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Book
Review - A Voice in the Forest |
Back cover synopsis: |
Rhaevyn's Synopsis |
| Jimahl DiFiosa is a member of an Alexandrian coven descended from one of Alex Sanders' own groups. On a camping trip, they began using a spirit board to see what they might get. To their surprise, one of the spirits claimed to be Alex himself. This book is drawn from the notes they took during their many sessions. There are reviews of this book by people who knew Alex (including his wife, Maxine, who said, "The contact described within the book was so obviously true it gave me goose bumps.") who are certain it was him since most (if any) of the members of the group involved, including the author, did now know Alex personally to be able to mimic him convincingly. On the flip side, even if you don't believe they contacted Alex's spirit, the book still carries the messages of peace, trust, and hope for this life and for what may await us all beyond the veil. |
Entertainment Factor  |
| I could not put this book down, even though I read it while sick and should have gotten more rest. It's written very engagingly, and I wanted to find out more of what Alex had to say before he slipped away to be reborn. I am often a skeptic of accounts of people contacting spirits, but Jimahl Di Fiosa's explanation of how they worked and what they did made me think twice. Since the book was written based on the notes they took, I'm sure the writing made the events sound more exciting than they might have actually been to keep the book flowing, but it affected me so deeply that I had to continue reading well into the early hours of the morning until I finished it. |
Content and Information |
| I never knew Alex Sanders, but the first book I read about Wicca was What Witches Do by Stewart Farrar. Perhaps that makes me biased because that, too, is not a book about the "flamboyant" man, Alex Sanders, but a book in which you got to know his personality beyond his showmanship. So, this book not only gives more insight to Sanders' personality and thoughts, but there are a lot of powerful, inspirational messages. It's not a book to learn how to contact the spirit world, but a book to learn more about the man as well as ourselves. |
Usefulness  |
| Again, this is not a "how-to" book, but a documentary. It is useful in the sense of getting an idea of what can happen while working with a spirit board. DiFiosa documented the roles the members of the group took (including channeling, mediumship, scribing, etc.) as well as the emotional effect and toll the spirit contact had on everyone. There was even a situation where a hasty session had nasty results, showing that not even they could prevent unexpected occurences, and they had to react quickly before anyone got hurt. This book shows that it's not always easy street to practice spirit contact, even with an experienced group. Finally, considering I found it inspiring to my own spirituality, I'd say it was a useful book to read for the sheer reminder of how much emotion my own practices can instill. It was a personal wake-up call to that part of my heart. |
Longevity |
| As long as people remember Alex Sanders and the messages he wanted to share, there will be use for this book. It is a text that passes on his legacy to the Pagan community to continue his work. So far, the reviews I have read by his students seem to point in the direction of this being a genuine contact. Perhaps some day we will have a more scientific process of understanding the spirit world, and when that day comes, this book may or may not need to be re-reviewed. However, again, since this is not a "how-to" book but one explaining their documented communiqués with a spirit they believe to be Alex Sanders, I think this book will be able to inspire others for a long time. If anything, it's not the method, but the messages that will prove this book's longevity. |
Final Analysis  |
Oh, I hate to give this any less than five stars, but I must stick to the review system. This book is well-written, well-documented (giving it plausibility), well-reviewed by those who knew Alex, and well-explained for the skeptics like myself. The only hang-up is how useful people might find this book. I found it personally inspiring. The overall message of this book is positive, no matter if you do or do not believe in spirit contact. I think that this is what makes this book so important to me--even a work of fiction can inspire my spirituality. It may inspire others to look into studying mediumship further. It may also inspire people to understand the man known as Alex Sanders. It is a different book with a different approach to practicing your religion--instead of focusing on the "how-to's" like most books, it simply documents what one group did and lets you glean your own lessons from it. I'm a skeptic, and I love this book. Jimahl DiFiosa, his coven-mates, and Harvest Shadows have given me a lot to think about. I ponder Alex's messages often. I think that's what he would have wanted. |
Author:
Jimahl DiFiosa
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I'll admit a bias...I don't like a lot of the books that Pagan authors are putting out now. I try to give fair and honest reviews, but I really think that if we want the standards of Pagan reference and literature raised, we have to be incredibly critical of what is already on the market. Just wanted to warn you ahead of time... *grin*
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