Woman at the Edge of Two Worlds: The Spiritual Journey of Menopause (Hardcover)

by Lynn V. Andrews (Author), Ginny Joyner (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Combining feminism and mysticism in a positive approach to menopause, Andrews ( Medicine Woman ) proclaims that this stage of life marks the liberation of women from the physical and psychological stresses of their younger years, and signals the onset of a more powerful life of the spirit. And while some menopausal women may not identify themselves readily as "sacred women, keepers of the eternal fire," fire is frequently invoked here, as are shamans and the ancient Native American Sisterhood of the Shields. The book, based on Andews's own experiences and those of four of her "apprentices," warns of symptoms of hormonal rebalancing and suggests the use of estrogen to counter osteoporosis, but also emphasizes that menopause can give "access to the beginning of a new, beautiful way of life" by the use of special "sacred" herbs; and through exercise, like tai chi; visualization; and ceremonies involving playing drums and dancing in honor of the "Great Spirit Mother Earth." For some readers, Andrews may open doors; for others, her position and her proselytizing will be bunkum. Illustrated.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Given the title, as well as the neo-Castanedan spiritual odyssey that the author has undertaken in the past (Shakkai, 1992; The Woman of Wyrrd, 1990; etc.), Andrews's newest journey is ironically physical, even clinical, seeming to contradict her own thesis that a spiritual awakening compensates for the physical losses occasioned by menopause. In spite of her ritual dancing and eating, Andrews, we learn, suffers severe menopausal symptoms: sweating, crying, swelling, and physiological changes that she describes in amazing detail (bone loss; ``thinning of the vagina'')--with these details supplemented as she tells more than most readers need or will want to know about a gynecological examination by the ubiquitous heartless brute who so often shows up as a physician in feminist literature. Figures from previous books--the indefatigable Agnes Whistling Elk and Ruby Plenty Chiefs--appear, along with gourds, costumes, talking sticks, ``personal smudge bowls,'' a finicky diet, and personable wolves and uncanny bears who materialize for ritual dances. But instead of Andrews's usual dream flights to alien cultures or visits to other times, here she flies by scheduled airline, gets caught in traffic jams, mourns the death of her mother, and, while swimming with her boyfriend in Nevada, deals with the embarrassment of her wayward estrogen patch floating to the surface. She discusses menopause and women's life cycles with her apprentices, and confesses to having been raised in a dysfunctional family and abused as a child, and to being afflicted with denial. Boring, humorless, and unimaginative. Anyone interested in menopause should turn instead to Gail Sheehy's The Silent Passage or Germaine Greer's The Change. (Illustrations) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060169567
• ISBN-13: 978-0060169565
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,636,623 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another take on menopause -- and a pretty good one at that, November 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Woman at the Edge of Two Worlds (Paperback)

I have followed Lynn Andrews' books for many years and while I had purchased this one a long time ago, I never read it. Not until I began having my own questions and challenges with menopause. Deep inside me there was a sense that this is indeed a sacred time of transformation and a coming of age that has not been appreciated or explored by women of our culture. Andrews takes the reader through her own experience (complicated by the loss of her mother), the highs and the lows, including a hysterical interaction with a male physician (the sum of our nightmares, I expect), and her own embarrassment of losing her estrogen patch while hottubbing with her boyfriend. She creates a 20th century journey that honors all who have gone before us and all who come after. While her medical information is somewhat shakey, I appreciate her spiritual guidance and her encouragement as we see this transition not as a door closing, but a new horizon opening. Not recommended for the narrow minded, but for those who see beyond religion and into spirit.

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing as it is, March 29, 2009

By	J. Eastwood - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Woman at the Edge of Two Worlds (Paperback)

This book, more than any other helped me know I wasn't alone during the worst times of menopause. The unreality, the feeling that I would never be normal again - very disconcerting times. The descriptions were right on, and I feel it brought me through to the other side. If you don't know what I mean, you haven't experienced it yet. If you know someone in the state of change called Menopause, here's a great gift. -I know she has a workbook, I have not had a chance to evaluate it.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully helpful !, January 12, 2000

By	Roxanne H. Franklin (Whitmore Lake,, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Woman at the Edge of Two Worlds (Paperback)

So many books about Menopause are dry and do nothing to help one understand what's happening. Lynn's book helped me see many things I was trying not to see and know I was OK. The book should be read by every woman going into this time of life.