Like the swallows of Capistrano, a new Pagan Portals entry has arrived and so have I in order to review it. I don't love all of them so it's hardly a rubber stamp, but I do appreciate the series in general. They don't try and do too much, or present like a term paper with a word count minimum - there's rarely any fluff, the author covers the topic at hand and that's it. So, if there's a Pagan Portals book on a subject you're interested in, I think they're usually a good starting place. That does beg the question, though: what happens if the book is on a subject you *aren't* interested in, or maybe haven't even heard of? I will confess that when I saw the title of this latest book is Modron: Meeting the Celtic Mother Goddess my only recognition came from little robot dudes contained in a niche Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, but I knew that couldn't be right. Pagan Portals has earned enough good will with me, however, that I figured it would be worth reading what author Kelle BanDea has to say.
I'm glad I did! BanDea admits up front that her own knowledge of Modron wasn't much better than mine... ok, it was better, but still scant. However, on a trip in Cornwall she had a transcendent experience at Madron Well that set her on a different path, one that included learning as much as she possibly could about Modron (also known as Matrona to the Gauls). She shares what she has learned, as well as other work such as guided meditations that she has been inspired to craft during her journey. BanDea spends the first part of the book sharing the lore that she has gathered: myths that either directly relate to Modron or heavily imply her presence (including, unsurprisingly, her co-opting as a Saint by early Christians), along with descriptions of Madron Well. There's a surprising bit of lore concerning this "Earth Mother" deity having ties to the Celtic Otherworld, perhaps putting one in mind of Persephone. The author's rigor in her research is appreciated here as, while she is prepared to make deductive leaps about inferences to Modron that aren't self-evident, she does not blithely take every possible opportunity to insert her into every story in order to aggrandize the subject of her work. There is a lot that is unknown about the specifics of Modron and her historic worship practices, and BanDea is content to reveal those absences rather than paper over them. That said, to fill in those gaps she offers in the second part of this book the results of her own practices, including her suggestions for incorporating Modron into your celebrations on the Wheel of the Year. She also explores Modron's incorporation into your work with Mother aspects including, and again here I appreciate her thoroughness, suffering loss along with celebrating fertility and birth. Mothers encounter loss and death in very particular ways and it's valuable to consider this when you do your own shadow work.
That second part of the book also informs any recommendation I can make for the book. First of all, to satisfy your general curiosity you can't go wrong here. BanDea is a capable, evocative author who makes for an easy read. The original work of hers that she presents is well thought out and invites you to make use of it. One thing that I took away from this book that may not have been entirely intended is that Modron, as she is currently understood, is not really suitable to simply add to your practice no matter how eclectic you may be. Where this book is particularly enlightening in my opinion is if you are already working with Celtic lore and practices and feel the absence of this particular Mother Goddess energy. In that situation I believe that the author has given you a rich trove of both lore and practical application that will enrich the work you're doing.
~ review by Wanderer
Author: Kelle BanDea
Moon Books, 2025
104 pg., $12.95
