Circle Round Book Reviews
Bantam Books, Trade Paperback, ISBN:0-553-37805-8, Price: $14.95, 608 pgs.
Circle Round Book Reviews
Bantam Books, Trade Paperback, ISBN:0-553-37805-8, Price: $14.95, 608 pgs.
Circle Round is a comprehensive parenting guide for people of all faiths and beliefs, based on the Goddess tradition’s appreciation of the Earth (the Goddess) and the view that life is a never-ending cycle of birth and death.
Circle Round presents the Goddess tradition in eight holidays spanning the year and in rites of passage for life transitions. Each celebration is easily adaptable to any family or faith, giving parents a way to teach spirituality and establish customs that can be passed down through generations. The book offers new ways to foster a strong sense of familial closeness, whether a family is headed by a single parent, step-parents, same-sex parents, or a loving community of friends. Crafted with a parent’s limited free time in mind, Circle Round, with an eye to ecology and nature, uses music, crafts, recipes and read-aloud stories that can help families celebrate life.
At a time when childrearing is intensely affected by the stresses of modern life, Circle Round offers parents and children an innovative way to remain connected to themselves and to one another while adding a piece of Goddess tradition to every home.
Read Reviews of Circle Round from the following journals:
PanGaia
“The scope of this tome is as vast as life itself; it touches on every conceivable topic from the cycles of the Sun and Moon to the seasons of the Earth, and the many stages of human growth, both physical and spiritual. Each of these it examines in a context of celebration. Circle Round delights in the wonder and mystery of the Goddess, through her physical aspect as Mother Earth and the magic she brings to all of us. The authors speak with humility, gentle authority, and a hard-won wisdom that resonates right down to your bones. Scattered throughout are endearing illustrations by Sara Ceres Boore which fire the imagination.
“This guide is packed to bursting with over four hundred pages of delightful stories, simple-yet-inventive crafts and activities, easy-to-learn songs and chants for every occasion and fun holiday games and activities, like making egg mobiles, playing Hug Tag, creating special Brigit fires, and making snow candy. There are many hints and tips on how to teach children about the Goddess through ritual, play, and everyday living. I can't wait to try them out!
“Circle Round professes simply to be an aid for raising children, but I can't help feeling that, given time, its influence will extend far beyond child-rearing practices. Indispensable for parents, this book's insights and truths may well find their way into the hearts and lives of all who choose to live in greater harmony with the natural world, be they young or old, Pagan or otherwise. For example, I found the section titled "Divorce Rituals" in the chapter on "Transitions" deeply moving:
“'In our culture, divorce is a legal process that happens away from the sight of the community, almost in secret. There is no public witness, by friends and family, to the unfastening of the bonds; the couple is not required to stand among their loved ones and declare their intention to live apart.' (Vibra Willow)
“I wanted to stand up and shout "Yes!" when I read this. Circle Round offers the example of a beautiful ritual by which a couple can honorably release one another from their vows. This occurs within the circle of the community, so that friends and family also have the opportunity to grieve for what is lost and share their love and support for each of the individuals as they begin their new lives apart. A variation also appears for use when only one member of a couple desires a ritual.
“As someone once said, what is common sense is not common practice. Circle Round seeks to bridge that gap--and succeeds admirably. This excellent book (oh, that word again) defies simple summary, but here goes: find it--buy it--use it--and treasure it!”
“Although rooted in European and Middle Eastern traditions, the authors have included gems from cultures as divers as the Pueblo People of the Southwestern US, the Yoruba and Ashanti of Africa, the Philippines, Japan and ancient Sumeria and Greece.
“Detailed suggestions are provided for celebrating the holidays as well as life’s many milestones and the subtle illustrations, detailed index and resource section all add value to the text. Tough subjects like divorce, coming of age, sex and death are included. In the sections entitled “Facing Prejudice” and “Educating the Public,” the authors make some important points for members of any group finding itself judged not by its actions and words, but by systematic misrepresentation.
