mseyre13's review
3.0
I got this for research for my wedding next year. My partner and I had decided on building our own ceremony, but I still wanted to get some info on the handfasting bit, mostly for advice on legalities.
It wasn't bad...wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. There were parts that were helpful, the recipes were nice, and the structure for the Pagan Handfasting was pretty good, though Anna Franklin's Wicca kind of bled through to that example. But I was mostly looking for a structure to work with, so it really doesn't bother me, as much as it would if I were going to just straight up use it.
I had at least three or four issues with the book overall. The book was harmless and helpful in some respects; the recipes were nice, the check list at the beginning was very helpful, and the history was pretty interesting. I also appreciated her section on the commitment aspects of handfasting, and the making of vows and oaths, and the wording that should be considered.
The four issues, however, are as follows;
The color magic section. I just got like, basic descriptions, but no indicator as to why. I primarily practice with color, and I have found many, more thorough help sheets concerning color magic. The chapter explaining it didn’t really help either, it was much too short.
The herb lore was non-existent. There was only the section on plant magic and the Victorian Flower language bit which, though cool, was not what I actually needed. I practice herb lore and plant magic often, so I was really hope for a concise guide on what flowers I may like for my wedding ceremony. She does admit it’s not, like, based in magical purposes, it just for fun, but I borrowed this book for help.
Her descriptions of the ritual space, i.e. how you should set up the space, rubbed me the wrong way. This may just be a personal thing, but being told exactly what crystals and exactly what flower petal I need to spread around my circle, just seemed a little too much, to me anyway. That’s a minor issue though, and it may have been helpful to another person in the end.
No, the thing that really got me, was the section of love goddesses. I am of the Norse persuasion, and the descriptions of Freya and Frigga, was astonishingly lacking. Freya got an entire 2/3 of the page for a descriptor, with her lore and her story, even info on her husband. Frigga got two freakin' sentences! Whaaaaaat? Frigga, the goddess of marriage, the goddess you would want to look at, and study, and work with for this day, gets two sentences. I wouldn't have minded, since this isn't an encyclopedia of the gods, but a handfasting book, but seriously, none of the other goddesses got that much attention either. I worship Freya, but for real, to give that much lip service to one, when all the others get at most, five sentences, seems absurd to me.
Not bad, but not good. I would recommend it to someone who has an idea of where to start, but needs to structure and maybe even some recipes.
It wasn't bad...wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. There were parts that were helpful, the recipes were nice, and the structure for the Pagan Handfasting was pretty good, though Anna Franklin's Wicca kind of bled through to that example. But I was mostly looking for a structure to work with, so it really doesn't bother me, as much as it would if I were going to just straight up use it.
I had at least three or four issues with the book overall. The book was harmless and helpful in some respects; the recipes were nice, the check list at the beginning was very helpful, and the history was pretty interesting. I also appreciated her section on the commitment aspects of handfasting, and the making of vows and oaths, and the wording that should be considered.
The four issues, however, are as follows;
The color magic section. I just got like, basic descriptions, but no indicator as to why. I primarily practice with color, and I have found many, more thorough help sheets concerning color magic. The chapter explaining it didn’t really help either, it was much too short.
The herb lore was non-existent. There was only the section on plant magic and the Victorian Flower language bit which, though cool, was not what I actually needed. I practice herb lore and plant magic often, so I was really hope for a concise guide on what flowers I may like for my wedding ceremony. She does admit it’s not, like, based in magical purposes, it just for fun, but I borrowed this book for help.
Her descriptions of the ritual space, i.e. how you should set up the space, rubbed me the wrong way. This may just be a personal thing, but being told exactly what crystals and exactly what flower petal I need to spread around my circle, just seemed a little too much, to me anyway. That’s a minor issue though, and it may have been helpful to another person in the end.
No, the thing that really got me, was the section of love goddesses. I am of the Norse persuasion, and the descriptions of Freya and Frigga, was astonishingly lacking. Freya got an entire 2/3 of the page for a descriptor, with her lore and her story, even info on her husband. Frigga got two freakin' sentences! Whaaaaaat? Frigga, the goddess of marriage, the goddess you would want to look at, and study, and work with for this day, gets two sentences. I wouldn't have minded, since this isn't an encyclopedia of the gods, but a handfasting book, but seriously, none of the other goddesses got that much attention either. I worship Freya, but for real, to give that much lip service to one, when all the others get at most, five sentences, seems absurd to me.
