back and read the chapters on the cunning folk for the imformation I might have missed on the first few reads.
Don't buy it if you like the Llewllyn 'be a witch, power, power, power, learn spells rule the world.' DO BUY IT if you've out grown that kind of stuff and wan't to know where the 'real' modern wiccan movement originated from and the true pagan liniage of the craft.
A classic for the well read wiccan's library.
My tip: order some high-lighter pens as well for all those parts relevant to the craft you're interested in.
Those who aren't wiccan/pagan but interested, please read it. So much truth about England's folk lore you can't afford to miss it. This book shoots holes in many of the modern wiccan claims you'll love it as much as the objective wiccans who read it. You might also learn something from it about the bigotry, highlighted in the first part of the book, of those who were different or practiced the old folk methods as part of their heritage.
A blessing on Mr Hutton for telling the truth (all be long winded a times) Fantastic!, 29 May 2006
Hutton's treatment of the history of modern Paganism not only clarified the facts about paganism as a whole, it also gave me a greater understanding of what draws me to paganism. He sweeps away some of the myths around modern Paganism while recognising it as a valid spirituality. I thoroughly recommend this book to any Pagan, or indeed to any non-Pagan. Fab & Must Read, 11 Sep 2005
It took me a long time to read this book and then I had to go back and start all over again. There is simply no doubt that this book is a must read for anyone interested in and everyone practicing Wicca today. Get a copy, read it and keep it for reference. It provides not just an overview of the history of the people and places, but also useful information which may help you reconstruct rituals. (Although not intended in that way)
What a load of tosh!!!, 06 Dec 2007
Gospel??? Pure fiction an distortion. Talking about taking out of context. The absence of any attempt at highlighting the 'true words' to extricate fantasy makes the whole book completely pointless. How anyone can treat this concoction as gnostic or vaguely factual is shocking. If you want sexual fantasy, read Nancy Friday. If you want to know more about Jesus, read the bible.Period.
A heartfelt communion between Jesus and Magdalene, 03 Dec 2007
This is a book that you will not wish to lend to your friends, because it is one that will not be returned. The heart of this book, its scripture and the excellent narrative by Jean-Yves Leloup is one that you cannot easily forget. The purity and innocence of Magdalene is charming, her questions include how it is possible that she can see Jesus clairvoyantly, the dialog of these beloveds is enchanting. If one knows and understands the other mystic texts, it's not surprising to view the disbelief from the male Apostles regarding Jesus revealing himself to her.
Wonderful Jean, thank you, I recommend it to everyone.
Seemed preachy, 25 Oct 2007
Given the relative neglect of Mary Magdalene by the orthodox Church, her role for the Cathars, and given that this gospel's text intrigues me, a helpful commentary of this Gospel would be welcome.
It's not this one: the commentary is mostly LeLoup's advice, not particularly gnostic and not focused so much on this gospel. There seems to be little attention to any relevant conditions of the times when the Gospel was written. At times the commentary sounds like pop psychology. I'm afraid I didn't learn anything from Leloup's commentary.
Fortunely, an outstanding commentary on the Gospel of Mary exists: "The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the Woman Apostle" by Karen King of Harvard Divinity School.
Brilliant-excellent link to Course in Miracles, Gary Renard etc, 29 Aug 2006
I am thorougthly enjoying this book and can sincerely recommend it to anyone who is insterested in the spiritual quest.
enlightened, 20 Aug 2006
This gosple reveals an insight into the true gender politics within the early christian church, in this gosple Mary is a companion to Christ and a chief disciple, she is very different form the Mary portrayed in the canonical Gosples of today, it is interesting to read how Mary also faces discimination from her fellow disciples who reject her understaning of Christs word. Mary also gives an insight into the early Jesus and offers a totally different perspective than that being offered by the modern day church on spirituality and its true meaning. I highly recomend this Gosple its very thought provoking. Maybe thats the reason why it was ommitted by the early church fathers !
Well worth having ..., 26 Jan 2008
I found this to be an excellent set of cds. I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to enhance their spiritual journey in a non-religous way although the meditations are suitable for all.
My only real criticism would be of Caroline's delivery of the information in parts.
