NetGalley Arc Review

Truly enjoyed this read, well curated, pleasure to see that the author gives a solid foundation for history and even back history if needed even before she goes into the topic (Goddess) at hand.

Highly recommend!

An in-depth book for anyone wanting to practice within the Hellenistic World's deities or for former mythology nerd kids (like myself). It's well-written and very informative; certainly a niche book but right on target for its demographic.

This book told me a lot of information about ancient goddesses. I think I will reread this book to gain more insight into the ancient goddesses discussed in this book.

A great clear, and concise dive into the seven goddesses. Some are familiar names, others were new to me. I liked the history, stories, and rites for the goddesses. It went into enough detail without getting too long winded.

Even if I'm a bit wary of approaching the Hellenistic World without approaching its culture I appreciated this book and the work the author did.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I love mythology of any kind so learning about different goddesses was fascinating to me. I didn't know much about the Hellenistic period at all, but I enjoyed learning and how the author gave meditations and different things to connect the reader to the goddesses. Even if you're not spiritual it was still a fascinating read.

Thank you so much to Llewellyn publications and Netgalley for providing me with an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is phenomenal. It's hard to find spiritual books about Hellenism and this one is formatted in a way that is easy to follow while still being very informative. With an increase of interest in Hellenic paganism this book definitely fills a gap in the market for new age books.

This book is great for beginners just getting into diety work, as well as those more experienced just wanting to expand their knowledge.

Each section about the different godesses starts with a myth, then a journal prompt, then a meditation and finishes with a ritual. I've incorporated some of these ideas into my practice with great effect.

I would LOVE to see an audiobook made for this book. The stories, and meditations in particular would translate so well to an audio format.

It would also be great to see a book about the Gods of the Hellenic world as well, or just more books like this in general.

Overall, just a fantastic resource and I hope to see more like this from the author.

"Jo Graham introduces you to the history and mythology of seven Hellenistic goddesses and teaches you how to work with each one in your spiritual practice"

I loved the detail that went into describing each goddess and what they represent. The journal prompts and meditations were really thoughtful and thought provoking .
I really liked that these were goddesses I didnt know-- its often a repeat of Aphrodite, Athena Hecate etc when it comes to goddess info and this was really unique and refreshing.

What an experience this book has been!

As the title mentions, it feature 7 goddesses of the Hellenistic world. Some are very famous, like Aphrodite, but presented in aspects that are not very popular. And others are goddesses that you might have not know about, but so intriguing. The book features historical facts about each goddess and her worship, a tale that shows her power, than invites you on a journey of reflecting on her story and how you can nurture a connection with her, through meditation, ritual and correspondences, all provided.

The fact that they are Hellenistic goddesses is a very important aspects that guides the whole book. And it was an answer that I was looking for a long time, and truly a great idea to the question: how do we make better this world where we are all together in our diversity? In a way, this book and how it presents goddess Cybele, is a form of celebrating this diversity.

There are so many reason why I loved this book. The first thing that caught me was that it finally put into context, really into historical context, what each of these goddesses meant and how they were worshiped, which so many books about goddesses lack and it feels it was very much needed. Then there were the stories, so captivating! And, on a personal note, the goddesses chosen and their aspects spoke to me on so many levels.

I feel this book is a small, but a perfect mix between an academic, historical view of these goddesses and their presence into our modern lives, for those who feel called to walk on the goddess path. For me, this is a book that I will come back over and over again to reflect on the stories, on the goddesses' traits and to use the journal prompts. I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone who wants to know more and work with the goddesses.

I received a copy of this in order to offer my personal view on it.

Great book! Well written with new information for me. I enjoyed Jo's style of writing and felt like the information/stories were interesting and enjoyable.

Seven Goddesses is a series of stories and practical ways to bring the Goddess into your life in a meaningful way. My favorite Goddess is Epona. The goddess of horses and the Celtic Tribes. Her correspondences are given as well as a ritual and story about her . The rituals are not in need of strange materials nor hard to do techniques but simple, meaningful, methods. Yes I did find more Horse in my life while doing this , The syncronicities were obvious . This book is meant to bring positive change and wisdom to the reader IMO, and it certainly did for me.Excellent book for the curious or spiritual seeker not afraid to try new things.

Fantastic Knowledge

Jo Graham states that in this book she will introduce seven of the great goddesses of the ancient world, specifically the universal goddesses widely worshipped in the Hellenistic world between 320 BCE and approximately 200 CE. She that these seven goddesses were chosen because they reached out to a wide variety of worshippers over a long period of time rather than being confined to a particular people and place and because they continue to be relevant to many.

