Customer Reviews

Savage Breast: One Man's Search for the Goddess

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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...

Berkeley Psychic Reader: "...The suppression, banishment and debasement of the Goddess and women is a key issue of our time. And it's not just about women's rights; it's also about balance. We've lost our balance, both men and women. I applaud authors who are exploring this imbalance through their own life experiences. One of the best books I've recently read on the subject is Savage Breast by Tim Ward. Ward's writing is a combination of goddess-based scholarship and research, and resulting personal revelation and reflection. The reader is invited to join him as he travels the world to reconnect with the feminine-within his psyche and his relationships.

It is unusual for an intelligent, well-educated man to risk exposing his core beliefs and flaws in relation to feminine archetypes and the real women in his life. So the reader gets the fun of sort of spying on Tim's triumphs and failures with women. You get to jump right in and evaluate his actions and reactions along the way. This kind of bravery strikes a chord of truth. You can tell that it really is a quest, not weekend dabbling. He is actually going through a kind of alchemical transformation. Instead of trying to prove himself through separation, like most men seem to do, he proves himself through unification and transformation. Now that's the kind of quest that could change the whole world.

- book review by Kirstin Miller, excerpted from Psychic Reader Newspaper: http://www.berkeleypsychic.com

Tim Ward writes about sex the way women talk to each other about sex...with brutal honesty, playful humor and savored sensuality. His search for the Goddess is a brave, deep dive into the mystery of sex...and love...and the masculine soul. Not many men have the courage to write about these scary subjects, and I honor Ward for his willingness to stand naked before the Goddess and everybody. Savage Breast is also a fascinating travelogue, archeological exploration and paradigm-busting romance. This is cutting edge literature that defies categorization...but offers unexpected rewards to the adventurous reader.

I enjoyed reading "One Man's Search for the Goddess. In addition to being well written it was a real learning experience as well as entertaining. This book will make the reader think and, incidentally, will create a desire to visit the sites of the Goddesses in Crete, Malta and Greece. However, that this book will have a limited audience as I believe that one would have to have, at the least, a basic knowledge of classical Greece.

When Mr. Ward appeared at the Ottawa Writer's Festival in the spring of 2006 he made the comment that his Mother was in the audience and moreover, had read the book. Parts of it may have given her pause for thought.

All in all, a great read and I think I will have to read the author's other books.

I cannot begin to express how important a book like this is. For a man to delve into the mysteries of the Goddess and open his heart to the oldest legacy on this planet is truly mind boggling. This book opened my heart to Tim Ward and to seeing just how lost we are without the Goddess in our daily lives. I have lent out my copy again and again and again.... Tim has done his research as well as gone on his own journey of discovery and magick! Get this book!!

Miss Maya

Tim Ward takes us on his journey through love, sex, history, archaeology, psychology and the ancient Western world in his attempt to figure out why he can't maintain a relationship. He describes very intimate revelations and experiences, he shares his dead ends and over analysis of his circumstances, he takes in information from all kinds of sources, his gut, feminist readings, Jungian psychology, archaeological sites, his interactions with his fiancee, and he describes all of his musings and inner conflicts and essentially walks us all through the process of figuring out a man's relationship with a woman, the world and himself. He fearlessly examines it all from every angle. And he gets it in the end! To read where he started from, with his dare-I-say "typical" attitudes about women, which he does not flinch from describing in disturbing detail, and then to see where he gets to after all of the pondering and heartache, it's just amazing. This is an awesome book. There were times when I was rolling my eyes and muttering "Men!" But one of the things that's so great about the book is that it is from a man's perspective. Men are men, but you know what? It's okay. Just as he reaches a conclusion about the ordinariness of women, he demonstrates to us women readers the ordinariness of men.

Aphrodite. Athena. Hecate. Pandora. Hera. Goddesses revered for centuries by women, who still invoke their names as icons of strength, beauty, and eternal love. While many women have written that developing a Goddess consciousness has transformed their lives, Ward is perhaps the first modern man to deeply consider the question: What does the Goddess have to offer men? In our age of patriarchy, male bias, and anger at the feminine, what do these deities offer them?

To find out, bestselling author Tim Ward (Arousing the Goddess: Sex and Love in the Buddhist Ruins of India, What the Buddha Never Taught) traveled to the ruined temples and shrines of the Goddess in the cradles of Western civilization. He meets her face to face in her many forms: at Delphi as Gaia - Mother Earth; in Romania as the maiden Pandora; and on a remote Anatolian hilltop as Hekate, crone-queen of the witches. The result is "The Savage Breast," the latest example of Ward blending his confessional honesty with his powerful writing skills to draw the reader into a fascinating narrative that ranks with the best tales of self-exploration and travel.

Ward is one of the pioneers in the modern genre of spiritual journalism: exploring the frontiers of philosophy and mysticism through the lens of his own experience. Seeking out even the remotest sites of Western civilization in his quest for knowledge, he examines the history, significance, and consequences of the pantheon of goddesses found in Europe and the Near East. His vivid account amid temple ruins and local museums breathes life into religious stereotypes, paring away the cultural myths of Western society to uncover what is at the heart of our relationship with the feminine divine - and, just as important, man's relationship to woman.

Keeping Ward honest in his quest is Teresa, the woman he loves and travels with through the often difficult terrain of self-discovery as he undergoes the painful reckoning of his own prejudices. Loyal even in the face of Ward's emotional storms, Teresa encourages the author to confront his demons - and stands by him when those demons unleash their wrath.

Fully engaged with the subject matter, Ward gives the reader candid prose, imaginative recreations of sacred rites, and presents a compelling story that is part history lesson, part confession, and part exploration of how the male and female can fully, honestly connect.

So, how can men hope to reconcile their unnamed fears and find genuinely satisfying relationships with women?

As Teresa wisely counsels, "Ask the goddess."

~ Mark Hawthorne, author of Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism

You will literally laugh, cry and grow in spirit in the name of the Universal Goddess with author Tim Ward. I honestly hated putting this book down ... This book kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what would happen next.

Basically, this is a story about a man (the author of the book) Tim and his spiritual journey to discover the missing Goddess of our culture. He basically asked this type of question, "Their were soceties past, where it is said woman ruled their kingdoms and they were united under a Goddess .... why did these ancient Goddesses disappear?" ... This isn't an actual quote from the book, but my interpretation of what the author was looking to discover.

His search is more than just where did these ancient Goddesses disappear to or why they aren't worshipped so freely now as they were by our ancestors, but it is an emotional, physical and spirtual revelation of why men treat women the way we do.... Why do some men view women as second class citizens? Why do men get so upset when a woman rejects his advances? ..... And if the ancient Goddess was as prevelent in our society today as they were thousands of years ago, would women still be treated the way they are today? Would woman have had to fight so hard for the same freedoms that men had?

He shows his continual development and understanding on these trips throughout Europe to the sites where Goddesses were heavily worshipped ... On these trips, his wife is with him -- and through the story, he discovers his true self and you get to experience the trials, tribulations, failures and successes of his relationship with his wife .... Slowly, he begins to understand it all -- and you will hear all about it in Tim's fasicinating book, Savage Breast!

Recommened for all men and women to read .... Men, you will learn so much about yourself and your relationships with women, this book will change your life. Women, you will be angry with Tim and then fall in love with him over and over again as he truly works to understand the Sacred Feminine.