tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758267616106239950.post2770677234041881681..comments2024-02-21T17:37:37.993+00:00Comments on Tairis: Book review: The Apple Branch/Celtic RitualsSerenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15106896818087205418noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758267616106239950.post-4918866860336758242012-03-02T20:17:55.180+00:002012-03-02T20:17:55.180+00:00"of more scholarly reads", rather."of more scholarly reads", rather.nefaeriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04068749178602795562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758267616106239950.post-32828879534153852062012-03-02T20:15:34.071+00:002012-03-02T20:15:34.071+00:00When I first started getting my toes wet in CR Pag...When I first started getting my toes wet in CR Paganism {prior to me even knowing which pantheon would eventually snag me as their own} I had someone recommend this book to me. I was having a hell of a time trying to figure out the whole ritual thing and she thought that it might be of some help. I really didn’t enjoy the whole ritual parts because it reminded too much of the neo-Pagan ceremonial magic that is a lot like Wicca. However, I ate up the history {and yes, the politics too!}. I really hadn’t seen a book quite like it outside of for scholarly reads, so for that reason I do have a soft spot for it. ;)nefaeriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04068749178602795562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758267616106239950.post-78105497626236873782012-03-02T10:25:57.673+00:002012-03-02T10:25:57.673+00:00Oh, OK, thanks for letting me know, Faoladh. I was...Oh, OK, thanks for letting me know, Faoladh. I was going by what folks had said on the email lists and various fora, who I assumed had it right. I will change that.<br /><br />V.V.F. - I absolutely agree, and like I said I do think it's important (and I don't think you sound extreme). My comment there was more with the absolute beginner in mind, who might not be expecting that kind of subject to come up in a book like this. In that sense, I'm not sure I would've expected it to be something that would come up in a 101 sort of book. In a way, that's one thing I admired about Alexei - I didn't know him personally, but he always struck me as being a very passionate and principled man.Serenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15106896818087205418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758267616106239950.post-2649921385726940282012-03-02T08:28:38.141+00:002012-03-02T08:28:38.141+00:00Celtic Rituals was the title given to a "grey...<i>Celtic Rituals</i> was the title given to a "grey market" reprint of the original. The first edition was <i>The Apple Branch</i>, published by The Collins Press, Cork. The later edition, published in the US, had some changes in the opening chapter to restore the intended text after alterations demanded by the original publisher. If you don't want some of the more difficult politics, look for the Collins Press edition, which greatly tones that material down.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758267616106239950.post-51871936438278077052012-03-02T03:11:09.695+00:002012-03-02T03:11:09.695+00:00Great review in any case, I should say!Great review in any case, I should say!V.V.F.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10639414609015277447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7758267616106239950.post-68717063159187452892012-03-02T03:07:20.892+00:002012-03-02T03:07:20.892+00:00"I would anticipate that a fair few readers e..."I would anticipate that a fair few readers end up wondering what exactly the oppression of the eighteenth and nineteenth century really has to do with paganism..."<br /><br />At the risk of sounding extreme or making everyone uncomfortable, I think it has everything to do with it, especially if one approaches CR as a worldview. Many of the learned orders of Gaelic society were abolished as a result of English colonization, and with that went a wealth of cultural knowledge that plenty of modern pagans would love to have if they could. While we wax poetic about the Gods of Skill, I think it's worth being aware of the fact that craftsmen and skilled professionals were completely disenfranchised by 17th century penal codes, under which no Irish person could practice their trade or receive an education. It just seems like the mindful (and compassionate) thing to do. What does our religion mean if it has no relevance to human affairs?V.V.F.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10639414609015277447noreply@blogger.com