Be a Goddess

by Francesca DeGrandis

Let me just say one thing up front: if you want people to take you seriously as a Pagan author, there are certain things you shouldn't say in your books. Number one is that you are the reincarnation of a famous magician; number two, which Francesca is guilty of, is that you are some kind of fairy or elf or other mystical creature who was sent to Earth to teach your tradition to mortals. I mean, come on--it may very well be true, but I nearly put the book down reading that and it would have been a damn shame, since "Be a Goddess" has some interesting stuff in it on the Faery tradition that you can't get many other places. Her tradition is very different from traditional Wicca and offers some alternatives to the typical "cast a circle and light a candle" method of ritual construction. I just wish she were less inclined to make a flake of herself. Personally, I am a human being in this life and glad to be so -- her being fey doesn't give her any more credence in my view. It's like having a person say they were a cat in a past life and are therefore more qualified to teach you to sleep.

Reviewed by Diane Sylvan