The Night Journey – A Book To Advance Your Path

Last updated on: October 13, 2020 at 11:20 am by Laura Tempest Zakroff

The Night Journey – A Book To Advance Your Path 2020-10-13T11:20:43-08:00 Laura Tempest Zakroff

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Photo by Lili Popper on Unsplash

A little while ago I posted about the need for experienced Witches and magical practitioners to re-examine those “favorite” books they like to recommend to new folks – especially if they haven’t read them in the last 10 years or more. Part of this is because we tend to have nostaglia for books that meant something to us when we were newbies – and that’s largely because of where we were on our paths. After looking at them again with more experienced minds, we often find them lacking, full of misinformation, or just out of date when it comes to modern-day issues.

Another aspect of this challenge is to also make sure we’re reading what’s being published today – not only books that we perceive to be at our “level” but beginning books as well. This task applies to me as well, so as I encounter newly published books I think folks would benefit from, I’ll be posting them here on my blog.

“The Night Journey” by Yvonne Aburrow

The book I’d like to recommend to you today is The Night Journey by Yvonne Aburrow. This book is not meant to be an introductory book, but is geared more towards more intermediate (and beyond) practitioners. That said, I certainly think that some advanced beginners would definitely benefit from some sections of this book – and the rest they can revisit later. The Night Journey tackles a wide array of concepts from ritual technique and power dynamics in covens to queering your practice and addressing tough topics like appropriation and colonialism. There is a heavy focus on Wicca, which Yvonne is upfront about (being a large part of their personal experience), but I don’t believe that should dissuade any other kind of Witch or similar magical practitioner from checking out this book. In fact, what Yvonne shares not only gives greater insight into that structure and how to consider it through a modern, culturally-aware lens, but also much of it is applicable to any practice or tradition – especially those who work in groups.

Now some of the topics are extremely relevant to RIGHT NOW and there are modern media references. I mention this because some views, references, and research can change on a dime, especially when politics and social media are involved. As an author myself, I know it’s a tightrope walk to deal with current and relevant issues, and also create something that will still seem relevant 2, 6, 10, or 20 years down the line. What that means is that some parts are crucial topics for right here and now, others may become integral parts of the communal practice down the line so there won’t be a need to call them out, and other parts may shift out of focus. That’s just how print media works, so I recommend keeping that context in mind – whether you’re reading this book or anything else being written while we’re all dwelling in a sweltering cultural crucible. Either way you look at it, The Night Journey strongly addresses topics that many folks in the younger generations are actively asking and are concerned about. That means that the older folks can use this book as a vital resource to bridge the generational gap, get a better idea of what younger practitioners are worried about today, and actively work to enhance everyone’s practice collectively.

In summary: The Night Journey is a well-researched, current examination of practices, concepts, and beliefs that are relevant to the modern-day practitioner. It’s also an easy read in tone and approach, while being a chonky book at 364 pages. Definitely worth checking out.

You can purchase this book at https://shop.doreenvaliente.org (as well as find it on amazon).

Previous Post

October 10, 2020

Sigils to Protect the Vote

Next Post

October 20, 2020 Cool the Fires - A Sigil for Land Connection & Healing

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Art Books cats cauldron month community contest Events home Metaphysics Modern Practice Movement Myth & Folklore satire sigils Tradition travel Uncategorized video

Select a Month October 2026 May 2026 March 2026 January 2026 September 2025 August 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 August 2024 June 2024 May 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 February 2023 December 2022 November 2022 September 2022 July 2022 May 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz