Review
2020 Living Now Book Awards Bronze Winner in Inspirational Memoir (Female)
2020 International Book Awards, Finalist in Spirituality: General
2020 Best Book Awards Finalist in Spirituality: Inspirational
"Fallingstar's writing is conversational and welcoming, encouraging introspection. Her entertaining stories illustrate deeper truths about how others should be treated, regarding the wisdom of animals, and about the power of intuition." --
Foreword Reviews "Pagans, spiritualists, and other open-minded thinkers will relish this memoir." --
Kirkus Reviews "Readers into witchcraft will find much to enjoy in this touching and humorous memoir." --
Publishers Weekly "
Broth from the Cauldron is a delightful, mesmerizing, and potent healing brew. While you can certainly sip these short chapters slowly, you'll probably find yourself drinking in chapter after chapter because the writing is so profoundly nourishing . . . you'll find a rich blend of the experiences and stories that helped craft Cerridwen from a powerful young girl into one of the most inspirational and wise warrior goddess priestesses you'll ever encounter." --HeatherAsh Amara, author of
Warrior Goddess Training and
The Warrior Heart Practice "These deeply personal stories from the life of a true modern shaman and Pagan Priestess will tear your heart out and lay it on a griddle--in a good way. These are tales of wonder, of power, of magick...and of love. Each of them brought tears to my eyes, and I guarantee they will touch you the same way." --Oberon Zell, author of
The Wizard and the Witch, Founder of The Church of All Worlds, Green Egg Magazine, and the Grey School of Wizardry "Cerridwen Fallingstar is a brilliant writer. The power of the Goddess shines through all that she does."
--Merlin Stone, author of
When God Was a Woman and
Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood "What a gift and a treasure this book is. With her trademark humor and intellect, Fallingstar shares soulful reflections and wisdom gathered through a lifetime of experience. A magical memoir,
Broth from the Cauldron is like a Wiccan Soup for the Soul."
--C.E. Tobisman, author of
Proof and Doubt, Winner of 2018 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction
"In Fallingstar's
Broth from the Cauldron, we are gifted with a Chicken Soup for the Witchy soul. Many of us will find our thoughts and instincts confirmed within these pages, from a writer who beautifully articulates the journey."
--Ellen Evert Hopman, author of
Being a Pagan: Druids, Wiccans, and Witches Today,
The Real Witches of New England: History, Lore & Modern Practice, and other volumes
"Magic dreams and Wiccan rituals cross into the real world in Cerridwen Fallingstar's latest book
Broth from the Cauldron. Her stories spin a spell that leads us on a dance into the mystery of life's wonders and synchronicities."
--Lisa Alpine, author of
Dance Life: Movin' & Groovin' Around the Globe and
Wild Life: Travel Tales of a Worldly Woman More Praise for Cerridwen Fallingstar: For
The Heart of the Fire "The author brings us an exciting novel filled with edge of the seat adventure which is hard to put down."
--Omega New Age Directory
"
The Heart of the Fire is an unforgettable book, compelling the reader, arousing passionate emotions on every level. Read it and you will laugh, love, cry and remember."
--Green Egg Magazine
"Fallingstar is a consummate story-teller who brings her characters to life in all their fullness and complexity. She lets the characters define themselves through their relationships, especially those involving Fiona and her lovers--Annie, her young gypsy friend; Sean, the son of the village laird; and Alain, the magical wandering minstrel. I cannot remember the last time that a book moved me so deeply."
--Fireheart Magazine
"In the business of writing, few authors can successfully write about their own experiences and have them accepted by the reading public. Very little has been published by authors who were actually writing about experiences they had in another life-time. Taylor Caldwell claimed to have lived her own novels, but nobody really believed her. Fallingstar, on the other hand, augments her past life experience with meticulous research into the period and a stunning use of detail. There are no anachronisms in The Heart of the Fire. A vividly written and compelling book that is next to impossible to put down."
--New Directions for Women
"The characters in this book are rich and full. They cover a wide spectrum and are all completely believable. And the writing is brilliant. The love scenes are the most erotic I have ever read, and the pace and timing of the story are flawless. Highly recommended."
--Sage Woman Magazine
Praise for White as Bone, Red as Blood: The Fox Sorceress "Cerridwen Fallingstar's second historical novel,
White as Bone, Red as Blood: The Fox Sorceress is by far one of the best reads to come along in a while, historic fiction or otherwise . . . the book has what any reader wants in a story: love, deceit, betrayal, murder, passion and even erotica. The ending will leave readers thirsty for the sequel."
