Circles in the Sand [Paperback]

E. J. 'Samadhi' Whitehouse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2006

A personal memoir of a woman's emotional and spiritual journey - from troubled teenage years in the '70s to spiritual enlightenment in the new millennium. Her soul wounded by her father's incestuous advances toward her, the author travels through several Middle-Eastern countries - an odd choice for a woman on a quest for sexual and self-identity, healing, and escape from her family - particularly her father. Without family support, she struggles to find spiritual wholeness, love of self, and her own truth. In the war-torn Middle East, she encounters volatile political situations, the constricting laws of different countries and religions, as well as a confusing mix of social and moral behaviours. Throughout her travels, the poverty, terror, and brutal female oppression she often observes heighten her own sense of self-hatred. Meanwhile, her teenage pregnancy, the baby girl she was forced to surrender, and her father's inappropriate actions haunt her memory. Her personal struggles with being gay, as well as denial, rejection, and harsh treatment from her family, further convince her that she is worthless as a woman - and non-existent as a child of God. But as she looks through the windows of her past, and into worlds many of us will never enter, she slowly begins to understand that her introspective journey has led directly to her soul. And this insight brings her to an acceptance of being gay, to her own belief in spirit, and to a sense of belonging. For all its raw honesty about many painful subjects-including the rape and execution of women in the Middle East - Circles in the Sand evokes the exotic tastes, sounds, and beauties of Arabia. And it shares with us the poignancy of women engaging together when temporarily apart from men - and briefly freed from their forced restraints. The author's journey into the light of self-acceptance - from a dark place where her sexuality kept her in chains - will resonate with the many who have struggled with becoming open and comfortable about their homosexuality. Her lifetime quest to have her own voice heard will speak to a wide range of today's women, whose internal struggles for acceptance are the same. The cycle has not yet been broken, but that time will come, as the young women of today listen to the voices of the past - and discover the wisdom of those women who have already walked a labyrinth of circles in the sand.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Preliminary portion says: While reading your book women will cry with you, journey with you and heal with you. Publisher -- Synchronicity, The Magazine
The review will be in their April/May issue
http://www.synchronicitymagazine.ca

About the Author

Edna Whitehouse now goes by her nickname, Samadhi - which means "Being one with the Divine and being in the moment." Each time she hears Samadhi, it reminds her that she is part of love - a continuous affirmation. Samadhi began her writing career by winning two contests; the first was for Focus On Women, a Victoria-based magazine. Her essay, "Two Hearts In One," spoke of her healing journey through her first heart surgery, and the correlation of illness and forgiveness. Her second essay, "A Gut Reaction," for the on-line magazine, Outback, showed the risks as well as the fun of exotic travel abroad. At the age of 48, Samadhi decided it was time to dive into her passion and give full-time writing a chance. The outcome is Circles in the Sand. She is currently working on her second book, Separated at Birth. A writer who has never forgotten what it feels like to be young and to be silenced, Samadhiﾕs messages are: Break the cycle of dysfunction. Find your voice - be heard. Take back your own power. Go girls! After years of travel, including visiting, living, and/or working in Europe, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, India, Egypt, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Thailand, Samadhi now lives in Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island - surrounded by the ocean and its life force.

Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing; First Trade edition (July 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1412041902
• ISBN-13: 978-1412041904
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,899,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Woman's Journey Through the Middle East to Find Herself, March 17, 2008

By 

Story Circle Book Reviews - See all my reviews

This review is from: Circles in the Sand (Paperback)

Women everywhere will applaud the writings found within Whitehouse's Circles in the Sand. There is a little bit of every woman's story in her story. There are some parts of her story that some women will never experience. But the one universal truth in Whitehouse's story is that women who take necessary risks to search their souls and define themselves reach a point of being keenly aware of who they are.

From the Dedication page: "To my family - this is who I am." With that one powerful statement, Whitehouse drew me in and didn't let me go until I reached the final word of this powerful book.

