Queen of the Night - Rediscovering the Celtic Moon Goddess author: Sharynne MacLeod NicMhacha Weiser Books 2005 ISBN #1-57863-284-6 Both Christopher Penczak (The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, and Gay Witchcraft) and Dr. Kate Chadbourne (Harvard University), came to a very important conclusion when reviewing this work - that is that it is very unusual for an author to be both a well educated scholar and an experienced magical practitioner. In this case we do have both, and the resulting work shines with clarity of thought, depth of research, and ease of reading. Sharynne MacLeod NicMhacha is a Canadian (currently living in New England) of Scottish, Irish and British ancestry. She is a writer, teacher, and musician, and comes to her subject from the heart as well as from the mind. The impetus for writing this book came from her students, who were interested in whether there was evidence of worship of the moon in early Celtic culture. (I had to smile at this, because I am a firm believer in the power of the moon, and have done moon ritual work for over half of my life. I do not think that there is a culture out there that does not show signs of having worshiped the moon.) It never hurts to see something "proven", and NicMhacha does an excellent job of showing the role that the moon played in ancient religions, folklore and mythology of Ireland and the British Isles. The moon is a powerful feminine archetype, and to follow her journey is to come into incredible wisdom and power. Queen of the Night is divided into thirteen chapters, representing the 13 cycles of the moon in each calendar year. The goal is to show the roots of the archetype of the moon, to show that it does indeed have a solid base and exists everywhere, not just in the aethers. We begin our journey by looking at the phases of the moon, and at how they are determined by the movement of the moon, the earth and the sun. A quite interesting chart shows us the correlation of each month to the season that it is in: for example, January is the Wolf Moon, September is the Harvest Moon, October is the Hunter's Moon, and December is the Cold Moon. Here we also begin the end of chapter meditations, ceremonies and exercises ... the work that will allow us to place the energy of the moon actively in our lives. The very basis of the archetype of the moon is the cycle of birth/death/rebirth, presented in the form of the Triple Goddess - maiden/mother/crone. The moon is connected in this manner to the womb, and the element of Water. We also learn about the concepts of "cosmic darkness" and life after death. Which leads us to spinning and weaving, and the concept of the thread of life. The first exercise listed for this chapter asks the reader to watch the phases of the moon for an entire month, starting with the new moon. This is accompanied by journaling ones thoughts on rebirth and transformation. To connect this deeply with something that is generally taken for granted (the phases of the moon) is certainly an eye opening experience. The section on Shamans, Seers and Druids comes next. These are the individuals that work with the power of the moon, and their stories are powerful stories. Here we also begin to talk about mythology and symbolism, with the drum, the shaman, and the three worlds (Upper, Middle, and Lower). We learn of the sacred white horse, of fairies and the power of magical flight, the wisdom of the birds and the meaning of the sky realm. NicMhacha presents a series of stories from Greek and Roman mythology connected with the moon, showing how the moon became the symbol of the Goddess, and the role that it played in worship and celebration. There is quite an extensive section on Celtic language, art and culture, including information on stone circles, passage graves, their physical orientation to the moon and more. As is the Sun, we see how the Moon is a central figure in the core living of life on this planet. Queen of the Night is a well researched, well written journey into the sacred feminine. This is a journey that includes Seekers and shamans, sacred animals and mythic beings - a journey that has the ability to transform those who embark upon it. My own background is of Tarot, magick, ritual and ceremony. Much of what I do is based on Grandmother Moon, and her maiden/mother/crone imagery and mythology. I highly recommend this book to all who express an interest in the power of the moon archetype. © January 2005 Bonnie Cehovet Personal Lifestyle Reading - I offer a Personal Lifestyle Reading using Tarot that looks at past, present and future influences in your life, at the energies that are currently available to help you along your path, and at those energies that are appearing as challanges. 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