Earth Magic: Sacred Rituals for Connecting to Nature's Power

by Starhawk

Best-selling author Starhawk (The Spiral Dance, HarperSanFrancisco, 1999; nearly 400,000 copies in print) has reached across barriers of skepticism and orthodoxy to initiate thousands into the practice of authentic magic 'the ability to tap the ever-present enchantment of our world. On Earth Magic, listeners now have an unprecedented opportunity to hear this legendary figure in Wiccan and Pagan spirituality teach rituals for connecting to and channeling the elemental forces of nature. Starhawk imparts specific rites for drawing on the power of air, fire, earth, and water; celebrating sacred holidays such as the Solstice and the Equinox; and for giving gifts to the universe that return to us a hundred-fold.

Four audio CDs. Runtime: 4 3/4 hours.

Genres: Spirituality, Nature, Nonfiction, Witchcraft, Paganism, Religion, Audiobook

5 pages, Audio CD

First published April 30, 2006

About the author

Starhawk is an author, activist, permaculture designer and teacher, and a prominent voice in modern Goddess religion and earth-based spirituality. She is the author or coauthor of thirteen books, including the classics The Spiral Dance and The Fifth Sacred Thing. Her latest is the newly published fiction novel City of Refuge, the long-awaited sequel to The Fifth Sacred Thing.

Starhawk directs Earth Activist Training, (www.earthactivisttraining.org), teaching permaculture design grounded in spirit and with a focus on organizing and activism. “Social permaculture”—the conscious design of regenerative human systems, is a particular focus of hers.

She lives on Golden Rabbit Ranch in Western Sonoma County, CA, where she is developing a model of carbon-sequestering land use incorporating food forests and savannahs, planned grazing, and regenerative forestry.

She travels internationally, lecturing and teaching on earth-based spirituality, permaculture, and the skills of activism. Her web site is www.starhawk.org.

Reviews

[Leo Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at pagan-based religions. I'm not reading this because I'm a New Age Pagan -- I'm a mainline, ecumenical Christian -- but because I wanted to understand what precisely contemporary Wicca is. I learned that it's life-affirming and feminist. And despite fundamentalist ravings, about as scary (and ultimately as noble and nurturing) as a PTA meeting.

As usual, the fundies are wrong.

4-stars.

[Emily Jean Blatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starhawk does a beautiful job of describing grounding and I really enjoyed the specific practices shared as well as the discussion around creating your own sacred practice. The first two sections did leave me less than captivated though. The history of magic can be so exciting and beautiful and this retelling felt like an unenthusiastic history lecture. I would recommend this book for anyone new to the concept of grounding but might suggest you skip right to section 3.

[Zen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spirituality is a very personal thing.

[Tina Cipolla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I need to start this review by telling you that I have a very soft spot in my heart for 60's era hippies that never grew out of it. I love that there are still communes out there; I love that there are senior citizens growing vegetables and smoking pot. Really, I love the whole scene. But I have to tell you, I draw the line at silly "spiritual practice." The reason this book on tape did not get only one star, despite the fact the fact that I tuned out during a good bit of it, was because the author, Starhawk, is actually quite a learned individual and the first half of the lecture is spent laying the historical groundwork for the the Wiccan practices that make up the second half of it. I really enjoyed the comprehensive discussion of what happened to goddess based matrifocal religions of the ancient world. If you want to listen to a discussion of these things but if you are a skeptic at all, the second half of the lecture will get on your nerves, if you are even able to pay attention to it.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I think I really mean this to be three stars, but the grounding walkthroughs were really nice (and also good for anxiety grounding purposes!)
The history intro focuses on feminist movements and how events led to other events.
The grounding descriptions were great / guided meditation if you want to call it that.
She's a good speaker and sounds very approachable.

[Margarete Maneker · Rating 4 out of 5]

put off finishing this for forever bc i wanted to do the rituals alongside the audio but i can always come back to it

i love starhawk so much. especially grateful for the anchor to the core self section and the plant alliance meditation. she just rocks !!!

[Araminta Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, but academic/scholarly, feminist-activist, environmentalist pagans are the only ones for me. Thanks, Starhawk.

