Devotional Polytheism

by Galina Krasskova

Devotion is the heart of polytheism. It makes our traditions live and grow, infuses them with joy, and opens doors for our Gods to come through. Devotional practice is the most important work any of us will ever do. In this book, priest and spiritworker Galina Krasskova guides the reader through the beginning steps - from the most basic spiritual exercises, to engaging with deities and ancestors through prayer and offerings, to ensuring receptivity in body, mind and spirit. She warns of the challenges on the path and gives advice on how to surmount them. She presents ritual ideas for daily use as well as throughout the year, using her own tradition of Heathenry as an example. She follows the thread of devotional practice from the shrine to the world at large, examining how to carry a love for the Gods into one's everyday life. And most importantly, she speaks passionately of the necessity for devotion in cultivating a meaningful and reciprocal relationship with the holy powers.

Genres: Paganism, Religion, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Self Help

210 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2014

About the author

I'm a poet, polytheist, theologian and the majority of my writing is religious, of one flavor or another. I've written over twenty books covering a broad range of topics within contemporary Heathenry (Norse/Germanic polytheism), several devotionals (including a couple to Greco-Roman Deities), and I've edited several anthologies. I'm the managing editor of "Walking the Worlds" journal, the first peer reviewed journal focusing on issues of interest to polytheists and I maintain a blog at http://krasskova.wordpress.com. I cause a lot of trouble. LOL.

When I'm not writing (and causing trouble), I'm slogging my way through graduate school, round three. I currently hold a Masters in Religious Studies, worked for six years in a Phd program in Classics, hold a Masters in Medieval Studies, and I'm currently in my third year of PhD work in Theology.

I'm also an artist - acrylic and watercolor, some photography. Despite rumors to the contrary, I don't bite and I'm usually happy to answer any questions. ;)

Reviews

[Toviel · Rating 2 out of 5]

(8/28/2016) EDIT: Reduced wordiness and corrected grammar/terminology.

There are good ideas in DEVOTIONAL POLYTHEISM, but it suffers from poor editing and inconsistent tone. The first half feels like the author took a handful of blog posts on topical worship issues and sewed them together without real rhyme or reason. Meanwhile, Krasskova has a tendency to say that she'll explain something later... only to change the subject and never actually do that. It doesn't help that she tends to be extremely bitter about practices that don't align with hers, to the point of plain vulgarity. Krasskova certainly spends most of her time telling the reader how not to do devotionals, at any rate.

That said, the book isn't devoid of use. It's interesting to see examples of devotions specific to heathen gods, from community celebrations to day-to-day worship. Krasskova also incorporates the Hellenic concept of miasma into her work, and uses it to illustrate how maintaining the self is just as important as maintaining a relationship with the gods. It's just a pity that the reader has to wade through the rest of the book in order to finds these quality tidbits.

I originally read DEVOTIONAL POLYTHEISM for a pagan bookclub. We all came to the conclusion that it just wasn't very helpful to beginners, especially to anyone that isn't already familiar with various heathen/Asatru community issues. It's a shame that the book is so disappointing, because Krasskova is one of the most vibrant and accessible polytheist authors in the community, any and all controversy aside. EXPLORING THE NORTHERN TRADITION may have earned a permanent spot on my bookshelf, but this book simply fell flat.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely helpful work, that I wish I had ten years ago, even twenty years ago. The first section lays out in an accessible and readable format the skills and processes that underlie devotional work. That wasn't an easy thing to find in 90s paganism! Even today most pagan publishing focuses on purposeful or seasonal rituals, and don't address individual mystical devotion. It can be difficult to read many Christian works on the subject, if one is in a post conversion stage where monotheism is triggering or hard to face. And frankly even in a predominantly Christian society, most of the classic mystical works are not easily accessible, as they don't play a large role in a lot of modern Christian practices.

The second half of the book is of particular use to me as a worshiper of the Norse/Germanic pantheon. I think it might be of use as a guideline for followers of other gods, though I am not certain how or to what extent. As someone developing my own personal breviary, the thoughtful treatment of weekday worship is very helpful.

The only reason this isn't five stars is because I think it would have benefited from more thorough editing for clarity, and because I think the second section should have included an extremely thorough and extensive listing of resources for further research outside of the Heathen pantheon. While anyone can google, a reliable endorsement of quality is very useful when a newcomer is wading through the mountains of junk on the internet.

[JHM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Galina is one of my favorite authors on spirituality. Unlike many others, she puts the Holy Powers first, not human emotions or personal development -- which is what I believe is the appropriate order. (The other things are important, but that's not what devotional practice is about.)

I'd been off my path for a while, and this book helped me center and ground squarely into it again.

Galina is knowledgeable and passionate, and she walks her talk, which makes her a trustworthy guide. I don't know where other people get the impression that she thinks everyone needs to be like her; she explicitly says otherwise time and again. What she is not negotiable about is the primacy of the gods, spirits and ancestors. Someone who wants to do "spiritual practice" just to feel good, or as a hobby is not going to be comfortable with this book (or any of Galina's other work).

Anyone who walks a path of devotion to the Holy Powers could benefit from this book, especially the first part. The exercises and practices she describes are fundamental across all spiritual systems.

[Echo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book's tone is very "if you don't do things my way and with the exact same level of commitment you're doing it wrong." There are just some practices that aren't meaningful or possible for certain people, and Galina doesn't leave any room for that. Not to mention that Galina is a very folkish/fascist heathen, and you can feel it in the writing. I don't recommend this book at all to anyone.

[NormaCenva · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit Meh for me personally, will give it another try some other time.

[Dreya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author's name is a good indicator

I know this woman is not indicative of heathen culture and modern religion. I wanted to see if she had any gems; a few things to think on, but much to research to verify. The worst I saw in here is her derision of the mirth and joy present in modern heathen ritual, her insistence in "resisting the Filter" of most of our conversion from Christianity, yet succumbing to it herself (she treats the gods as omnipotent as well demanding faith and worship - this is a common aspect of conversion from monotheistic faiths that ignore that the gods of pagan religions were often fallible, clumsy and just like any famous person or great leader).

[Viviane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes this book can be a hard read, especially on a bad mental health day for me when I am beating myself up over how much I am doing/not doing anyway. But: Once you get into it you realise you don't need to beat yourself up, do what you can. Find ideas, read the context, engage and ponder.
Good book and I am glad I came back to it. I enjoyed it so much more this time round.

[iimpavid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent no-nonsense book about how a person might worship the gods. Krasskova provides clear, frank guidance for the convert that folks who've been at worship for a long time will still find useful. Her perspectives on the purpose of worship and ritual are refreshingly gods-centered.

[tiph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A blessing

A beautiful, fierce book on devotional polytheism that has already been a blessing to me, and I look forward to dissecting it again the second time around.