Savage Breast: One Man's Search for the Goddess [Paperback]

Tim Ward (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 2006

THE DA VINCI CODE tapped a deep fascination for the sacred feminine hidden at the heart of Christianity. Best-selling author Tim Ward digs deeper into this mystery, propelling the reader into the pre-Christian Goddess religions of the Mediterranean. Ward confronts tough questions * Are men threatened by the innate power of the feminine? * Why do men abuse, rape, and dominate women? Shouldnt loving relationships with the opposite sex be natural and easy? * Did we all lose an essential part of ourselves when we turned our back on the feminine divine? * How would opening to the feminine face of God help men resolve their issues with women? * What would it take for men to really let go of patriarchy and genuinely accept women as equals?To answer these questions, Ward decided to seek out the Goddess, with his own demons in tow. Over a period of three years he travelled to the ruined temples and shrines of the Goddess in the cradles of Western Civilization. At each he encountered one aspect of the many faces of the Goddess. He vividly recreates the experience of ancient believers the Eleusinian Mysteries of Demeter, the sexual rites of the priestesses of Aphrodite, and a human sacrifice on a mountaintop shrine in Crete. And in Turkey he sits at the feet of the many-breasted Artemis of Ephesus, whose rioting followers once threatened to kill the Apostle Paul. Facing the Goddess unleashes turbulent emotions for Ward. With frank honesty he describes the traumas that erupt in his relationship with the woman he loves, who accompanied him on many of his journeys.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Part travelogue, part self-congratulatory memoir and mostly insecure ramblings, Ward's journey to discover the goddess principle is a thinly veiled attempt to find himself. Since Western religion eliminated goddess worship from its rituals long ago, he observes, young males lack healthy role models for understanding their feminine side. He reveals how such a lack affected his own life in multiple stories about his difficult and failed relationships with women. Taking a page from Bruce Feiler's walks in the footsteps of biblical figures, Ward travels the globe to trace various goddesses and connect with their primal power. His travels take him to Crete, Greece, Turkey, Romania and Cyprus, where he comes face-to-face with the ancient traditions and rituals surrounding the cults of goddesses as diverse as Ariadne, Hera, Athena, Hekate and Artemis. He weaves the story of his relationship with his wife into the travelogues about goddess sites as a way of demonstrating how successfully he believes he has come to terms with the divine feminine. This book is not so much about goddesses as it is about Ward's sexual insecurities and his need to psychoanalyze himself.
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Review

"'Ward's book is a kind of archaeology of the soul. He digs through the layers of his own male psyche and cultural conditioning, and does not flinch at what he finds buried underneath. He brings ancient rituals to life as he re-imagines what it must have been like to be a man living in the time of the goddess. His vivid account cuts to the heart of man's relationship with the feminine divine - and, even more important, to men's relationships with flesh-and-blood women. Wade Davis, author of One River and The Serpent and the Rainbow 'Few male writers except theologians have dared to interpret the goddess movement but Tim Ward in his frank, intrepid way, has given us a thoughtful, personal account of one man's look at the goddess and why many men have been so angry at women. Susan Swan, author of What Cassanova Told Me 'Powerful...Tim Ward's personal encounters with the statues, frescos, temples and sacred sites of ancient goddesses remind us that these artifacts are not sterile stones but the touchstones to a still living world of human experience.' Richard Rudgley, Lost Civilizations of the Stone Age"

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Changemakers Books (February 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905047584
• ISBN-13: 978-1905047581
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #983,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars deep and enjoyable, May 4, 2006

By 

Jim (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Savage Breast: One Man's Search for the Goddess (Paperback)

I found Savage Breast to be a meaningful and personal account of the search for the goddess in a man's life. I was right there with Tim, cheering him on, laughing with him and at him (thinking of my own trials) and wondering "is he ever going to get it" and feeling so happy and relieved when he does get it. I am soon to be married myself and found this book more helpful in reaching clarity about it than all of the other "helpful" psychobabble books I've read. I started my own search for the feminine divine after a Christmas Eve Mass in 1998 when I wondered how could we celebrate Jesus birth without the feminine divine, with Mary being so theologically twisted? Tim Ward keeps on topic and stays consistently personal in his moving story of growing into manhood through knowing the goddess within.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read, incredible insights, beautifully written., March 29, 2006

By 

tme (Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Savage Breast: One Man's Search for the Goddess (Paperback)

I LOVED this book, and couldn't put it down. It's not your typical new age "goddess" book -- this is a very honest and raw look at one man's growing awareness of his own deeply buried misogyny, his frustrated longing for women, and at the same time his desperate fear of women and love. It's so refreshing to find a man that's ready to look that deep within himself and unearth the worst, darkest parts we all would rather be ignorant of. But the author Tim Ward doesn't flinch and it's fascinating to see a man face his demons and then, most suprisingly, actually change and grow! This book is really about the courage and strength it takes to be a real man,the first step in being able to get over the fear of love and intimacy with the woman you love. It also examines how Western men may have damaged themselves by cutting themselves off from a feminine divine, and how earlier cultures viewed and worshipped their goddesses. It's a fascinating mix of archaeology, travel, psychology, mythology ... and a love story as well! I can't say enough about it -- it's a real life Da Vinci Code -- but so much better and more satisfying. It's one of those books that makes you so sorry when you've reached the end. It's also filled with amazing pictures of little known ancient Goddess temples and statues from around the world. I learned so much!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing perspective, July 4, 2006

By 

Kira Jovian (Spokane, WA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Savage Breast: One Man's Search for the Goddess (Paperback)

I finished this book a week ago and have actually been a bit daunted to write a review. Where to start? It has so much information, so many emotions contained within its pages. It is definitely one I will have to reread several times but I do know to me it is a five star book.

This book is not so much Tim Ward (the author) researching the goddess in all her forms but rather a journey where he discovers himself. He travels all over Europe (sometimes with his fiancée) exploring ancient ruins and the cultures they defined. He not only addresses how the goddess was part of them in historical context, but goes deeper by trying to connect with the feminine power on a very personal and emotional level. He asks himself the questions many men avoid.

Are we losing a vital part of ourselves when we turned our backs on the goddess, the feminine divine? What would happen if men genuinely let go of patriarchy and accepted woman as equals, as half of the whole?

With raw honesty Tim Ward speaks of his failures and triumphs with woman and in life, which speak volumes to me. Tim Ward is on a quest and I felt I was with him every step of the way. It was so refreshing to read about the goddess from the perspective of a man when most of what I come across is written by women or by men with patriarchal ideals.

What did I learn from this book, it is very simple but very hard for me to put into words but I will try:

The goddess asks nothing of us other then for us the appreciate the beautiful of the world and to share it with each other. Imagine if we did only this how the world would change...