Customer Reviews

The Moon Under Her Feet

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I cannot begin to express the impact this book has had on me. I was struggling with my Christian upbringing and wanting to embrace the Goddess, when a wonderfu Witch, author Silver RavenWolf suggested this book to me. Thank you Raven. I didn't want to give up "Jesus," but through this book I came to see that Yeshua/Jesus is as much a part of the Goddess/God myths of so many religions. The story of birth, death and rebirth, so much a part of my Wiccan religion, was played out in this book on multiple levels. Witches and Pagans need not turn from Jesus, as he is a much a Messiah for us as for the entire world, past, present and future. I truely believe that the author has tapped into the Cosmic Consciousness and come up with a "true" version of what happened so long ago. If you would but look at the extensive research done, the books of the effort listed, I think you will find that this book explains the importance of the Goddess in life, as well as the God. Mari and Jesus represent both, as they are the Goddess and God, reincarnated from Isis and Osiris, Inanna and Dumuzi. There is such beauty and passion in this book, and such incredible love. A woman's point of view. A world view to embrace for today and forever!!

Clysta Kinstler's classic, Moon Under Her Feet, is a must for all those who have wondered who Mary Magdelene really was, who have noticed correspondences between some elements of the bible and what we know of the pre-Christian Goddess Religions. It is for those, like me, who have studied some religious history, but could not put together the missing pieces. Although the book is classified as fiction, Kinstler is a scholar who has footnoted carefully all information in the book, showing her version of the Christ & Mary story is not just fancy, but strongly possible, perhaps even probable. I am a Christian, but have long felt the missing female side of it, have long wanted a better balance of male and female in my biblical understanding. I wanted to bring the Virgin Mary to life. Clysta Kinstler has done that for me, Dr. Helen Bonner, author of the Laid Daughter, Amazon.com.

This is a beautiful book, and I have read it several times already. Not only is the story great, very involving and well written, but the imagery and historical references are accurate and scholarly. As a woman interested in the often under-represented female perspective on historical events, this book fills a need for fully fleshed out mythical perspectives on life. At first I wondered if the alternate take on Christian myth would be sort of like a vegetarian version of a meat dish, interesting but not really enjoyable or necessary. Instead I found myself immersed in a completely plausible reinterpretation of a universal story which pulled me in and then expanded my understanding of myth and mystery. Highly recommended!

I can't even begin to sing this book's praises. As a former Catholic the book battered down my points of view which stem from years of Mass. While it is fiction, its beauty and logic shocked my senses free of traditional explanations and immersed them in such an experience, that I could not help but adore it and read it again and again.

I encourage everyone to read this powerful story. It comforts us who live somewhere between those two religious worlds. But regardless of your belief system, this book is a necessity.

Brightest Blessings and Bravo to Clysta Kinstler for this eye-opening treasure.

Kinstler weaves a tale that is not only believable but also logical; a missing link, the "Ah Ha!" of Christianity. Truly, what point would there be for any "god", to come to Earth to experience life as a man and not include in that experience two of the most important male events -- those being sex and parenthood? For millennia any historical truth that might have been the core of the Christian myth, has been shrouded in so many layers of secrecy and confusion that we are left with not much more than an incomplete trail that is senseless at best. Kinstler reconstructs a bridge that connects the ancient Pagan traditions to Christianity and if nothing else, gives us a possible explanation of how the blood thirsty atrocity of female oppression that is Christianity as it has stood from the early establishment of the church and up until today, got its foothold, thereby providing us not only with substantial food for thought, but with an unbroken chain of events that actually works! This story makes as much sense to me as any other and is in fact once again, a reaffirmation that the cycle of birth, life, death and re-birth is the only truth that remains steadfast once the myths of religion are stripped away.

I have a girlfriend who is Christian and is religious but not overly so. I bought her this book and gave it to her along with other presents for Christmas. I know she's always been curious about all the Goddess 'stuff' I keep talking about. I tried lending her "When God was A Woman" but it was too academic(dry) for her. She said she couldn't read it because it bored her.

This book was perfect for introducing her to some of the ideas of the Goddess in a way that was somewhat familiar to her (the story of Jesus&Mary). Plus the story was so much a story that she enjoyed it without even thinking of the philosophical side of it.

The only thing I wish for now is that the author come out with this book in Spanish! I told my mami a little about the book and she (Catholic) wants to read it! *sigh* But I've yet to hear about a Spanish version.

I really enjoyed this novel. Kinstler weaves together elements of Judaism, Sumerian and Egyptian spiritualities, as well as Roman political intrigue. She also tells the tale of the Magdalene and the Messiah with grace, sensuality, and surprises. It is time indeed for her tale to be told, and Clysta Kinstler does is with vivid imagination and graciousness, as well as remarkable historical clarity. Bravo on her first novel! I would read this book over again, as well as anything else by this author. Highly recommended to anyone interested in early Christian history and/or worship of the Great Mother, as well as anyone who loves a great love story.

Be careful to whom you loan this book: You might not get it back! :-) I was always unsettled by the inconsistencies in the story of the Magdalen that I was taught while growing up in the Southern Baptists church. This book brings it all together in a way that is much more clear to me. Ms. Kinstler shows women in a much more active & believable role than some would give them. As a Wiccan & amateur history buff, I appreciate this very much. If you're looking for a version of the early Christianity/Magdalen story that doesn't demean women OR history, READ THIS BOOK!!

This wonderful, well-written book blends the gospel story with the ancient Pagan religions of the Goddess Inanna-Ishtar and Her descent, the trials of Isis, and the dying-and-rising god motif. It is a tribute to Kinstler's skill and imagination that her version is totally believable. She takes familiar stories and gives them a new twist. Her Mary Magdalene is a priestess, a mother, a lover, and a person who struggles with fear and doubt while trying to live a life devoted to her Goddess. I own this book and have read and re-read it several times during the last few years.

I loved this book, devouring it as quickly as I could. Getting inside Mary the Magdalene's head and viewing those times from her - admittedly, alternative as compared to Orthodox Christian history - point of view was a true joy. The book is written very well and quite creatively, and I could imagine myself back in those times, living in the time of the Christos.

Having said that, I'm highly suspicious that any of the events as described in the book happened in any way near as they are described. The notes in the back of the book are helpful, but in no way convincing: they allude to a different truth of the gospels than the one we're usually taught, but they don't prove anything. The bibliography is helpful as well, but I suspect I'm not about to read every one of those books to see if I come to the same conclusion as the author.

Still, it's an enchanting read, and one worth contemplating. I will definintely be reading more about Mary the Magdalene - or Mary Magdalene - as she is a fascinating topic, and one Western Civilization has ignored for too long. I give the book a huge thumbs up and despite my skepticism as to the overall fictional "truth" of the book, I'd still recommend it to anyone as a great read.