http://www.ncreview.com/ 2098-1194 http://www.ncreview.com/astrology/the-way-of-the-oracle-recovering-the-practices-of-the-past-to-find-answers-for-today If you are a semi-serious reader, who is seeking anecdotes about prophecy and some handy exercises and questions to prepare you as a prophet or as a ‘fortune-teller’, than I would suggest that you start reading this book around Chapter III. If you are a graduate student, and your research is about oracles, Delphi, Nordic traditions, Celtic rituals, or Wicca than you should start reading at Chapter One. But this is a serious, in-depth book, and it is not for the casual reader who is a “little bit interested” in prophecy and divination. There are practical elements to the book, a lot of history and research, and many anecdotes, but this is not an easy book to read or absorb. If you have ever had a session with a psychic, a witch, or an oracle, and you wondered how they gained their answer or reading, than this book will give you a lot of insight into what is going on behind the reading. Have you ever have wondered if you possess any skills that would allow you to give readings for others? Some of the anecdotes, questions, and exercises shared in the second half of the book will be very helpful in developing your skills and abilities. But the first sixty pages of the book are fairly boring and probably only of interest to the very serious and those interested in the historical traditions of prophets. So, this book has a pretty limited audience, and few readers will probably get past the opening chapters. If you were taking a class about Wicca or the paranormal in a university setting, this book might make the reading list, but it is not the kind of book one would dive into for a little ‘light’ reading. By the end of the book, I felt probably less ‘faith’ in prophets or seers than I did before reading the book. I realized that beyond all the ritual, the history, the tradition--that the success of prophecy really comes down to the interpretative skills and the insight and intelligence of the oracle. I began to understand that ‘readings’ require both skill and training, and that a gift for prophecy is not all that is involved in giving a powerful reading for a client. One fact that was interesting was Ms. Paxson’s repeated observation that the ‘need’ of the questioner and the community support of those involved in the reading may, in fact, lead to much more powerful and helpful readings. I was also struck by the author’s insight that many readings probably provide ‘wrong’ information based on the conditional nature of free will that makes any possible future event open to many factors that make the art of prediction very weak at times. However, I appreciated the depth of candor that the author shares about her training, her own history with clients and questioners, and passing on some of the traditions that she calls upon in her work. I would not recommend this book to the average reader. ]]> Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:32:22 -0800