“If I could recommend only one book about my religion to an outsider, this would be the one. After reading this book, members of mainstream faiths may find they have more incommon with America’s fastest growing religion than they thought possible.”
“Now they have their own parenting guide.
“Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions (Bantam, 439 pages, $25.95) is the work of three self-described witches in the San Francisco area. Combining the earnestness of Martha Stewart and the gentleness of Mr. Rogers, the authors offer a host of seasonal how-to’s for celebrating eight pagan holidays.
“They also cover ‘Pagan Family Values,’ ‘Facing Prejudice,’ and ‘When Kids Don’t Want To.’
“‘This is the first really comprehensive guide,’ say co-author Anne Hill, who’s also recording a folk-bluegrass album of pagan music for children. ‘I think there‘s a huge audience. People tell me they‘ve been waiting for this book.”
“Other contributors are Diane Baker, an attorney who specializes in mental-health and housing issues, and Starhawk, a spirituality writer and lecturer who lives in a small hut in the woods. Eclectic and non-dogmatic, the book includes history and philosophy of goddess worship—a broad belief system that includes pagans, witches and others who revere nature. The authors estimate there are 350,000 to 500,000 pagans in the country and believe the number is growing fast.
“‘I know there is a real thriving community in the Northwest,’ Hill said.
“Advice in the book ranges from the mundane (‘If you select only one tool, makeit a glue gun’) to the esoteric (‘All water is sacred, and there is nothing wrong with using tap water or bottled water for offerings.’)
“Although witches have gotten some bad press in past centuries, Baker said they are devoted to good works.
“‘People get us mixed up with Satanists, and Satan is a Christian philosophy,’ she said. ‘We have a very clear moral and ethical code. It is always based on not harming anyone and not harming the planet and not harming ourselves.’
“Circle Round includes spiritual activities such as charging objects under a full moon, conducting a new-moon house cleansing and full-moon house blessing, building altars, and designing family rituals around such issues as birth and coming of age.
“The book also includes activities for celebrating eight pagan holidays. Besides the solstices and equinoxes, these include Samhain (SAH-win) or Halloween, Brigit on Feb. 2, Beltane or May Day and Lughnasad (LOO-na-sa) on Aug. 1. The latter is a highlight in the current movie ‘Dancing at Lughnasa.’
“‘These eight holidays go through the cycle of life and the cycle of nature,’ Baker said.
“Using the book, domestic goddesses can bake Persephone Rising Spring Equinox Popovers. They can decorate their doors with winter solstice suns or create a mabon mobile to celebrate the fall equinox.
“Baker said the book should appeal to parents who want to foster spirituality without joining a religious institution.
“‘This is really what I call home-schooling in religion,’ she said.
“And if the children balk?
“‘The less I try and foist it on them, the more receptive they are,’ Hill said, laughing. ‘It’s no different from vegetables, really.’”
“Just in time for the holiday season, Circle Round inspires us to find new ways of celebrating this season, and to discover ways to acknowledge and celebrate seasons throughout the year. Filled with stories, recipes, music and crafts which allow us to note the changes of seasons, this book should fill a longing many families feel to find simple ways to play with their children while instilling a sense of the spiritual.
“Anyone who has spent any time with children knows what a sense of wonder they possess about even the most familiar things. While we stress about the accumulation of dust in our homes, a child will remark on the beauty of the sparkling dust motes caught in a beam of sunlight. Their very nature is to sense the divind in daily life, something long buried when we reach adulthood. Circle Round provides opportunities for us to renew that feeling with the children in our lives.
“The book succeeds in a variety of ways. As a reference book for busy families, we can find quick, fun projects appropriate to the season. As an inspirational read, we can adapt or create our own ways to celebrate the seasons. As country people aware of the beauty of each season, we can find ways to note their effects on our lives. As ecologists, we will find ways to give thanks for the natural beauty around us to strengthen us as we work to assure this Earth survives for generations to come. As people from many faiths and beliefs, we will find ways common to all spiritual traditions.
