Truth or Dare: Encounters with Power, Authority, and Mystery

This breathtaking book is essential reading for anyone interested in dismantling the patriarchy, healing the earth, linking radical politics with spirituality and liberating themselves from domination. It is an empowering text that will inspire you to change your life and to change your world.

This book is an excellent resource for group facilitation -- it's been invaluable to me in the groups I work with. There is a wealth of information on group dynamics, dealing with conflict, structure and group agreements, interspersed with Middle Eastern myth and some beautiful poetry. As you might expect, Starhawk has included many exercises and questions to work through with your group -- helping you build the kind of group that will be nourishing and effective. This is a book I find in the library of many successful priestesses -- it makes a great companion to Amber K's "Covencraft" and Judy Harrow's "Wicca Covens." Still, if I had to have only one of the three, it would be this book, hands down.

I wouldn't recommend this book as a manual for absolute beginners - that's what her other book, The Spiral Dance, was for. However, if you are somewhat well-versed in the practice of the Craft, and are looking for ideas for group work, this is a fabulous book. Written by a master of coven work, Truth or Dare takes bold, assertive steps in showing the reader how to form consciousness-raising groups, lead meditations, and organize spiritual groups, and is full of feminist poetry (with a beautiful retelling of the descent of Innana), trance work, stories of spiritual/political activism, and plenty of inspiration for your own work. Again, to get the most out of this book, it's best to be at least at the intermediate level. And, if you're looking to start a group, but don't quite know how, this is a great book to start with.

Starhawk is a genuine vestige of the true spirit of positive revolution which inspired all humanity from survivors of war/atrocity to the sixties peace movement. She is bold in her stance to keep the great and often misunderstood mystery religion of female spirituality (including witchcraft) alive and kicking in these times of neo-dark ages. Truth or Dare should have been a bestseller due to its academic account of history from pre-civilization to Sumer in Mesopomotamia. This book offers comfort for those who are faced with the conscious decision to care about, fight against, and remain insightful of impending global and other societal disasters. Starhawk offers great encouragement with her method of "liberation psychology". This book will always have a place on my shelf while I remain on my healing journey of self care and care of the world.

This book is astoundingly insightful. Starhawk uses the knowledge she has gained from years as a therapist, activist and Witch to describe the tools and processes by which we can all free ourselves from the Self-Hater. The Self-Hater is that part of your psyche that does our oppressors' job for them. With the tools (rituals, meditations, etc) provided here we finally have a coherent and workable system for exorcising the demons that 5,000 years of androcratic tyranny. Goddess Bless Starhawk!