"A wonderfully unique resource for women who are continually searching for new insights in the area of woman-affirming faith and worship."
--Reverend Sharon Vandegrift
United Methodist Chaplain
Drexel University
Childhood religious images of judgment, punishment, unworthiness, and shame, of male saviors, messiahs, and Higher Powers, pursue all women into adulthood. Many women realize they must leave behind these traditional concepts and images for a more authentic spirituality. Yet they find, to their dismay, that the male symbols of God are deeply rooted in their psyches and difficult to transform.
In this book, the poignant personal memories of women of all ages and lifestyles are interwoven with the collective story of women buried in the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Bible. Together, these women explore the lost glory of Eve, Lilith, and Mary. They teach us to plumb the depths of our relationships with our mothers, our bodies, and ourselves; our sexuality and vulnerability; and our journey into old age. Each chapter offers a rich tapestry of poetry, ritual, story, and meditation, a splendid invitation to join a circle of women in search of woman-affirming spirituality.
"Patricia Lynn Reilly guides her readers towards solutions. . . .This book is an excellent map filled to overflowing with provocative exercises and concrete suggestions."
--Gloria Karpinski
Author of Where Two Worlds Touch:
Spiritual Rites of Passage
"It beautifully combines the best of the poignant with the best of the practical and the political."
--Publishers Weekly