(click the link to go to the Amazon page for the book)
**Note** the e-book is on sale until September 26, 2014!
I have to just say: this book is
fabulous! I am not sure I can really say enough good things about
it. I typically am not that interested in the deity section of books
because most of the time the descriptions are pretty generic. This
book was nothing like that.
The book itself is divided into two
sections. The first is a series of thirteen essays on a variety of
topics dealing with the Goddess. These tend to be more broad,
dealing with categories or themes rather than specific deities. The
second section looks at a huge selection of specific Goddesses from
all over the world.
In the introduction, various ways of
looking at the Goddess are discussed. This is something that I see
discussed all the time, and I thought it was very appropriate to
start the book with an explanation of some of the major ways that
people experience the Goddess and her many faces. Even though you
may only relate to the Goddess in all of the ways explained, you will
probably meet others who experience her in each of these ways, and so
having the basic understanding of the major ways that people approach
the Goddess makes discussions with others much easier.
Before the first essay is a trio of
poems about the Maiden, Mother and Crone. These were breathtaking.
I was extremely moved by the emotion and primal experience that was
evoked by the words.
I won't say that I agree with the point
taken on all of the essays, but I did find something interesting
about each of them. Some of them really resonated with me and I
agreed wholeheartedly with their standpoint. Others, I felt that I
was on the opposite side of the fence. But universally, they made me
stop and think about what I felt. And I think that is something
really important to do. My path is one that is built on asking
questions, both of others and of myself. I think that by examining
our thoughts on both deep and emotional topics, we uncover so much
more than if we just skim the surface.
The essays touch on some very core
issues, not only within the Pagan community but also dealing with
femininity. While this might be easier for women to relate to, I do
feel that the topics discussed are things that we all should think
about. I don't feel that the issues that face women are just for
women, and the more men that think and discuss these types of topics,
the better off the world will be (likewise, I think that the more
women discuss topics that may have been traditionally male will bring
benefit to all).
I am not going to talk about each of
the essays, but I would like to share some things that really spoke
to me. One of the threads I felt throughout the whole book was about
experiencing things for yourself, and letting your experiences build
your practice instead of letting other people's experience shape your
own. I think that we are poised in a unique position, where there is
no true 'standard' that we have to adhere to. It is both liberating
and daunting. I have had plenty of moments of fear and insecurity
about my own perceptions of things, especially in regards to deities.
It takes a lot of bravery to speak out about what you have seen and
felt, especially when your experiences don't match with the more well
known faces of a particular deity (or when you are approached by a
deity that you can't find any other references to).
Times change, and several of the essays
explored how the changing times effect the Goddess and how we
interact with her. Many deities held influence over things that
aren't a huge part of our life today, so how do we interact with
these Goddesses when such a huge part of them is not something we are
familiar with? Likewise, there are things that were considered
commonplace and acceptable in the past that we would never consider
today, so how do we deal with deities who have take part in these
activities? As media and fiction explores myths and legends in film,
tv and books, new perceptions of deities are formed. Should we
integrate these aspects and if we should, how do we do that?
I think these are all questions that
don't have easy answers. They are things that we don't just answer,
but that we work through. Much like uncovering deeper meaning inside
ourselves, we learn about the Goddess through working with her, and
experiencing her in her many forms.
And speaking of many forms, the second
half of the book is a treasure trove of Goddess information. I was
so very impressed by this part of the book. Each Goddess was shown
to us through the eyes of someone who obviously cares deeply about
that particular Goddess. It made it less of a catalog and more of a
sharing. And being mostly solitary, I value this kind of approach so
much. I would rather read a single page of someone's heartfelt words
on a Goddess they love than ten pages of scholarly data that has no
soul.
Many of the Goddesses shared were ones
I was familiar with, and yet even with ones I have worked with
personally, I found myself learning things. And the information
wasn't only about that specific Goddess. Often, while describing a
Goddess, the authors would also describe related information: Gods
(or other Goddesses) that had dealings with her, practices she (or
her worshipers) performed, holy sites sacred to her or legends
involving her.
And it wasn't all just information or
facts. The authors also gave seeds of thought or ideas that they
felt related to the Goddesses: ideas that sometimes challenge
stereotypes that exist in our community. Are all maiden Goddesses
beautiful? How much are our perceptions of Goddesses tinted by the
Christian beliefs of those who wrote about them during the time
period (as many of the written records were put on paper by the
victors)? Do Goddesses grow and transform over time?
As much as I loved reading and learning
more about Goddesses I was familiar with, I think I enjoyed the ones
that were absolutely brand new to me even more. And there were
plenty of them! Not only Goddesses from pantheons that I haven't
read much about (like Australian Goddesses), but Goddesses who are
just now being rediscovered. I can't even imagine how it would feel
to be approached by a Goddess who has been lost to the mists of time,
and yet there were authors here explaining that very experience.
And that really made me think, not just
about these Goddesses who were lost and are being found again, but
also about where we are as a global community. I think that there
are so many ways in which the Pagan community is growing and
expanding every day. It feels like we are constantly pushing the
boundaries and coming out of our shells. Things (like our personal
relationships and experiences with our deities) that weren't much
discussed in print are now getting shared, and this is so wonderful
for all of us. I know I can't be the only one who has felt
absolutely alone in their practice at times, and I know one of the
things I always craved was the personal touch. There were plenty of
books out there that gave the steps for ritual, the basic description
of a deity or the meaning of a holiday, but not that many where
people talked about the things they had done.
I know a lot of this is highly
personal, which is why I feel so grateful that these authors shared
so much. I took so many notes while reading this book, and know I
will be reading it again and again to pick up on things I might have
missed. Many of the authors also included further resources in their
bio at the end of their article, so there are a lot of websites and
other sources I look forward to pursuing.
I would highly recommend this book to
anyone interested in deepening their relationship with the Goddess
(or with someone who works with the Goddess). If you are wanting to
expand your knowledge of Goddesses, this is a great resource that
covers a lot of the major myths and legends associated with
Goddesses. I think it would make a fabulous book for group study and
discussion, or as a starting point for personal research and
journaling.
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