She sounds quite dictatorial, stern and unforgiving in places. If you can get past that these cds are well worth having, and there are 9 in the set so well worth the cost.
Good Spiritual Practise, Presentation sometimes off, 09 Aug 2007
I think that the Interior Castle practise that Caroline Myss describes is a very powerful and truly enlightening practise. It is described in a very useful and deep manner. Very good listening.
My only criticism to the program is the harsh criticism rained down on "new age" practises. It is presented in a way entirely contrary to the attitude one who has entered his castle should have achieved (as you are taught in the program). This made the introduction very tedious for me.
Ecumenical Reader's Guide to St. Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle, 05 Jul 2007
Let me begin by noting that I enjoyed Sacred Contracts and its multicultural perspective on understanding your soul very much. It was my enthusiasm for that work that led me to Entering the Castle.
I was taken aback to find that Entering the Castle is an ecumenical reader's guide to St. Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle. If I had known that, I would have read The Interior Castle instead for a deeper Christian reading on St. Teresa's mystical experiences and guidance for the rest of us.
If you aren't a Christian, you may like Entering the Castle because the book is careful not to take a Christian perspective while referencing figures from the faith. Jesus, for instance, is typically described as a spiritual figure rather than the son of God. Although Caroline Myss describes herself as a Catholic, her personal beliefs seem to be that all religions are essentially identical. It's more of a Unitarian view than a Catholic description of religion.
If you are a Christian, why wouldn't you want a purely Christian perspective?
The book is very slow to begin. It takes around a hundred pages before you reach the first part of what St. Teresa of Avila described. I didn't find the writing to be tight and engaging like the writing is in Sacred Contracts.
St. Teresa wrote about her mystical experiences as a kind of roadmap that someone can follow who wants more a more direct relationship with God. As described in Entering the Castle there are seven metaphorical mansions in the castle. Within each mansion, there are rooms that represent stages of mystical experience and development. These rooms are described as exercises for you to do. There's a caution that St. Teresa reported that some nuns couldn't get past the first few mansions, and that progress will take years. Think of this book as describing a life journey rather than a quick fix to improve your life.
Here are the mansions and their main subjects:
1. Prayer, humility, chaos, and Divine seduction
2. Inner vision, spiritual companions, and commitment to God
3. Moving past reason into faith, and surrendering to God
4. Receiving God fully
5. Being led by your soul
6. Channeling grace to dissolve self
7. Carrying your fully developed soul back into the world
The author adds prayers, examples, and directions to make these steps easier to grasp. I found that her personal examples were the most helpful as she pursues a quest that began when St. Teresa spoke to her.
A disappointing aspect of the book is that the three early mansions receive most of the attention, even though where most people want to be is in one of the latter mansions. Perhaps that's because St. Teresa indicated that it was up to God for you to make progress through those last four mansions.
I have been interested in these same subjects for many years, and I used this book to help me get a sense of where I was in my journey. What surprised me was that my roadmap seems to be a lot different than this one. From that I conclude that there's more than one path to mystical connection to God. Now that I realize that lesson, I intend to read more of what Christian mystics have had to say so that I can learn from each of them.
I was particularly surprised to see the emphasis on healing of others in this book. I hadn't thought such an activity would be part of a path to mystical experience. That lesson indicates to me that I have much to learn.
May God bless you, your family, and all you do!
Liberating St. Teresa from the Inquisitors, and Much More, 01 Apr 2007
Before commenting on Caroline's "Entering the Castle", it is important to note how her book is based on sixteenth-century mystic St. Teresa de Avila (Teresa Sanchez de Cepeda). When St. Teresa wrote her theological treatises, the Church did not consider women competent to be authors in general, nor to write about theology, in particular. Although in her book "The Interior Castle" (Las Moradas), St. Teresa proved theologians of the time wrong on both counts, she had to write in a circumspect and self-deprecating style in order to pass the scrutiny of the Inquisitors. These limitations made her writings cumbersome and somewhat fragmented.
