Dance of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Women's Spirituality [Paperback]

Maria Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1991

Each woman has a special spiritual destiny, as unique and inalienable as the rhythms that govern her life. Maria Harris teaches women how to dance to the music of their own souls and discover the spiritual steps that can transform their lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Women's spirituality, suggests educator Harris, is a "dance of the Spirit" consisting of seven steps: "Awakening, Discovering, Creating, Dwelling, Nourishing, Traditioning, and Transforming." Each correction: The publisher informs us that the ISBN for Hyam Macco by and Wolf Mankowitz's The Day God Laughed: Sayings, Fables and Entertainments of the Jewish Sages (LJ 6/1/89) is 0-86051-467-6. We regret the error. step has its own chapter here, with introductory guidance in "Centering" (being still) and concluding exercises to help readers connect with insights. Very much an interfaith book (Harris draws on Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism), this is also quite feminist in a gentle, nonmilitant way and should appeal to questing women with a slightly New Age bent.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; 1 edition (May 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553353063
• ISBN-13: 978-0553353068
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply engaging, thoroughly examines women's spirituality., October 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Dance of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Women's Spirituality (Paperback)

A rich book, full of metaphor, deep meanings and affirmation of women's experience in the spiritual journey of life. This book is structured around seven steps of women's spirituality -- using a metaphor of the Dance of the Spirit. Harris describes five that are commonly attributed to spirituality: awakening, discovering, creating, dwelling and nourishing. She adds to those the steps of traditioning and transforming. It is a beautifully written book that speaks to women's real spiritual issues and experiences. It is an excellent resource to use in a small group, as each chapter begins with a centering exercise and ends with spiritual practices designed for that particular step. The book is not an "instruction book" in the spiritual life, but more like a "field guide" to the movements of the spiritual life. Definitely worth reading and would be richly rewarding when used in a class or small group experience.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Graceful movement through the spiritual experience., October 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Dance of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Women's Spirituality (Paperback)

The authoress moves the audience gracefully through spirituality just as one would move through a waltz. You move through the awakening, Dis-covering, Creating, Dwelling, Nourishing, Traditioning, and into Tranforming. What makes this book unique is that for each chapter one begins with a centering, texts and explanations, and then seven practices where the reader may put what the text explains into actual pratice.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars seven steps to becoming a more spiritual person, October 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Dance of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Women's Spirituality (Paperback)

This book affirmed the spirituality of women without pushing feminist thought onto the reader. I appreciated the fact that it uplifted ways to be in touch spiritually with our femininity without putting down traditions that we acquired through a mostly male view point.