Events Calendar
Weaving Community Symposium
Join Mailing List
Subscribe
Unsubscribe
Archives
Submit Articles
Writer's Guidelines
Free Educational Brochures
IPAN Store
©1995-2007 IPAN Mailing Address: IPAN PO Box 861 Iowa City, IA 52240-0861 Email:ipan@ipan.org
Sometimes it takes more than just a detective to catch a serial killer... it takes a witch
when I was younger, I spent a period of time reading Agatha Christie mysteries almost non-stop. I told myself that I'd stop reading them when I could figure out the 'whodunit' before I reached the end of the book. Although it took a while, the day eventually came, and I set aside not only Agatha Christie, but pretty much the whole mystery/detective genre.
Recently I arrived home to find a box on my doorstep. Upon opening it, I discovered IPAN's review copy of Harm None and some promotional materials about the book. The first thing that I noticed about the book was a note tucked into the envelope indicating that the book in my hand was a printer's second: a copy that did not pass quality control for sale, but was still perfectly readable. Rather than toss these books into a landfill, Willow Tree Press has chosen to use them for review copies.
I started to leaf through the book, intending to find someone else from the collective to review it, as I was 'too busy' to indulge myself in a work of fiction right then. Unfortunately for my intentions of doing laundry that night, the prologue sucked me in and I quickly found myself engrossed in a well-crafted detective thriller.
Harm None follows the detective activities of Rowan Grant, a witch from St. Louis. He becomes involved with crime-fighting through his friendship with a local police officer who asks him for information on some occult symbols found at the crime scene. Although not trained for detective work, Rowan seems to have a natural aptitude for problem solving and soom becomes heavily involved in the case.
Although our hero's 'supernatural' powers are sometimes exaggerated beyond the ordinary for the sake of the storyline, the novel remains solidly within the mystery genre without crossing over into fiction. There is a firm basis in the book in what Wiccans truly do, and believe.
At a cover price of $8.95, Harm None would be an affordable and welcome Yule present for almost any pagan and should be available from your local bookstore on favorite online vendor. For those of you with patience, IPAN received and additional autographed copy to be used as a raffle prize at this spring's annual symposium.
This is the first novel for author M.R. Sellars, as well as publisher Willow Tree Press, based in St. Louis. I personally look forward to seeing more from both.
Volume 43 -- Samhain 2000 reviewed by Trish
It either sounds like I’m confused or uncommitted, but actually it’s the title of a book on pagan ethics written by Robin Wood. Robin is well known as an artist and has produced her own tarot deck and accompanying book of tarot spells which is well respected in the community.
“When, Why... If” was written to give pagan fledgelings who cannot find, or do not want to find, a flesh and blood teacher a sound base of ethics via book learning. Robin explains the need for conscience and morals when your religion doesn’t offer you a code of rules and absolution. She teaches responsibility for one’s actions, forethought of results and consequences before taking action, and generally how we can live with others treating them, and ourselves, with respect and love.
Unlike some other books on pagan ethics this book doesn’t focus simply on the ethics of when to use magic and when not to use magic. Instead she starts with the mundane- how to behave towards others in the world around you, and then gives examples for how it can be extended to magic. If you are pagan, but not practicing magic, this book may be the best resource for you on ethics.
She offers lessons on eight topics (in chapters); honesty, self, love, help, harm, sex, will and ethics. Each chapter explains her viewpoint, with life examples that clarify them quite nicely, and exercises that should be written in a journal. Some are exercises are simple- relating life examples for yourself, others are more in-depth self analysis, and others are experiments to try in the real world. The exercises in the book aren’t just for the pagan fledgeling however- I believe that there is a lesson in each chapter for everyone.
I also believe that the training in this book is an excellent resource for teachers of the craft- if you were uncertain how to explain ethics to your students this book will give you the groundwork to stylize your own lessons based on your teaching style or could be incorporated into your lessons intact. And don’t be surprised if each time you use them you gain insights into yourself as well.
“When, Why... If” by Robin Wood (ISBN 0-9652884-0-X) can be ordered from Robin Wood’s website www.robinwood.com or special ordered from Amazon.com.