In her CD "Entering the Castle", Caroline Myss has liberated St. Teresa from the suffocating Inquisition, and has brought sixteenth-century psychology of the spirit to the twenty-first century. Caroline's CD offers courage, methodology and hope about how, independent of religious affiliation, we can enter our own "castle" to navigate our spiritual journey. More importantly however, Caroline very wisely suggests, we must be "mystics out of the monastery" so that we can reach others with the wealth of spirit required to advance global consciousness. As a clinical psychologist who teaches mystics wellness for their arduous journey to find union with the divine, I strongly recommend "Entering the Castle", for anyone who is seeking spiritual guidance that goes beyond New Age "quick fix".
You don't want to go there!!!, 22 Oct 2008
People often joke about hell, many don't believe it exists but this book by Mary K Baxter seriously challenges your thoughts on hell.
Over a period of 30 days Jesus took her to the depths of hell where she saw the torment of souls, experienced the sheer terror of being left on her own, the darkness, the putrid smell, the evil spirits and the fires of hell. It's not a book that you would want to read again because of the gruesome content, but it certainly challenges you to think about whether you believe in the God of the Bible, and the location of your eternal residence.
Don't be fooled!!!, 22 Jan 2008
I have never read a book so fast in my life and i want to give God all the praise for allowing me to come across this, even as a christian it has opened up my eyes more to what God wants and the extent to which he wants this done.
If you are considering to read this book, please do, don't let the comments made by some people hinder you from making your own decision. What some people don't realise, (such as those who commented below) is that this book is a wake up call, and for many people who don't know God this is more than just an insight. Read the book.
To really be honest it's funny how people have criticised the book about if God is love why would he create hell, and why did jesus leave mary to suffer in hell for a little while. If only you people truly understood the meaning of the blood jesus shed for us. I'm not even angry at you, i just pray that God gives you a better understanding, because to really be honest after reading the book, i would be in no position to criticise something i know i can never control, which is death.WAKE UP PEOPLE!
Peace, be still., 07 Jan 2008
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Just ask Mary Baxter. She's been there, done that.
And if indeed the contents of her book are to be taken literally, Jesus must possess a dark, wicked sense of humor. Seriously. Here are excerpts from her book. You decide.
(pg 80) Jesus said, "I gave My life so you would not have to come here."
(pg 106) And then all of a sudden Jesus was gone! The unthinkable had happened. I was alone in the heart of hell. (pg 107) My captors dragged me into a cell and threw me inside. As they locked the door I cried even louder. They laughed sarcastically and said, "It will do you no good to cry. When your time has come, you will be taken before our master. He will torment you for his pleasure."
Mary then goes on to describe her excruciating ordeal at the hands of her vile demonic captors. Poor Mary.
(pg 113) Tenderly Jesus spoke and said, "Now you know the truth. I had to let you go through that so that you would know without a doubt."
Nice one, Jesus. That ought to convince Mary, she's a good sport. Or any other God-fearing simple folk for that matter. But wait, what's this? There's more?
(pg 174) I cannot say how I knew, but I knew with all my heart that Jesus was gone. I turned to where he had been. Sure enough, there was no Jesus! "Oh no!" I cried, "Not again! O Jesus, where are You?"
Once again, poor Mary goes on to describe her unspeakable torture and degradation at the hands of her evil tormentors! (pg 177) I kept on screaming over and over again, "Where are You, Jesus? Where are You, Jesus?"
Probably having a good chuckle. You would too, if you read this book.
Very bad, 18 Jul 2007
No loving God would send people to eternal torment. To think that he would is schizophrenic insanity; thinking that he is a god of love, peace and fairness but then thinking he has made some sick eternal torture chamber!
And the main reason for going there is because they didn't believe that one man was the son of god and rose from the dead!
The author is clearly deluded and this book does nothing but puff up the blind beliefs of christians in things for which there are no proof.
Too little too late, 07 Jul 2007
As a committed Christian I am glad to see a more complete revelation of Hell, God maybe having realised that the descriptions in the Bible were insufficiently complete to turn many sinners away from their sin.
However, if I had one criticism (and who am I to criticise God?) it would be the way God has chosen to deliver this through revelation to Mary K Baxter. With hindsight God could have realised that there may have been better ways to deliver the Divine Truth about life, death and thereafter than imparting it to a number of prophets in the Middle East thousands of years ago. Imagine how different things would have been if Christianity had not become the religion of the Holy Roman Empire and been spread around the world!
