"Seeking the Green" by Tylluan Penry

Most of you will have already read something by Tylluan Penry here in the pages of the Offerings, but she also had a book published this year by Capall Bann, an independent publisher that has deliberately set out to publish books ‘with real content’ rather than the Wicca 101 books that seem to be cluttering up the place in some of the larger bookshops.

 

One of the first things I liked about this book is that it’s written in very clear, easy to follow language. Even though some of the exercises and ideas are quite complex I had no difficulty following them. There’s also a strong thread of humour in it too, urging you not to be afraid to make mistakes because that’s the way you’ll learn. And you will learn from this book, there’s no doubt about it. It might be designed for solitaries, but the writer is determined to make them think, to educate them over a wide range of topics. It certainly made me feel confident to try exercises and invocations that I’d not done before.

 

There’s a good section on psychic self defence too – probably as much as most of us will ever need to know. Some of you may remember that Tylluan did a very interesting and entertaining talk at Witchfest Wales on the subject earlier this year.

 

But it’s when she urges you out into the open, the streets, the parks, the urban back yards, that you realise how far this book can take you. Her enthusiasm that magic is everywhere, even in the weeds that grow in cracks in the pavement, made me want to jump up, grab pen and paper and go off exploring my own neighbourhood.

 

Spell work is left until near the end of the book, by which time you should have already started working on your own spiritual potential. You’re challenged to question your own ethics, and Tylluan starts to unravel some of the problems you’ll meet if you stick doggedly to ‘an it harm none.’ But this is good, because we should be thinking about these things, not just accepting them without question.

 

Put simply, I think this is one of best introductions to trying to find your pagan path that I’ve ever read. I’ve no hesitation in recommending it!