Walking the Maze

December 1, 1998
Cruden, midwife, herbalist, and author of The Spirit of Place (LJ 9/1/96), again focuses on the spiritual and natural realms. Here she explores what she understands to be the essentials of the Celtic spirit, especially as illuminated in the traditional culture of the Scottish Highlands. Her concern is to identify key surviving or retrievable elements of this spirit, such as "kinship consciousness," so that people may incorporate these elements in their own spiritual walks. She writes well, and her book is a pleasantly individualistic ramble through various aspects of Scottish history, Scottish parallels to American Indian history and lore, modern environmental awareness, and more. Cruden is admirably cautious and honest about the many pitfalls of exploring such realms. Although not an essential purchase, this is an enjoyable addition to collections where there is strong interest in Celtic culture and the spiritual life.--Charles V. Cowling, Drake Memorial Lib., Brockport, NY