Pagan Grace: Dionysus, Hermes and Goddess Memory in Daily Life

by Ginette Paris

With this book Paris continues the work of PAGAN MEDITATIONS in reviving individual, cultural, and social life by reawakening their archetypal roots.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Religion, Paganism, Psychology

152 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1990

About the author

Ginette Paris Ph.D. is a psychologist, therapist and author of many books, including Wisdom of the Psyche: Depth Psychology after Neuroscience (Routledge 2007). She was trained as a psychologist in Montréal, Canada where she was a tenured professor in the Department of Communication of the U. of Québec in Montréal for 15 years. In 1995 she became a permanent US resident and a core faculty at the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. Her books have been translated in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish. Her lectures and workshops, in the US, Canada and Europe, are usually done in collaboration with Pacifica's Public Events, or through The Foundation for Mythological Studies. Dr. Paris is a Honorary Member of the C.G. Jung Society of Montreal and serves on the editiorial board of Spring: A Journal of Archetype and Culture.

Reviews

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Paris's other books on Greek gods, this text takes the gods seriously by exploring their meanings and how those meanings come forth in our own lives.

She's tremendously insightful, and anyone interested in archetypes and how they play out in our lives would be well served by reading Paris's works.

[Joli Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now on my list of top five depth psychology books. Paris weaves together archetypal psychology, Jungian psychology, mythology, and manages to bridge modern social psychology to boot. The writing is approachable and engaging.

[Adrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the few books out there that I may actually buy at this point in my life, if at all possible (It's NOT easy to find in print!). It's a short read, but dense and rich enough that I would want to re-read and maybe even read it again several times after that. Being familiar enough with Greek mythology (in general) and archetypal psychology, none of it was new information to me, but what it does do for even the Pagan god obsessed is rare and powerful, as it depicted both Dionysus and Hermes in a way that made them feel refreshed and vivid, almost like new. Her description of Dionysus, in particular, was inspiring to me in ways I haven't felt in quite a long time, and I will remember this book forever. I feel like I was able to 'see' and be visited by the gods in a way that often requires more focused visualization and dedicated practice, and I would recommend it to anyone attempting to understand these archetypes in themselves, cultivate them, or even balance an acute case of "possession" by one or the other of these energies with the other. It works for both the pure archetypal psyche worker as well as anyone adopting a Neo-Pagan spiritual practice. I appreciate Paris's approach to Paganism that is less concerned with the existence or non-existence of gods in a literal sense, going so far as to say that she doesn't really care whether they're "real" or not, and that it's not even the point of her practice and focus on these characters. Having been fascinated and deeply moved by these ancient myths in a way that feels like more than just identification with some fictional character, but not necessarily in a way that I'd call religious, her open-ended, almost artistic relationship with these figures spoke to me in a way that felt personal, grounded, and healing.

[Malum · Rating 2 out of 5]

A look at three Greek gods (Dionysus, Hermes, and Mnemosyne) from an archetypal standpoint.
The problem with this book is that it feels very scattered, as Paris flits from one thought to another. Reading it feels like listening to someone who drank too much coffee.

[Nataly Mohamad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could marry this book, easily one of my favorites now!

[Genabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hermes (Mercury) chapter is really wonderful. Thank you, holy Mercury, for blessing us with safe travel and good humor!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I particularly like the author's sense for the goddess, Memory.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timely exploration (for me) from someone as entranced by mythology as they are by psychology.