Posts Tagged ‘The Woven Word’

The Woven Word Book Review

Posted: October 23, 2014 in Book Reviews, New Projects
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

The Woven Word cover(Reblogged From A Bad Witch’s Blog)

Found a wonderful review of my book The Woven Word on A Bad Witch’s Blog. I am so glad and grateful that people are discovering and connecting with the book, and I am inspired by the positive responses to the rites and ceremonies. I truly hope my book will be of use to others, and I am blessed by every review – thank you!

 

 

 

 

“Book Review: The Woven Word – A Book of Invocations and Inspirations

Over the years I’ve collected quite a few books of pagan rituals that I look at when I’m asked to put together a ceremony. Some are better than others, of course, and these days I’m picky about buying any books to add to my collection. However, a new publication I’m really pleased I’ve got is The Woven Word: A Book of Invocations and Inspirations by Romany Rivers.

Publisher Moon Books describes it as: “A creative compendium of invocations, inspirations and blessings for the novice or adept to design personal, unique and magical rituals.”

The first part of the book offers simple poems, chants and prayers for specific purposes – such as purification, invocation or blessing. They can be easily slotted into rituals or used on their own. Some are relatively traditional, others less so. Take for example this elegant but simple “shower cleansing”:

Wash away the stress and strain
Wash away the hurt and pain
Refresh and cleanse my tired soul
To reconnect, to make me whole

The second part of the book contains complete rituals. As well as ceremonies for the usual seasonal festivals, there are ways to honour rites of passage from baby blessings and handfastings to rituals at death. The latter include last rites when a person is dying and a requiem for someone who has died.

As we are approaching Samhain, and this month on my blog I have been looking at various aspects of death, here is a short quote from The Woven Word’s passing over ritual:

Dearest Beloved, you are not alone
I am here to help guide you home
If your soul is ready now to depart
Then leave without a heavy heart
With forgiveness and without fear
For those you love will hold you dear

I wish I had had those words to say when I was sitting a bedside vigil for my father and then my mother before they died.

Moon Books says about The Woven Word on its website: “This is a pagan tome of poetry and prose designed for rituals, festivals and celebrations. Working with deities, Romany has chronicled invocations and evocations for many Gods and Goddesses, and created clear and crafty quarter calls, circle castings, celebratory prose and meditations. Ritual is broken into its component parts allowing for easy reference and personal adaptation.”

What I would add is that Romany’s words are beautiful, simple and powerful. As I read the book I could not only see myself using its rites without adaptation, I also felt that I wanted to use them. And to be honest that’s rare for me. With most of the other books of rituals I own, I find myself changing the words quite a bit to suit my personal taste or simply using them for inspiration and writing my own invocations or whatever based on them. I know I will be using many of the refrains and rites in The Woven Wordin the years to come.”

Links and previous related posts
The Woven Word: A Book of Invocations and Inspirations
http://www.moon-books.net/

(more…)

Polytheism or Are you there Gods? It’s me, Romany

Posted: September 16, 2014 in Inner Journey, Pagan Blog Project 2014, Poetry
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
5

hearth altarWhen I was young, my little sister died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. There was less understanding back then, and even at my age I heard the whispers in the village. I saw my parents friends remove themselves from our lives, people talking about our family in hushed tones, my step-mother sat almost catatonic on the sofa staring out the window, my little brother confusing my baby dolls with our deceased sister. I stood by my sisters graveside, watching this tiny coffin lowered into the earth, and I felt angry that this big, sweaty priest who knew nothing about our family and yet dared to speak of my baby sister and our family grief. Through all this, I felt my sisters spirit still in the house. I was aware of her presence in ways that other family members were not and it confused everyone. I did not display the same grief as others, because for me a part of her was still with us and that gave me comfort. I felt isolated in my understanding that death was not the end. I felt confused and sad for the loss of my sister and the pain her death brought to our family. I felt comforted and relieved to know there was something more than flesh and bone. In grief and a desire for understanding, I looked for God. I wanted answers. I found no comfort or answers in the Christianity I was brought up around, so I started to explore alternative belief systems. By the time I was a teen, I was fully immersed in the exploration of Paganism, Buddhism, Taoism, Witchcraft, and techniques of awareness and spiritual development. Later I studied psychology, I travelled the world, I read voraciously and I talked to some fascinating people. Slowly I developed my own practice and personal spirituality that honoured my understanding of death and dying.