And yet God does not appear to have learnt from (what I will call) His mistakes and has imparted this vital revelation to a single woman in the United States. There has to be a limit to the reach of this woman's book - millions of people may be doomed to Hell because they have not come across this book and repented their ways.
In this day and age are there not better ways God could have communicated this to us? Maybe the internet? Or television?
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Customer Reviews
tough reading..but worth it, 12 Nov 2008
reading this book is like wading through very deep sticky treacle..but when you begin to understand and get his points it is excellent. I would recommend reading a guide/companion book first then reading this, as it's tricky, v tricky...i am by no means a thickie but this was..tricky.
A couple of points he made really made sense to me - eg not always thinking your spiritual directors are correct - if you feel lead a certain way, go with it - you may be holier with a better understanding than them!
Also the ladder of love and 6 stages of faith were v interesting - and so true.
I will prob read it again after reading a help book (elizabeth ruth obbard has one out and she is fab, would always recommend her)
tricky but worth it for those few diamonds Beware, 26 May 2008
Beware of this book - the Christian message of St John of the Cross has been removed in this 'paraphrase' - I will not call it a translation. A great Christian book is turned into a New Age book! A life review guide , 03 Dec 2006
This book answersed all of the questions i had, in terms of my own spiritual journey. It explains why the dark days are so awful and why the light days are so in abundance with joy. Having read many spiritual guidance books, in religeons across the board, i found this to be the definative guide to understanding my own true existence.
God has to make us endure pain, desolation and deep emotion in order for us to appreciate and fully understand the path we are on. If we had only 'positive' days we would not endlessley search for spiritual fulfillment. This journey is fully explained in this book and its a reflective tool that we can use daily to enchance our understanding of a spiritual journey.
The soul is illuminated by positive experiences, the serenity felt lulls the soul into feeling comfortable. however, each stage of the journey brings a deeper, and more desolate emotion. Through this book, you learn to battle through this, and achieve a sense of calm that enables you to proceed to the next stage.
Its a book that i am able to read again and again, each time gaining a deeper understanding of my own spiritual journey. Well worth a read!. Read it when the Spirit leads you to, 09 Nov 2006
This is a classic book - richly descriptive of spiritual realities, and providing sound guidance by a Doctor of the Church. It is probably best to have had an introduction to the spiritual life first, try 'The Introduction to the devout life' by St Francis de Sales; for a contremporary and helpful introduction try Fr Thomas Dubay ' Prayer Primer' and his introduction to St John of the Cross ' The Fire within'.
Just a note - St John would have laughed at the idea that the devil is only your own ego! Or that God is a deeper region of yourself! This book takes seriously the idea of growing closer to a real god who is passionately in love with you, expect to be challenged to change and grow. A book for those further along the spiritual path, 14 Sep 2006
You have to read this book at the right time; if you read it too early into your spiritual contemplations it probably won't make any sense and the wisdom on offer might fail to connect. Ideally you'd read this book only after you've begun to feel the presence of the Spirit alive within you, but then suddenly, or gradually, you find yourself deeply confused and even abandoned by it. That is the perfect time to absorb this very wise, knowing book, written by a man who obviously underwent the entire process of spiritual awakening and union with what the religions call God - which is really, actually a deeper region of your own self that you have the potential to experience directly, although not until you give up the spiritual quest: a daunting, painful period aptly known as the dark night of the soul. What stops this material getting a five star rating is the occasional lack of clarity in the writing style. St. John may have been a true mystic but he was no Hemingway or Shakespeare and at times the text is unnecessarily dense and overly complicated. But this is a trifling criticism, out-weighed by the timelessly valid insights supplied on each page. One final piece of vital advice, wherever you read the word "devil" (mentioned very often) you'd do well to consider this as a reference to the Ego, your own, rather than interpreting the phrase to mean the actual existence of Christianity's arch enemy. A great deal of important understanding falls into place when you do this. In fact, it would help if the Introduction section to all translations stressed that the term "devil" should not be read literally but metaphorically. Overall, though, this book is an invaluable spiritual guide. Immensely detailed and riveting history of neo paganism , 11 Jul 2008
Profound and sympathetic knowledge permeates the whole of this superb history tracing the origins of modern pagan beliefs back to the eighteenth century.
