The Way of the Sea Priestess

I've got a stack of books that I've been plugging away at reading lately and The Way of the Sea Priestess by Louise Tarrier is one of them.  Although I bought a copy a few weeks ago, it's only been the past few days that I've been able to really sit with it.  I just finished it this morning and felt the need to share about it! 

Firstly, allow me to be entirely up front.  Louise is a dear sister priestess.  She and I went through priestess training together.  This means I'm probably a bit biased in my opinion and would likely think that anything she did is bloody wonderful.  However, I will attempt to quell my bias and be as objective as possible here. 

To put it bluntly - it's a wonderful book.  That's my completely objective unbiased opinion. 

Louise's fascination with the idea of being a Sea Priestess stems from Dion Fortune's The Sea Priestess novel and in her own book explores the concept of what it means to be a Sea Priestess along with practises and rituals one can use to connect more deeply with the Goddesses of Water. 

One of the things I immediately loved about Louise's book is that she cuts to the chase.  Don't give me flowery poetic language, just bottom line it for me and Louise does that.  Louise had a lot of years as a businesswoman and I suspect this had a little something to do with her straightforward manner of writing.  Personally, as one businesswoman to another, I appreciated that.

The second thing I loved is that while providing exercises for the reader to do, she also leaves scope for personal interpretation and encourages it.  This gives the reader the opportunity to forge her own Sea Priestess path in a way that is meaningful to her.

I also love that one can pick up doing the exercises, meditations and rituals at any point of the year.  Quite often books of this nature start off at a particular point in the year, usually Samhain (31st October).  But the way Louise wrote this book, one can start any time.  Even some of the exercises that are set out for specific seasons can be utilised at any time of year.  This just adds to the book's appeal because it's easy to work with.

And finally, speaking of easy to work with, I love the simplicity of the exercises and activities.  However, don't mistake simplicity for lacking in power because with practise, they will pack a punch.  But they're simple in that they're easy to understand and pick up on which means the individual can then concentrate on actual practise instead of having to read a script from a book or keep referring back to the book whilst doing things (the exception might be the meditations, but they're so straightforward, they are easily memorised).

There are only two potentially contrary points I would make:-

1.  If you haven't read The Sea Priestess by Dion Fortune, you might want to.  Louise does reference The Sea Priestess a lot throughout her book and does so in such a way that one can still understand and follow what she is doing without having read it.  However, one will find it ultimately much easier to follow along if one has read it. 

2.  Although it's written in a way that speaks to people of all levels of experience, I'm not so sure a complete beginner wouldn't get confused at times or find some of the ritual aspects daunting because of lack of experience.  I could be completely wrong here, it's just my own thought.  However, chances are anyone who has read Dion Fortune's book and/or is feeling called to The Way of the Sea Priestess has some knowledge and experience already, so it may not matter.

What needs to be born in mind is this is a guide that helps start you on a path that sees you becoming a Sea Priestess and Louise makes it clear that her book is simply a stepping off point.  How much you get out of this book will depend on how deeply you choose to work with the ideas presented.  There's great potential to forge a very powerful priestess path if one delves into it and really works with it.  This will require a measure of self-discipline along with enthusiasm and determination. 

I whole heartedly recommend The Way of the Sea Priestess.  If you wish to buy a copy, check out Louise's website at www.onedropof.co.uk