In my twenties, after a rather shocking spiritual experience, I dedicated myself to studying Wicca and Witchcraft. I developed a deeper understanding of magic and transformation, and I truly transformed my personal life. During my practice I would call upon the Lord and Lady, I would connect with the Masculine and Feminine Divine and the spectrum in between, and I could sense the power and presence of the Divine – yet I did not connect with specific deities. In fact I rather enjoyed discussing the reality of distinct and different Gods, or all Gods as one God, or Gods as archetypes, or Gods as entities, or Gods as universal energy. I talked and listened, and in private I formed no conclusions but continued to work with the very abstract concept of Divinity from an energy spectrum perspective. I was happy enough working with my abstract philosophy. That is until a Goddess spoke to me. (more…)

Release Date Announced!

Posted: June 30, 2014 in Author Spotlight, Book Promos, Images, New Projects
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

I am very excited to announce the release date of my next book The Woven Word: A Book of Invocations and Inspirations, coming out in hardcopy and ebook on the 31st of October 2014. That is right folks, a happy Halloween release!

The Woven Word Full Cover

This is a pagan tome of poetry and prose designed for rituals, festivals and celebrations. Working with deities, Romany has chronicled invocations and evocations for many Gods and Goddesses, and created clear and crafty quarter calls, circle castings, celebratory prose and meditations. Ritual is broken into its component parts allowing for easy reference and personal adaptation, and the additional correspondences information benefits the creation of unique rituals and celebrations. Created for use by both solitary practitioners and covens, sample rituals are also provided for seasonal celebrations and life events.
Romany’s personal experiences as a High Priestess give this book an enlightened view of the use of poetry in ritual, whilst her skills in classes, courses and workshops create a solid, practical foundation. Pagans, Priests and Priestesses, initiates new to the Craft, RE teachers and students, and anyone who loves Romany’s poetry will thoroughly enjoy this latest work.

“A fascinating book celebrating and utilising the power of the word both spoken and written with all areas of the Craft, including beautiful prose, blessings, meditations, visualisations and invocations. A great reference for how to use words for the greatest benefit.” – Rachel Patterson, author of Kitchen Witchcraft and Moon Magic (more…)

The Woven Word

Posted: April 15, 2014 in Book Promos, New Projects
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
1
I am so excited to reveal the cover design of my new ritual book The Woven Word: A Book of Invocations and Inspirations.

“A creative compendium of invocations, inspirations and blessings for the novice or adept to design personal, unique and magical rituals.”

An extract from this book recently won the Pagan Writers Community Celtx Competition… meaning you can get a sneak peek right here! The Woven Word is being published by Moon Books and is due for release later this year. Please keep in touch for details of the book release, give aways, signings and workshops!

The Woven Word cover

This publication is a pagan tome of poetry and prose designed for rituals, festivals and celebrations. Working with deities, Romany has chronicled invocations and evocations for many Gods and Goddesses, and created clear and crafty quarter calls, circle castings, celebratory prose and meditations. Ritual is broken into its component parts allowing for easy reference and personal adaptation, and the additional correspondences information benefits the creation of unique rituals and celebrations. The use of language as a sacred act is also explored, highlighting the importance of ritual language as an act of magic in and of itself. Created for use by both solitary practitioners and covens, sample rituals are also provided for seasonal celebrations and life events.

Romany’s personal experiences as a High Priestess give this book an enlightened view of the use of poetry in ritual, whilst her skills in classes, courses and workshops create a solid, practical foundation. Pagans, Priests and Priestesses, initiates new to the Craft, RE teachers and students, and anyone who loves Romany’s poetry will thoroughly enjoy this latest work.

