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Summary: Take a deap breath.
Review: If you are breathing, you are in this book. This book was recomended by a psycologist when I began suffering from depression. It is very insightful as to why we behafe the way we do. It makes you sit back and reflect.
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Summary: Women Who Run With The Wolves
Review: I read this book 3 years ago and constantly go back to it. I use the stories for children and adults to give them a different perspective of their life situation and am always amazed at how simple words can bring such depth to an event of the psyche. Thank you Clarissa this book is such wonderful, heartfelt present.
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Summary: The Inner Wellspring
Review: Reading the other customer reviews, I find it very interesting to see how different they are, and how different many of them are from my experience. I was surprised to read the review on this page by the woman who believes we ought to read Jung first (or instead). My experience is the opposite; when I've picked up Jung's original works I've found them tough to follow, but this book I found very accessible and useful. I don't think the comparison between the Bible and a tv evangelist is at all fair. It's more like the difference between Strunk & White and the Oxford English Dictionary. The OED is wonderful, but Strunk & White is the one that is most likely to help you become a better writer. Although I think of myself as a creative person, I tend to downplay that part of myself and to lead with my left brain, as it were. Reading this book I felt like I was being given a path to my inner wellspring. I felt that I had at last found water for a thirst I hadn't quite been able to identify until now. This book is about one's inner life. It is not a how-to book, it's not political (except in the sense that the personal is political), and I didn't feel that it over-emphasized "what's wrong with you," as another reader put it. It does continually nudge one to think about what might be wrong: many many women are cut off from their own preferences, their own inner selves, because they feel pressured to conform with societal norms. Many societal norms are, in my opinion, quite damaging and inappropriate. It is very easy in American society to get the impression that women should be seen and not heard. Women are still encouraged to focus on how we look, to be compliant, to act ladylike and be nice even when we are being denigrated, and to stand by our man no matter what. We are encouraged to help others at the expense of our own happiness, and many many of us fall into this trap without even realizing it. We think it is normal to put ourselves last, and we lose touch with the shames and the fears that keep us from being happy, wiping the subject of happiness off the table with a dismissive hand as something that is too indulgent or not important. This book helped me realize the ways in which I stand in my own way, and it gave me courage and inspiration. The author is not only a Jungian analyst, but a storyteller. She is steeped in the traditions of storytelling from both the Latin and the Hungarian sides of her family, and I very much enjoyed the ways in which she uses this legacy of the storyteller as healer to make her points. I never thought of storytelling in this way before, but reading this book I found it to be true. (I feel that her stories have helped heal me.) I am a storyteller myself, of a sort, so for me the book was a kind of homecoming. If you have ever wondered why fairy tales seem so cruel and peculiar, you will find the answers in this book. Fairy tales have been mangled in the translation, but this author shows you where they came from and what they are really about. While I am a huge believer in free-market capitalism, growth, business, and civilization (as opposed to back-to-nature Green-ery), I have tremendous concerns about the increasingly violent and impersonal nature of our society. This book shows you how to cultivate a healing, loving attitude toward the world without becoming a doormat--quite the contrary, it shows how love can give you more strength and power than you'll ever find in a boardroom. Another review on this page criticized the book for not putting these issues into a broader context of one's life. It took twenty years for this author to distill her wisdom of storytelling and her knowledge of Jungian archetypes into this lovely, readable book. For me, that's quite an accomplishment. I'm more than willing to take it the rest of the way myself.
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Summary: Energize Your World
Review: A sweet reminder for women to pull back, reflect and re-energize. Dr. Estes informs women to be creative and links individual creativity to soul essence. Dr. Estes maintains a women's knowing is in her bones, at the cellular level and gives interesting representation through ancient story telling. An enriching narrative to help women get in touch with their instincts especially for those that have been to hell and back. She gives us food for thought as to the topworld and underworld, the conscious and unconscious and how to bridge these worlds to maintain a healthy, happy and CREATIVE life. A must read for anyone wanting to gain further access to spirituality.
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Summary: This book bares the esscence of every woman's soul
Review: I'm a 15 year old female who is on the verge of womanhood. This book revealed a lot about myself and woman. The book showed me how I am connected to all women, and educated me on the base of women. I enjoyed it immensly and I plan on reading it many times, then passing it on to my daughter someday.
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Summary: Unique
Review: I have bought a copy for evey woman I know. It was origally give to me by my mother. I can not thank her enough.
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Summary: A life-changing, warmly written book.
Review: I found this to be an intelligent, accessible book geared toward women. The author uses age-old stories to help the reader understand her life, her heart and her soul better. It is in no way a book against men. It does not encourage irresponsibility or the development of a feral personality. It does encourage women to look inside themselves, to bring out the creativity and emotion within. The book does encourage women to respect and take care of themselves. It is a book, to be slowly read, about healing the soul.
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Summary: It's a treasure !
Review: This is not just a book. It's a treasure. When we read it, it seems we can feel our life passing on that moment. It's certainly the best book I've read on my life !!!
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Summary: Life-enhancing
Review: A wonderful book in which so many wonderful things regarding a woman psyche is revealed and discovered. A must for all woman and really worthwhile when you have your own children. A wonderful and enriching book that can be read and re-read all the time.
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Summary: A "convenient" adaptation of Jung's theories
Review: I read this book hoping to gain some new insights on gender study. I can only say I see clearly now where feminism went bad. I will not deny that there may indeed be a Wild Woman in every female, but to dedicate one's mental health to that one archetype would be akin to saying that in every man is solely a Warrior archetype. Such a theory followed through would result in very one-sided males, brutish and without self-control. The same is true of a Wild Woman without acknowledgement of the other aspects of herself in balance to guide the Wild Woman's energies. This is not addressed in Estes' book. According to Estes, a woman's highest obligation is to paying homage to the Wild Woman within. She holds that a woman has no responsibility to anyone else, to her community, to her family, and certainly none to men. It is the quintessential "me generation" book for women. I read this directly after reading "Iron John" by Robert Bly. In contrast, Bly integrates the mental health of the individual, even paying homage to the "Wild Man" within, while still promoting responsibility to others. In short, if you want a book that idealizes women and disavows them of any self-control, this for you. If you want something that will empower women in the modern world, search elsewhere. At the very least, if you *must* read this book, be familiar with the concept of archetypes as presented by CG Jung, who Estes is basing her theories on...Like reading the Bible before you listen to the speech of an evangelical TV minister, it helps to know the original to understand how it is being twisted for personal gain.
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