Goddess Alive!: Inviting Celtic & Norse Goddesses Into Your Life

As a folklore writer, I am always interested in acquiring new research materials for my library. As I already have a pretty extensive library, when I first saw "Goddess Alive!" by Michelle Skye I wondered if it could possibly offer me any information I didn't already have access to. I was pleasantly surprised. The first section I turned to was the chapter on the Valkyries. I was so pleased to find that this chapter not only contained information about the Norse Goddesses who escort the slain battle heroes to Valhalla, and the Norse Goddess Freyja, but it also had some information on Brunhildr (sometimes spelled Brynhilde) that I'd never seen before. The names of the Valkyries are also given. Goddess Alive! features 13 goddesses from Norse and Celtic folklore. They are connected to either seasonal dates or moon phases. The first part of the book is titled "The Turning of the Year" and features the following goddesses: The Winter Solstice: Cerridwyn, Welsh Goddess of Rebirth and Renewal Imbolc: Brigid, Irish Goddess of Fire The Spring Equinox: Eostre, Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring Beltane: Freyja, Norse Goddess of Love and War The Summer Solstice: Aine, Irish Goddess of Faeries and Fertility Lammas/Lughnasadh: Danu, Irish Mother Goddess of Wisdom The Autumn Equinox: Modron, Welsh Mother Goddess of Mystery Samhain: Hella, Norse Goddess of the Underworld The second part of the book is titled "The Faces of the Moon" and features the following goddesses: Waxing Moon: Branwen, Welsh Goddess of Sovereignty Full Moon: Maeve, Irish Goddess of Personal Power Waning Moon: The Valkyries, Norse Goddesses of Battle Magic and Soul Journey Dark Moon: Morrighan, Irish Goddess of Magic and Death New Moon: Rhiannon, Welsh Great Queen and Horse Goddess Each chapter is laid out into sections which include information on that particular goddess, the holiday or moon that they represent, a guide to a pathworking for that particular goddess, a guided meditation, an invocation to that goddess, an activity, and then a ritual. The guided meditation is visually appealing, and rather complex, so you'd either want to record it or have someone read it to you. In the chapter on the Valkyries I chose to read the meditation several times over, then I just did the meditation on my own. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as recording it myself first, but it can definitely be done. The information on the different goddesses is extensive and well-researched, and the details on the holidays and moon times are very informative. For the spiritual soul, the pathworking, activity and rituals are beautifully done and are sure to please. Much more than a simple guide to ancient goddess mythology, I found "Goddess Alive!" to be not only informative, but beautifully laid out and rich in tradition and legend. I thoroughly enjoyed Michelle Skye's easy to read (and understand) writing style, and the illustrations by Kris Waldherr were beautifully done. I wo

A well researched, and fundamentally sound book. As a retired world history teacher a found this book to be a wealth of information on Celtic culture. This early Indo-European people-The Celts-had a significant impact on the development of several Western European cultures. Many people are not aware of this early influnce. The Celts once dominated Europe from Spain to Scotland with a particularly strong predominance in Ireland and Wales. The history of both Ireland and Wales began decades before the arrival of Christianity. Furthermore, in my opinion, this book recognizes the influnce of women in the culture of Celtic society. It is a creditable presentation of the role and efficacy of women in ancient cultures. Good Job Michelle Skye.

Being a male in the Pagan community is sometimes difficult. Many Pagan books are geared to the female (and rightly so) but they are also mostly written FOR the female to read. NOT so with this book!! Michelle Skye has a wonderfull writing style that is extremely informative as well as 'Multi-genedered'. We men also worship our Goddeses, and it's a refreshing change to read such a WONDERFUL book that is writen for ANY person to read. WELL DONE!!

I'm really impressed with this book.So much information on each of the goddeses.The author shows you what these individual goddesses are all about by taking you on a personal journey to meet them. There is so much more to this book than can be easily conveyed. I'm certain that anyone who is interested in developing a more real and intimate connection with the celtic and norse goddesses will be right at home with this book.

I got a sneak peek of this book when I saw it as a friends house. I read a bit of it and was hooked. My friend said that she would loan it to me but I wanted my own copy. SOOOO I ordered it and I would highly recommend this book!!