“Dancing Shadows” (Aoumiel 1992)

This book is written under the pseudonym “Aoumiel,” which is the author’s craft name.  She uses the name Ann Moura in her more recent books.  Moura has written many books on witchcraft, such as: her “Green Witchcraft series” including “Grimoire of a Green Witch.”  Ann Moura considers herself a hereditary practitioner of a nature based tradition.  Her writing is down to earth and easy to understand, which is wonderful for those just starting out, and it is a refreshing read for those used to more arduous works.

“Dancing Shadows: The Roots of Western Religious Beliefs” is an all encompassing and unique piece.  The author takes an academic approach in comparison of modern Wicca and Neo-Paganism with the earliest traditions preceding the first civilizations.  Aoumiel begins by tracing the origins of the first civilizations of the Indus Valley.  She describes a tolerant earth-centered tradition with no centralized clergy.  They worshipped a male and female androgynous pair, very similar to modern paganism.

Aoumiel follows the nomadic journey of these early civilizations across the Eurasian continent, and how they took their religions with them.  From the the building of the pyramids to the birth of Abrahamic religions and monotheism beliefs and how at their foundations they are more connected than people realize or want to admit.  She speaks in depth on the institutionalizations of religion and how the Catholic Church took power through dogma and religious doctrine, using some politics to gain a foothold in the Roman Empire.

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in the historic roots of religion from a non-Abrahamic point of view.  The scholarly voice and academic sources make this  a refreshing break from the monotony of “Witchcraft 101” books.  I would recommend this book to any serious reader of the occult and/or witchcraft traditions.  It serves as a good place to start for those looking to understand the origins of religion and its history.

July 26th, 2015

9:20 am