--
San Francisco Book Review "...an intricate tale of treachery and love that is so realistic, it feels as if the reader is actually a living witness to the tale. It is historical fiction at its very best..."
--The Historical Novel Review
"Seiko Fujiwara, a potential sorceress, may just hold the key to the salvation of her country. But fulfilling the prophecy is never an easy thing...an interesting and excellent read."
--
Midwest Book Review "This is such a beautiful book. I started and finished it in one day. I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book...but with the warning to be prepared to be swept away by the excellent narrative all the way to the last page."
--Goddess Oracle
Review
2020 Living Now Book Awards Bronze Winner in Inspirational Memoir (Female)
2020 International Book Awards, Finalist in Spirituality: General
2020 Best Book Awards Finalist in Spirituality: Inspirational
“Fallingstar’s writing is conversational and welcoming, encouraging introspection. Her entertaining stories illustrate deeper truths about how others should be treated, regarding the wisdom of animals, and about the power of intuition.” ―Foreword Reviews “Pagans, spiritualists, and other open-minded thinkers will relish this memoir.” ―Kirkus Reviews “Readers into witchcraft will find much to enjoy in this touching and humorous memoir.” ―Publishers Weekly “Broth from the Cauldron is a delightful, mesmerizing, and potent healing brew. While you can certainly sip these short chapters slowly, you'll probably find yourself drinking in chapter after chapter because the writing is so profoundly nourishing . . . you'll find a rich blend of the experiences and stories that helped craft Cerridwen from a powerful young girl into one of the most inspirational and wise warrior goddess priestesses you'll ever encounter.” ―HeatherAsh Amara, author of Warrior Goddess Training and The Warrior Heart Practice “These deeply personal stories from the life of a true modern shaman and Pagan Priestess will tear your heart out and lay it on a griddle―in a good way. These are tales of wonder, of power, of magick…and of love. Each of them brought tears to my eyes, and I guarantee they will touch you the same way.” ―Oberon Zell, author of The Wizard and the Witch, Founder of The Church of All Worlds, Green Egg Magazine, and the Grey School of Wizardry “Cerridwen Fallingstar is a brilliant writer. The power of the Goddess shines through all that she does.”
―Merlin Stone, author of When God Was a Woman and Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood
“What a gift and a treasure this book is. With her trademark humor and intellect, Fallingstar shares soulful reflections and wisdom gathered through a lifetime of experience. A magical memoir, Broth from the Cauldron is like a Wiccan Soup for the Soul.”
―C.E. Tobisman, author of Proof and Doubt, Winner of 2018 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction
“In Fallingstar’s Broth from the Cauldron, we are gifted with a Chicken Soup for the Witchy soul. Many of us will find our thoughts and instincts confirmed within these pages, from a writer who beautifully articulates the journey.”
―Ellen Evert Hopman, author of Being a Pagan: Druids, Wiccans, and Witches Today, The Real Witches of New England: History, Lore & Modern Practice, and other volumes
“Magic dreams and Wiccan rituals cross into the real world in Cerridwen Fallingstar’s latest book Broth from the Cauldron. Her stories spin a spell that leads us on a dance into the mystery of life’s wonders and synchronicities.“
―Lisa Alpine, author of Dance Life: Movin’ & Groovin’ Around the Globe and Wild Life: Travel Tales of a Worldly Woman
More Praise for Cerridwen Fallingstar:
For The Heart of the Fire:
“The author brings us an exciting novel filled with edge of the seat adventure which is hard to put down.”
―Omega New Age Directory
“The Heart of the Fire is an unforgettable book, compelling the reader, arousing passionate emotions on every level. Read it and you will laugh, love, cry and remember.”
―Green Egg Magazine
“Fallingstar is a consummate story-teller who brings her characters to life in all their fullness and complexity. She lets the characters define themselves through their relationships, especially those involving Fiona and her lovers―Annie, her young gypsy friend; Sean, the son of the village laird; and Alain, the magical wandering minstrel. I cannot remember the last time that a book moved me so deeply.”
―Fireheart Magazine
“In the business of writing, few authors can successfully write about their own experiences and have them accepted by the reading public. Very little has been published by authors who were actually writing about experiences they had in another life-time. Taylor Caldwell claimed to have lived her own novels, but nobody really believed her. Fallingstar, on the other hand, augments her past life experience with meticulous research into the period and a stunning use of detail. There are no anachronisms in The Heart of the Fire. A vividly written and compelling book that is next to impossible to put down.”
―New Directions for Women
“The characters in this book are rich and full. They cover a wide spectrum and are all completely believable. And the writing is brilliant. The love scenes are the most erotic I have ever read, and the pace and timing of the story are flawless. Highly recommended.”
