In my book Unteachable Lessons I talk about how, before I became a Catholic in 2005, I wrote a number of books that reflected my interest in pre-Christian spirituality — books about Goddess spirituality, ancient Celtic spirituality, Druidism and Wicca. I wrote:
These days most of those old books are out of print, but anyone with an internet connection can easily find used copies for sale (usually for about a penny plus shipping) on eBay or Amazon.
If you want to learn more about those old “pagan” books of mine, you can read about them here: Eight Pagan Books (By a Christian Author).
Well, as it turns out, one of my old books is going to be reprinted next summer. Today the publisher sent me the cover art, and so I’d like to share it with you now. The book, when it was originally published, was called Magic of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses. The new edition has a new title: The Spirit of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses. I like the new title better. And I definitely prefer the new cover design.
This is an image of an Irish mother goddess, Danu, by pagan artist Thalia Took. You can see the original art on her website by clicking here.
This book is a celebration of some of the major deities from Irish, Welsh, and continental Celtic mythology. While it is written for people who have a religious interest in these old mythic figures, it could be of interest to anyone who appreciates mythology or Celtic spirituality.
Now, I know that many of my current readers are not interested in paganism, Celtic or otherwise. For that matter, a lot of my readers from fifteen or twenty years ago are not interested in my more recent books exploring Christian spirituality and mysticism. But, what continually surprises and delights me, is the number of people who are interested in all my work, whether pagan or Christian.1I’ve been asked why I don’t capitalize “paganism.” It’s for the same reason I don’t capitalize “mysticism” — it’s a description of a type of spirituality, not the name of a religion. But I do capitalize Wicca or Asatru, just like I capitalize Christianity or Islam.
So if you are interested in the old Celtic myths, I hope you will take a look. Of all my older books, I’m really happy that this is the one that my publisher saw fit to reprint — and that’s because it was co-authored with a friend of mine, Kathryn Hinds. Kathryn was an excellent writer and a gentle soul who, I am sad to say, was called to leave this life in 2018. I’m sorry she’s gone, but I’m really happy that her collaboration with me will live on in this new edition of our book.
Here’s a picture of me and Kathryn from the last time I saw her, in 2016. We were at an awards banquet for the Georgia Writers Association, and we both received honors — me for Befriending Silence, and her for her novel The Healer’s Choice.
So, next summer will see this new edition of Kathryn’s and my book. If you haven’t read one of my older books, it could be a fun introduction to that chapter of my life. If you’re interested in ancient Celtic spirituality, I bet you’d like it. Even though I no longer identify as a pagan, I’m still perfectly happy to commend this book to those who are interested in its subject — for reasons I explain in Unteachable Lessons.
You can pre-order The Spirit of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses from Amazon — just click here.