The first part entitled "Macrocosm" examines each component part of the new religion and how it evolved into its final form. The second part entitled "Microcosm" is about the personalities, their rivalries, and the divergent nature of the outcomes.
Hutton is undoubtedly correct that neo paganism as known today is a modern construct, but although he is even handed in his treatment of the subject, one has to remind oneself when reading the book that there is undoubtedly an ancient precedent.
In addition Hutton closely observed and researched 21 covens comprising 213 practitioners and the results form a fascinating conclusion to a remarkable achievement.
The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft Dated and actually quite a bit biased?, 12 Jun 2008
Having just read Wicca Magickal Beginnings for the first time, I thought I would revisit Triumph of the Moon (and a few other works) to see what I think of it after all these years. I read Triumph of the Moon when it first came out you see and then I was relatively new to the world of paganism. My knowledge and understanding has grown quite a lot since then and I was surprised that I found many errors in the book which I never noticed the first time. Some of them have already been noted by other reviewers here so I won't go into detail.
All and all this is a great book, but it is a product of its time. I got the feeling that the author might have been a bit biased in places with the views he presented. It also in hindsight seemed really strange to me that he included large sections on authors such as Starhawk, who is clearly not connected to either British Paganism or to the Wicca of Gerald Gardner. So why include her? Just to be sarcastic and put her down? I am not a great fan of the work of American pagans in general, but it has to be said that Starhawk's material was hugely influential. By including her, the author is giving credit to her and promoting her approach which he clearly does not agree with in the first place. All the same, one has to concede that she did have an influence and therefore might be worthy of inclusion.
He other thing that struck me is that the author clearly set out to prove his point that Wicca is the only religion given by the UK to the rest of the world. How can this be true? What about Druidry? The Church of England? Aetherius? Celtic Christianity? Its a nice idea, but its not true and unfortunately now a great many people echo him in saying that it is the only religion given by the UK to the world! The power of the written word in the hands of those who follow, rather than think.
Read widely on the subject of your history, be it the history of your culture, religion or origins. Knowledge is power! Brilliant. A book for open minds., 29 Feb 2008
Buy it. I've had this book for a couple of years and keep going back to it (rare for me with most the books on the craft I have.) Yeah Mr Hutton writes like the accademic he is and at times you'll feel like you're sat in a uni lecture but stick with it.
This book is nothing but information that the eager pagan mind can eat up. Blows the myths and all the 'fictional' history of the craft. My favourite part is the second section that deals with the history of modern witchcraft, at present, though that might change, I feel, with additional readings. I'm a cottage witch and keep feeling a urge to back and read the chapters on the cunning folk for the imformation I might have missed on the first few reads.
Don't buy it if you like the Llewllyn 'be a witch, power, power, power, learn spells rule the world.' DO BUY IT if you've out grown that kind of stuff and wan't to know where the 'real' modern wiccan movement originated from and the true pagan liniage of the craft.
A classic for the well read wiccan's library.
My tip: order some high-lighter pens as well for all those parts relevant to the craft you're interested in.
Those who aren't wiccan/pagan but interested, please read it. So much truth about England's folk lore you can't afford to miss it. This book shoots holes in many of the modern wiccan claims you'll love it as much as the objective wiccans who read it. You might also learn something from it about the bigotry, highlighted in the first part of the book, of those who were different or practiced the old folk methods as part of their heritage.
A blessing on Mr Hutton for telling the truth (all be long winded a times) Fantastic!, 29 May 2006
Hutton's treatment of the history of modern Paganism not only clarified the facts about paganism as a whole, it also gave me a greater understanding of what draws me to paganism. He sweeps away some of the myths around modern Paganism while recognising it as a valid spirituality. I thoroughly recommend this book to any Pagan, or indeed to any non-Pagan. Fab & Must Read, 11 Sep 2005
It took me a long time to read this book and then I had to go back and start all over again. There is simply no doubt that this book is a must read for anyone interested in and everyone practicing Wicca today. Get a copy, read it and keep it for reference. It provides not just an overview of the history of the people and places, but also useful information which may help you reconstruct rituals. (Although not intended in that way)
What a load of tosh!!!, 06 Dec 2007
Gospel??? Pure fiction an distortion. Talking about taking out of context. The absence of any attempt at highlighting the 'true words' to extricate fantasy makes the whole book completely pointless. How anyone can treat this concoction as gnostic or vaguely factual is shocking. If you want sexual fantasy, read Nancy Friday. If you want to know more about Jesus, read the bible.Period.
