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The Path Through the labyrinth
The Path Through the Labyrinth reveals the evolving culture of the West that hides a complete strata of folklore, of traditional skills and wisdom, of ancient arts and festivals.
These are still emerging in myth and legend, in song and celebrations, each retaining aspects of a very great initiatory system rooted in the land and its magic.
Most availalble sources tell the reader about the how to of magic, but for the first time this book explores the why of magic, and the what happens when . . . of modern magical techniques.
In The Path Through the Labyrinth , Marian Green, a highly respected practitioner and teacher of the Western Tradition, examines these questions and guides the reader safely to the heart of the magical maze, and then out again.
These are still emerging in myth and legend, in song and celebrations, each retaining aspects of a very great initiatory system rooted in the land and its magic.
Most availalble sources tell the reader about the how to of magic, but for the first time this book explores the why of magic, and the what happens when . . . of modern magical techniques.
In The Path Through the Labyrinth , Marian Green, a highly respected practitioner and teacher of the Western Tradition, examines these questions and guides the reader safely to the heart of the magical maze, and then out again.
- GenresPaganism
254 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
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About the author
Marian Green
45 books77 followersMarian Green is an author who has been working in the field of ceremonial and folk magic since the early 1960s. She has also organized a conference every March since 1968 to bring together writers and their readers, the Quest Conference. She has written more than a dozen books on ceremonial magic and aspects of witchcraft as well as editing QUEST magazine since 1970. She is a council member of the Pagan Federation and has also been editor of Pagan Dawn.
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December 11, 2011
This book was recommended to me by someone whose knowledge on these matters I very much trust, so I found the experience of reading this book abundantly frustrating. In short, the book simply wasn't for me.
The author's background seems to be primarily in the realm of Ceremonial Magic, which is not my path of choice, so we were at odds to begin with. As the book went on, the author demonstrated a tendency toward binary and oppositional thinking--male versus female, right brain versus left brain, Eastern philosophies and mysticism versus Western philosophies and mysticism, natural versus man-made, etc.--which is not my preferred way of looking at the world.
The moment that had me coming very close to setting the book down and not picking it up again came in chapter seven, The Path of the Hearth Fire, wherein the author essentially stated that people who take medication for mental illness (or perhaps any illness, depending on how one reads certain passages) cannot or should not follow an occult path. I appreciate that these are the author's beliefs, and I respect her right to hold them. I appreciate that, in practical terms, she would not want to be in a circle with me (for various reasons), and again, I respect that. However, the passage made me feel just as excluded and looked down upon as any fundamentalist Christian text that states that illness is simply a result of not praying and trusting God enough.
That gets at the nugget of my frustration: not only did I disagree with the author on a number of points, but I felt excluded from her version of the path. I suppose that's okay, in the end. I'll just keep walking my own path as best I can.
The author's background seems to be primarily in the realm of Ceremonial Magic, which is not my path of choice, so we were at odds to begin with. As the book went on, the author demonstrated a tendency toward binary and oppositional thinking--male versus female, right brain versus left brain, Eastern philosophies and mysticism versus Western philosophies and mysticism, natural versus man-made, etc.--which is not my preferred way of looking at the world.
The moment that had me coming very close to setting the book down and not picking it up again came in chapter seven, The Path of the Hearth Fire, wherein the author essentially stated that people who take medication for mental illness (or perhaps any illness, depending on how one reads certain passages) cannot or should not follow an occult path. I appreciate that these are the author's beliefs, and I respect her right to hold them. I appreciate that, in practical terms, she would not want to be in a circle with me (for various reasons), and again, I respect that. However, the passage made me feel just as excluded and looked down upon as any fundamentalist Christian text that states that illness is simply a result of not praying and trusting God enough.
That gets at the nugget of my frustration: not only did I disagree with the author on a number of points, but I felt excluded from her version of the path. I suppose that's okay, in the end. I'll just keep walking my own path as best I can.
Displaying 1 of 1 review