 Hi, my name is Danny, and welcome to Esoteric Moments. Today I have another book review for you that I've been kind of holding off doing for a while because I wanted to give it a really good write-up in my blog first. So today's book is The Path of Druidry by Penny Billington. I think that this book is excellent, and I would really encourage anyone who's interested in Druidry or Celtic spirituality to read it if not own a reference copy. I am all about owning less stuff, including books, which is really hard for me, but this is one that I think many people would find great value in keeping a reference copy for themselves. This book covers a lot of the beginning topics in Druidry. You get elements and ritual, the three different classes of Druidry according to Obod. You get information about connecting to animals and plants, and how to engage with the community as a Druid. Each chapter is set up in a pretty easy to read and really engaging format. There's the chapter stuff, kind of the concept and whatever topic is being talked about. And then there are some study breaks inside that give readers an opportunity to practically practice Druidry. Then it talks about how the topic at hand interacts with the three rays of the Owens example, which is the nature ray, the knowledge ray, and the devotional ray. It's actually one of my favorite parts. This is such a great way to kind of tie everything together while doing some practical how-to stuff, and it gets you out of your head and into nature and the practice. Then it finishes off with tales from the Mabagoan, which I can never say right, despite my best efforts, but you get different stories that have specific lessons that relate to that chapter, and you get a pretty comprehensive look at the whole tale once the book is finished through these little excerpts. Inside each chapter and the kind of meat of the chapter, there are also these little italicized kind of visualizations or meditations, and it was the one part that frustrated me while reading this book. I am a pretty speedy reader, and I've read this book multiple times, but every time I would get to one of those study breaks, those italicized meditations, it would kind of jolt me out of the reading, which is the purpose. The goal is to make sure you're not just reading, but actually comprehending what's going on. Maybe it makes you step outside for a while or to take some deep breaths, something that gets you into that practice and less just speed reading through. So it accomplishes its task, but because I read so quickly, I felt like I was encountering those sections too much, and I wasn't getting enough reading done. It was just those little breaks. So speed readers, be aware. The physical part of the book is also really excellent. It's just a paperback, but the spine is still a nice binding. It's done with good blue. It doesn't look like it's going to fall apart even after some good love. And the pages are large but not too overwhelming, and images are used sparingly but are very effective. It's also got some nice formatting that really allows you to understand the difference between those study breaks, extra information, the information at the end, like the tale from Emma Goen. And I really appreciate when the reading experience is thoughtful and it goes not just from the content and the words of the author, but into the way a book is set up, especially if it ends up being a reference book. This book is definitely geared more towards the beginner, but anyone who is on a druidic path or a Celtic path will probably find some nice elements that they haven't thought about. And if you're feeling like you don't have enough practice to your practice, like enough stuff or things to do and interact with, then I really recommend this book because it gets your hands dirty in druidry and you really have no choice but to experience druidry. The author is a member of Obad and is a celebrant for Obad. She also is the editor of Touchstone, which is my least favorite part of Obad, but that is another video. All in all, I think she definitely presents the Obad perspective, which I really like, but it might not work for you as much if you are of a different order or kind of more on your own. Overall, though, I don't think it's going to sound as Obadi as say something by Philip Cargum, but it's still there in the work. I adore this book and I really think that there is a lot to offer anyone interested in druidry and paganism. And if you haven't read it, really check it out from your library. If not, go buy it from Amazon right now. I think you won't regret the decision. In the comments below, I would love to hear whether you consider yourself a speed reader and if being a speed reader has ever impacted the way you feel about a book. Thanks for watching and may you find peace in the sacred