A heartfelt communion between Jesus and Magdalene, 03 Dec 2007
This is a book that you will not wish to lend to your friends, because it is one that will not be returned. The heart of this book, its scripture and the excellent narrative by Jean-Yves Leloup is one that you cannot easily forget. The purity and innocence of Magdalene is charming, her questions include how it is possible that she can see Jesus clairvoyantly, the dialog of these beloveds is enchanting. If one knows and understands the other mystic texts, it's not surprising to view the disbelief from the male Apostles regarding Jesus revealing himself to her.
Wonderful Jean, thank you, I recommend it to everyone.
Seemed preachy, 25 Oct 2007
Given the relative neglect of Mary Magdalene by the orthodox Church, her role for the Cathars, and given that this gospel's text intrigues me, a helpful commentary of this Gospel would be welcome.
It's not this one: the commentary is mostly LeLoup's advice, not particularly gnostic and not focused so much on this gospel. There seems to be little attention to any relevant conditions of the times when the Gospel was written. At times the commentary sounds like pop psychology. I'm afraid I didn't learn anything from Leloup's commentary.
Fortunely, an outstanding commentary on the Gospel of Mary exists: "The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the Woman Apostle" by Karen King of Harvard Divinity School.
Brilliant-excellent link to Course in Miracles, Gary Renard etc, 29 Aug 2006
I am thorougthly enjoying this book and can sincerely recommend it to anyone who is insterested in the spiritual quest.
enlightened, 20 Aug 2006
This gosple reveals an insight into the true gender politics within the early christian church, in this gosple Mary is a companion to Christ and a chief disciple, she is very different form the Mary portrayed in the canonical Gosples of today, it is interesting to read how Mary also faces discimination from her fellow disciples who reject her understaning of Christs word. Mary also gives an insight into the early Jesus and offers a totally different perspective than that being offered by the modern day church on spirituality and its true meaning. I highly recomend this Gosple its very thought provoking. Maybe thats the reason why it was ommitted by the early church fathers !
Well worth having ..., 26 Jan 2008
I found this to be an excellent set of cds. I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to enhance their spiritual journey in a non-religous way although the meditations are suitable for all.
My only real criticism would be of Caroline's delivery of the information in parts.
She sounds quite dictatorial, stern and unforgiving in places. If you can get past that these cds are well worth having, and there are 9 in the set so well worth the cost.
Good Spiritual Practise, Presentation sometimes off, 09 Aug 2007
I think that the Interior Castle practise that Caroline Myss describes is a very powerful and truly enlightening practise. It is described in a very useful and deep manner. Very good listening.
My only criticism to the program is the harsh criticism rained down on "new age" practises. It is presented in a way entirely contrary to the attitude one who has entered his castle should have achieved (as you are taught in the program). This made the introduction very tedious for me.
Ecumenical Reader's Guide to St. Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle, 05 Jul 2007
Let me begin by noting that I enjoyed Sacred Contracts and its multicultural perspective on understanding your soul very much. It was my enthusiasm for that work that led me to Entering the Castle.
I was taken aback to find that Entering the Castle is an ecumenical reader's guide to St. Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle. If I had known that, I would have read The Interior Castle instead for a deeper Christian reading on St. Teresa's mystical experiences and guidance for the rest of us.
If you aren't a Christian, you may like Entering the Castle because the book is careful not to take a Christian perspective while referencing figures from the faith. Jesus, for instance, is typically described as a spiritual figure rather than the son of God. Although Caroline Myss describes herself as a Catholic, her personal beliefs seem to be that all religions are essentially identical. It's more of a Unitarian view than a Catholic description of religion.
If you are a Christian, why wouldn't you want a purely Christian perspective?
