Originally released in 1993, The Flowering Rod focuses on the male Mysteries found within Wicca, and to a certain degree, Neopaganism. These Mysteries allow men to experience nature and the world as more than violent hunters, valued for their sperm and their willingness to die for the tribe.
The book has problems when it uses historical ‘facts’ to supports various observations, but those facts are inaccurate. Ostara is not Ishtar (although They are analogous), nine million women were not killed in the Inquisition, and the British seven year cycle of the Sacred King is more of a myth than a reality, nor is it the predecessor of the Olympics.
That said, the rituals are eloquent and powerful. Klein presents reasons for why men’s role in society has changed, and how those changes caused a great deal of strain and confusion (particularly the evolution from hunter to warrior). He challenges men to become mentors to ease the confusion and regain the important position they once held, without violence.
I feel that this work is an important part of a modern man’s search for a more caring, more balanced way of living in the world.
Author: Kenny Klein
Megalithica Books, 2009
pp. 200, $20.99
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