Circles in the Sand is Whitehouse's very personal memoir of her quest to understand the events of her past and to move beyond them. Daring to do what few women would dare to do, Whitehouse travels through the Middle East on an emotional and spiritual journey to "find herself." What she found by the time she had completed her journey was the window into her soul and a degree of self-love, self-acceptance and confidence that allowed her to share her journey with others.

From the About the Author page: "Edna Whitehouse now goes by the name 'Samadhi,' which means 'Being one with the Divine and being in the moment.'" "A writer who has never forgotten what it feels like to be young and be silenced, Samadhi's messages are: Break the cycle of dysfunction. Be heard. Take back your own power. Go girls!"

The author's work deals with a number of very painful topics, including incest, homophobia and the brutal devaluing of women in the cultures of the Middle East. Through such specific topics and through some very common threads in the lives of all women, readers come to know not only Whitehouse, but the Middle East through her eyes and the beauty in women basking in the midst of other women to claim or re-claim their power.

Whitehouse is currently working on a second book titled Separated at Birth. With her comfortable writing style and her depth of character and substance, I will be eagerly awaiting this book's release!

by Lee Ambrose
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

5.0 out of 5 stars SENT VIA MY PERSONAL E-MAIL - I HAVE PERMISSION TO SHARE THIS: Exposé of the personal side of what the child experienced, August 17, 2007

By 

Edna Joanne Whitehouse "SAMADHI" (Valncouver Island, BC, CANADA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Circles in the Sand (Paperback)

Dear Samadhi:

Hope all is well. I am finally at the library, and have the time to share my thoughts with you about your book. I manage to get here only once or twice a week. I am getting ready for a trip to England next week, something that is adding to the busyness of my lifestyle.

We met and chatted at your booth during the Body, Soul, & Spirit Expo in Calgary in April 2006.. It was just after I retired from the Alberta Government as a social worker in the child protection field. I read about half the book, and {personal life issues arose}. Your book remained untouched until recently when I managed to finish it.

I am part of two spiritual groups in Calgary and they are a good stabilizing influence. Both teachers are women who are connected to a current that I resonate with at the present time.

When I finished your book, I felt deep appreciation that I had been exposed to your journey, but traumatized over what you experienced, as a child and a woman. Though I encountered a lot of child sexual, physical and mental abuse in my profession, the job itself was highly rigid and bureaucratic, leaving me with little quality time to spend with the children.

I was a case manager and arranged for therapists to work with the children. I knew the big picture about each child, and in general terms the emotional and behavioural consequences, but I never had the chance to get into such a detailed exposé of the personal side of what the child experienced. Hence, your sharing about what you experienced as a youth and adult was highly relevant, and served to round out my understanding of what this kind of suffering is all about, including the deep emotional and mental scars it leaves.

Circumstances took you to lands where male brutality to women, both psychological and physical, not only prevailed but was culturally sanctioned. I cannot help but wonder whether you were guided to what you experienced simply in order to exacerbate your personal issues and bring the whole thing to a head, where psychological release from your attachments and inner turmoil was the only alternative for a harmonious inner life to prevail.

You came out of the other end a whole person with a lot of understanding of the letting go process, something that can help many people you encounter, if they are receptive to hearing you.

I hope your present life is fulfilling and that you encounter ongoing growth and happiness. When I settle down somewhere, which only the universe knows where and when it will be, I will extend an invitation to you and your partner to visit and enjoy our beautiful Rocky Mountains and turquoise lakes.

Best Wishes,
Doug Christou, Calgary

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Journey Within, July 3, 2007

By 

Nathalie Dignard "odc" (North Vancouver, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Circles in the Sand (Paperback)

Turning the pages as you unravel each layer of the veil takes you beyond religions, borders or sexual orientation, into the core of the human Spirit. Your heart travels along the edges of your own insecurities and fears as you explore life through someone else's eyes. Samadhi's amazing journey makes you want to do something, anything, to give your higher self a chance to come into the light, release those butterflies, who in turn will give wings to every Soul they touch along the way. As the circles widen and open up, the little flutters of the voice of LOVE are heard.