Reviews and Endorsements:

“Combining ritual and the sacred with the everyday world. Romany in this timeless work will bridge the gap that once did not exist between the spiritual and actual. Wander into the world of beauty and wonder in these pages and return to a reality tinged with rainbow magick. We will return to this book many times and at different life stages but it will always retain the freshness and inspiration of the first journey.” – Cassandra Eason, Author of The Magick of Faeries, the New Crystal Bible, and A Year and a Day in Magick

“Romany Rivers has created a valuable compendium of poetic verse, ready and waiting for use in your favorite ritual. I wish she had written this book years ago – it would have saved me hours of slogging through piles of poetry and ritual books, searching for the words that would move the participants at the rituals I officiated. Thankfully, it is available now, providing the grateful reader with a wide variety of lyrical verse for use from the opening of the ritual through to the close. Ms. Rivers has thoughtfully included full sample rituals that demonstrate the effective use of her beautiful verse, as well as an extensive set of correspondences that will provide inspiration for the creation of rituals uniquely suited to each occasion.” – Laura Perry, Author of Ariadne’s Thread: Awakening the Wonders of the Ancient Minoans in Our Modern Lives

“In ‘The Woven Word’ Romany has created a real treasure that is destined to become a reference book for everyone interested in learning or developing their own rituals, invocations and practice. There is something here for every occasion and all of it easily adapted to fit the needs of any solitary practitioner or group no matter what their level of experience . Words have power and this comes over very clearly in this careful and considered compendium based on Romany’s own experience as a High Priestess and clear love of ritual and her craft.” – Yvonne Ryves, Author of Shaman Pathways Web of life

“A fascinating book celebrating and utilising the power of the word both spoken and written with all areas of the Craft, including beautiful prose, blessings, meditations, visualisations and invocations. A great reference for how to use words for the greatest benefit.” – Rachel Patterson, Author of Kitchen Witchcraft and Moon Magic

“I love, love, love The Woven Word! I adore its simplicity, the way that it feels so old and yet so fresh at the same time. There is an akashic nature to what Romany has written, this book almost feels channeled straight from the Divine.” – Arietta Bryant, Author of Ramblings and Rhymes and Circles of Sacred Laughter

Imbolc Blessings

Posted: January 29, 2014 in Pagan Perspectives, Poetry
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

Imbolc

Deep in the belly of the earth life now stirs

Awakening within and shaking free of ice and snow

The Goddess carries the child of promise within her arms

Trailing light and warmth wherever he goes

Slowly the world awakens from its slumber

Pushing shadows back from long cold night

All around

Life abounds

Reaching out towards the growing light

Imbolc Craft: St. Brigid's Cross. By Amber Dorko Stopper

Imbolc Craft: St. Brigid’s Cross. By Amber Dorko Stopper

Imbolc Festival of Light

Welcome to the festival of light

Where springtime lies within our sight

Earth softens and milk flows

Babies are born, seeds are sown

Soon the thaws will flood the streams

And winter becomes the land of dreams

The Crone returns to the land of snow

And all around us light now grows

Hold high your flame, shine your light

Chase back the shadows and shrinking night

Prepare the path for spring to come

And rejoice now in the growing sun!

All text copyright. Romany Rivers (C) 2013. Text will appear within upcoming book: The Woven Word

A Harvest of Books

Posted: October 28, 2013 in Inner Journey, New Projects
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
1

Image

So I woke up this morning to find an email informing me of a book contract offer on my latest book. This is my second contract in just one year, and needless to say I did the happy dance in my dressing gown in the predawn darkness. My first instinct was to say that being offered a book contract feels like winning an award, but upon reflection I realised that wasn’t the best mentality to maintain. Of course I am happy, and of course it is an achievement, but it is a personal achievement. Viewing this achievement in the language of an award places the whole experience in the context of a competition, and competitions by definition reduce experiences to winners and losers. A competition defines personal success by the failure of others. There are simply millions of wonderful authors out there, both traditionally published through a publishing house or indie authors who have self-published, and there are millions more who have yet to be recognised by a publishing house, those who have been rejected time and time again (Keep pushing folks, chase those dreams). Being offered a contract puts me on that spectrum of authors and writers, but I do not need to define my success by those who have not or who have yet to receive the same acknowledgement.

(more…)