Similar to her earlier book on Aphrodite, Iris: Goddess of the Rainbow and Messenger of the Godds is a devotional portrait of a goddess who offers enchantment, beauty, and inspiration in relationship. Iris, the goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods, perhaps somewhat lesser known than other goddesses, presents in this book as an intercessory figure, a mediator of sorts, and one who travels between earthly and divine realms to promote healing and the working of magick. Iris, in this book, emerges as an attendant particularly of liminal states and rites of transition; “Iris is the connection point, the transition between, and the instigator of transition. … She is the one whose actions cause things to happen. Things that need to happen.”
Iris, in this reading, can be seen as a kind of shamanic figure, whose purpose and province is that of healing, a psychopomp of sorts, like Mercury, who guides souls between realms during rituals and times of transition — from the earthly realm to the underworld, between the two and back and beyond.
The book is concise, and though it rings in at just eighty pages, the substance is absolutely there. It is a very well structured book, very focused on the relational aspects of Iris and the power of her magick in devotional work and practical application. The reader will learn much about who Iris is, her origins and background and place in the mythological pantheon, her relationship with other gods and goddesses, and will find many practical tools and suggestions for devotional work with this goddess of the rainbow.
As with the Aphrodite book, I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of pictures and images to illustrate Iris and her place in the pantheon. I think that particularly in the case of a goddess who works so intimately with the visual aspects of our experience — as what could be more visually or sensorially stimulating than the rainbow? — a more multimedia approach might have been taken in the design of this book. The cover art, however, I will note, is very beautiful and captures one aspect of Iris in a powerful picture. The colors and tones mesh very well and invite the reader at once to engage with the text. Perhaps future books by Irisanya Moon and others in the Pagan Portals series might add a more stimulating visual dimension to the excellent writing between the book covers.
All that said, I think Iris: Goddess of the Rainbow and Messenger of the Godds is an excellent and charming book, very practical and informative and a useful addition to any pagan or witch’s library. I very highly recommend it, either singly or, better, as a companion volume to her book on Aphrodite. Irisanya Moon has proven herself a prolific and enthusiastic advocate of the goddess movement and Reclaiming tradition, and one certainly looks forward to whatever other projects she is working on or has on the horizon.
~review by Christopher Greiner
Author: Irisanya Moon
Publisher: Moon Books, 2021
pp. 96pp, $12.95
Editor's note: This review originally appeared in the 2021 Summer Solstice issue of Eternal Haunted Summer.
