Baba Yaga, Slavic Earth Goddess

by Natalia Clarke

A unique perspective on working with Baba Yaga, Slavic Earth Goddess of mystery, intrigue and ambiguity, through apprenticing into her magic. In this introductory work Baba Yaga is re-defined outside of the dogmatic portrayals and becomes one of the most powerful and influential figures in an individual spiritual practice. An accessible guide to building a devotional practice, Pagan Portals - Baba Yaga is a journey of discovery and collaboration with deity, written to aid your own psycho-spiritual progression and offer a unique presentation of how we might work with the Goddess, psychologically and spiritually.

Genres: Witchcraft, Mythology, Spirituality, Paganism, Nonfiction

104 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2022

About the author

Natalia Clarke is a transpersonal psychotherapist, writer, nature lover and an intuitive practitioner. Her interests lie in human psyche, transformation, nature spirituality, spiritual self-awareness, earth-based spiritual practice, Scotland and UK travel. She is a fiction and non-fiction writer with a passion for nature, Scotland, emotions and magic. She writes about intuitive living, magical practice, nature spirituality and soul relationship with the land.

Reviews

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me begin by clearly stating that I would never negate someone else's experiences when working with a deity. Having said that, as someone who has been working with Her for over 2 years, my experiences with Baba Yaga have been vastly different.

I do not at all agree with the Maiden/Mother/Crone analogy. I notice that many, many Goddesses have that Triple Goddess label slapped on them with very little justification. Most recently I have seen it referenced in works written about The Morrigan, which again is not my experience nor can I find any evidence via folklore, mythology or even UPG among individuals working with Her.

Baba Yaga is a powerful Crone Goddess that is gaining popularity. Based on my experience with Her, as well as interacting with others who also work with Her, each of our journeys are deeply personal and thus will differ. I was really hoping to gain some insight from this book and perhaps even pick up a few new ideas, spells, or a ritual for my personal practice. Unfortunately, I found the material to be rather generic and (quite frankly) could be applied to many other Goddesses that I have worked with in the past. The author actually spent almost as much time discussing her work with The Cailleach as she did Baba Yaga, which isn't a bad thing. But overall, I am very sad to say I was disappointed.

[Sarah Dee · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was definitely not what I was expecting. I was hoping for historical information or more background on Baba Yaga—a deity I’ve been interested in and felt drawn to for a number of years now. This book was essentially journal entries and poems from the author—accompanied by background information about the author. The book contained hardly any information about Baba Yaga, let alone historical information. Nothing new to me—and it seem to most folks in the reviews in any case. I also found myself in vehement disagreement with the outlined apprenticeship the author laid out—there was no discussion of the deep connection, complexity, commitment to working with an energy such a Baba Yaga and that in itself seemed somewhat negligent.

I’m glad that the author has had such a strong working relationship with Baba Yaga and other deities, but these books should be advertised as memoirs instead.

[Shan · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a few key points to help you understand Baba Yaga as an archetype or deity, however, the majority of the book is entries from the author's journals and their poems. It is written well, but I prefer information to be succinct.

[Ashley Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one practitioner’s experience with Baba Yaga and her advice and insight on how to move forward and develop a relationship with her. It has some historical and mythological info, but it’s mostly a personal journey, and I thought it was beautiful and insightful.

[Mollie · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far this isn't what I was expecting. It's more of an autobiography of the author and her experience working with Baba Yaga as her deity. I was hoping for more of a historical description of Baba Yaga throughout folklore. I will say that the Authors comparison of Baba Yaga to other Earth goddesses including Persephone was interesting and one that makes a lot of sense, but if you are looking for an informational book about Baba Yaga this isn't for you. If you are looking for insight into including Baba Yaga into your own practice, you may find some useful information here. I will be pausing my read through and adding her to my shelf of practice books to return to should the need arise.

[Patricia Woodruff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting exploration into what working with Baba Yaga can mean for a person following an Earth Religion. It isn't really about Baba Yaga, it's more about the author's relationship to the Crone archetype and about YOU. The author gives good examples of how she set up an altar to honor Baba Yaga and the wild woodland energy. It would be good for a beginning to witch to provide ideas for introspection. Don't get this book thinking to learn about Baba Yaga lore, but it's good as a beginning self-help book and connecting to nature through Earth Religion.

[Taru · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. This book seems to be more about the author's personal experiences than Baba Yaga. I wished a more objective book on this deity through the lens of paganism/witchcraft, but felt like I was reading a book about Natalia Clarke (the author) and her relationship with Baba Yaga, rather than a book about Baba Yaga.

[JP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was hoping for more information and actual background on Baba Yaga not so much into the ‘work’ done related to her and the interpretation around it.

[Reign Bowie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was originally excited to find a short reference book on Baba Yaga that I had hoped to refer to others when discussing this deity. Unfortunately it didn't meet my expectations and now I will continue my hunt for a good reference book.

This creation seems to combine aspects of both a memoir or diary with a reference book, but the execution feels much like impersonal drudgery without much knowledge of either the writer nor the subject it covers. Ultimately, the cohesion and flow feels like the product of rushing to meet a deadline or lacking inspiration without a real, proper focus, which ultimately lost me. I hope this book can be rewritten, fully embracing either being a personal anecdote with a meaningful story or a book that sticks with the facts and history.

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but unfortunately, it missed the mark.

Everyone's journey is unique and deeply personal, especially when working with the Goddess/Gods. This was represented in the writer's own personal experiences with Baba Yaga.

However, the maiden/mother/crone & and triple Goddess label irked me somewhat, as I've seen this label be attached to other Goddesses with no actual evidence to back this up.

I was also hoping for so much more mythology and lore behind Baba Yaga to understand Her better.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected when I purchased, but nevertheless a decent book about the authors experience in her spiritual practice working with Baba Yaga. Not a lot of backstory to Baba Yaga, just a brief description.

[Tristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Such deep wisdom.

[Isabel Sojka · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating character to write about and yet I struggled to get through this tiny book... I am really sad to say it was just... boring.

[Coco Sanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was not what I was hoping

[Kasey Musick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is personal experience with the deity, not so much history/mythology or more universal practice. Good for what it is.

[reqbat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea. There is a disconnect between what the book is purported to be about vs the actual content. Many personal journal entries, not a lot of analysis of Baba Yaga- I agree with another reviewer who questioned why the maiden-mother-crone label gets repeatedly put on her; she’s clearly a crone and I’ve never seen any maiden or mother lore to the contrary of that? Not a lot of practical info in this book, but lots of “I invite you to do more research” which is fine, but in such a slim volume, there’s def room to go into detail.

[Heather Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than some recent fare I’ve picked up from Moon Books. Pretty decent in that it doesn’t read just as an examination of lore, but it gets a bit too New Agey toward the end.

[kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been more background on Baba Yaga not solely the experience in working with her. But not a terrible read all in all.