Daughters of the Goddess: Studies of Identity, Healing, and Empowerment [Paperback]

Wendy Griffin (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0742503488 | ISBN-13: 978-0742503489 | Publication Date: November 17, 1999

A collection of original essays examining the Goddess Movement in its many facets, Daughters of the Goddess explores the ways women have abandoned Western patriarchal religions and have embraced a spirituality based in a celebration of the Goddess and the female body as sacred text. Among the first scholars to publish in this area, editor Wendy Griffin brings together a group of academics and practitioners who offer a wide-ranging study of this movement, from a critique of the patriarchal cult of Princess Diana to a celebration of bellydance as a form of spiritual expression. Other essays not only trace women's myriad spiritual journeys but also examine the creation of personal rituals that have led to healing and a new sense of identity for many women. An innovative volume, Daughters of the Goddess serves as an invaluable guide for anyone wishing to gain a thorough introduction to this rapidly growing religious and cultural movement.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This volume is a readable, useful, and methodologically varied collection of thirteen original essays on Western 'daughters of the goddess'--'Witches, neo-pagans, pagans, Goddesses, Goddess women, spiritual feminists, Gaians, members of the Fellowship of Isis, Druids, and none of these.' The first ten chapters present current research on feminist spiritualities; the last three describe some of their teachings. This collection is strong through the caliber of the individual essays—on the roots of feminist spirituality, the painful discord between radical feminism and paganism, the social composition of women spirit communities, the lives of Wiccan High Priestesses, and hands-on ritual directives; the authors also complement and even contradict one another, with some describing goddesses as patriarchally constructed and others finding them healing. A mix of academic and practical approaches, elite and popular sources, textual study and fieldwork, and British and American contexts, this book will be useful in women and religion classes, and should be owned by every college library. (Rachel Fall Religious Studies Review )

I have used several of these contributions successfully in an undergraduate course on American Neopaganism and Witchcraft. This volume will be especially valuable for advanced undergraduate and graduate level courses dealing with women's issues, feminism and goddess spirituality. Specialists will find some of the essays to be invaluable for particular research problems, either because they report information not available elsewhere and/or because they present novel issues or perspectives. Altogether, then, this volume makes important contributions to the emergent literature on goddess spirituality and religion. (Danny L. Jorgensen Sociology Of Religion )

Offers a diverse view of the chaotically celebratory goddess spirituality movement. While healing and empowerment remain at the heart of each chapter, authors arrive at ways of gaining women's strength through a number of creative avenues. (Georgie Ann Weatherby Journal For The Scientific Study Of Religion )

The book is a delight to read. It is thoroughly accessible, well organised and engaging, and will serve its intended readership well--classes in women's studies, religious studies, and the sociology of religion. It will undoubtedly be read with pleasure and interest by the many participants in the movement at large, and of course by scholars working in this area. The inclusions are varied, yet well-integrated in line with the book's theme, and the blend of academic and practioners' voices works well. Theoretical discussion is anchored firmly in the research finding of the authors and is often movingly illustrated. (Kathryn Rountree Journal Of Contemporary Religion )

From the Back Cover

A collection of original research and essays examining the Goddess Movement in its many facets, Daughters of the Goddess explores the ways women in the United States and Britain have abandoned the Western patriarchal religions and have embraced a spirituality based in a celebration of the Goddess and the female body as sacred text. Among the first scholars to publish research in this area, editor Wendy Griffin brings together a group of academics and practitioners who offer a wide-ranging study of the movement, from a critique of the patriarchal cult of princess Diana to a celebration of bellydance as a form of spiritual expression. Other essays not only trace women's myriad spiritual journeys but also examine the creation of personal rituals that have led to healing and a new sense of identity for many women. An innovative volume ideal for classes in women's studies, religious studies and the sociology of religion, Daughters of the Goddess also serves as an invaluable guide for anyone wishing to gain a thorough introduction to this rapidly growing religious and cultural movement.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Altamira Press (November 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742503488
• ISBN-13: 978-0742503489
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,329,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Daughters" Speaks Eloquently to Male Readers, Too, August 3, 2001

By 

Doug Cox (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Daughters of the Goddess: Studies of Identity, Healing, and Empowerment (Paperback)

The prudent man who sets foot upon the Goddess/Gaian path quickly learns to listen, and very carefully, to whatever companions with whom he is fortunate to share the journey. This is at once both exhilarating and sensible, since the majority of one's companions is likely to be female, and they are drawn to the Goddess/Gaian path by experiences, perceptions and myriad desires that often have no clearly drawn counterparts within the male sphere.

This is why Wendy Griffin's "Daughters of the Goddess," a 13-essay survey of contemporary Feminist Witchcraft and Goddess Spirituality by British and American writers, is potentially so rewarding to male readers. Much is in this book, pointedly subtitled "Studies of Healing, Identity & Empowerment," that even the most thoughtful of men might otherwise never encounter, assimilate and, if they so choose, embrace.

"Who are the Daughters of the Goddess?" Griffin asks in her introduction. "They are women in the United States and Britain who may call themselves Witches, neo-pagans, pagans, Goddesses, Goddess women, spiritual feminists, Gaians, members of the Fellowship of Isis, Druids, and none of these names."

They are also indirectly or directly our companions, gentlemen, and whether or not they acknowledge us as such, if we fail to encounter them, fully, it's our considerable loss. "Daughters of the Goddess" offers an engaging look at the scope of what men might gain instead through a fuller understanding.

Griffin herself is that rarest of academic essayists, blending rigorous observational discipline with a narrative lyricism that is at times almost painfully beautiful. But she can sting, as well; consider her comment in a recent interview:

"If being on the Goddess Path means doing personal magic, dressing up like fairies, dancing through the woods and nothing else, it is pure escapism. Patriarchy should love it."

And so, gentlemen, if you find yourself scratching your head over what "patriarchy" has to do with Goddess/Gaian spirituality, please purchase this challenging, wonderful book and open yourself up to the voices of the 13 fiercely eloquent women Griffin has so skillfully brought together between its covers.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thirteen excellent essays on the Goddess, November 22, 2000

By 

Wood & Water: A Goddess-centered Feminist... (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daughters of the Goddess: Studies of Identity, Healing, and Empowerment (Paperback)

"There are thirteen excellent essays, each written by experts in their field on interesting topics around the themes of the book - healing, identity and empowerment...Each essay stands alone and could be read by someone with only a sketchy background in Goddess Spirituality, while at the same time, informing the most seasoned exponent...Wendy Griffin's book highlights a truth known to humanistic psychologists...If one follows an idea through to the end, its opposite is also true. In Griffin's case, the experiential is the academic; by being with the Goddess, however we know her, we are doing thealogy research. Very definitely a book that left me wanting more."

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to the subject, May 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Daughters of the Goddess: Studies of Identity, Healing, and Empowerment (Paperback)

A number of books are available on the subject of goddess religion, but few offer the breadth of information in this volume. Although academic in approach, the essays are accessible and well-written, and include practitioners as well as theorists. I especially enjoyed the participant/ observer essay on belly-dancing as feminist religion; its inclusion typifies Griffin's open approach. Good for the serious, intelligent reader.