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| The Twelve Wild Swans: A Journey to the Realm of Magic, Healing, and Action | 
 enlarge | Authors: Starhawk, Hilary Valentine
Publisher: HarperOne
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99 (40.00 RON)
Buy New: $12.38 (29.14 RON)
You Save: $4.61 (10.85 RON) (27%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 402993
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.7 x 1
ISBN: 0062516698
Dewey Decimal Number: 299
EAN: 9780062516695
ASIN: 0062516698
Publication Date: October 1, 2001
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 24 | | NEXT » |
 A project for the long haul March 31, 2008
This book is profound, humane and very respectful with the reader. The exercises are innovative and very simple, though transformational and described with great clarity.
However, I cannot see how a book like this could be reviewed before a whole lifetime working with it. It is fruit of many decades of a whole community's hard work and sincere quest for wisdom, spirit and healing. Actually, most of the concepts and ideas that the authors approach are just mentioned superficially, and I understand it was done on purpose. Themes like Core Worth, ancestral heritage and money issues are not only too delicate to be shoved on a person's face, they also demand each person to discover his own way to deal with them. I really appreciate this liberty and autonomy Starhawk and Valentine give us the readers in that sense, helping us build up confidence, self-reliance and internal lights to light the long road that this book maps out.
Recommended.
 My Desert Island Pagan book... March 3, 2008
This book is a workbook, emphasis on *work*. It's packed with more exercises than any three other books on paganism I've ever read (and I've a collection of about 200).
So, have I gotten through all of it? Ha!
I might have *read* it, but at my current rate of picking through it, it'll take me years and years to get through all the exercises and practices this book suggests, that's why it's my desert island book - if I had one book to develop my pagan practice with, then, it's this one. It's not the philosophical one, or effortlessly inspiring one, it's the challenging one.
Oh, and that's the other thing - I know I've picked up dozens of Wicca 101 books where there's suggested exercises which I'm not sure even the author has been through, let alone taught to others. Everything in this book has the ring of experience - this book is not authored by two people, but by a whole community. These are practices that have been taught and shared among teachers and students, in reclaiming classes, and Witchcamp's, for years. It's often mentioned who came up with the exercise, and under what circumstances.
It's that voice of experience that I really respect, and yet, it's strongest messages are the experiences you get out of it yourself, by following the practices.
For all that I'm a slacker and haven't intensively worked with this book as I could, and should, I've still learnt many little things, Anchoring is now a core practice, along with grounding & centering now, not to mention it has tips like dealing with people in trance states etc.
Five stars for being a workbook unlike any other, with a very comprehensive list of exercises, to delve into your mind, your ideas, and your spirit.
A fantastic journey through the recesses of your mind... April 1, 2007
This book is sometimes painful, often challenging, and occasionally glorious.
My Reclaiming community based an elements course around this book, and we based each class on the exploration of an element, as outlined in 12 Wild Swans. Starhawk artfully guides the reader through Self, gently unearthing those secret desires and wicked vows we make to ourselves. The book explains each step of the somewhat well known fairy tale as a step we, like Rose, can take. Her activities provided are thoughtful and introspective, and the stories, while occasionally quite activist, appropriate to the material and empathy inducing.
Perhaps it was the timing, but this book stimulated a great deal of introspection and change in me. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to dive headfirst into the recesses of their mind, and figure out what exactly mucks about back there.
Enjoy!
 Sorry December 13, 2005
4 out of 16 found this review helpful
If you're looking for a metaphysical interpretation of a fairy tale, go straight to Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Estes or Iron John by Robert Bly. Both will leave you with the feeling that you have been respected as a reader, that you have come closer to understanding yourself, and that a folk tale can contain great truths. On the other hand this book by Starhawk was, for me, almost impossible to read at all. Her witchier-than-thou attitude put together with her total self-righteousness, boring hateful feminism, and relentless telling and retelling and retelling of one thin little story is just awful. Sorry I can't agree with the other reviewers.
