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Faith and Magick in the Armed Forces: A Handbook for Pagans in the Military
Faith and Magick in the Armed Forces provides practical guidance and genuine support to military Pagans and Wiccans as they proudly serve our country. Many issues that face Pagan military members and their families are explored in depth―practicing their faith, relocation, overseas deployment, preparing for combat, returning as veterans, working for peace. Religious freedoms, legal issues, and rights are clarified, and resources for help are given. Faith and Magic in the Armed Forces offers knowledgeable advice, helpful rituals and meditations designed specifically for the military experience, and candid interviews with Pagan servicepersons and their loved ones. Respectful and straightforward, this one-of-a-kind handbook is essential for Pagans serving in a predominantly Christian military.
336 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 25, 2010
Truth in advertising reigns here: the title of this book pretty much sums up what's inside. Barner has written what looks to be a comprehensive guide to military life for Pagans and their families. (Disclaimer: I have no military background myself, and am probably not the best judge of the accuracy of this book.) She starts at the beginning, with a discussion of enlistment, and moves through key areas of military life: deployment, financial considerations, psychological effects, reintegrating into civilian society, and, yes, funerals.
A Pagan perspective permeates the book. Barner writes at length about exercising your religious rights while not shying away from the fact that it may be difficult to be out of the broom closet in your military career. As of 2008, when the book was published, the Armed Forces had not accepted a single Pagan military chaplain, and the Pagan soldier needs to be prepared for the fact that the military is more conservative in religious matters (among others) than civilian society. But Barner also talks about more "internal" Pagan matters, such as how a Pagan who feels called to the Warrior path can reconcile this with "An ye harm none, do what ye will" and other Pagan ethical strictures.
Call that part faith. As the title promises, Barner works with magick (and ritual) as well. I thought this was especially well-done (heck, I think the book is pretty darn good overall). She has rituals for those areas of military life I mentioned above—for instance, a rite of passage for recruits, an armoring ritual, a disarmament ritual, etc. Spells include a prosperity pot for supplementing the family income, a blessing for a transport, and mojo bags both for the Pagan away on duty and for their children back at home. The book could really have benefitted from a separate list of all these spells and rituals, since they're hard to find by just paging through the book.
While the book is obviously targeted to Pagan military personnel and their families, I'd also recommend it to Pagans with no direct connection to the military whatsoever. Many of us are deeply concerned with our country's military activities (Iraq, Afghanistan), but I'm guessing many of us also know very little about the military itself. This book can hardly replace direct experience, but it has a perspective we should be aware of.
A Pagan perspective permeates the book. Barner writes at length about exercising your religious rights while not shying away from the fact that it may be difficult to be out of the broom closet in your military career. As of 2008, when the book was published, the Armed Forces had not accepted a single Pagan military chaplain, and the Pagan soldier needs to be prepared for the fact that the military is more conservative in religious matters (among others) than civilian society. But Barner also talks about more "internal" Pagan matters, such as how a Pagan who feels called to the Warrior path can reconcile this with "An ye harm none, do what ye will" and other Pagan ethical strictures.
Call that part faith. As the title promises, Barner works with magick (and ritual) as well. I thought this was especially well-done (heck, I think the book is pretty darn good overall). She has rituals for those areas of military life I mentioned above—for instance, a rite of passage for recruits, an armoring ritual, a disarmament ritual, etc. Spells include a prosperity pot for supplementing the family income, a blessing for a transport, and mojo bags both for the Pagan away on duty and for their children back at home. The book could really have benefitted from a separate list of all these spells and rituals, since they're hard to find by just paging through the book.
While the book is obviously targeted to Pagan military personnel and their families, I'd also recommend it to Pagans with no direct connection to the military whatsoever. Many of us are deeply concerned with our country's military activities (Iraq, Afghanistan), but I'm guessing many of us also know very little about the military itself. This book can hardly replace direct experience, but it has a perspective we should be aware of.
May 13, 2020
Grown military brat and pagan. I read it in one day, and I cried, because I've never read something that touched me so personally on either of those subjects. Never met a book on the subject of paganism that didn't require a grain of salt, but the way it touches on the difficulties in ethics and resolve for the topics covered is worth the trouble. Highly, highly recommended for pagans in or considering military service, and those like me who hover somewhere around that area, perhaps having never imagined that someone would publish something that speaks to them.
August 9, 2014
As an Army Wife, I found this very insightful to different aspects of the military. It has lots of information about different regulations that show the rights of a Pagan Service Member as well as different rituals you can do for you and your family.
It has different coping mechanisms to it, rituals, tools and meditations to help with several aspects of life in the military. There's information for both the soldier and the spouse, as well as the kids and entire family.
There are interviews and statements included with several different people, including widows, children and current practitioners.
It has information in it that will give insight to people who aren't Pagan or even military as it has different ways to cope with stress, fear, anxiety and even domestic abuse.
The author doesn't sugar coat things but instead shares her experiences and the true reality that comes with life in the military, both active duty and reserve. She discusses the difficulty of deployments and the difficulties presented when a soldier returns from a deployment, which is something many don't consider to be a difficulty. She presents the psychology of how children will react, both younger and older.
This book is very well rounded and covers many bases that would be useful to any member of the Military, especially pagan members.
It has different coping mechanisms to it, rituals, tools and meditations to help with several aspects of life in the military. There's information for both the soldier and the spouse, as well as the kids and entire family.
There are interviews and statements included with several different people, including widows, children and current practitioners.
It has information in it that will give insight to people who aren't Pagan or even military as it has different ways to cope with stress, fear, anxiety and even domestic abuse.
The author doesn't sugar coat things but instead shares her experiences and the true reality that comes with life in the military, both active duty and reserve. She discusses the difficulty of deployments and the difficulties presented when a soldier returns from a deployment, which is something many don't consider to be a difficulty. She presents the psychology of how children will react, both younger and older.
This book is very well rounded and covers many bases that would be useful to any member of the Military, especially pagan members.
December 26, 2009
I don't have much in the way of military experience as it was never something I intended to join. I did, however, find this book to be a interesting basic overview on how to be pagan in the military and what to expect. The author didn't gloss over the difficulties involved, which was nice.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews