C Of E Vicar Walks With Druids (Book)

[the magician]

Hi new friends,

 

I'm a brand new 'newbie' to this wonderfully open-minded forum. I'm just sorting out the last few corrections to my new book's copyedited ms. and am very keen to start getting some reviews in etc.

 

I am an ex C of E vicar (still an ordained priest) but one who has walked a much more nature based / pagan path of the last few years. The story of this adventure is told in 'The Path of The Blue Raven: From Religion to Re-Enchantment' (O Books / Nov. 2009). If any of you would be prepared to read and review the ms. I'd happily send out a PDF (as long as it is kept for your eyes only).

 

If interested please PM me.

[the magician]

Hi Joseph,

 

Many thanks for your PM

 

(What type of review are you looking for? General Chapter by chapter content agreement or comments, a review for grammerical errors, book reviews for insertion in book/advertizing, etc.)

 

I'm really looking for some Prog. Christian folk to see how it reads, whether it 'speaks' / rings bells and possibly offer a possible short review / endorsement to upload into my publisher's website site / Amazon etc.

 

Mark

[JosephM]

Hi Mark,

 

I found "The Path of the Blue Raven" an easy to read autobiography of the authors spiritual and personal life. The book is filled with genuine honesty and real life drama that I feel had in it a level of support and encouragement to all who have considered their Christian religion from the organized church system as repressive, 'too churchy' or insufficient to truly answer questions concerning God to their deeper satisfaction.

 

Although this was one mans quest for true religious freedom, while stuck in a system of church, it plays notes that ring true to all on that journey. It includes both the high and low notes that we all encounter in our own unique way at some point in life. It leaves the reader with the clear understanding that the spiritual journey is not only filled with roses and enchantment but a balance of ups and downs.

 

I share in the authors universal sense of acceptance and openness with others, whether an individual or group that is displayed in his actions within his life story. I appreciated most, the internal self dialog conversations found within the book. To me, personally, they were the most interesting and the most important part of the book. Though we each have an internal dialog with our true self that differs uniquely because of translation by our intellectual conditioning and languaging limitations, I found the commonality of connection in that dialog remarkable. To me, this was my favorite part of the book.

 

Within that dialog, I found a clear revealing of the nature of the "true self" that agrees in principle to that which I also have discovered. It seemed that 'true self' in a sense revealed the illusion of self as the authors life story with all the labels that he was identifying with. In effect, his conditioned self was in conflict and constantly seeking to re-enforce an identity that he was now shown by his inner voice was not his true self. One question i would have for the author would be... Since the illusion and re-enforcement of identification with the conditioned self which really is only a life story or situation rather than who we really are is known, do we seek after shedding the clothes of that story to create a replacement story that leads to the same end? If not, how do we keep from doing so?

 

Into the third part on Tales from the Magic Doorway which included Celtic Christians, Christian Druids, Pagan Druids and the American Indian and the Celts my interest in the book rapidly subsided as history and the study of these paths and what others had to say of them does not have a fascination within me.

 

Personally, I do not read many books ( maybe 2 a year average at most ) as I follow the drummer within and do not wish to be intellectually steered by the conceptual images of others that have the sounding to persuade on an intellectual level but lack in experience. In this book I found real and honest experiences in the story and internal dialog included within the self that speak on a deep level to that which I have also experienced. I do find value in the communicative skills gained from the words of others with similar experiences.

 

Thanks for the opportunity to read it.

 

Joseph

 

 

[the magician]

Hi Joseph,

 

First of all I can't thank you enough for taking the time to read it. I really am very grateful.

 

And I found your comments to be both extremely encouraging (for it clearly 'rang some bells' with you) and also challenging. I do appreciate the questions you've given me to ponder [since the illusion and re-enforcement of identification with the conditioned self which really is only a life story or situation rather than who we really are is known, do we seek after shedding the clothes of that story to create a replacement story that leads to the same end? If not, how do we keep from doing so?] which I shall now spend some time considering.

 

I was very pleased that the dialogues worked for you. I once wrote an entire book like that - as a conversation between a young man an a wizard. I do feel that every one of us has this inner wisdom which can be tapped into - often after we've come to the very end of our own resources. Hence 'failure' and 'falling down' can potentially be such powerful encounters of grace and the discovery of deep inner truth. One of my real problems with so much modern Christianity is the huge emphasis on success, perfection and leading a 'sin-free-life' whatever that means. I thought the original story was for prodigal sons / daughters, fallen women / men, and Christ betrayers etc.

 

Many blessings to you.

 

Mark