Book Review - Pagan Portals: Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow and Messenger of the Godds
I recently read “Iris: Goddess of the Rainbow and Messenger of the Godds” by Irisanya Moon which is a Pagan Portals book coming in at a lovely 79 pages long. As someone who has only recently begun working with Deities, this book was intriguing to me, particularly because I had never heard of this Goddess! What fun to explore something totally new.
I also invited the author, Irisanya Moon onto the Witch Talks Podcast so stay tuned for that future episode!
Here's what the publisher has to say about this book.
“Iris, the Goddess of the Rainbow, is an often-overlooked Goddess in Greek mythology. As a messenger, she offers us the words and wisdom of the Gods, traveling between worlds to tell us what we need to know. In Pagan Portals – Iris: Goddess of the Rainbow and Messenger of the Godds, we will explore the mysterious Iris, following the colours of her magick to inspire out lives
What I liked
They say don’t judge a book by its cover but WOW is this cover pretty. I’m considering taking it to my hairdresser to replicate on me! I also loved that I received tiny mini bookmarks with the cover on them, like I was marking the book with a mini version of itself, super cute and very appreciated.
On Page 1 of this book it opens with this sentence
“I invite you to consider the places rainbows have already shown up for you”
and when I tell you, I was sobbing, on my couch, crying into my cup of tea at this introduction because earlier this year, in January, I lost my Nanna and on the day of her funeral, we attended the burial. The moment we threw the first handful of dirt on her grave, the heavens opened up and rained down upon us. My Dad joked that she liked a little drama, my grandfather said she was trying to make us all stay a bit longer and I said, No, she wants a rainbow.
Once the rains finished, which was only about 10 minutes later, she got her rainbow.
I will also note that Noahs Ark is one of her favourite bible stories, so it felt extra fitting that she was sending us some hope and a message that it was all going to be ok.
I honestly believe this book about Iris, the Goddess of the Rainbow showed up for me in perfect divine timing, a sentiment that is echoed throughout the book by Irisanya.
I loved the gender neutral term ‘Godds’ which is used throughout this book too. The author states
“I will use ‘godd’ to help move away from gendered words for deity who I believe move beyond human categorization.”
Not only is it wonderful to see such inclusive language, but it makes total sense to me that the Godds are so much more than the gender binary we have been taught to see them within.
This book was a lovely, light filled introduction to the Goddess Iris. There are excerpts from mythology that paint a wonderful picture of who this Goddess is and what she represents. Irisanya does such an incredible job of giving you all the necessary information to go and meet with this Goddess yourself if you so wish. I particularly loved the chapter on aspecting, a form of consensual deity possession which I have found rarely discussed in pagan and witchy books.
I’m always grateful to find words of wisdom tucked into the books I read, whether they’re the authors words, or others that they’ve shared. There is a quote on page 10 that says
“unspoken expectations are pre-meditated resentments” by John A Johnson PHD
which blew my mind and was a major takeaway for me from this book.
What I disliked
I wanted more! I love Pagan Portals because they’re short and to the point and make absorbing the knowledge quick and easy, but I wanted to go deeper with Iris and unfortunately the key takeaway from this book is that there simply isn’t a lot of information on this often overlooked Rainbow Goddess. I believe Irisanya has offered us most of what is out there which is a hard pill to swallow when your curiosity has been piqued.
Do I recommend it?
Yes I do. If you’re interested in deity work, the Greek Pantheon or drawn to rainbows & messenger Godds then this book may be just right for you. Overall I give this wonderful little book a 4 out of 5 witches hats and I can’t wait to chat further with Irisanya on the Witch Talks Podcast.
My witches’ hats rating system:
0 - Problematic, this book should be burned.
1 - Did not like this book, do not read
2 - It was ok, wouldn’t recommend it though.
3 - I liked it but it might not be for everyone
4 - I really liked it and think most people will like it
5 - AMAZING, I loved it and everyone should read it
Meet Hana
Hana O’Neill, the Suburban Witch is a professional Tarot & Astrology reader, Intuitive Coach and the host of the Witch Talks podcast.
