This book strikes a welcome balance between Neo-Pagan fluff (no, it's not ALL fluff, but you know what I mean) and unreadable scholarly tomes (no, they're not ALL unreadable, but you know what I mean). Ms. Paris' psychological insights into these myths are incredibly compelling. Are the gods "real?" Who knows, and does it matter? Their effect on us -- as archetypes and symbols -- is deeply significant in either case, whether you're a modern maenad or an interested agnostic (or both). Ginette Paris' book addresses that significance in ways which are entirely relevant and applicable to modern life, guiding the reader on the path of pagan grace.

Ginette Paris brings a contempory feminist approach to three very different Greek goddesses. The section devoted to the oft overlooked Hestia is particularly interesting. Ms. Paris brings a social and ecological sensibility to this thoughtful, well-argued text.

I had no idea when I began to read this book how it would enter my daily life. I thought I was reading about goddesses of a long time ago, but instead it was as if the author put a mirror in front of me and pointed out each one- Hestia, Aphrodite, Artemis- all inside of me and around me.

This is a book that men and women will find a joy to read, with the reward of discovering aspects of not just one's own self, but of one's home, one's work, one's family/friends, and one's life replete with the gentle touch of each of these goddesses.

I will never again light a fire or cook a meal without connecting with Hestia. This book not only educates and enlightens, but manages to connect one with the wonderful energies of each goddess.

It was not just an excellent raed, it was a life transforming adventure. Ms. Paris is one amazing writer and person to have seen and felt so much, but even more to have been able to put words in print for us all to make that journey, each in our own way.

"It is as important to talk about marriages as to talk about the national election."

This quotation from Phyllis Rose, referred to in one of the eleven articles of volume six of the journal Spring, devoted to marriage, resonates through the entire issue in an astonishing variety of ways.

From publisher James Hillman's own reflections on "Marriage, Intimacy, Freedom" to Ginette Paris' "If You Invite the Gods Into Your Marriage" to C.L. Sebrell's "Marry the Gardener!" the importance of marriage to the individual soul, the immediate community and society as a whole is exhaustively but entertainingly discussed.

Perhaps the best, and certainly the most delightful, piece in this collection is Sebrell's, which not only re-visions our understanding of the Greek god Priapos, bringing our attention back to the Greek view of him as a careful and talented lover and not just as a glorified satyr, but also uses this examination of Priapos, also the god of gardens, to drive home the point that the best and happiest marriages occur when two people who are already whole come together, seeking in marriage not salvation or completeness, but a life of shared tenderness and esthetic and erotic pleasure.

Helen Henley's "What Can We Ask of Marriage?" reiterates this point: "A conscious relationship must always presuppose two individuals able to make a committment to a meaningful life together," and "Its achievement is both an art and a discipline."

Full disclosure time: I, your humble reviewer, have never been married. But I arose from a marriage, one whose partners are still joined, and I live in a society that still in some sense values marriage, still sees it as a subject worth examining in film and song and dry political debate. Much of these examinations have proven pointless, dull, fruitless, seeking only to point a finger of blame for what is wrong about marriage.

In 1996, the editors of Spring chose to point out what is still right, still possible, and also to ask why marriage still matters, still obsesses us, still happens in the 20th century and beyond.

And in the process, they have made even unmarried free agents like myself take a look at this most basic of institutions and say to it "Yes, it is important to talk about."

I believe that it is the choice of women to have abortions if necessary however, I don't believe that using as a means of sacrifice is right. Modern day pagans and wiccans should have better morals than this. I am pagan myself and I find it offensive. True wiccans, if they go by the basic principals believe that you shouldn't kill. I think that it is an immoral and mis-informative book as far as the view on modern day wiccans and pagans. Personally I wouldn't use this book for firestarter. Don't Buy it. Please also note that real wiccans and pagans in today's socieity look down on this and that we don't believe in that or in satan. Thanks.

It is clear why so many women have flocked to abortion clinics. Abortion truly is a sacred thing, when viewed from a satanic perspective, it is quite clearly an offering to satan himself. Good men and women have nothing to fear from these pagans. Our enemies it seems, are killing themselves off.

This is a book that challenges you to think and to open your mind. I still don't know precisely where I agree and disagree with her, but many years after reading "The Sacrament of Abortion," I am still thinking about what Paris had to say still agreeing and disagreeing and that makes this book far more valuable to me than most books I have read.

Ginette Paris goes right to the heart of one of the scariest and most difficult issues in the world today: abortion. She shows a courage, bordering on recklessness in confronting the issue. Paris doesn't glorify abortion as a ritual sacrifice, she sees the decision about whether or not to carry a child as a sacred decision which involves life, death, love, motherhood, sexuality and the origins of each humans' existence on earth. Paris suggests that no one should take the decision lightly. Having an abortion without truly considering the weight and significance of the decision is wrong, a violation of a sacred bond - but so is taking the decision away from a woman. Abortion is not a sterile choice. When a woman has an abortion, something sacred - something of value is destroyed. Yet, sometimes abortion can be the right choice. For Paris, a woman who chooses to have a child - when that child will clearly and obviously suffer a damaged, limited and wounded life has made the wrong maternal decision. No one should decide for the woman according to Paris, but there is a moral obligation for the woman to choose wisely.

Paris says that debates about the viability of the fetus are far too materialistic. Viability means more than just the ability to live outside the womb, viability should be seen socially and relationally. If I am to be a mother, I should consider: is there a community ready to embrace this child? Is there a world that I can prepare for this child so that s/he will thrive? Who will name and love the baby?

Ginette Paris also comments on how comfortable many of us are with singing the praises of men who fight and kill in war, or fights for honor. Society honors wise men who decide when to kill another and when to spare a life... yet we are so uncomfortable with the idea that a pregnant woman might make the same kind of decision about the life growing within her that we can't think straight about it. It is either an evil murder of an innocent, or a choice about a minor surgical procedure. Paris says it is neither. The reception that her book received shows how hard it is for us to think straight about the issue.