Book Tag administered by L-Q-S

L-q-s has tagged me to write about my books. L-q-s is a woman for whom I have the utmost respect and who writes a fabulous blog - go check it out! She is on my Blog Roll.

So here are the answers to her questions:

TOTAL NUMBER OF BOOKS: Well I have owned thousands in my time. However, storage is always the problem. I came from a family who love books - we did not have a telly for ages and we all became avid readers. My current family don't read at all, I am the only book worm so its my books that have to be accommodated, therefore I run a tight ship on what books get displayed in the book cases - of which I have two. I have one in my bedroom - mine, all mine which must hold - ermmm let me have a quick look, 200 and one in my therapy room which has about 50 in it. I also have a pile of about ten current ones on my bedside table. I operate an efficient rotation system so books will go into storage - there are books in the garage and in the attic.

LAST BOOK READ: Now this is a moot point! I always have about 5 on the go - so its hard to pin down the one that was last read. I think if we are talking cover to cover all the way through in one go then it was Kate West: The Real Witches Handbook, I devoured this on holiday - super beach reading material. However before that it was Starhawk: The Spiral Dance, more witchy themes but less of a 101 approach.

LAST BOOK BOUGHT: I bought 4 books last time I had a spree. I am reading them all simultaneously;

The Gift of Therapy: Irvin D Yalom
Advanced Witchcraft: Edain McCoy
My Voice Will Go With You: Milton Erikson
Emotional Intelligence: Daniel Goleman

I also purchased a DSMIV for my practice. Bit of a yawn but it looks professional.

5 MEANINGFUL BOOKS: Oooh what a question! There have been so many, and as I write i am aware of how sketchy I am being. I think its the cold, its hard to be inspirational when snuffling into Olbas Vapour Release tissues, but here goes.

Women that Run with the Wolves: Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Get this book! I have read and re read this book! It analyses fairy tales, and folk tales to see what the message is for women, primarily, but also for men that wish to connect to their 'Wild Nature'. It is an emotionally powerful book, and explores the way that the dried out dead nature of women, dulled by too much constraint and duty can be sung back into life. It shows how our nature needs to become wolf like and alive. In the following passage, it is La Loba - the eternal spirit of the soul of women that does the singing.

"And when she is sure, she stand above the creature, raises her arms over it and sings out. That is when the rib bones and leg bones of the wolf begin to flesh out and the creature becomes furred. la Loba sings some more, and more of the creature comes into being; its tail curls upward, shaggy and strong.
And La Loba sings more and the wolf creature begins to breathe.
And still la Loba sings so deeply that the floor of the desert shakes, and as she sings, the wolf opens its eyes, leaps up, and runs away down the canyon.

Somewhere in the running, whether by the speed of its running, or by splashing its way into a river, or by way of a ray of sunlight or moonlight hitting it right in the side, the work is suddenly transformed into a laughing woman who runs free toward the horizon."

Any woman who has raised children, and done what society and family expected of her and has fought for her life will know what this means. It gets me every time!

Lord of the Rings: JRR Tolkien

THE book of the 20th Century. Pulls up all kinds of symbolic stuff and metaphor that is buried in race memory. Archetypal story of good and evil. Profound! What would we pagans do without it. Half our ritual names and moot labels would disappear for start off!

I mentioned Ludo and the Star Horse by Mary Stewart in another tag post so I wont do that again. But that one is incredibly meaningful for me.

Hedgewitch: Rae Beth

The first real witchy book I read. I used to try and contain my interest in alternative spirituality. After all Witchcraft is condemned in the Bible (in fact what gets practiced today in modern Wicca is a million miles away from the biblical definition which involves the making of medicinal remedies and consulting with the dead - a clairvoyant GP is probably as near as you can get to the biblical definition). So for years I sneaked around and did nothing about my very obvious leanings, and the inner drive towards discovering who I was. This book was the first mainstream volume that got bought for me as a Christmas present. It was my 'come out of the broom closet' book and therefore significant.

The Bible: God

Has been ever present in my life. I was born into a deeply religious family and I used to know most of it off by heart - can still quote a lot from memory. Majorly influential. The most amazing literary phenomenon and I still believe it is a revelation of divine concepts. I think it is not as literally true as the fundamentalists would have us believe but it contains profound truth, and prophecy.

Lords and Ladies: Terry Pratchett

Had to give old Tel a mention. This one is my particular favourite but they all have merit. Witty, clever, sharp - great fun, and in fact something I need to read again. I have got rather bogged down with 'worthy' volumes and a bit of Discworld frivolity would do me good!

(Celestine Prophecy of course - James Redfield, I know I have now quoted 7 but this one has to get a mention - it sort of changed my life, its an enzyme, not quite sure how it does it but it continues to change people).

So there you have it, the best I can manage with such a cold. Sorry for having no hyperlinks but I just feel too damn poorly to be fiddling about copying and pasting. I need to lie down!