Customer Reviews

Descent to the Goddess: A Way of Initiation for Women

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As an astrologer, Jungian and VisionCoach, I often recommend this book to my clients as a healing journey. It is probably necessary to have a little Jungian and mythological background to enjoy this particular approach to the universal truth of the female. The style is elevated and uses language familiar to Jungian analysts.

You cannot imagine what you will find in this book, though -- it is so different from Women's Lib and and the generalized Greek and Roman myths, for example.

Perera discusses the bi-polar nature of women and mythically describes their arrival to Power and The Deep Feminine.

If you are serious about your path of development on the female side, I can't think of a more worthwhile book.

As a therapist (16 yrs), I have been using the material in this book for reframing the experience of depression for my clients. The clients I have introduced this book to are now reframing their illness as an intiation into a greater understanding of their relation to self/soul. While at times dry for most laypeople, It has become a reference book for my practice.

If you choose any book on Inanna, or even on the Goddess- and there are many- this is the one to get. Absolutely one of the best books I have ever read on the Goddess Inanna. Truly inspiring. What is truly great about this book is the way the author weaves the of Inanna's descent in a way that makes the relevance to women's lives and psyche's today clear and poetic. the author carefully and skillfully describes how aspects of the goddess Inanna have been relegated to the Shadow "other" and how reclaiming her lessons women can intergrate and reclaim themselves. But this book goes beyond simple Jungian analysis. Perera carefully describes Inanna's descent and interprets it's beauty and wisdom. I have read many books on Inanna and the Sumerian pantheon. This book remains one of my favorites. I can't rave about this book enough. highly recomended for the astrologer wishing to learn more about the roots of Venus, Sumerian buff, Inanna fan, or current explorer of earth based/ goddess based faiths. this book has been the foundation to which I have chosen to explore and learn about Jungian theories. A totally unique interpretation. For any woman on an exploration into herself.

I'm glad I am familiar with the myth of Inanna and Dumuzi otherwise I would have been completely lost. This book was a facinating journey into the psychology found within the Descent of Inanna. I found it hard to put down. For a small book, it is packed with profound images of the misunderstood dark feminine.
It's language is sometimes hard to follow because of the long sentences containing words commmon only to psychologists.
The book itself gives one pause to think, but it is best used as a therapy tool in the hands of a qualified and trusted therapist.

The first time I read this story it took me on the journey itself. It took a week to read this slim book. Highly recommended to anyone seeking to integrate the feminine component in life, especialy for a man exploring his anima.

"Descent to the Goddess" gives both men and women a new perspective on the meaning of duality in gender and psychology. An excellent text for those who have been in therapy or have used "self-help" books, but feel the need to "go further." As an academic source, this book and its author equal the works of such authors as Foucault, Bakhtin, Durkheim and Victor Turner. "Descent to the Goddess" is a vital resource for psychologists, regardless of theoretical background or technique

It is rumored that this is the first book that Anne Darrow gave her lover, King Kong, because he didn't know what to make of her constant screaming.

Any man who believes, or thinks he believes, that he exists to serve and honor women should read this book. The descent into darkness is terrifying, painful, utter death. But the journey is necessary before a new dynamic can be achieved, one in which women and men are powerfully connected as equals. Ms. Perera, thank you!

--Robert McDowell, author of the forthcoming Poetry In Spiritual Practice

When I miscarried my first child - half way through the pregnancy - I cried my eyes out for days. No one talked about miscarriages and anyone who did made them into "nothing". Well, it felt like the death of a beloved and threw me into a profound inner process of change.
As a professional woman full of "go get it drive" I did not have models or manuals for what to do when I felt this way. Deeper and deeper I spiraled into myself. Feeling lost and yet exhilarated it made no sense to my logical mind.
A dear friend put this book in my hands and urged me to retreat into the cozy cave of my bed for a couple of hours. As soon as I started reading I found that the journey of Inanna mirrored my own journey. I too shed layers of my old self at the "gates" of descent. I too felt like I was "hanging on a hook and rotting" - at least my old identity certainly felt squeamish, uncomfortable and profoundly challenged.
After I learned to love my journey I found the path back up and out into a new life informed by feminine wisdom and fueled by the fire in my belly from having descended and risen into a new life.
I recommend this book to my consulting and coaching clients who are in the midst of BIG changes on a regular basis so that they too can make sense of their Heroine's Journey. Out of this came my work on change - the stages of the transitions I see follow this kind of inward journey for profound results. You can learn more on my website at [...].

Fascinating study of the Sumerian Inanna-Ishtar myth and her descent into the underworld to Ereshkigal, her dark 'sister.' The author present a journey of feminine initiation. Some discussion of feminist theory, which will likely be more interesting to the therapist than the lay reader. For a writer like me, there is much inspiring symbolism. A slim volume, and somewhat academic, but surprisingly readable for all that.

It is always a relief to men like myself (Soulseekers) when an authoress acknowledges a male's need for an Inner Feminine Authority to guide him and perhaps, if he is lucky, lead him to the Treasure hard to attain, for truth be told, no physical woman on earth can do that for him.