Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, Bride of God [Paperback]

Caitlin Matthews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001

Anyone interested in the feminine face of God throughout the ages will find Sophia an illuminating experience. Caitlin Matthews' scholarship connects us to past, present, and future in the very depths of our femininity. ----Marion Woodman, Jungian analyst and author of Bone: Dying into Life. Sophia, or "wisdom" in Greek, has been revered in many forms throughout history--from the Dark Goddess of ancient Anatolia; to her Egyptian, Greek, Celtic, and Cabalistic manifestations; to her current forms as Mary and the orthodox St. Sophia. In the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, Sophia sits with God until the creation. Then she falls into matter and becomes manifest in every atom, permeating all things "like the sparks that run through charcoal," as Matthews says. While God is "out there," the Goddess is "in here"-- the mother-wit of practical inspiration and compassion at the heart's core. This definitive work comprehensively establishes a realistic Goddess theology for Westerners in the twenty-first century: grounding spirituality in daily life and the natural world; learning to work playfully and play seriously; ending the gender war to enjoy sacred marriage.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A classic from the day it was published in 1991, Sophia: The Goddess of Wisdom is an intensely scholarly yet highly poetic work. Modern history (his story) may have buried the Great Goddess under suffocating layers of denial and revisionism, yet as we move deeper into the "sophianic millennium," scraping away the fallow ground of patriarchy, She emerges anew. Author Caitlin Matthews unveils the veiled Black Goddess (the primal manifestation of the Divine Feminine) in her many hiding places over the last several thousand years. Disempowered and hacked to pieces, she has survived in the major Western religions, philosophies, and mystery schools in many guises. With the aid of the author's trained and intuitive eye, the reader tracks Her faint footsteps through the long dark night of the feminine soul. Along with The White Goddess by Robert Graves, this book is a must-read for those who wish to understand why the Goddess fled, where She went, and how we can reaffirm Her as the giver of practical and spiritual wisdom--celebrating Her primacy in the manifestation of all things. --P. Randall Cohan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 463 pages
• Publisher: Quest Books; Revised edition (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0835608018
• ISBN-13: 978-0835608015
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #317,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hello! I'm Caitlin Matthews. I live in Oxford, England with my partner, John Matthews and two warring white cats who, despite our best efforts, can't abide each other and live on different floors of our small house.

I'm primarily known for being the author of many books including Singing the Soul Back Home, Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, Psychic Shield, and Sophia, Goddess of Wisdom. I write in the fields of metaphysical non-fiction, poetry, fiction, folkstory and myth, as well as writing books for children. I'm known for my research into the Celtic and ancestral traditions, and the ways in which I provoke exploration of the creative metaphysical field, and how we can apply it to our spiritual path.

With John Matthews, I've written the Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom, the Arthurian Tarot and Walkers Between the Worlds. Our latest collaboration is the StoryWorld series of cards and books for storytellers of all ages, which started coming out in 2009 - many more titles to come in 2010.

Although I'm the author of over sixty books, most of my work is oral rather than written. As a teacher of ancestral, shamanic and metaphysical traditions, I go all over the world, working with communities and spiritual institutions. With John Matthews, and my dear colleague Felicity Wombwell, I co-founded The Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to the mythic, oracular and sacred arts. Our FiOS shamanic training programme teaches students the ancestral wisdom and healing arts as living sacred traditions in which we still engage.

As a singer, I play Celtic & medieval harps, sruti and psaltery. My CDs include Deep Well in the Wild Wood: Songs from the Place Beyond and the latest, Earth's Own Heart: Songs from the Faery Hills appears in 2010. I was the Pictish language originator and song-writer of Song of the Exile for the 2004 Jerry Bruckheimer film King Arthur and I appear frequently on international radio and television.

For the last 20 years, I've had a shamanic practice in Oxford dedicated to healing soul sickness and ancestral fragmentation. I use my voice to help open the way between the worlds, to sing the soul's essential nature, tracking it through the client's story and bringing it homeward, with the help of spirit allies who have chosen to work with me.

I'm currently working on Rekindling Ancestral Hearths: a book to help us come into good relationship with our ancestors. I believe that being in commuinion with our ancestors and gifting spirits is essential for the wellbeing of our world, and lies at the root of war and peace.

If you want to know more about my courses, events and forthcoming books, you are cordially invited to visit www.hallowquest.org.uk.

For new readers of my work, there is no 'one book' that conveys all that I teach, but the following practical books may be a helpful guide for you to begin somewhere:

Walkers Between Worlds - for a grounding in where our spiritual traditions arose.
Singing the Soul Back Home - for a guide on how we come into come relationship with our gifting spirits
Celtic Devotional - for a post-denominational way of spiritually acknowledging each day and season
Psychic Shield - for those who need a friendly guide to how the universe and ourselves rub off each other and how we can do it more harmoniously

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for Woman's Spiritual Journey, November 14, 2005

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a reader from New York (New York) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, Bride of God (Paperback)

This book treats the Divine Feminine in various guises in many cultures. I found this book extremely uplifting and inspiring. The subject was treated in a profound manner, affording many deep spiritual insights. I was especially interested in what she had to say about the divine feminine in the Hebrew tradition. Ample annotations are given for further study.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, Bride of God, February 10, 2006

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K. Markwell "Priestess of the Magdalene Order" (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, Bride of God (Paperback)

I am so sorry I didn't read this book sooner. Caitlin Matthews has more information on Sofia than I could of hoped for. Bless her for sharing her knowledge. An excellent read, destined to be a classic if not already. Truly a book for all women. Thank you Caitlin Matthews.

33 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BRIDE OF GOD, January 5, 2001

By 

JOY "sophiazoe" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom: The Divine Feminine From Black Goddess to World-Soul (Paperback)

The book is loaded with good information regarding the proper role of Sophia in relationship to God and to the earth. Filled to perfection of truths, that one would not have to study further. It is written very well, and very easily understood. It is remarkable how much truth she gathered with the world trying to suppress the female deity of the Godhead. All efforts to abolish the authority of Sophia were defeated upon the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. The writings of Jesus in the "Pistis Sophia", G.R.S.Mead, would never be accepted by churchs because they told the whole world "Jesus never wrote a book". Please read "She Who Is", Elizabeth Johnson, and "Prayers to She Who Is", William Cleary. Also, The Goddess Re-awakening" Shirley Nicholson. Of course, the writings at Qumran are in the book "The Nag Hammadi Library", James Robinson, don't skip the writing "Sophia of Jesus Christ" in this book. The woman Sophia is the Bride of God, only Bride.