Overview: Nemetona is an ancient goddess whose song is heard deep within the earth and also deep within the human soul. She is the Lady of Sanctuary, of Sacred Groves and Sacred Spaces. She is present within the home, within our sacred groves, our rites and in all the spaces that we hold dear to our hearts.

Verdict: She also lies within, allowing us to feel at ease wherever we are in the world through her energy of holding, of transformation. She holds the stillness and quiet of a perfect day; she is the stillness at the end of it, when the blackbird sings to the dusk.

She is the energy of sacred space, where we can stretch out our souls and truly come alive, to be who we wish to be, filled with the magic of potential. Rediscover this ancient goddess and dance with a Druid to the songs of Nemetona.

Thus, here in Pagan Portals - Dancing with Nemetona: A Druid’s exploration of sanctuary and sacred space by author Joanna Van Der Hoeven, the reader will learn how to reconnect with this goddess in ritual, songs, chants, meditation and more.

As we learn, Nemetona’s themes are wishes, protection, joy, fairies, magic, luck and nature and her symbols are Hawthorn trees (or trees in general). In Romano-Celtic regions, Nemetona guards groves of trees with a special protective presence that marks the area as a sacred site. Within this space, the soul is hushed and calm, becoming one with nature and the Goddess.

Nemetona’s name means ‘shrine’ giving new depth of meaning to William Cullen Bryant’s poetic phrase ‘the groves were God’s first temples,’ which makes Nemetona a very ancient Goddess of the Celts; specifically those in Gaul (what is now France). As well, She is thought to have been the eponymous deity of the Nemetes, a group of Germano-Celtic people living by the Rhine in an area now called Trier in Germany.

The Celts, in general, did not build temples, but rather practiced their spirituality in sacred groves and Nemetona personifies this belief in the sacred land. Her name literally means ‘sacred space’, from the Celtic root ‘nemeto’ which means ‘sacred area’.

Additionally, She is related to the druidic concept of nemeton, the designation of sacred spiritual space and what this new book doers so elegantly is take an informative dive into the human relationship; but not only with this Goddess, but also with the concepts of sacred space and boundaries.

In what is an impassioned, yet easy to read book, the reader will find guided meditations to help them connect to Nemetona, to find their own nemetona, to learn to expand it, and your own world, and importantly is a mighty fine, and extraordinary valuable resource for anyone interested in Druidry; and who, perhaps, also feels drawn to the Goddess Nemetona or who would like to begin working with her.

And leaving the last word to the author herself, Joanna says: May you be inspired, and may you find peace within the sacred grove.

About the Author: Joanna van der Hoeven has been working in Pagan traditions for nearly 30 years. She is an author, teacher, dancer, blogger, photographer and videographer. Her love of nature and the land where she lives provides her with constant inspiration. She was born in Quebec, Canada and now lives near the sea in Suffolk, England.

Amazon Book Purchase Link