The Women's Wheel of Life [Mass Market Paperback]

Elizabeth Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1997

For women who have found identity in nonconventional spirituality, here is a new vision of a woman's lifetime that focuses on her most powerful middle years. In the triple goddess concept of Maiden, Mother, and Crone, there is no designation for what 20th-century women are experiencing as their most important years. Drawing from their work in women's health, spirituality, and psychology, the authors fill this void with a new wheel of archetypes to include a fourthMatriarch.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Elizabeth Davis's first book, Heart & Hands, is often considered the bible for practicing midwives. Now Davis has teamed up with fellow midwife Carol Leonard to attend to all stages in a woman's life, by imagining and exploring 13 positive archetypes. Among the archetypes presented in The Women's Wheel of Life are familiar ones like the Crone and the Maiden, but also new ones, such as the Matriarch and the Priestess, that apply to women in midlife. (Viking, $22.95 256p ISBN 0-670-86227-4)
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Steeped in New Age rhetoric and references, this work targets the true believer. Authors Davis and Leonard have drawn inspiration from their experiences as midwives, as participants in "women's circles," and as students of tribal beliefs to devise a system that identifies 12 stages in a woman's life. These archetypes correspond to general goddess stereotypes and may be understood through instinct rather than reason. Women move from one phase to another using a 13th or transformer stage. The authors encourage those in this position to consult tarot cards, runes, or the I Ching to facilitate the transition. Throughout the book are testimonials given by individuals, identified solely by age, who share the same jargon and perspective. Only libraries desperate to fill gaps in their New Age or occult collections should consider this cultish manual.
Rose M. Cichy, Osterhout Free Lib., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014019505X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140195057
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,414,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carol Leonard, a "foremother of the modern midwifery movement," was the first midwife certified to practice legally in NH and has been practicing for over the last three decades. She is co-founder of the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) representing all midwives in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, serving one term as President of MANA. Her work to improve maternity care in Moscow, Russia, was featured on 20/20 and was written into Congressional Record. She has delivered approximately 1,200 babies safely in their own homes.

Carol is currently writing BACKROADS BABIES ~ True Home Birth Stories from a Country Midwife, due soon from Bad Beaver Publishing!


"Carol Leonard can spin a tale beautifully. Her writing is like who she really is ... her words are spit-fire and hilarious, and filled with pain and power."
~ Lynn Richards, author of VBAC, Very Beautiful And Courageous

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful new view on women's life cycles, April 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Women's Wheel of Life (Mass Market Paperback)

Davis and Leonard expand the concept of the Triple Goddess into Maiden, Mother, Matriarch and Crone. Beautifully written, this book identifies phases of a woman's life and how she moves between them. A must read!!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A traverse of the circle of female reality., June 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Women's Wheel of Life (Mass Market Paperback)

In visioning the Women's Wheel, the authors have clearly emulated William Blake who said, "I must create a system or be enslav'd by an(other) man's." They present a framework of understanding that will inspire many women (and hopefully at least a few men) who want to make their lives more meaningful and sacred. A wise and accessible guide

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Women's Wheel of Life, June 29, 2009

By 

Fiona E. Abbott "FEA" (Bomaderry, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Women's Wheel of Life (Mass Market Paperback)

This Book is fantastic. It gives women the information we all so need in terms of establishing and harnessing our power at various stages of our life cycles. This book is a must for any woman in touch with her inner being it will shed light on aspects of the self you never knew you had.

Great read and essential information for all women.