The illustration of the “Tree of Enchantment” upon entering Part One bears a very strong resemblance to the Jewish “Tree of Life” found in Kabbalah. Off the bat, that kind of made me cringe and wonder why in the world I was even reading this to begin with but I continued.

On page eight, the author says upfront that the book is based on “oral tradition (Celtic, American Southern and Appalachian), academic research on documented Faery practices (folkloric and extant), and contemporary practices (based on direct contact and transmission)”. I very much appreciated seeing this plainly written so no one is confused where the information contained within the book came from, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have my problems with the book. Foxwood skews Scottish, Irish Gaelic and Welsh terms to fit his own UPG/agenda, displays unconcealed Christian references, and appropriates various cultures.

Within “Chapter Two: The Threefold Life“, Foxwood makes a list of some practices that aid in “alignment” and “awakening powers”, though I feel some of them were not given the proper cautions. While journey and trance work may lead to possession, I felt Foxwood brushed it off as a safe practice saying “this is not a danger in trained work”. While I agree, most seekers sadly will take reading this book once as “trained work” and then attempt to delve into something they might not be able or ready to handle.

In addition, on page eighty-two, Foxwood states, “The lore on this being tells us that the Ancestor is a hermaphroditic being with two faces, one make and one female.” What lore? No footnote or source for this so-called “lore” is given and I’ve never heard of such a creature. Additionally, earlier on in the book, Foxwood mentioned how the Faery Tradition is unlike Western ceremonial practices as it is devoid of invocation, the use of magical tools, evocation, aspecting, complex rituals and etcetera. Yet, on page ninety-nine, there is an Invocation to the Silent Ones. So, I’m a little thrown by the inconsistency and contradiction, but perhaps this is just a remnant from the editing process that was overlooked.

But before you think of me as an analytical disparager, I do have some good things to say about this book.

I admire the author for giving the proper warnings in only practicing BDSM rites with those whom you trust, respect and have an established relationship with and also in saying that he does not condone the use of psychoactive drugs as a means of awakening, though they have been used in numerous cultures around the world to aid in such endeavors. Don’t mistake me, if you choose to employ psychoactive drugs that is your business, but often newcomers are intrigued by such practices and jump right into it because it’s risqué or taboo in modern society and therefore appealing. I feel if they are to be used it should be done by someone with an already sound footing in whatever tradition they are in, and probably shouldn’t be done alone for safety reasons and illegal drugs should never be used.

I also have to applaud him for being fairly open as to what in the book comes from himself, i.e., “I call this ___” or “I refer to this as ___”. He is clearly showing that these titles, words, ideas are original to himself and isn’t trying to fool you into believing he lifted them straight from source material or that they are long-passed down from some ancient family tradition. We certainly need more authors who word teachings as such. I also appreciated the author pointing out that the elementals and their rulers are not a part of the folkloric tradition of Northern Europe or America, despite that modern NeoPagans practitioners have adopted them.

On the whole, while some might find this a great path (as is their prerogative to which I fully respect), it came off to me as eclectic twaddle to which I found very little to agree with and which the mixture of cultural terms and practices could be dreadfully confusing to new seekers. The Tree of Enchantment gives a whole new meaning to UPG-heavy and not in a good way.

But he does deserve kudos for being brave enough to bring his path out into the open for other seekers to share in. But as for those practicing a Celtic Reconstructionist path, like myself, you will get little, if any, use out of this book so save your money for something else worth it.

Rating: 1 bare, wintry tree branch out of 5.