Not bad, but not good. I would recommend it to someone who has an idea of where to start, but needs to structure and maybe even some recipes.
mslundstrum's review
3.0
I got this for research for my wedding next year. My partner and I had decided on building our own ceremony, but I still wanted to get some info on the handfasting bit, mostly for advice on legalities.
It wasn't bad...wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. There were parts that were helpful, the recipes were nice, and the structure for the Pagan Handfasting was pretty good, though Anna Franklin's Wicca kind of bled through to that example. But I was mostly looking for a structure to work with, so it really doesn't bother me, as much as it would if I were going to just straight up use it.
I had at least three or four issues with the book overall. The book was harmless and helpful in some respects; the recipes were nice, the check list at the beginning was very helpful, and the history was pretty interesting. I also appreciated her section on the commitment aspects of handfasting, and the making of vows and oaths, and the wording that should be considered.
The four issues, however, are as follows;
The color magic section. I just got like, basic descriptions, but no indicator as to why. I primarily practice with color, and I have found many, more thorough help sheets concerning color magic. The chapter explaining it didn’t really help either, it was much too short.
The herb lore was non-existent. There was only the section on plant magic and the Victorian Flower language bit which, though cool, was not what I actually needed. I practice herb lore and plant magic often, so I was really hope for a concise guide on what flowers I may like for my wedding ceremony. She does admit it’s not, like, based in magical purposes, it just for fun, but I borrowed this book for help.
Her descriptions of the ritual space, i.e. how you should set up the space, rubbed me the wrong way. This may just be a personal thing, but being told exactly what crystals and exactly what flower petal I need to spread around my circle, just seemed a little too much, to me anyway. That’s a minor issue though, and it may have been helpful to another person in the end.
No, the thing that really got me, was the section of love goddesses. I am of the Norse persuasion, and the descriptions of Freya and Frigga, was astonishingly lacking. Freya got an entire 2/3 of the page for a descriptor, with her lore and her story, even info on her husband. Frigga got two freakin' sentences! Whaaaaaat? Frigga, the goddess of marriage, the goddess you would want to look at, and study, and work with for this day, gets two sentences. I wouldn't have minded, since this isn't an encyclopedia of the gods, but a handfasting book, but seriously, none of the other goddesses got that much attention either. I worship Freya, but for real, to give that much lip service to one, when all the others get at most, five sentences, seems absurd to me.
Not bad, but not good. I would recommend it to someone who has an idea of where to start, but needs to structure and maybe even some recipes.
It wasn't bad...wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. There were parts that were helpful, the recipes were nice, and the structure for the Pagan Handfasting was pretty good, though Anna Franklin's Wicca kind of bled through to that example. But I was mostly looking for a structure to work with, so it really doesn't bother me, as much as it would if I were going to just straight up use it.
I had at least three or four issues with the book overall. The book was harmless and helpful in some respects; the recipes were nice, the check list at the beginning was very helpful, and the history was pretty interesting. I also appreciated her section on the commitment aspects of handfasting, and the making of vows and oaths, and the wording that should be considered.
The four issues, however, are as follows;
The color magic section. I just got like, basic descriptions, but no indicator as to why. I primarily practice with color, and I have found many, more thorough help sheets concerning color magic. The chapter explaining it didn’t really help either, it was much too short.
The herb lore was non-existent. There was only the section on plant magic and the Victorian Flower language bit which, though cool, was not what I actually needed. I practice herb lore and plant magic often, so I was really hope for a concise guide on what flowers I may like for my wedding ceremony. She does admit it’s not, like, based in magical purposes, it just for fun, but I borrowed this book for help.
Her descriptions of the ritual space, i.e. how you should set up the space, rubbed me the wrong way. This may just be a personal thing, but being told exactly what crystals and exactly what flower petal I need to spread around my circle, just seemed a little too much, to me anyway. That’s a minor issue though, and it may have been helpful to another person in the end.
No, the thing that really got me, was the section of love goddesses. I am of the Norse persuasion, and the descriptions of Freya and Frigga, was astonishingly lacking. Freya got an entire 2/3 of the page for a descriptor, with her lore and her story, even info on her husband. Frigga got two freakin' sentences! Whaaaaaat? Frigga, the goddess of marriage, the goddess you would want to look at, and study, and work with for this day, gets two sentences. I wouldn't have minded, since this isn't an encyclopedia of the gods, but a handfasting book, but seriously, none of the other goddesses got that much attention either. I worship Freya, but for real, to give that much lip service to one, when all the others get at most, five sentences, seems absurd to me.
Not bad, but not good. I would recommend it to someone who has an idea of where to start, but needs to structure and maybe even some recipes.
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