Laura Perry's Blog, page 7

Book Review: Minotaur

Sir Arthur Evans is known for his excavation of the temple complex at Knossos and the introduction of the ancient Minoans to the modern world. He was a complicated, contradictory man who did lots of amazing things. This biography of him, written by a modern archaeologist who specializes in the Minoans, is fascinating and enlightening. Read my in-depth book review on the Minoan Path blog:Minotaur: A book review of a Sir Arthur Evans biographyIf you'd like to join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan civilization, feel free to join our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen.

Congratulations to the winners!

Congratulations to Jenna D. and Morwhenna M. who have won copies of the new 2nd edition of Ancient Spellcraft in my Samhain giveaway! They have already been notified of their prizes. I hope the two of you enjoy the book!For those who didn't win, you can find out more about the book (including where to buy your own copy) here. The first edition of Ancient Spellcraft was the first book I published, way back in 2001. I've learned a thing or two since then, and so have archaeologists and historians, so I incorporated all that in the newly revised and updated second edition. Happy reading!

Ariadne's Thread and Labrys & Horns: What's the difference?

I'm often asked about the difference between my two Minoan spirituality books, Ariadne's Thread and Labrys & Horns. Often enough, in fact, that I've written a blog post to detail the answer over at the Minoan Path blog:Ariadne's Thread and Labrys & Horns: What's the difference?If you'd like to join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen.

Win a copy of Ancient Spellcraft!

Just in time for Halloween/Samhain, I'm giving away TWO copies of the newly-released second edition of Ancient Spellcraft. To enter, simply sign up for my mailing list on my website. If you're already on the list, please message me with the name and e-mail address you used to sign up and I'll include you in the giveaway.This giveaway is open worldwide, so everyone can enter. But due to the prohibitive cost of international shipping (it typically costs 3 to 4 times the book's cover price to ship outside the US), winners outside the US will receive an e-book instead of ink-and-paper. Winners within the US have their choice of either e-book or ink-and-paper.You have until October 31, so be sure to enter soon and tell your friends, too!

Mysterious Minoan Floating Objects

The Minoan gold seal rings are fascinating little objects, all the more so because the images on them are full of strange floating objects. Find out more about these mysterious shapes on today's Minoan Path blog post:Minoan Seal Rings and their Mysterious Floating ObjectsTo join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan civilization, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen.

