The Path of the Mother : With the Divine Guidance of the Holy Mother, Ammachi (Paperback)

~ (Author) "At an ashram in southern India on the Arabian Sea, in a forest of coconut palms on a thin peninsula between the ocean and the..." (more)
Key Phrases: Divine Mother, Mother of the Universe, Etty Hillesum (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This disjointed book aims to illuminate the "path of the Mother," a journey to the divine feminine that is based largely in Hindu traditions with a smattering of Goddess threads from other religions. Bess, a therapist and artist who began practicing yoga nearly three decades ago, deepened her understanding of Eastern spirituality when she discovered Ammachi, an Indian guru (b. 1953) who is regarded as an incarnation of the divine Mother by thousands of followers in India and America. Bess describes Ammachi's preternatural spiritual gifts (she walked and talked at six months and composed devotional songs and prayers as a toddler) with the adoration of a disciple, so readers desiring more balanced biographical information are left hanging. The narrative then becomes confusing, as Bess introduces other 20th-century women gurus (one, nicknamed Amma, has a life story confoundingly similar to Ammachi's). Bess discusses the many contradictory goddess-incarnations of the Mother, who appears as a sexual seductress in Kundalini Shakti, a destructive force in Kali and a source of wealth and beauty in Lakshmi. The diffuse book is rescued somewhat by its practical focus on meditation, chanting, prayer, altar-building and other activities of bhakti yoga, guiding Western readers through the basics of daily Hindu spirituality. While the book fills a void in providing insight into Hindu goddess traditions and contemporary Indian women saints, such rich material deserves more careful study. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Compelling . . . Makes the Divine Mother come alive for us!" -- Richard Schiffman, Author of "The Mother of All"

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Wellspring/Ballantine; 1 edition (June 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034542347X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345423474
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #386,394 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So impressed to see a spiritual book dealing with the Shadows!, June 26, 2007

By	Devi Spring (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

I read many spiritual books from varying perspectives, but find that I resonate most with those coming from Eastern traditions. This book was my official introduction to Amma, and what impressed me the most is that the author, Savitri Bess, did NOT shy away from the fact that the spiritual path is a painful one, as it necessarily deals with the Shadows in one's psyche which are home to the personal demons.

Spirituality necessitates that one confront the unpleasant parts of the self, and this experiences is often more frightening and disturbing than most would like to think. However, the healing that occurs as a result of these encounters that are triggered by earnest spiritual practice, far outweighs the discomfort of the trial itself. However this process is either only hinted at, or glossed over completely in most texts written for Westerners.

This book not only includes some great exercises that anyone of any level of spiritual experience and practice can incorporate into their lives, but talks frankly about the shadows that the increasing Light exposes. Of course throughout the entire book there are amazingly inspiring stories about Amma that will captivate any reader. And the meditations, instructions for beginning (or expanding) a devotional spiritual practice, and practical exercises for exploring one's psyche are easy to understand and implement, yet powerful and effective.

I highly recommend this book for those who want an uplifting and truely honest look at spiritual practice and progress.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Beautiful work on the path to the Divine Mother, June 16, 2000

By	"balakrishnan_sh" (NORCROSS, GA United States) - See all my reviews

The author has done a great job in tracking the path to the Mother aspect of God- The Divine Mother . She has used as her fundamental example her own experiences with Ammachi, the Great Saint from South India who is widely revered as a modern day Embodiment of the Divine Mother. Very nicely written book, full of love and very nice pictures of Ammachi.

5.0 out of 5 stars Diving for Pearls, December 12, 2000

By	K. Mattern "bonneamie" (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My husband and I both loved this book. After eleven years with Ammachi, we recognized our path to the Mother in these pages. Ammachi is like a vast ocean holding many treasures and Savitri Bess has surfaced with pearls. Bess brings many years of spiritual practice, psychological understanding, knowledge of the goddess tradition and her own travels in India to nuance her subject. She also offers other examples of Divine Motherhood to enlarge our understanding of who Ammachi can be for us in our time. Charming stories, well-written. EXCELLENT choice of quotations from Ammachi herself. Two thumbs up!