 A serious book review October 26, 2005
6 out of 12 found this review helpful
I like to start this review with a quote from Scott Cunningham's book Living Wicca, " Books can lift spirits, heal our wounds, steel our courage and strengthen our religious resolve.... Books are a great source of wisdom... Books aren't foolproof. Some books contain virtually no accurate information. Many readers are apt to believe anything in print. 'After all they say 'its in this book right here. That proves it's true.' Unfortunately, nearly anyone can write a book and even have it publish. Does this ensure that its contents are true?... Listen to your intuition. In other words feel free to pick and choose among the published... textbooks to decide what feels right... Books are tools to be used mark them with pencil or bookmarks". I like this quote because I have read several Books from which even though most I have found very helpful or that had some helpful information from time to time I have read a book and found that I disagree with the writer. However there are times that despite this I have found some tiny bits of good info. This book is one of those books. I came across this book when looking for A spiral dance which had been recommended to me for my daughter. 12 wild swans popped up on amazon's suggested reading. Though I haven't read a Spiral Dance I went a head and grabbed 12 wild swans since it had such good reviews, for me to read.
This book has a lot of info that I disagree with, info that I found great and helpful. There were times I was very disappointed as I felt her motivations as an activist sometimes were to strong and disrupted the flow of the book.
The Book's has good info like that on "a wicked vow", how to deal with anger, both within and directed at you. Also finding your shadow self.
However her opinions on dreams I strongly disagree with as a Dream interpreter and reader. Furthermore she makes a statement about no "real witch" uses certain terms, such as unconscience, which she claims Freud used yet there is NO definition for this in the dictionary and what she defines is the sub-conscience which is the term I think she meant. Since I do use Sub-conscience is she saying I am not a real witch or Wiccan? Perhaps she should have said no one in her tradition uses it and why. I have no problem using sub-conscience and conscience and in my opinion to say they do not exist is like saying that frontal vision and peripheral vision doesn't exist, as it is my opinion that the sub-conscience is for our mind like the peripheral vision.
She goes from giving advice that is logical and sensible in the section on nettles to writing about things in a way that is not factual.
She writes Why as witches we must sometimes endure the sting and it begins very well. Her info on plant allies and our ancestors and their knowledge of plants is excellent and very factual.
Getting to know your plant allies is thoroughly enjoyable. Her view on respecting all living things was beautifully written and then she makes a false statement. In her attempt to use an example how we must endure pain she lists Yoga. Continuing her false statement by saying we have to endure bumps, bruises and discomfort. WHAT?!?! This is NOT yoga. We do not teach bruising the body or "Bruising egos" but loving the body and letting go of the ego. One problem with those new to yoga is they have been programmed with the no pain no gain and this is not yoga. Pain and discomfort is not yoga. On the contrary we are taught to listen to the body and avoid pain and discomfort. For her to use yoga and list it in the way she did showed her ignorance about yoga. It also lost the point she was trying to make. If you are interested in yoga or wish to verify this fact I suggest finding books or classes with a certified Yogi.
Her section on Silence takes another view than is in Scot Cullingham's book Living Wicca and is a good read for comparing views on silence. Some of the suggested meditations and rituals are very good and can be used for uses other than magic and rituals. For those who are a nervous type or talk-a-tive this could be a meditation that would interest you. The section on empowerment is very interesting as is the section on "The privilege". A quote from the book, "the behavior or pattern that may have served us well when we were powerless can become destructive and abusive when we gain power". It was a very good way of describing how a victim can become the abuser. The sections and exercises on working on core worth to levitate deflation/inflation of the self were also very good. As a reiki healer if I become inflated and forget I am only the vessel and the healing power doesn't come from me then I block the flow of healing energy with my ego. So finding ones center or "core worth" are great meditations and rituals. This section is very interesting, as well as the sections on shielding, glamour, character work, aspecting and gathering allies. When she writes about the Sabbaths she wrote them in a way that is poetic, colorful and easy to vision. It was a great read. When she begins to speak of fear esp. the fear of death it hit a personal chord. As I fear death and found her trance the orchard of immortally EXCELLENT! The book is worth buying for this alone in my opinion despite its other flaws. In the last chapter of the outer path she breaks the flow of the book again with returning to her activist motives.
Most of the book's exercises are written for a group or at least a pair and not for a solitary witch. To work with these rituals, meditations and exercises one may have to adjust them for the solitaire. For those who are activists and involved in political protests and so forth the book is good, however for those who lead a more humble life her activist views, and constant use of hers and others experiences as activist could possibly spoil the book for you. If you can get around it and pass over the few flaws then you may also find some helpful information.
However I think the quote from Mr Cunningham is well said and applies here. Underline what is good and pass the rest.
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