―Sage Woman Magazine
Praise for White as Bone, Red as Blood: The Fox Sorceress:
“Cerridwen Fallingstar’s second historical novel, White as Bone, Red as Blood: The Fox Sorceress is by far one of the best reads to come along in a while, historic fiction or otherwise . . . the book has what any reader wants in a story: love, deceit, betrayal, murder, passion and even erotica. The ending will leave readers thirsty for the sequel.”
―San Francisco Book Review
“…an intricate tale of treachery and love that is so realistic, it feels as if the reader is actually a living witness to the tale. It is historical fiction at its very best…”
―The Historical Novel Review
“Seiko Fujiwara, a potential sorceress, may just hold the key to the salvation of her country. But fulfilling the prophecy is never an easy thing…an interesting and excellent read.”
―Midwest Book Review
“This is such a beautiful book. I started and finished it in one day. I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend this book…but with the warning to be prepared to be swept away by the excellent narrative all the way to the last page.”
―Goddess Oracle
About the Author
Cerridwen Fallingstar is a shamanic Witch who has taught classes in magic and ritual for over thirty years. She gives lectures tying together psychology, spirituality, history, contemporary issues, and politics in an entertaining, enlightening, and humorous format. She is the author of three historical novels based on her past lives: The Heart of the Fire, White as Bone, Red as Blood: The Fox Sorceress, and White as Bone, Red as Blood: The Storm God. She lives in Marin County, California.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Hey, Hey, We’re the Monkeys . . . I hated those damn monkeys. When I was growing up in the 1950s and 60s, it seemed like every other house had them. Usually carved out of wood, sometimes ceramic. One with its hands pressed tight over its ears. One shielding its eyes. One whose palms obliterated its mouth. “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,” adults would say sanctimoniously. My family was agnostic, and most people we knew in Southern California―aerospace engineers, lawyers, doctors, and other well-educated professionals―did not attend church. There were no crucifixes in their homes. Just the monkeys. It appeared that the three monkeys were their gods, the “see no evil . . .” homily their one commandment. I couldn’t have explained why those monkeys, and that saying, made me so enraged. But whenever I found myself in a room alone with them, I would stick my tongue out defiantly. I would see everything, hear everything, and speak the truth, no matter what anyone else thought. The word denial must have existed in the dictionary, but I never heard it spoken. Denial was the river in which we bathed, swam―and sometimes drowned. Good people pretended everything was all right, even when it wasn’t. No one was alcoholic, husbands never beat their wives, children were not molested, homosexuality had disappeared with the ancient Greeks. Negroes were happy with their lot. Why else would they be constantly singing? A good woman did not want to work outside the home, being designed only to raise children and treat her husband as if he were a demigod. If children crouched under their school desks, they would be safe from an atomic blast. Margarine was better than butter. Everyone was happy. So happy! Happy all the time! But when I went to my friends’ houses and saw their mothers hysterically slapping their faces or staring vacantly out the window at the blue California sky, swilling martinis while the baby wailed unattended behind the closed nursery door, I had my doubts. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed that everything was a lie. And the reason people couldn’t see or admit that it was a lie was because―somehow―those monkeys were controlling their minds. What was the source of their malignant power? Were they more than stone and clay? Were they related to the evil flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz? How could they be defeated? When I was a much younger child of four, my grandparents’ purchase of a black-and-white television set launched me into years of recurrent nightmares. From the beginning, the television set in their living room frightened me. Even when it was turned off, I would make as wide a berth around it as possible. That picture box showed a terrible world, a world that looked much like ours did, but a world in which the color had been drained out: a world of drab grays. My recurrent dream was that an enormous spider, like a Godzilla-sized daddy longlegs, was stepping with its long, delicate legs through the city and countryside, sucking the color out of everything the way I had seen spiders suck the juices out of a fly. I would wake up screaming. What if this dreadful spider came to Glendale and Manhattan Beach? How could we live without color? But as an older child, I understood that black and white was a trick of a certain type of film, not a color-thirsty spider. I did not yet understand that my nightmare had been a metaphor, that the human color-suckers―racists, McCarthyites―were in full force in the 1950s, and that their evil creeds would need defeating again and again. I made a conscious decision to resist monkey mind-control. I decided the monkeys only had as much power as people gave them. And I refused to shut my eyes or my ears, though the thought of my father’s belt sometimes caused me to shut my mouth. Things seem more simple and straightforward in black and white, without all that distracting color. And it’s a lot easier to ignore evil than it is to fight it. Though the monkeys’ power was imaginary, a child trying to make sense of a nonsensical world, the power I gained by resisting their command to shut down was not.
