Maiden Magick
A Teen's Guide to Goddess Wisdom and Ritual
Many current Wicca and Celtic spiritual wisdom books are for an adult audience. Until recently, the teenage reader and seeker was left to fend for herself. This book helps to change that.
Coming from a family of Celtic healers, soothsayers, and mystics, the author invites teenage girls to step onto the path of the Goddess with the very first words of the book: “Hello there! We’ve been waiting for you. Come over here and don’t be shy. ’Tis a dark and lonely night, but ’tis safe by our campfire.”
Immediately invoking a young woman’s imagination with the image of the campfire, Brondwin proceeds to lead her reader step by step through recognizing her own importance, learning to read omens, creating a spell of protection, performing ritual, and initiating herself. The information is provided in clear, simple, everyday language with explanations and meanings for the occasional esoteric term.
Though the language may be too chummy for some of today’s teens, the author’s playfulness and sense of humor effectively allow her to introduce spiritual ideas with down-to-earth practical applications. Learning how to cast spells, for example, is applied to magick for doing one’s best on a school exam or staying relaxed while speaking in public.
The author, an award-winning journalist and former university executive, currently leads Goddess empowerment workshops. Her previous book is Clan of the Goddess: Celtic Wisdom and Ritual for Women. She recognizes the challenges today’s teen girls face, encouraging them to stay alert to their environment intuitively as well as taking a self-defense course. A chapter on the “Celtic Long View” guides the reader through an exercise to envision and examine her life in ten years if she continues on her current path, and then to ask herself the question, “What do I have to change to make my very brightest dreams come true?”
Not forgetting an issue near and dear to many young women, the author has a chapter titled “Seeing Boyfriends for Who They Really Are.” An accompanying checklist gives nine sure signs for a young woman to check out if her guy may not be for her-“Does he treat you with kindness?”-then gives her a spell to draw her ideal guy to her.
Other chapters offer additional guidance on friendships, education, and ecological awareness, and skillfully weave in issues of self-esteem and responsibility. By the end of the book, the young woman has been armed, initiated, and guided to be a magical maiden, not just for the Goddess but also for herself and the world around her. For any young girl coming of age, Maiden Magick is a great tool.
Reviewed by
Paula Scardamalia
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
