Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions
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| Books Nonfiction | ||||||||||
| Written by Ben Gruagach | ||||||||||
| Wednesday, 26 September 2007 | ||||||||||
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Book Info ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0553378058 Author:
Starhawk
Publisher:
Bantam
Subject Tags:
Wicca •
Rituals •
Community •
Mythology •
Practices •
Sabbats •
Recipes •
Celebrations •
Paganism •
Family & Parenting
Difficulty Level:
All Levels
From Amazon.com: The 20th-century reclamation of Goddess traditions has evolved from a small counterculture revolution of the mid-1900s to the birthright of an entire generation of children and young teenagers. However, the parents--who were adults when they first turned to paganism--are discovering that raising children in a pagan tradition can prove difficult amidst the near void of resources to assist them in teaching this way of life. Relying on age-old learning methods, such as songs and storytelling, Circle Round fills this void with techniques that are truly rooted in traditions. This priceless resource offers guidelines for helping children discover the different facets of the Goddess tradition--from altars to sabbats--and suggests recipes, creative projects, and other activities resuscitating the values of family in our latchkey society. --Brian Patterson
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| Last Updated ( Sunday, 03 February 2008 ) | ||||||||||
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The book was written as a resource to Pagan parents who wanted ideas for ways to include their children in their religious practice. Whether you have children or not, or have children included in your ritual circles or not, this book is chock-full of activities, stories, and straightforward explanations of the Wheel of the Year.
The first section of the book deals with Goddess traditions and ways to share these traditions with children. It doesn’t really matter if your particular Pagan philosophy focuses exclusively on Goddess or not; while there is a strong emphasis on Goddess they do include God as well. The suggestions and activities are easily modified to fit pretty much any flavour of Paganism (and likely any religious tradition as well.)
The second section presents material grouped into the eight annual Sabbats. It emphasizes the cyclical nature of the seasons and provides read-aloud myths and stories to illustrate seasonal themes. There are lots of familiar activity suggestions but also lots of very creative ideas as well. You’d have to be willing to work on crafts at least a couple of nights a week to try and do all the things listed in this section alone.
The third section of the book deals with the human life cycle and rites of passage. There are ritual suggestions for when an infant grows out of needing diaper, lullabies, dealing with adolescence, and of course coming-of-age rites. There are discussions of divorce, family handfastings (including children when mom or dad marry again), and dealing with tragedy.
The fourth and final section of the book is structured around Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit and includes ways to help children learn to connect and respect nature. It also deals with some other issues such as dreams, ethics and manners, and a few other topics not covered elsewhere in the book.
The book is one that I find I come back to whenever I want ideas for Sabbats and ways to celebrate milestones in life, even though I don’t have any children. There are recipes, songs, ritual suggestions, and loads of small ways to encourage experiencing what it means to be Pagan.