[Kal Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earth Magic is an incredibly quick and down-to-earth audiobook, narrated by the author herself and clocking in at just under 5 hours.

This is a non-dogmatic and curiosity-oriented way of developing a relationship with the earth, with a focus on the earth around you (rather than inheriting a specific historical practice). There is an emphasis on straightforward and intuitive practice. She continually mentions the importance of political action to her own spiritual practice.

I would recommend this book to white people looking to form an earth spirituality connection without relying on cultural theft, but I think folks of all backgrounds looking to deepen their connection to the world around them would find the exercises approachable and grounding.

Note to future Kal: you were sick when you read this so you might want to go through it again with a little more energy to do the exercises.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Magic is like applied poetry, taking the abstract and finding a symbol to channel it through, to make it real and bring it home."
::
Okie, so maybe it's a 4.5 because there are ways I feel skeptical about this book, specifically why it draws so heavily on Celtic spirituality. But still so good! Heard about Starhawk's work through the Jewish Ancestral Healing Podcast and EARTHseed Farm. She is a radical, she is a Jew and I am obsessed with her!! The audiobook was silly in such a good way because she was just chatting into the mic. Really informal, but that was actually so endearing. Anyways, really helpful for my Haggadah project!

[Dodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was an audio book read by Starhawk. The first half talks about earth base tradition and the divine feminine. The second part she talks about magic, yes magic. What surprise me she referred to Avalon regarding death and reads a passage that is referenced the Isles of the apples. The rest of the book talks about simple things you can to to connect with the elements. This is the stuff I get excited about. A friend suggested that I read Earth path by Starhawk.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of the recording was fascinating and a nice historical look at wicca and it's beliefs, the second half was mostly guided exercises to connect with and thank nature and the elements. Pretty great, and I'd definitely like to buy this in the future. (I listened on the hoopla app through my library.)

[Rachel McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. Not my favourite Starhawk piece of work, but interesting nonetheless. Sweet set of daily or weekly rituals for those who are interested in reconnecting to their place in the natural world in a spiritual yet practical sense. I probably rated this lower because I loved The Spiral Dance when I was younger.

[Pat Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

The audio, read by the author, is great. I listened to it on morning walks (which are still completely dark in December). I have listened to the guided meditation a couple of times and really finding their impact already.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it. I purchased the audible version because Starhawk narrates it herself, and she was a joy to listen to. This book was informational, encouraging, and inspiring. Hearing her voice at the same time made it even more personable, touching, and enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

[Cierra Reeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starhawk is a legend and icon. Love her narration and the way she explains the history of paganism and the importance of our connection with nature, how it affects everything we do—everything within us and within society.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful experiential overview of Starhawk's vision for & work in the world, clear & beautiful & incredibly helpful exercises/guided meditations. Highly recommend this gentle intro to earth-based spirituality.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed some of the grounding / meditative techniques. Some of history provided was a little woo-y and incomplete.

[Puddelles · Rating 5 out of 5]

So perfect

[Lilith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listening to this audio book was like hearing someone brilliantly articulate all the intuitions of my heart. Thank you Starhawk!

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do love me some Starhawk. She has a way with words. Reading the first edition (not the more highly political later editions) of The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess was a turning point for me as a young college kid. I think if I'd experienced this audiobook at that time it would have blown my mind. As it was, starting out with a bang with a heavily political feminist rhetoric and a flawed historical narrative made my eyes roll so hard that this audiobook was not safe to listen to while driving. She's a better scientist than historian, however, so reaching that section of the audiobook was a relief. Finally, we got to the ritual section and man... This woman sure knows her way around a ritual.

[MotherMagic · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great audio resource! 3 or 4 disks of Starhawk offering an academic quality course in Earth Spirituality, ecofeminist history of Goddess religion and matrifocal culture, and magic, Reclaiming Trad style. Practical, experiential exercises included.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the author read this on CD. Interesting ideas about the mother goddess and the different ideas regarding men and women when one is worshipping the earth.

[Violeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful for spiritual exploration and empowering of women as well as men. Manual on learning to reconnect with yourself as a part and essence of nature.

[Deidre · Rating 4 out of 5]

audiobook

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is good introduction to getting in touch with our connection with nature.