“Circle Round presents the goddess tradition in eight holidays spanning the year and in rites of passage for life transitions. The author’s goal is to provide support for families building their own spiritual tradition, by offering celebrations, explanations, activities and experiences of other families. The book is not meant to add more obligations to families but to create nourishing energy that everyone can draw upon for renewal. Families are defined in the broadest sense possible to encompass all the forms that families today can take: a bond of choice as well as blood. It includes extended families, ‘traditional’ nuclear families, intentional communities with multiple parents, single-parent families, lebian and gay families, and families living with housemates who share parenting, to name just a few.
“If you are among the many who find the stress of the current holiday season just too much to bear, who dread dragging out the same tired traditions, and who are over-whelmed at the commercial pressure, Circle Round will be not only a comfort but a great relief. Share it with your family and families you love and bring back the sacred to all the seasons.”
“If you can only afford one book, make it this one. I know it's price-y with
a $25.95 US sticker price, but they went whole hog with this one. This
is sure to be a standard along the lines of The Spiral Dance .
“First, I want to talk about the book design. The pages are high-quality
semi-gloss with a cream color and green ink. The ink and the typeface
are very easy on the eye. The drawings are very nice. The hard, cloth
cover and library-quality binding make this a book that will last for a
long time. (can you tell I'm into book publishing, or what?)
“As far as content goes, this volume is fantastic. 439 pages of stories,
songs, rituals, advice, recipies, projects and explanations of the
holidays. All interspersed with anecdotes from the 3 authors about
their own lives and families.
“"Part One: Welcome to the Circle" explains what the Goddess tradition
is, and why it's important to hand down traditions to our children. Also
contains the basic "tools" for rituals and projects found later in the book.
“"Part Two: Cycles of the Sun and Moon" contains chapters devoted to the lunar and solar cycles - and the rituals and holidays associated with each. Each sabbat is given a chapter, with explanations suitable for children of all ages, stories illustrating the holiday, music and lyrics for songs, projects, recipies for special holiday foods, and special altar items.
“"Part Three: The Life Cycle" explains the various stages of a person's life, and the rituals associated with them. Notable are the section on teenage sexuality, written by a teen, and rituals for divorce, handfasting, adoption, and death.
“"Part Four: Circle of Elements" describes the 5 elements, Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit.
“A comprehensive index is also included (I use sticky-note tabs).
“Save your lunch money if you have to, but get this book, or get your library to get it.”
“The book takes in-depth looks at each pagan holiday, with songs, stories, insight, and suggestions for activities and crafts in each section. Although this section is mainly geared for children that aren't babies but aren't quite teens, most of the stories and activities can be adapted or simply taken straight from the pages to construct rituals and activities for children of all ages, including us "grown up kids".
“More impressive than that, the book offers good coverage of Moon celebrations.
“Having read many, many books on paganism, it is my educated opinion that this book gives much more importance to the neo-pagan lunar celebrations than most-a very dignified distinction! Try some "Moon Soup", or go "Moon Spotting" while singing one of the songs given in the text. The stories presented were enchanting to read for both young and old.
“Beyond holiday information, Circle Round offers kid oriented pagan creation stories, thoughts on life rites, including pregnancy, birth, coming into childhood (i.e.: leaving toddlerhood), coming of age, adoption, and much, much more!
“The book also deals with more difficult issues like sex, divorce, and death in a reasonable and digestible manor. In one section that I was specifically drawn to, a fourteen-year-old male describes his attitudes on sexuality in a very logical and mature way.
“The authors do not overlook practical metaphysical training, either!
“This book is simply a treasure that I feel every person who is trying to raise a child in a pagan tradition should add to his or her personal library.”
Publisher's Weekly
NAPRA ReView
Feminist Bookstore News
Roanoke Times and World News
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Russian River Monthly
Pagan Parenting Website
Witches Voice