The author states that some of these goddesses will be familiar to us, such as: Isis, Athena, Aphrodite, while others will be less familiar, such as: Atargatis, Tyche , Cybele. She states that Epona, is most familiar today as a Celtic deity. and her worship has spread across the Hellenistic world, which is the context she will explore mostly in this book. She adds that different places might have emphasized worship of a different deity, but all of them would have been known in a vibrant polytheistic society.

Jo Graham describes how she will introduce these goddesses to us in this book, first she will introduce each goddess through a story, just as we would have if you had grown up in one of the great cities of the past. Secondly, we’ll examine the story and its context through journaling and reading. Thirdly, we’ll delve deeper with a meditation directed at meeting this goddess in a modern context. She states that because we do not live in the Hellenistic world, we cannot recreate the past. Lastly, we will provide a modern rite to each goddess appropriate to a solitary practitioner or a small group.

The author states that to optimize our use of this book, we will need a means of journaling whether it is a physical book or an electronic journal, and we will also need some specific ritual equipment for the rites, including candles and incense if you use it.

She states that one of the most common ways to honor the gods was to pour a libation, an offering of wine, water, or another liquid while declaring that it is for them, and another very common way to honor the gods in the Hellenistic world was by burning incense.

She states that each of the goddesses in the following chapters had many aspects and was worshipped in different ways at different places and times, and that she has concentrated primarily on one aspect so that the story, meditation, and rite are coherent.

The author gives some background information on the Hellenistic World, while discussing the worshipping of goddesses in various parts of the world. She discusses each goddess in great detail, stating each's story, meditation style: lessons from each; a rite to honor each; each's corresponding color, incense, symbols, festival day, and food. These varied from one goddess to another and not all were applicable, while some goddesses required other extra practices to be performed.

Additionally, the author discusses dates for rites and celebrations. She that while she has examined seven of the most prominent goddesses worshipped in the Hellenistic world, there are many others to explore, and she provides a list of a few of them below:
1. Persephone/ Proserpina —The Greek Queen of the Underworld, daughter of Demeter, wife of Hades, was widely worshipped across the Mediterranean. Known as Proserpina to the Romans, in the eastern part of the Hellenistic world she was often conflated with Isis in her role as Queen of the Dead.
2. Demeter/ Ceres —The Greek mother goddess was conflated with the Roman Ceres, goddess of grain , and with Isis as Baubo in Egypt. Her worship was also widespread, usually in tandem with her daughter.
3. Nike —The goddess of victory was invoked across the Hellenistic world for prowess in battle. She was sometimes seen as an aspect of Athena, sometimes as a separate goddess.
4. Asherah —A Canaanite goddess of fertility and bounty, her worship continued in the Eastern Mediterranean throughout the Hellenistic period. She was often conflated with Isis or Aphrodite.
5. Selene—The personification of the moon, she was worshipped widely, often in tandem with her brother, Helios, the sun.
6. Bastet/ Bast —The Egyptian cat goddess, she brings joy and fertility but also protects the home. She spread with cats from Egypt to the far corners of the world.

In conclusion, the author states that there are many other goddesses you will encounter if you read and research the Hellenistic period because there were literally hundreds of goddesses worshipped. Many were local or unique to a particular people and time rather than wide spread, but all of them are fascinating!

This is a book of great information on goddesses of the Hellenistic World and their traits. I really enjoyed reading this book. Highly recommend.

Absolutely fascinating stories in this.I have long been interested in this time in history and have often wondered about their religious practices so I decided to give this book a shot.Presented in an informative and engaging manner each chapter starts with a God's story and proceeds from there to teach modern worshippers how they might do that today.While I fell in love with the stories I just wasn't particularly a fan of the sections for modern worshippers.It just wasn't for me but this did satisfy some of my basic curiosity and it seemed well researched and written.

I found this book to be very enlightening. To read something that opens your mind to many new perspectives on a new subject is fascinating. The Author takes their time to explain in great detail about seven Goddesses. The Author found a way to bring awareness to their history and stories and a way to use them in your own practices and rituals. This book is very informative and a great way for anyone to learn more about the Goddesses. The book is focused on Cybele, Tyche, Athena, Isis, Atargatis, Epona and Aphrodite.

I really enjoyed learning about these goddesses. The author gives a wonderful perspective of each and how to bring them into your practice. I would love to find more literature on these goddesses to incorporate into mine.

When I was younger I was never into mythology, but as I’ve gotten older I find the goddesses of most interest and this book provides details on seven of them. The author covers each of seven goddesses in depth. From the history and stories around them and then how to incorporate them into your practice with rituals.

This is a fabulous book focused on Tyche, Isis, Athena, Atargatis, Epona, Aphrodite, and Cyblele. You’ll be fascinated by, and learn much from, this book.