Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship with Food Through Myths, Metaphors, and Storytelling (Paperback)

by Anita A. Johnston PhD. (Author) "with their bodies by age thirteen. Why are so many females so dissatisfied with their bodies?..." (more)
Key Phrases: recovery from disordered eating, struggle with disordered eating, own path through life, Mother Nature, Stairs Without Steps (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Read it in the light of the moon and the inner wisdom you find will be worth the lost sleep!" -- -National Eating Disorders Organization newsletter

"This beautifully-written book sheds new light on struggles with eating . . . and offers hope for all who want to be free." -- -Kim Chernin author of The Hungry Self

"This book is a gift to all women who struggle for true nourishment!" -- -Christiane Northrup, M.D. author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

Product Description
Reading this book is an enlightening experience! Weaving a rich tapestry of multicultural myths, ancient legends, and simple folktales, Anita Johnston teaches women how to free themselves from disordered eating by discovering the metaphors that are hidden in their own life stories. "Storytellers speak in the language of myth and metaphor," Johnston explains. "They tell us a truth that is not literal, but symbolic. If we hear the stories with only the outer ear, they can seem absurd and untrue, but when listened to with the inner ear, they convey a truth that can be understood and absorbed on a deeply personal level. In this way, stories help us connect with our inner world, to the natural rhythms and cycles of the earth, and to the power of our intuitive wisdom." In addition to being immensely enjoyable reading, Eating in the Light of the Moon is filled with practical exercises and profound insights. Twenty chapters explore different themes of self-discovery and empowerment on core issues such as:

Intuition: The Inner Seeing, Hearing, Knowing

Symbolism: Hunger as a Metaphor

Feelings: Gifts from the Heart

Moontime: Reclaiming the Body's Wisdom

Dreamtime: The Journey Within

Sexuality: Embracing the Feminine

Recovery: Out of the Labyrinth

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Gurze Books; 1 edition (April 13, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936077360
• ISBN-13: 978-0936077369
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,844 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #3 in	Books > Nonfiction > Women's Studies > Feminist Theory
  #11 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Self-Help > Eating Disorders
  #12 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Disorders & Diseases > Eating Disorders

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book lifted my spirits when I needed it most, July 9, 2001

By	Stephanie Smith "a98hoya" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Eating in the Light of the Moon (Hardcover)

I feel compelled to share with potential readers of Anita Johnston's EATING IN THE LIGHT OF THE MOON how much this book has helped me on my recovery from bulimia. As a woman with an eating disorder, let me assure that the path to recovery is a long difficult journey, but when things get tough, to this day, I turn to this book.

The concept is different than anything I have read to date, and I have read a lot. I love analysis, thought and literature. Johnston, who, by the way, runs an acclaimed eating disorder clinic in Hawaii uses multicultural fairy tales and myths to illustrate to the reader important steps on the journey to recovery. The story I return to again and again is that of the Tutu bird.

Briefly put, there was a young girl who lived in a village in Africa where the people were starving. Like all the other village children, she was sent out to fetch the animals that had been captured in the village traps overnight so that the villagers might eat. When she got there, there was a Tutu bird in the trap. His song was so sweet that she set him free. She returned to the village and explained what happened. The villagers were so angry that they buried her alive in a mud hut and left her to die. She cried and cried. One day, she heard a sweet song and a ray of light came though the top of her hut. The next day she heard the song again and realized that it was the Tutu bird. The bird was pecking a hole in the mud hut to free her! The bird then dropped in fruits and nuts. This continued until the girl was well fed and the Tutu bird could free her. She returned to an astonished village with the Tutu bird nourished compared to the thin villagers and then left with the Tutu bird to go into the forest forever. The point of the story: Find your voice, listen to it and don't stray. It will serve you in the end no matter how bleak things seem at the time.

If your mind is a literary one - if you are a person who finds deep meaning in stories/books - then PLEASE purchase this book. It has instrumental in my recovery and I really want to thank Ms. Johnston for that. I hope EATING IN THE LIGHT OF THE MOON will speak to you as it has to me.

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transforming the Female Experience for Everywoman, August 9, 2001

By	Moira BradyRogers "Cissy" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While Anita Johnson's book focusses on women's use of food as a way to cope with disconnection from our souls, I'm recommending it to everywoman I know! Her chapter "Moontime: Reclaiming the Body's Wisdom" contains a story she wrote for her daughters "to provide them with a new way of understanding the menstrual process". I believe this story has the potential to transform the next generation of emerging women. I want every mother, aunt, health education teacher, and adult woman I know to have have a copy for herself and to pass it on to every women she knows -- but especially our young women and daughters. Johnson's beautiful tale of a young woman's journey toward learning about "women's earth magic" is evocative, full of grace and wisdom, and transformative. My own experience of my female cycles will never be the same.

The life changing power of story graces all the chapters of this book. Women on the road to self-recovery of any sort will do well to spend some time soaking in the goodness Johnson offers on these pages. In her preface Johnson notes that women in recovery from disordered eating "follow a twisting, turning, winding path to their centers. It required them to leave behind old perceptions of themselves that they had adopted from others and to reclaim their own inner authorities. They had to listen to the voice from within to give them guidance and support as they searched from their true thoughts, feelings, and desires." While especially written for those of us working with recovery from eating disorders, this book is an understanding and soulful resource for any woman on the journey to the center of herself. Thank you Anita!

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you, Dr. Johnston., May 24, 2000

By	Stefanie (Davis, California [e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This is a deeply insightful book that speaks to women with disordered eating of all types and severities. I've found that one of the most terrifying aspects of living with an eating disorder is the sense of stark isolation from others that we feel, fueled by the powerful secrets that we keep. As a woman recovered from bulimia, I was appreciative of Dr. Johnston's ability to help me see the many commonalities among women who suffer with eating disorders.

Johnston uses stories, myth and symbol to help explain the emotional and spiritual struggles that women encounter as they seek to regain a balance between heart and mind. Her description of the labyrinth as a metaphor of women's healing path serves as a gentle reminder that healing from disordered relationships with food is not a simple, straight-forward, linear process; and that being judgmental of our "progress" toward healing can only hinder our journeys.

I have read this book several times and have shared it with my mother, friends and colleagues. It has been a catalyst for many emotionally and intellectually fruitful discussions. I recommend it whole-heartedly.