Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings.   For today’s blog post, I am sharing my review of the book Grail Alchemy: Initiation in the Celtic Mystery Tradition by Mara Freeman.   This is the second time that I have read this book, and I have recommended it multiple times here on White Rose of Avalon, but I have never reviewed it before.    Now that I have re-read the book, I just had to share my more in-depth thoughts here!

In this book, Mara Freeman brings together an analysis of the Grail in myth, legend, Alchemy, and later Christian interpretations (when it truly became the Holy Grail) to give the reader a deep dive into the importance of the Grail in modern spirituality.   I loved all of the information, delving into the Alchemical side of things, as that is definitely an important part of my own practice and connection to Grail energy.   Beyond that, the Alchemical process in spiritual terms is something that I have been called more and more to explore in recent years, and even more so in recent months.   I also truly enjoyed and resonated with all of the aspects of Faerylore, the Divine Feminine, and the Sacred Waters that were explored in this book, again, as that is at the center of my practice!   

While I loved those things, I did not resonate as much with the more Christian-focused aspects of the book, as that is just not part of my personal practice.   That being said, I still enjoyed reading about all of the links and the evolution of the Grail legend, as I am a huge folklore buff, and the book is really incredibly well-written.   So, while I will not be using the Christian-focused parts in my personal practice, I am still fascinated by the information and find it a valuable resource to chart the evolution of the Grail across history.   Oh, and speaking of history, there are also chapters devoted to Glastonbury history, including Dion Fortune and even the Blue Bowl, which I was completely enthralled reading about!   I am a big lover of history, so getting the deep dive into the history of Glastonbury, along with all of the folkloric and mythic deep dive into the Grail, was a nice treat.   In fact, by the time I got to those sections, I could not put the book down.   I actually read about half of the book in one sitting this time!   

Beyond these topics, there are several VisionJourneys included in the book to aid the reader in developing a deeper link with the material presented, which is nice.   Some of the chapters also contain Rituals, towards the end of the book, so that the whole book can be used as a tool which builds upon itself, like a magickal textbook!

Overall, I am very glad to have re-read this book.    It was an enjoyable read both times, and truly, some of the content inspired me to further explore areas of thought I had not looked into recently, which is always a bonus with Occult and Arcane books!   I hope you have enjoyed this review.   Have you read Grail Alchemy?   Do you want to read it now?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is the book cover.   I found the image on https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Grail-Alchemy/Mara-Freeman/9781620551912.   

LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries 

Further Reading

• Grail Alchemy: Initiation in the Celtic Mystery Tradition by Mara Freeman