Top 10 Pagan Books Of 2016

#2. Nina Lyon, Uprooted: On the Trail of the Green Man

(Faber & Faber)

I was very fortunate to attend a talk by Nina Lyon on the Green Man at the October Gallery in London, which is where I picked up a copy of Uprooted: On the Trail of the Green Man – an account of Lyon’s quest to uncover the mysteries of the Green Man.

You might expect Uprooted to be an exploration of the imagery and mythology of the Green Man, but that isn’t really what this book is about. It’s more a memoir of Lyon’s own philosophical journey to discover contemporary nature-based spirituality, and the various adventures and musings she has on the way. We read of the author’s shamanic vision quests, her idea to start a sex cult in middle England, her scathing criticism of the works of Aleister Crowley,  various antics at hippie-filled festivals, and her interpretation of tree-worship. This results in a book that’s a very eclectic mix of ideas – and fortunately, thanks to Lyon’s skills as a writer, it’s all entertaining. Her writing is profound yet funny and poignant without being sentimental. It’s a joy to read.

There is actually plenty of information on the Green Man himself in there, but it is interwoven into the text in much the same way as the Green Man’s face is obscured by leaves. You have to explore in order to find it. In fact, the spirit of the Green Man is always there in the text; he is the underlying presence behind all of Lyon’s accounts, be it her journeys to old churches, her contemplations on the relationship between man and nature and her thoughts on politics and religion. Perhaps Uprooted captures the essence of the Green Man in a way that many factual books do not. One thing it could have done with to make it truly complete would be a few photos; Lyon’s book relies heavily on visual descriptions, so some photographs of the Green Men or landscapes she mentions would have really brought her accounts to life.

Humorous, intelligent and quirky, Uprooted offers a fresh and personal insight into one of Britain’s most beloved Neopagan icons, and the socio-political context in which he has developed. A welcome addition to any Green Man fan’s literary collection.