Falcon Feather & Valkyrie Sword: Feminine Shamanism, Witchcraft & Magick

by D.J. Conway

This book tells how to reclaim your innate magical power and take control of your destiny. With this work women can regain those long-forgotten secrets and strengthen their connection with the Goddess through the array of rituals, practical exercises, guided journeys and magical techniques presented here. It focuses on magical practices geared to the special needs of women who may use the shamanic powers and magic of ancient women from the Norse regions, Middle East, Greece, India and the Celtic areas. The book reveals how discover why women-only groups can perform magic that male-female groups cannot; find over 50 spells specifically created to answer the needs of women; and use the runes, ogam alphabet, shamanic stones, and Egyptian hieroglyphs for divination and magic.

Genres: Witchcraft, Nonfiction, Paganism, Reference

338 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

About the author

A native of the Pacific Northwest, author D.J. Conway has studied the occult fields for over 35 years. Her quest for knowledge has covered every aspect of Paganism and Wicca to New Age and Eastern philosophies; plus history, the magical arts, philosophy, customs, mythologies and folklore. In 1998, she was voted Best Wiccan and New Age author by Silver Chalice, a Pagan magazine.

She lives a rather quiet life, with most of her time spent researching and writing.

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

If only the title reflected what this book is about. One would think the book would focus on the women in the Norse pantheon or actually discuss Sedir. Or at the very least how women can become empowered by connecting with Goddesses. This did not happen. Conway's style of writing is to pick a subject and pretend she has authority. She takes deities and myths from many cultures and then gives them a Wiccan spin. Conway has no concept of history. Usually this doesn't bother me because her books still have interesting information worth reading. I thought this book would be like Moon Magick or Animal Magick.

This time Conway really screwed up. This book is difficult to read and enjoy without her personal vendettas taking over. I'm conflicted and annoyed. Parts of this book are wonderful. I like her rituals and her guided meditations. I love all the useful information included in this book. That makes me want to keep this book. On the other hand, I just want to throw this book into the wall and scream. I want to rip out Part One because it's garbage. What a waste of paper.

Part One is Conway being a misandrist. Countless of rants of why men are evil. Men are also victims of the patriarchy. Gender exceptions ruin everyone. Conway puts gender role expectations on women. Examples are that all women are soft and nurturing. That women are the best because we are kind and gentle. Conway also believes that when matriarchs existed there was no wars or killing. If that was the case then why are there so many war Goddesses? Freyja is a war goddess. But to Conway, she's only a love goddess. The Morrighan is hardly ever mentioned. Other than to name drop her. Also according to Conway, "all entities on the astral realm have gender." (32) WHAT THE WHAT? WTF! What does that even mean? How can the astral realm have a social construct?

Part 2-7 are worth reading and filled with invocations, rituals, guided meditations, and tons of useful information.

The rune part in Femine Magick is pointless because Conway removes all traces of men. I'm sorry but the Tiwaz (Tyr) rune is called that because it's named after the God of Justice. That's his name. Conway can't just remove the name just because it's a male God. The same goes for Thurisas or thorn. This rune represents Thor. That's what it symbolises and has for centuries. Conway can't just reassign Goddesses because she's got some beef against men. How is this knowledgeable or honorable? Conway is censoring the truth.

In Ancient Women Religions Conway removes all male deities from all the pantheons. Continuously fails to mention that Loki is Hel's father. Or the fact that the Norse didn't have a Moon Goddess. The Sun or Sunna is female. The Moon or Mani is male. She can't even get that right. Includes a section about Finnish Paganism fails to mentions that Ilmatar gave birth to Väinämöinen.

For a book that addresses inequality and oppression it sure is not poly or trans friendly. Especially with all her remarks on gender. How can a person be advocating to be treated humanely and then looks down on others?

Unfortunately for all the charts, chants, guided meditations, etc it doesn't excuse the author's views. Conway needs to reread the definition of a feminist. Misandry is not it. How does social and economic equality translate to all men are scum? As a feminist this book makes me sad because we are constantly trying to prove to people that we're not man haters. We just want to be treated like humans and then women like this go and dispel ignorance and hate. What a shame. So much potential in this book wasted.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not throw this book against the wall. I did not throw it against the wall many many times. Feminism and paganism is not excuse for being ahistorical and stupid. Argh.

[Gale · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the single worst book on paganism that I have ever read. It is wildly ahistorical and entirely reductive when it comes to gender, which Conway spends an inordinate amount of time harping on. As a trans person, the insistence on biological gender roles was insulting. Conway appears to have a deep-seated hatred of men, which comes through in her writing as she continually insists that men have little place in Wiccan spaces. Her views of women are also reductive, as she insists that all women are nurturing and fails to acknowledge the diversity of experiences that people have when it comes to the divine feminine. She places both women and men into neatly labeled boxes, ultimately reducing both to cardboard cutouts of gender while pretending that this is somehow enlightened and liberating.
As for history, Conway appears to hate the concept of historical context and often leaves it out altogether. The text is wildly culturally appropriative and often neglects important pieces of cultural contexts for the information that it contains.
Do not read this book. There are many, MANY better books on every one of the thinly laid out topics that this book covers. I will never willingly read a book by D.J. Conway again - she has lost any trace of respect that I might have had for her.

A few gripes that I had with the book that I cannot be bothered to write about in more than a list format:
-Conway reduces the goddess Freyja to a goddess of love, leaving out her importance as a war goddess
-Her insistence that a woman's power is intrinsically linked to her uterus ignores the experiences of women who, for a wide variety of reasons, cannot have children
-Despite being a book with a title mentioning Valkyries, there is no discussion of Seidr

[E.S. Wynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun resource for beginners with some well-written meditations on how to find your inner feminine power. Four stars for the revisionary elements present in the book that skew mythology and history to fit an almost Dianic Panthiest agenda. All in all enjoyable reference book, but take the history and myth sections with a grain of salt.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the kind of information I was expecting but worth the read. I expected the book to be centered more on Norse traditions than general symbolism.

[Lelia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Я атрымала кнігу ў адказ на пытанне “а як выглядаюць рытуалы Кола Года ў фемінісцкай традыцыі”. Кніга дала мне адзін з варыянтаў, дзе з большага мы проста падымаем тост у гонар Багіні на кожнае свята, а тыя святы, з якіх зусім не выкінуць Бога, то мы робім выгляд, што іх не існуе, і святкуем зусім іншыя святы, прысвечаныя Багіням у зусім іншы час.

Акрамя гэтага я атрымала цэнны досвед, якой кнігай натхняліся аўтары, што напісалі самыя цікавыя мне кнігі па жаночай магіі. Яны спрабавалі пераацэніць гэтую. Аднак сама гэтая кніга занадта фантастычная, чым рэальная на мой густ, хоць як я высветліла, яна ў гэтым проста паўтарае іншыя такія кнігі. Урэшце мне складана прытрымлівацца фантастыкі, пры якой зусім не зразумела, чаму я павінна звяртацца да скандынаўскага пантэона і што гэта мне дае. Карацей, для мяне гэта проста лухта.