Copper Moon E-zine

The Mists of Avalon: Reviewed and Analyzed

by Mychal Bryan

Marion Zimmer Bradley was born in Albany, New York in 1930. She began her distinguished book publishing career in 1961 with her first novel, The Door Through Space. Though having authored many a fantastic work, thereby winning megalithic acclaim within the literary word, The Mists of Avalon was the single most successful   novel of Bradleys’ career. In the epic retelling of the Arthurian legend, Bradley weaves a tapestry of myth and magick as she creates a modern day tale of history long gone – the saga of the women behind Arthurs throne. And though it is a creation of a little American ladies mind, the novel holds within its pages the power to deeply move you, shake you, and at times touch a place within you that is so uncannily real, you may wonder if this is truly the book that you just happened to pick up while in the thrift store, that sat on your shelf for almost a decade, with many failed attempts to read it over the years due to its massive size or if this is the telling of the lives of several of your dearest friends – their joys, their love, their loss, their death; as Madeline L’Engle puts it, ‘the characters are alive, multidimensional’ (back cover). As we set sail on the barge that leads across the Holy Lake and through 876 pages of The Mists of Avalon, we find that at the end of our journey, we are taken to a place of deep contemplation of the world around us and the places in which we find our true spiritual nourishment.

Learning Magick

by Rose Tigerlilly

Everywhere in the world, people overplay the role of witches, from times back to the Salem Witch Trials to modern books such as the Night World series. I believe that the Wiccan religion should be just like every other religion: respected and tolerant to the other kinds of religions. I myself am part Wiccan and part Christian, which I like to call "Wistian." I also believe it is safe to have multiple religions. It's hard for me to just stick to one because they're all so interesting!

Wicca is such an interesting religion, by far the most interesting religion I have read or learned about in my life. I have read about Buddhism, Judaism, and the Christian faith (mostly because I was born Christian), but the Wiccan religion is obviously different in many ways. Just reading Gwinevere's book, "SpellCraft for Teens", opened my eyes to this wonderful religion. Although it is such a great one, it is difficult to learn all about as well. There are so many different customs and celebrations, I can't figure out how to fit them all in my schedule!