The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess


Starhawk - 1999
    This bestselling classic is both an unparalleled reference on the practices and philosophies of Witchcraft and a guide to the life-affirming ways in which readers can turn to the Goddess to deepen their sense of personal pride, develop their inner power, and integrate mind, body, and spirit. Starhawk's brilliant, comprehensive overview of the growth, suppression, and modern-day re-emergence of Wicca as a Goddess-worshipping religion has left an indelible mark on the feminist spiritual consciousness.In a new introduction, Starhawk reveals the ways in which Goddess religion and the practice of ritual have adapted and developed over the last twenty years, and she reflects on the ways in which these changes have influenced and enhanced her original ideas. In the face of an ever-changing world, this invaluable spiritual guidebook is more relevant than ever.

When God Was a Woman


Merlin Stone - 1976
    Under her, women's roles were far more prominent than in patriarchal Judeo-Christian cultures. Stone describes this ancient system and, with its disintegration, the decline in women's status. Index, maps and illustrations.

Goddesses in Everywoman


Jean Shinoda Bolen - 1984
    Psychoanalyst Jean Bolen's career soared in the early 1980s when Goddesses in Everywoman was published. Thousands of women readers became fascinated with identifying their own inner goddesses and using these archetypes to guide themselves to greater self–esteem, creativity, and happiness.Bolen's radical idea was that just as women used to be unconscious of the powerful effects that cultural stereotypes had on them, they were also unconscious of powerful archetypal forces within them that influence what they do and how they feel, and which account for major differences among them. Bolen believes that an understanding of these inner patterns and their interrelationships offers reassuring, true–to–life alternatives that take women far beyond such restrictive dichotomies as masculine/feminine, mother/lover, careerist/housewife. And she demonstrates in this book how understanding them can provide the key to self–knowledge and wholeness.Dr. Bolen introduced these patterns in the guise of seven archetypal goddesses, or personality types, with whom all women could identify, from the autonomous Artemis and the cool Athena to the nurturing Demeter and the creative Aphrodite, and explains how to decide which to cultivate and which to overcome, and how to tap the power of these enduring archetypes to become a better "heroine" in one's own life story.

Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine


Joseph Campbell - 2013
    His bestselling books, including The Power of Myth and The Hero with a Thousand Faces, are the rare blockbusters that are also scholarly classics.While Campbell’s work reached wide and deep as he covered the world’s great mythological traditions, he never wrote a book on goddesses in world mythology. He did, however, have much to say on the subject. Between 1972 and 1986 he gave over twenty lectures and workshops on goddesses, exploring the figures, functions, symbols, and themes of the feminine divine, following them through their transformations across cultures and epochs.In this provocative volume, editor Safron Rossi—a goddess studies scholar, professor of mythology, and curator of collections at Opus Archives, which holds the Joseph Campbell archival manuscript collection and personal library—collects these lectures for the first time. In them, Campbell traces the evolution of the feminine divine from one Great Goddess to many, from Neolithic Old Europe to the Renaissance. He sheds new light on classical motifs and reveals how the feminine divine symbolizes the archetypal energies of transformation, initiation, and inspiration.

Goddess Alive!: Inviting Celtic & Norse Goddesses Into Your Life


Michelle Skye - 2007
    Create a stronger connection to the sacred world and your own divinity by welcoming these thirteen powerful Celtic and Nordic goddesses into your life. As you make your way through a transformative year, know that each goddess has a different energy and a unique lesson to teach you. Starting with the Winter Solstice, the eight seasonal Sabbats and five faces of the moon provide the guideposts along your path. Through ritual, invocation, guided meditations, and magical activities, you'll explore each goddess's unique mythology and discover her message for your life.

Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, Bride of God


Caitlín Matthews - 1991
    Caitlin Matthews' scholarship connects us to past, present, and future in the very depths of our femininity. ----Marion Woodman, Jungian analyst and author of Bone: Dying into Life. Sophia, or "wisdom" in Greek, has been revered in many forms throughout history--from the Dark Goddess of ancient Anatolia; to her Egyptian, Greek, Celtic, and Cabalistic manifestations; to her current forms as Mary and the orthodox St. Sophia. In the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, Sophia sits with God until the creation. Then she falls into matter and becomes manifest in every atom, permeating all things "like the sparks that run through charcoal," as Matthews says. While God is "out there," the Goddess is "in here"-- the mother-wit of practical inspiration and compassion at the heart's core. This definitive work comprehensively establishes a realistic Goddess theology for Westerners in the twenty-first century: grounding spirituality in daily life and the natural world; learning to work playfully and play seriously; ending the gender war to enjoy sacred marriage.