The Danger of Pedestals

I recently had the interesting experience of someone being upset by some artwork I chose for my Facebook profile picture. The art in question is the sweet painting above, Great and Small by the talented artist Fran Downs (you should order a print -- really you should). The person felt that this work of art somehow desecrates the original, which is The Creation of Adam, part of the Sistine Chapel fresco ceiling paintings done by Michelangelo. No, the person concerned isn't Christian, at least not as far as I'm aware. They simply thought it was inappropriate to rework Michelangelo's original into a cutesy modern piece (which, frankly, I think is adorable, but maybe that's just me).What got me was not so much that the person disliked the painting -- I see plenty of art that I don't like -- but that they were upset with me for liking it and displaying that like publicly. It took me a while to figure out why that might be, and it got me thinking about a certain aspect of the human psyche that makes us want to put people on a pedestal.I'm no celebrity, not by a long shot, but some people do look to me as a spiritual leader or facilitator of sorts. And as happens when we look up to people we don't know very well (and even sometimes to people we do know well), it's easy to put that person on a pedestal, to see them as we want them to be rather than as they truly are.We all do it. I know I've been surprised and a little disappointed to discover things about people I admire, from what they eat to their taste in books, movies, art, you name it. And of course, I'm always shocked when I learn that people I look up to have done horrible things (plagiarism, abuse, cheating on a spouse, the list goes on). When that happens, I have to remind myself that they're just people.Sure, we create images in our minds of how we want our heroes to be. And that can help us decide how to live our lives, what to strive for, how to improve ourselves and the world around us. But those images aren't real. They're illusions, and when they come crashing down, it can be difficult to deal with. We might get angry or decide that nothing the person has done is worth our time, that their whole corpus should be discarded because they didn't turn out to be who we thought they were.I'm not going to ignore Martin Luther King, Jr.'s contribution to the civil rights movement because he cheated on his wife. I look to the good things he did and remind myself that he was a fallible human being, doing his best, even if that best is disappointing to me.I still love Marion Zimmer Bradley's books in spite of the horrible revelations about what she was like, what she did to her children and others. That's a real conflict for me, to be honest, especially because I was also abused as a child. I don't know what to do with it, but there it is. Love the books. Be disgusted by the author.And then there are the smaller ones. The times I discovered that people I admired (maybe not such big names as King or Zimmer Bradley, but still) are right-wingers or think climate change is a hoax or are picky eaters or don't like cats. Nothing earth-shattering, but enough to seriously crack the illusion I had built in my mind.When we admire people, public figures, that admiration typically stems from something they do: act in movies and TV shows, write books, work on the front lines of activism, and so on. It's natural to extrapolate from there. It's natural to want to think that everything else about them is something we would like, that everything else about them matches our tastes and our values and our beliefs. So we build up a mental image of how we're sure they must be, and when it turns out we're wrong, we get upset.I don't guess there's much we can do to stop this process. I know I do it, and I see it all around me. Maybe it's just a natural human thing.But ultimately, we need to remember that we're all humans, all fallible and imperfect and flawed. Shoot, some of us don't even like kitschy modern versions of Michelangelo's paintings. I guess you can't please everyone.

Minoan Art: Don't bet your religion on it

The colorful frescoes from ancient Knossos are inspiring, but are they reliable sources of information about Minoan religion and culture? You might be surprised at the answer to that question. Find out more in today's Minoan Pathblog post:Reconstructing Minoan Art: Don't bet your religion on itIf you'd like to join the discussion about ancient Minoan civilization and Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen.

Cover Reveal: Ancient Spellcraft

I signed my first publishing contract 16 years ago and the time has flown by since then! I've written all kinds of books in that time: non-fiction, a couple of novels, I've contributed to anthologies and even created a coloring book.So when the first edition of Ancient Spellcraft went out of print and people bought up the last few copies of my private stock, I thought it was time to revise and update it. I've learned a few things in the 16 years since I wrote it, and our knowledge of ancient cultures has evolved in that time as well.So I've spent my summer updating the historical information about the Babylonians, Canaanites, Celts, Egyptians, Etruscans, Greeks, Hittites, Minoans, Phoenicians, and Sumerians. I've tweaked the spells so they work even better than before. Fans of my Minoan books will be happy to know that the Minoan gods and goddesses are as heavily represented in the second edition as they were in the first.In addition to updating the text, I've created a new, more vibrant cover for the second edition. I'm thrilled to be able to share it with you here:The book will be available on September 28 - I can hardly wait! To get the details as soon as this new edition is available, sign up for my e-mail list (there's a form at the bottom of my main web page). My next monthly newsletter will tell you all you need to know.A huge THANK YOU to all my readers who have supported my work and kept me going all these years. You're the reason I do all this. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Minoan Cooking: A taste of the ancient world

Learning about the daily lives of ancient people can help us connect with their culture and ultimately, their spirituality as well. Today on the Minoan Path blog I'm exploring how the Minoans cooked. You might be surprised to find out what they used instead of hearths and fireplaces:Minoan Cooking: A taste of the ancient worldTo join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan culture and religion, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen.

Making a Minoan Altar

Modern Minoan Paganism isn't a rigid tradition with a bunch of pre-set rules, but there are guidelines you can use to help you set up an altar that's tailored just right for your personal spiritual practice. You can find out more in today's blog post over at The Pagan and the Pen:Making a Minoan AltarBe sure to check out all my other posts about Modern Minoan Paganism, too, for inspiration.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen.