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Sacred Cycles: The Spiral Of Women's Well Being

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Sacred Cycles takes us on a journey through a woman's life, with stops at first menstruation, monthly menses and the moon lodge, pregnancy and birth, mothering and breastfeeding, and menopause. Sara's intention is clear: she wants women to celebrate these physiologic events realize how they are interconnected. She wants us to appreciate the positive transformation inherent in each.

The book is comprised of essays, peppered with women's comments and suggestions. Sara's voice is comforting, reassuring and humorous. As a midwife and midwifery educator, she has much to share in favor of the physiologic and natural, and yet, in the spirit of informed choice, presents a spectrum of options for responding to difficulties we may encounter in our biological transitions. For example, she methodically details women's choices in childbirth, including perinatal tests and procedures, without being dry or tedious.

The chapter on breastfeeding is particularly passionate: "There is an acute need to address the lies, manipulations which we have been fed about breasts, breast milk and breastfeeding... Curiously, although elsewhere in these pages you'll find examples of other blood rites, the rites where blood comes from the vagina, I've never heard of anyone celebrating the blood rite of breastfeeding."

Advice on menopause and aging is well-reasoned and encouraging, and in conclusion, Sara pulls together a spiral view of our lifecycle. This book is a simple, accessible, and appropriate introduction for any woman seeking to embrace her body-based wisdom.

Elizabeth Davis, co-author,"The Circle of Life: Thirteen Archetypes for Every Woman."