The Ritual of Writing - A sort-of review by Nimue Brown
I’m excited that Andrew Anderson’s first book – The Ritual of Writing – is coming out this month from Moon Books. Partly I’m excited because I’ve already read it and know it to be really good. I’m also excited because in Andrew, we have a new Druid author with interesting ideas and I’m keen to see what he does next.
This is an ideal book for anyone on the bard path, and especially for anyone studying the bardic grade with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD). The trouble with the bardic grade (and I say this as someone who completed it and thinks well of OBOD) is that there just isn’t enough bard training in it. Wordcraft is key to the work of a traditional bard, so it’s great to see a book coming out that tackles this head on and shows you how to take your lived experience of doing Druidry through the year, and work word magic with it.
Most Pagans don’t want to just use other people’s prayers, chants, rituals, spells and poems. We all know it tends to be more powerful when you can make it personal. But not everyone comes to Paganism with a voice of honey, a silver tongue and a fair hand that can charm the words onto the page. Most of us have to learn our craft. If you’re serious about the bard path, you never stop learning.
The Ritual of Writing is ideal for someone setting out on this path. Readable, accessible, easy to put into practice, it’s everything you might need a beginner’s book to be. It also has a lot to offer the more experienced student. If you’re feeling a bit lost, or jaded or don’t know where to go next, this is a book to shake the dust off the wheel of your year and get the awen flowing again.
Nimue Brown is the author of a number of books including Druidry and Meditation, Spirituality Without Structure and When a Pagan Prays.
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