Celtic Lore & Spellcraft of the Dark Goddess: Invoking the Morrigan

Most of us are familiar with Morrigan in her guise as Morgana La Fey, King Arthur's wicked half sister who seduces him and is constantly trying to bring down his kingdom. Morgana was portrayed in very negative light. It was not until "Mists of Avalon" came out that she was finally portrayed in a positive light. The Morrigan is in fact an ancient goddess of the Tuatha d'Dannan. She blessed the warriors with strength as they fought against the Fir Bolgs. Later on Tuatha D'Danan would fight against the Fomorians. They were victorious in that battle. The Tuatha D Danan were finally defeated by the Milesians and driven into mounds. They are supposed to be the good folk or the faeries. With the advent of male dominated Christianity the old gods and goddesses were either converted into saints or demonized. Morrigan became demonized. The Morrigan is called, depending on your translation, Goddess of the Sea or water ways, Queen of the faeries, Dark Goddess and the queen of the night. Morrigan is a goddess of war and of love. She took lovers as she would, fought in battle and wielded magic. She yielded to no one. The Christians could not tolerate such a female. She was a woman who stood equal with the men. Which is the way it was in Celtic society. There are more Celtic war goddesses then there are Celtic war gods. In Celtic society women stood as equals. They could divorce as easily as a man and they even fought alongside men in battle. They were property owner and business owners. True equals. The Morrigan is a triple goddess just like Hekate and the Wiccan conception. But she is so much more complex then that. Her several guises include Badb, Macha,Morrigu and even Anu and Danu. The Morrigan is the maiden, mother and Crone. She is also the Queen who gives the king his right to maintain sovereignty over the land. If the king loses her favor then she rejects him and couple with someone else. My original intention with this book was to check it out of the library, read it take notes an then return it. But there is way too much good stuff in this that I had to purchase the kindle edition. The author's book give the reader a very through history of Morrigan and her role in Celtic history. A great starting point for the novice historian. The author supports what she says with a very in depth telling of the different stories the Morrigan is covered in. For those who want to work extensively with the Morrigan the book offers spells, spellcrafts, mediations and rituals. The book is filled with formulas for incenses and oils. For someone just checking out the Morrigan or really wanting to work with her this book is for you. This book goes beyond Wicca 101 and you may find that a good introductory book on Wicca or Witchcraft would be very helpful. Enjoys your journeys with the Goddess.

I wish it were easier to locate some of the spells, rituals, and recipes peppered throughout the book. Other than that, this is the most thorough resource to learning more about and connecting with The Morrigan, her aspects, guises, and lore. There are pathworking meditations, incense and oil recipes, rituals, directions for creating and using the Ogham, and so much more. I am deeply captivated by this rich treasure trove of knowledge, insight, and and applicable practices!

Ms. Woodfield has not only done her research on the Morrigan, but writes with the subtle authority that speaks of personal experience. I recommended this book to a friend for whom the Morrigan is a patron deity, and she has spent months using the book as a basis for adding to her already rich rituals and tributes to her deity. To the few who rank this book lower than 5 stars, I want to ask what they find lacking. Yes, there is information that can be found elsewhere, but it's scattered among other books and one has to know what they're seeking to bring it together. All of that information belongs in a book dedicated to the Morrigan so it's available under one cover for the focused student. Yes, there are new ideas and practices? Different methods work for different practitioner. Is anything missing? Probably. No book on a spiritual practice cover every nuance of the subject. I find this a beautiful and practical work that surpasses the other books on the Morrigan I've read.\ I praise its completeness, its focus, and its readability. I've seen it inspire someone close to me to enrich her spiritual practice. I hope to read more of this author's work in the future.

