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Lora O’Brien reviews their first ever Pagan book, Phoenix from the Flame.
Full Book Title: ‘Pheonix from the Flame: Living as a Pagan in the 21st Century’
[Reviewers Note: This book is out of print, but there are plenty of good quality second hand copies available online for not too much money.]
Author: Vivianne Crowley | Publisher: Thorsons UK (1996) – 1st ed. Aquarian Press (1994)
This is the first book I ever read on Paganism, and at the time, it felt like I was coming home. It made my whole life make sense.
I was 16, and in fairness, not much had made sense to me, up to that point. So, please do forgive me a little nostalgia as I share a book review on the theme of âMy First Timeâ.
Poised on the cusp of turning into a whole new century, many Pagan authors were full of the new âAge of Aquariusâ which was going to bring us to a âtransformation of consciousnessâ. Vivianne Crowley was not alone in that, by any means, when writing this book. And while we could have done with that happening a little faster, I do believe it is happening, given everything weâve been experiencing for the last 21 years⊠which is a drop in the ocean of a new millennium.Â
>>> See this book on Amazon.com (affiliate link, fyi)
The book blurb reads:
This synthesis of religion and psychology explains what paganism is and how it connects with other new age movements and archetypes, such as shamanism, women’s spirituality and the grail quest. The book describes the historical roots, but mainly focuses on the interest and relevance of paganism in the modern world, especially as a “queen religion”.
The history aspect is very much of its time, though was definitely some of the best and most reasonable available 25 years ago. Itâs really interesting to review it in this way, and get a glimpse of one of the foundational works of modern Paganism (in the UK and Ireland, at least), and how that has influenced us since publication.
Likewise, the language and concepts can read as problematic to a modern âwokeâ audience in some ways, so if you take a dive into these flames do bear that in mind.
When I read Phoenix from the Flame for the first time though, it opened many doors for me, not least of which was a grounding in psychology that has been sorely lacking in many other books of this type.
The reason Iâm reviewing it and recommending it today is that I feel there is some essential foundational wisdom in these pages that is sorely lacking from many of the introductory books I am seeing in the last ten years, and that’s before we even think about the crap that’s being churned out by content farms and AI nonsense.
Be wary!Â
In Phoenix from the Flame, Vivianne Crowley covered:Â
- What is Paganism?
- Pagan Paths
- Living as a Pagan
- What Pagans do
- The way ahead
Modern Paganism is being dumbed down these days, especially the beginner stuff.
Whatever flaws time and us knowing better now may have exposed in the Phoenix from the Flame, the foundational aspects are still valid, and the solid slice of Pagan history is very valuable.Â
If that appeals to you, be sure to pick up a copy for your shelves!
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