Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood : A Treasury of Goddess and Heroine Lore from Around the World

Rating:
Summary: This book should be passed from mother to daughter...
Review: Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood

I checked this book out from the library twice. When I couldn't check it out the third time, I bought it! I have used it as a source of inspiration, by just opening it up at any point and reading. Becoming dear friends with the goddesses in this book, if I had to choose three favorite books, this would be one!

I have learned about those goddesses who aren't very popular, like the "Spider Woman" who weaves a web of destiny or Goddess Ma'at "The Eye of Heaven". The section on Ma'at is particularly beautiful and inspiring. There is an understanding of justice, not our twisted backward laws, but true justice in this passage that is not limited by time. In that passage I also came to understand what is meant by "a light heart." One of my favorite sections is about the Australian Lia, woman of the Goanna Tribe. She led the women out of their dull and unforgiving existence to a place of hope. I highly recommend this book! Rich with tales, history and culture that should be passed on from Mother to Daughter.

Rating:
Summary: A little difficult to understand at times...
Review: But worth the time spent trying. This is a wonderful resource that enlightens one to the many modern echoes of these ancient voices.

When reading this book as a teen in college, I had a tough time understanding and thus appreciating the poetry and songs. Having passed 30, I have a much different appreciation.

The book's best feature is its focus on ALL the cultures of the ancient world. I don't think a single geographic area is left out. The benefit to this expansive look, besides multi-cultural accessibility, are the easily seen commonalities and relationships of varying goddess images & lore. This book gives one a totally different perspective on where our current culture came from.

Rating:
Summary: A little difficult to understand at times...
Review: But worth the time spent trying. This is a wonderful resource that enlightens one to the many modern echoes of these ancient voices.

When reading this book as a teen in college, I had a tough time understanding and thus appreciating the poetry and songs. Having passed 30, I have a much different appreciation.

The book's best feature is its focus on ALL the cultures of the ancient world. I don't think a single geographic area is left out. The benefit to this expansive look, besides multi-cultural accessibility, are the easily seen commonalities and relationships of varying goddess images & lore. This book gives one a totally different perspective on where our current culture came from.

Rating:
Summary: As Much Poety as History
Review: Here are poetic stories from cultures around the world of woman's passages and life in simpler times.

Rating:
Summary: This book should be passed from Mother to Daughter!
Review: I checked this book out from the library twice. When I couldn't check it out the third time, I bought it! I have used it as a source of inspiration, by just opening it up at any point and reading. Becoming dear friends with the goddesses in this book, if I had to choose three favorite books, this would be one!

I have learned about those goddesses who aren't very popular, like the "Spider Woman" who weaves a web of destiny or Goddess Ma'at "The Eye of Heaven". The section on Ma'at is particularly beautiful and inspiring. There is an understanding of justice, not our twisted backward laws, but true justice in this passage that is not limited by time. In that passage I also came to understand what is meant by "a light heart." One of my favorite sections is about the Australian Lia, woman of the Goanna Tribe. She led the women out of their dull and unforgiving existence to a place of hope. I highly recommend this book! Rich with tales, history and culture that should be passed on from Mother to Daughter.

Rating:
Summary: This book should be passed from Mother to Daughter!
Review: I checked this book out from the library twice. When I couldn't check it out the third time, I bought it! I have used it as a source of inspiration, by just opening it up at any point and reading. Becoming dear friends with the goddesses in this book, if I had to choose three favorite books, this would be one!

I have learned about those goddesses who aren't very popular, like the "Spider Woman" who weaves a web of destiny or Goddess Ma'at "The Eye of Heaven". The section on Ma'at is particularly beautiful and inspiring. There is an understanding of justice, not our twisted backward laws, but true justice in this passage that is not limited by time. In that passage I also came to understand what is meant by "a light heart." One of my favorite sections is about the Australian Lia, woman of the Goanna Tribe. She led the women out of their dull and unforgiving existence to a place of hope. I highly recommend this book! Rich with tales, history and culture that should be passed on from Mother to Daughter.

Rating:
Summary: As important to us as the bible is to christians!!!
Review: Merlin Stone, a good writer, but not such a good scholar I'm afraid. If one wants to feel good about goddesses and about women, by all means read this book. If one wants information about goddesses in specific or citations to other scholarship, don't look to this book. Interpretations can be amusing when one has read the primary sources and knows about the cultures she looks at to a deep degree. Much better for the layperson or someone looking for positive female strokes than for a student or scholar.

Rating:
Summary: long on social politics, short on scholarship
Review: Merlin Stone, a good writer, but not such a good scholar I'm afraid. If one wants to feel good about goddesses and about women, by all means read this book. If one wants information about goddesses in specific or citations to other scholarship, don't look to this book. Interpretations can be amusing when one has read the primary sources and knows about the cultures she looks at to a deep degree. Much better for the layperson or someone looking for positive female strokes than for a student or scholar.

Rating:
Summary: As important to us as the bible is to christians!!!
Review: this is a beautufil gift that ms. stone has given the Goddess community and i for one will be forever grateful.this is not a history book. it is a holy book. the myth and poetry that ms. stone has birthed touches the soul.the subtitle of this book is "a treasury of goddess and heroine lore from around the world" and it truly is a treasury. the scope of the book is incredible. it brings is the stories of the well known goddesses and the stories of goddesses who we may never had heard of before.another reviewer says that ms. stone is not a good scholar. i am not sure why that person would have read this book. it is clear from the writing that the author is providing histories that are not found in your average history book. she is presenting an alternative. she offers the history that acomapanies each region section as possiblities. history is an art and not a science. if you are satisfied with the so-called "original sources" that were gathered by, translated by, edited by white christian men and believe that they are totally unbiased--then why buy this book. ... but if you are a person who understands that you don't know everything, this book is easy to love. it is not terribly outrageous, and the historical background it provides is just as valid as any other. ms. stone never presents them as the ultimate truth but rather offers us information that has been kept from us, because others found it unimportant.but this is ultimatly not a history book. it is a book of myth. it is beautifully written. if is full of reverence. it takes the goddesses seriously. it is powerful. and i can't recommend it more highly.