The Goddess Path: Myths, Invocations, and Rituals


Patricia Monaghan - 1999
    Think of this book as a signpost on your spiritual travels, designed to help you nurture your own connection to the goddess and share in her boundless wisdom. Call her into your life with beautiful and ancient invocations. Create your own rituals to honor the lessons she has to teach. As you ponder life-changing questions and venture on brave new experiments, you fan the divine spark into flame--and, in that fire, you are transformed.The Goddess Path includes myths, symbols, feast days, ancient invocations, and suggestions for connecting with the following goddesses for these purposes and more:-Amaterasu for clarity -Aphrodite for passion -Artemis for protection -Athena for strength -Brigid for survival -The Cailleach for power -Demeter and Persephone for initiation -Gaia for abundance -Hathor for affection -Hera for dignity -Inanna for inner strength -Isis for restorative love -Kali for freedom -Kuan-Yin for mercy -The Maenads for ecstasy -The Muses for inspiration -Oshun for healing love -Paivatar for release -Pomona for joy -Asule and Saules Meita for family healthMonaghan, a faculty member at DePaul University, is a leader of the contemporary goddess movement. In The Goddess Path, she presents a means to work with the goddess, using ancient and modern techniques that will thrill and amaze you. For new levels of peace, joy, and increased closeness to the Divine, get The Goddess Path.

Celtic Women's Spirituality: Accessing the Cauldron of Life


Edain McCoy - 2000
    Then learn to craft your own spiritual practice centered firmly in the Celtic mystical tradition that honors the feminine when you read "Celtic Women's Spirituality "by Edain McCoy. In this book you'll discover how any woman can awaken that burning Goddess spirit and release the wisdom and magick that is her birthright. You'll be able to: - Access the energies of the Warrior, Mother, Crone and Virgin - Perform the ritual of bonding with a friend in the Celtic soulfriend ritual - Learn the Celtic Wheel of the Year and how it is specifically related to women's spirituality - Discover the wisdom of the Celtic myths through ritual drama - Awaken your creativity with guided mediations - Use Celtic magick for healing and divination Included in this book are the keys to visiting the Otherworld on a shamanic journey. There you will uncover ways to overcome unhealthy and inhibiting fears, connect more intimately with the divine, improve your divination skills, and help manifest your warrior self. Finally, you will learn what you must do to become a modern Pagan priestess and self-initiate yourself into the Celtic tradition. Here is your chance to find your personal strength and inner power in a way that will allow you to manifest all of your strengths. "Celtic Women's Spirituality" is a journey of growth and self-discovery. Come! Start this journey today.

Rebirth of the Goddess: Finding Meaning in Feminist Spirituality


Carol P. Christ - 1997
    Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The Heroine's Journey: Woman's Quest for Wholeness


Maureen Murdock - 1990
    Drawing upon cultural myths and fairy tales, ancient symbols and goddesses, and the dreams of contemporary women, Murdock illustrates the need for—and the reality of—feminine values in Western culture today.

The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth


Monica Sjöö - 1987
    Now, with a new introduction and full-color artwork, this passionate and important text shows even more clearly that the religion of the Goddess—which is tied to the cycles of women’s bodies, the seasons, the phases of the moon, and the fertility of the earth—was the original religion of all humanity.

Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition


David R. Kinsley - 1986
    In this book David Kinsley, author of The Sword and the Flute—Kali & Krsna: Dark Visions of the Terrible and the Sublime in Hindu Mythology, sorts out the rich yet often chaotic history of Hindu goddess worship.

The Goddess Guide: Exploring the Attributes and Correspondences of the Divine Feminine


Brandi Auset - 2009
    The Goddess Guide is indispensable for anyone who's ever wondered which Goddess to invoke for a particular ritual, blessing, prayer, or meditation. Easy to use and comprehensive, this essential book provides instant, at-a-glance info on more than 400 goddesses from diverse cultures, belief systems, and traditions around the world. All goddesses are clearly organized according to: Names - Attributes - ColorsThe Four Elements - The Sabbats - Geographical RegionsFeminine Aspects (Maiden, Mother, and Crone) Whether you are a beginner or a long-standing practitioner who seeks a deeper connection with Goddess energy in your life, this guide to the Divine Feminine deserves a special place on your bookshelf.

The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future (Updated With a New Epilogue)


Riane Eisler - 1987
    The Chalice and the Blade tells a new story of our cultural origins. It shows that warfare and the war of the sexes are neither divinely nor biologically ordained. It provides verification that a better future is possible—and is in fact firmly rooted in the haunting dramas of what happened in our past.

Jailbreaking the Goddess: A Radical Revisioning of Feminist Spirituality


Lasara Firefox Allen - 2016
    Where the maiden, mother, crone archetypal system is tied to female biology and physical stages of life, the fivefold model liberates the female experience from the shackles of the reproductive model.In a woman's lifetime, she will go through several different cycles of beginnings, potential, creation, mastery, and wisdom. This fivefold model is not an adaption of the threefold. It is a new system that embraces the powerful, fluid nature of the lived experience of women today.Join Lasara Firefox Allen as she explores the nature of the five archetypes; gives examples of what areas of life each might preside over; lists goddesses that fit within each archetype; suggests ways to begin building relationship with the different archetypes; and provides simple rituals for recognition, transition, and invocation.