The book is very slow to begin. It takes around a hundred pages before you reach the first part of what St. Teresa of Avila described. I didn't find the writing to be tight and engaging like the writing is in Sacred Contracts.
St. Teresa wrote about her mystical experiences as a kind of roadmap that someone can follow who wants more a more direct relationship with God. As described in Entering the Castle there are seven metaphorical mansions in the castle. Within each mansion, there are rooms that represent stages of mystical experience and development. These rooms are described as exercises for you to do. There's a caution that St. Teresa reported that some nuns couldn't get past the first few mansions, and that progress will take years. Think of this book as describing a life journey rather than a quick fix to improve your life.
Here are the mansions and their main subjects:
1. Prayer, humility, chaos, and Divine seduction
2. Inner vision, spiritual companions, and commitment to God
3. Moving past reason into faith, and surrendering to God
4. Receiving God fully
5. Being led by your soul
6. Channeling grace to dissolve self
7. Carrying your fully developed soul back into the world
The author adds prayers, examples, and directions to make these steps easier to grasp. I found that her personal examples were the most helpful as she pursues a quest that began when St. Teresa spoke to her.
A disappointing aspect of the book is that the three early mansions receive most of the attention, even though where most people want to be is in one of the latter mansions. Perhaps that's because St. Teresa indicated that it was up to God for you to make progress through those last four mansions.
I have been interested in these same subjects for many years, and I used this book to help me get a sense of where I was in my journey. What surprised me was that my roadmap seems to be a lot different than this one. From that I conclude that there's more than one path to mystical connection to God. Now that I realize that lesson, I intend to read more of what Christian mystics have had to say so that I can learn from each of them.
I was particularly surprised to see the emphasis on healing of others in this book. I hadn't thought such an activity would be part of a path to mystical experience. That lesson indicates to me that I have much to learn.
May God bless you, your family, and all you do!
Liberating St. Teresa from the Inquisitors, and Much More, 01 Apr 2007
Before commenting on Caroline's "Entering the Castle", it is important to note how her book is based on sixteenth-century mystic St. Teresa de Avila (Teresa Sanchez de Cepeda). When St. Teresa wrote her theological treatises, the Church did not consider women competent to be authors in general, nor to write about theology, in particular. Although in her book "The Interior Castle" (Las Moradas), St. Teresa proved theologians of the time wrong on both counts, she had to write in a circumspect and self-deprecating style in order to pass the scrutiny of the Inquisitors. These limitations made her writings cumbersome and somewhat fragmented.
In her CD "Entering the Castle", Caroline Myss has liberated St. Teresa from the suffocating Inquisition, and has brought sixteenth-century psychology of the spirit to the twenty-first century. Caroline's CD offers courage, methodology and hope about how, independent of religious affiliation, we can enter our own "castle" to navigate our spiritual journey. More importantly however, Caroline very wisely suggests, we must be "mystics out of the monastery" so that we can reach others with the wealth of spirit required to advance global consciousness. As a clinical psychologist who teaches mystics wellness for their arduous journey to find union with the divine, I strongly recommend "Entering the Castle", for anyone who is seeking spiritual guidance that goes beyond New Age "quick fix".
You don't want to go there!!!, 22 Oct 2008
People often joke about hell, many don't believe it exists but this book by Mary K Baxter seriously challenges your thoughts on hell.
Over a period of 30 days Jesus took her to the depths of hell where she saw the torment of souls, experienced the sheer terror of being left on her own, the darkness, the putrid smell, the evil spirits and the fires of hell. It's not a book that you would want to read again because of the gruesome content, but it certainly challenges you to think about whether you believe in the God of the Bible, and the location of your eternal residence.
Don't be fooled!!!, 22 Jan 2008
I have never read a book so fast in my life and i want to give God all the praise for allowing me to come across this, even as a christian it has opened up my eyes more to what God wants and the extent to which he wants this done.
If you are considering to read this book, please do, don't let the comments made by some people hinder you from making your own decision. What some people don't realise, (such as those who commented below) is that this book is a wake up call, and for many people who don't know God this is more than just an insight. Read the book.
To really be honest it's funny how people have criticised the book about if God is love why would he create hell, and why did jesus leave mary to suffer in hell for a little while. If only you | | |