This boom surprised me. Stephanie Woodfield has obviously done extensive research on Morrigan and her various guises throughout mythology. In fact, I would recommend this book on the massive amount of mythology alone. It is refreshing to find a book designed cohesively and with a new idea in the age of 101 books that regurgitate the same information over and over. I especially loved her research into Danu as a possible addition to one of the Morrigan's aspects. She adds information from her own experience and opinion where necessary but it doesn't come across as preaching. She is quick to point out that she has reached her opinions theough years of study and encourages the reader to do the same instead of proclaiming what she writes to be the new law of the land. In the back of the book are a plethora of correspondences and guide rituals to celebrate the Sabbats with Morrigan and her other guises. I am so happy I purchased this book and I think that you will be as well.

Stephanie Woodfield is my go to for information on Celtic lore and The Morrigan. She is an excellent writer, and frankly a great storyteller! If you're curious about the Dark Goddesses or The Morrigan, I highly recommend her books. I'm very grateful I found her writings, as she has over twenty years of experience working with Celtic Lore and specifically The Morrigan. She has written of other Dark Goddesses also, a book I bought because I like her writing so well. I am far more informed than I was when I started my search to find out about The Morrigan thanks to her thorough research and knowledge. Highly recommend this author and this book.

Still the best book by far for those with new to moderate level experience, Woodfield does a better job explaining the many hard to communicate nuances that you usually have to experience yourself than any other authors i have read along with some fresh takes instead of the same old rehashed redundancy that most of these books fall into.

Other than Guises of the Morrigan on Avalonia Press, this is the only book I've read specifically on this complex and venerable deity. It is as advertised: in terms of the book being informative for one on any spiritual path. I particularly like the focus on the specific written tales like the Tain or the Mabinogian and other origins of lore per the various aspects, attributes and virtues of the Goddess. This author has done hir homework in most every way and presents a highly accessible yet fairly solid work from a scholarly perspective. Reference tables, sparse but substantive bibliography, bardic originals, pathworking/visualizations, narrative introductions to the traditional tales, insightful apperceptions based on both history and personal gnosis: all of this and a bit more are neatly organized and presented therein. Completely disproves the prevalent notion that Llewellyn pubs are inherently fluffy. This is a lovely book that I will doubtlessly refer back to in coming years. I don't care so much for a lot of the personal work: the incense, the invocations/evocations: because that is more idiosyncratic per the author's own tradition and personal gnosis. However, if you are looking for a knowledgeable intro. to this subject, apart from the other book that I mentioned: this would definitely not disappoint overall, even for a Trad. Witch like myself or some sort of strict reconstructionist. As an after note, I've since found Rosalind Clark's book The Great Queens: Irish Goddesses from the Morrigan to Cathleen Ni Houlihan (Irish Literary Studies)which is by far the best book on the Morrigan that I've come across.

Regardless of the naysayers on here, I found this book to be refreshing. It not only addresses the many different aspects of the Phantom Queen, it also gave amazing path workings for everyone of them and then some. I enjoyed the back story of each aspect and the information that the author allows the reader to decide for themselves as to whether or not include in to the Great Queen's arsenal of archetypes. I love this book. Stephanie is not afraid to address all nooks and crannies of this ancient goddess and although it is not scholarly, I would rank it up there with them best of them. Llewellyn strikes out every once in a while, and then again, just as often, they hit bases-loaded homeruns.. This was one of them!! I really enjoyed that Stephanie was talking to me, and not at me as most authors tend to do. It shows that she does, indeed, have a true gift when it comes to expressing her self through word. I felt as if she was in the room with me and I was sitting at her feet, listening to her story and wisdom. Well worth the money! Just a word to the wise, as I took a few others suggestions on here and it turned out to be a folly. I have heard many, many, people suggest Steve Blamires "Magic of the Celtic Otherworld" also known as "Glamoury: Magic of the Celtic Green World", also by Llewellyn, as a reading companion to this book. If you want an expensive door stop full of "preachy" and "too scary to contact" trash, then go for it. It seems as though readers of that book are only looking for the brighter side of life, which is all fine and dandy, but not to be used as a reference with this book due to the authors narrow mind and less that scholarly words/research. (See my review on that book for more details if you wish).