by
Kristoffer Hughes
Published
by Thoth Publications, price £12.95
ISBN
978-1-870450-76-6
Review by
Chris Hurst
"When
we sit and listen to the Bard who feels the Awen, his words stir something deep
within us...."
I live in a little grey house deep in the middle of an ancient forest. The
walls of my little grey house are covered with bookshelves. It's great, really,
because decorating isn't so much of an issue, and the place is wonderfully well
insulated. The only drawback is it does tend to make the rooms smaller .....
but, basically, I love books and I have a lot of them. I also have a fair
number of books about Druidry, so it was only natural to add this one to my
collection.
However, this book isn't an "ordinary" book. This is a book (says she
mischievously) that is like the old adverts for Heineken lager - refreshes the
parts that other books don't reach. On one level, this is an intimate
book. It's like a warm memory of sitting beside a fireside at Yule, content,
relaxed and well-fed, enchantedly listening to an eloquent friend as
he relates tales of wondrous journeys through lands far and wide. It's a
book fundamentally about Kris' journey - but the journey is also one that we
all share as we walk our paths of heart. We can relate to the book because
we, too, have glimpsed our own aspects of the
landscape.
On a deeper level, this is a truly beautiful and passionate piece of spiritual
writing by a man in love with his land and his heritage - but above all
Kris has a gift for putting things simply. Sadly, I am no wordsmith.
I don't have the ability to reach into my mind and pull out phrases that
scintillate from my lips and fingertips but, prosaically, I did send him a text
message about half way through the book that said," If I shout
"YES!!!!" one more time, they're going to come and cart me off
to star in a shampoo ad!" Painting is my means of
expression, and Natural Druidry is one of those very special
paintings that open our eyes to a very poignant and powerful aspect of
life - making us see it simultaneously as if for the very first time and
yet with an undercurrent of knowing that this is the way it always has been and
ever will be.
All I can really say is read Natural Druidry with an open heart. Keep
reading it, too, because there's always something new to discover in its pages
...... like suddenly fully appreciating the depth and range of colour in the
leaves of a plant that's sat gathering a wee bit of dust on the
windowsill. If the Journey is all about waking up to life, this book rouses us
from slumber .......... but kindly and gently with beautifully brewed tea
in an exquisite cup!
Available from Amazon.co.uk
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