Pagan Portals: The Awen Alone - A Guide to the Path of the Solitary Druid

Evelyn C. Mallory: This little book is an excellent introduction to solitary Druidry. Small but mighty!

United States on Feb 26, 2023

Suzanne: This is a great book to start your journey. I have practised Druidry in the past with groups, battled with my soul and with many toxic personalities, unfortunately this lead to me neglecting my heart and soul which has been very painful. Due to many changes in life, (having the strength to discard toxic friends, health and emigration to distant climbs) I was not ready to look into my soul again for a few years and kept battling with this. I bought this book on Kindle and read it with comfort, knowing I am not alone and sometimes we can just be happy walking this path as one with nature, alone. A very open minded book with no judgement or order which forces you to feel you need to follow others or follow their path because they say its the right thing to do. The author seems very genuine and wants you to embrace how you feel rather than make you feel like you should have a Masters in Philosophy, History or have swallowed a Thesaurus just to make up the length of a book with obscure words that you will never hear or read again, let alone understand why it has been used.

United Kingdom on Oct 24, 2020

Silvia Helena de Oliveira: O livro flui deliciosamente. Fácil entendimento e absorção de todas as noções de druidismo. E as descrições faz você se sentir no ambiente. Recomendo.

Brazil on Mar 20, 2019

Sue Snider: I felt this was a good guide to following a solitary practice of Druidry. There was no preachiness or pushiness in this, like I'd encountered in other books. In my opinion, Joanna Van Der Hoeven presented great guidelines for forging a path and worshipping the way one wants. No two people can experience their spirituality the same; the author takes this into account. I will be using this book as a guide as I continue to learn more.

United States on Nov 28, 2018

Tamara: Interesting ideas that I had not thought of before. I feel very blessed to have found this book and will read it again.

Canada on Sep 29, 2018

Noelia: Is a very basic teaching about druidry, like an introduction, but is very clear to understand, very well expressed.I enjoyed it very much. And the book arrived before the expecting date,considering that I'm abroad,that is excellent!

Spain on Nov 29, 2017

Amazon Customer: I am deeply appreciative of Joanna van der Hoeven's book. After reading a great deal on line about Druidry, I wanted to learn more. I was drawn to this book because (a) the concept of Awen is what most attracts me to the Druid path over other branches of paganism, and (b) I have a personal aversion to organized religion and wanted the opportunity to explore alone rather than depending on finding a group that may or may not align with what I want out of this experience. At first I was a little put off by the introduction in which the author describes a regular day for her which felt wholly removed from the realities of my life. But as I continued to read, I found that van der Hoeven gives incredible space for following Druidry according to the realities of one's life and the parts that may or may not resonate with an individual. She offers practices as tools instead of requirements, while still specifying what might be considered the identifying characteristics of Druidry. It was very much what I'd hoped to find and is refreshingly different from another text on solitary Druidry (a much more prescriptive, formal, and theistic take on Druidry than Awen Alone presents) that I am...

United States on Aug 11, 2017

nichtIch: 5 stars for a nicely written book clearly designed to make it a primer for beginners.
Druidry seems to be a wide field and I really appreciate that the author never gets tired of telling the reader that everybody is responsible for her own (way).
That said, she openly lays out her chosen solitary approach as one out of an infinite possibilities and differing examples, just to give the reader a bare minimum of necessary and possible guidance.

I found some passages where too much 'talk and philosophy' about life in general, but that is a question of personal taste as I never had the feeling that one of the <100 pages packed with practical instructions, ideas, concepts or musings about life is actually wasted.

If you are looking for an entry point into this field I believe this small book might be a very good choice indeed.
Just so remember to follow up on the authors' advice to always go beyond and at least study the recommended reading list at the end: Joannas' van der Hoeven book simply aims at opening the door, it is a first step on the pathway only. The rest is up to you.

Germany on May 25, 2015

DeAnnaBanana: I actually liked this book a lot more than I was expecting. For the past few years I've been what some would call an arm chair occultist. Spiritually, I love the ideas behind wicca in all its forms, but never was able really connect with it, try as I might. Even though I had read some about the Celts and their mythologies before, this book adds something different, maybe the practicality? that really struck a chord with me and made me feel like I did already have a connection to the druid path. The connection to and reverence for nature appeal very much to me, and I really like that it promotes gratefulness and appreciation. I will definitely be reading more about it!

United States on May 10, 2015

Lou Britt: THE AWEN ALONE was a really thoughtful little book about solitary druidism. I really enjoyed it. Perhaps what struck me most (besides the author's careful and elegant tone) was that she is committed not only to helping the environment, but other people. She encourages a conscientious lifestyle that I so rarely see in Pagan books these days (which are self-indulgent to the point of narcissism anymore). As an introduction piece, there is the expected chapters on both ritual and holy days that are part of every pagan book, but THE AWEN ALONE provides enough original, thoughtful material that the experienced pagan shouldn't mind.

This was a great introduction to druidism, and it made me curious to explore the faith further. This was a truly successful entry into the Pagan Portal series, and I hope to read more from Joanna van der Hoeven in the future.

United States on Dec 07, 2014