The Pagan Book of Living and Dying: Practical Rituals, Prayers, Blessings, and Meditations on Crossing Over

This book fills a real need in the Neo-Pagan and Wiccan community for rituals and resources related to dying, death and bereavement. As our secular culture increasingly denies death and our population begins to age, Pagans are finding ourselves faced with the task or reinventing or reviving traditional roles in assisting people as they approach death and supporting their loved ones through that difficult transition. Starhawk and other authors touch on such difficult but necessary topics of child death, AIDS, organ donation and accommodating diverse beliefs of family members, always with grace and compassion. LGBT and other minority voices are prominent throughout. This book is a fantastic reference for anyone who might be tasked with helping to plan rituals of any size to mark the transition of a loved one to death. The inclusion of printed music for chants and hymns is particularly helpful.My one criticism of this book is that the section on deciding what to do with one's remains does not address the current sustainable ("green") burial options that are growing in availability. Neo-Paganism and Wicca are earth-centric paths, and the idea of the body being returned as directly as possible to nature is commonly expressed in discussions about death. Burial is mentioned only in the context of a traditional cemetery plot with a concrete vault liner and perpetual maintenance. I feel the segment in The Pagan Book of Living and Dying is outdated in this respect and overly dismissive of green burial and home funerals. I look forward to the revised and updated edition, or better yet, Vol 2!

I cannot say enough good things about this book!!! The layout of the book is very approachable. The personal stories, rituals, prayers, songs, chants, poems, and meditations are invaluable!I especially enjoyed the story "Bo's Cremation" by Patricia Michael. The details given of his life and death are so personal and helpful. The instructions (and examples of trial/error) in obtaining a loved one's body, keeping it on dry ice, and setting up your own viewing and cremation ceremony was amazing. I was also thoroughly drawn to the story "Aric Arthur Graf Dies (or Rickie Goes to Become an Ancestor)" by Donald L. Engstrom. This story was very intimate and striking. The idea of the author going into trance and being able to astrally project himself with his loved one on another plane about to cross over was mesmerizing.The items about using the Tarot with death related activities was helpful. The last section of the book gives fabulous concrete things you can do do make sure all your "things" are in order for your own death. This should be read and acted upon by all, because you just never know when you may have to go (like one section of the book says--always keep your bags packed).Being fairly new to the Wiccan religion still, I feel like I have a more concrete understanding in the Pagan beliefs of death and dying. I feel more enlightened about the subject in general as well. I found the section on suicide to help answer a lot of questions I had about that. The book doesn't just make it a cut-and-dried topic either, it talks about the intricies of suicide based on depression, long term health illness, and other topics.It's been said in other reviews, but I must reiterate--This book belongs in EVERY Pagan home. The sooner the better.

I would recommend this book to anyone ,who wants some insight into how a pagan deals with the final act of life,i.e. death.I have read so many pagan books concerning every aspect of 'Being A Pagan',except one dealing with the topic of death.This book is a must for all serious heathen clergy members.What i did not like about the book,was that it focused on AIDS victims quite a lot.As if to say,that all pagans are homosexual or jewish-oriented.Yes,they are a part of the pagan movement,yet they are not the anchor of the neo-pagan community.We need to have compassion for AIDS sufferers,and also for all people who are suffering with disease and pain.As the greying boomer population moves toward their final years,this book does an excellent job in helping one cope with that transition.Our culture is obsessed with youth and vanity.Mother Nature laughs at the vanity of the human race.The cycle of Nature was spinning well before we got here.And will continue on well after our cities,our bridges,our toys are all gone.We can choose to deny the power of Nature and proclaim our human supremacy over it.Or we can thank Mother Nature for our time here with her and teach Earth-Wisdom to our children.This book isn't perfect,but by far,it will start people thinking about a more humane and natural way to expire with dignity,beyond the modern linear age of the 21st century.Are we all just clock-work oranges rolling towards a controlled pre-packaged doomed fate?Or will we awaken and change our destiny upon the fragile planet Earth.

The media could not be loaded.  This book is packed full of information but the cover is so cheap and flimsy it's like that oak tag that we used in art class in elementary school.. the pages are thin like home printer paper. Such a shame because it's packed full of information but unfortunately I have to look for something that's going to last a lifetime like a Bible should because I would like to go to it from time to time for reference. I wouldn't mind spending the extra money on something if I knew it was going to last. Check out my enclosed video and a couple pictures trying to show how thin the cover (I use that term lightly) is. Also a shame that the little white books you getting a pack of tarot cards will last longer than this book.

The book gives a real onsite into expectations regarding living and Dy ING within a spiritual path

The condition of the book was a little worse than I expected but it doesn't hinder the reading process.It's an insightful book and I recommend to anyone considering buying it.

I bought this because I was planning a funeral. It was inspiring and wonderful. I used some of the contents in the funeral. But more than that I found reading it as I thought about the planning very healing. We had a woodland burial and many of the participants said how appropriate it was and how it was the best funeral they had ever been to.

Lots of useful information written in a really concise way. Facing up to such things is very difficult. This book takes a lot of the guessing out of what to do in a highly emotional situation where it's difficult to think straight.

The Pagan Book of Living and Dying is well written and easy to follow and offers guidance to anyone interested in Pagan beliefs on life, death and re-birth. Very helpful to those planning or involved in creating a meaningful Pagan funeral celebration.