"An Erotic Memoir of Spiritual Awakening "by Phyllis Currott. PAPERBACK: 368 pages. PUBLISHER: Unknown (January 5, 2006). ISBN-10: 1615514864. ISBN-13: 978-1615514861SYNOPSIS"In her third book High Priestess Curott recounts her spiritual journey as she searches for true love guided by her daemon", a being described as her own inner divine masculine self. The story begins with the author's yearning for love. In a moment of deep longing she makes a wish upon a star and shortly thereafter, she begins hearing and seeing the voice and image of James Dean--the form her daemon has chosen to interact with her. This causes her to research the concept of synchronicity and ultimately she is introduced to a Wiccan eventually becoming a practicing witch herself. The advice and friendship of Nonna, a wise and revered craft-elder, guides Curott on her magickal quest for enduring love as she also struggles to establish her law-practice, and explore a career in filmmaking. Curott casts a powerful spell for love and soon discovers that finding true-love is about more than finding a lover. As the spell unfolds she meets and eventually marries Derek, a part-time musician, and finds that she still longs for something that Derek is unable to give her. She eventually learns that the path to true-love begins within rather than without. THE GOODThe book presents some very interesting concepts such as one's daemon acting as a guide in the individual's quest for love. The story itself is loaded with simple rituals, and insights into relationships, history and psychology
presenting these concepts and ideas without being preachy. At the end of the book, Curott has included an appendix which includes a collection of simple love spells, potion, and a list of Love God/dess, flowers and herbs that will assist you in writing your own love spell. There is a great deal of wisdom in this book and each reader will take from it what they will. THE BAD Whereas the title suggests that this is a memoir, the story seems to be a fictionalized version of somewhat-true events. The story was, at time, slow and the time between foreshadowed events and the point at which they transpired was too long. The characters did not seem fleshed out enough and I often found myself confusing one character with another. Other characters, such as Nonna, seemed too perfect. Though Nonna is presented as a wise and learned elder of the craft, her conversations with Curott felt too unrealistic and contrived. For his part, Derek comes off as a weak, ineffectual man completely responsible for the author's dissatisfaction in their marriage. Curott, by contrast, seems incapable of taking responsibility for her part in the demise of her relationship, instead painting herself as the long, suffering wife. THE VERDICT Though the story was slow at times and the characters a bit unrealistic, there is wisdom in this book. The ideas and practical exercises in "The Love Spell" are well presented and can help others in their own search for love. For this reason I give it 3 out of 5 pentacles.LINKSCarolina Dean
