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The Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women Paperback – 1 July 1992
by Sherry Ruth Anderson (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 67 ratings
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"An honest, compelling, surprising, and vastly reassuring book about the spiritual life of women . . . This landmark book is spiritual precisely because it is authentic."--Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind
With a foreword by Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D.
For many contemporary women, the old patriarchal models of religion are no longer relevant, forming a need to look beyond the male-oriented past to a wider, more fulfilling spiritual horizon. In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Sherry Anderson and Patricia Hopkins show how many women have redefined traditional beliefs and rediscovered their own unique spiritual heritage--The Feminine Face of God. Anderson and Hopkins guide you through the sacred garden of:
- Childhood--seedbed of life's sacred passage
- Leaving home--finding your own inner authority
- Relationships--new perspectives on intimacy
- Spiritual practice--the importance of guidance and discipline
- Sexuality--a wild card constantly cracking open the heart
- And much more
As women enter their sacred garden and learn the art of inner listening, they acquire the tools for living, loving, and praying authentically. In The Feminine Face of God there are seeds for growth: for creating and sustaining intimacy and love in a new way; for a new understanding of sexuality; for a new vision of family, a family of choice in a community of love.
Print length
272 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Bantam Dell Publishing Group, Div of Random House,
Publication date
1 July 1992
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Total Price:$58.86Add both to Cart
4.5 out of 5 stars 67 ratings
Sherry Ruth Anderson
Sherry Ruth Anderson, Ph.D. is a writer and speaker who started delving into the matter of growing old by the time she turned fifty. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey, she was a curious kid, staggering home from the library with towers of books in her arms. Wanting to discover other worlds. By thirty-five, working as a research psychologist and raising a family in Toronto, she was looking not so much for escape but for penetrating questions. In her forties, settled in Northern California, she was writing about questions that wouldn't go away. First, there was the best selling The Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women (Bantam, 1991), with Patricia Hopkins, and then category best seller The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World (Harmony/Random House, 2000), with Paul H. Ray. Her latest book, also with questions at the core, is Ripening Time: Inside Stories for Aging with Grace (Changemakers Books, 2013). And there's a short film A Woman's Descent to the Sacred available through You Tube. Since 2000, she has also been a teacher of inner work that is, as you might have guessed, devoted to asking deep questions (the Diamond Approach to Spiritual Development®). You can find more on Sherry's website http://www.sherryruthanderson.com
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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katmarvel
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 October 2018
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So good I bought it twice
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P. Carthy
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite booksReviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 July 2017
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This is a very beautiful book that I treasured so much over the years it was very worn, so I have bought myself a new copy!
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micky
5.0 out of 5 stars Life-saving!Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 March 2013
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I have read this twice in a month and am glad to know I am 'normal' (whatever that is!)
This book offers clarity on what spirtuality means to women and how we express it, it honours our indivuality and gives comfort and inspiration to those of us leaving our old traditions to embrace the feminine aspect of our spirituality. Love it!
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Claire Love
5.0 out of 5 stars Let the book do it’s work in you!Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2019
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Still relevant, especially for those who want to dump religion and are journeying with God to do so!
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Jamie Villeneuve
4.0 out of 5 stars Very insightful book. I welcomed the wide range of ...Reviewed in Canada on 19 July 2017
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Very insightful book one of the best I have read in a long time. I welcomed the wide range of spirituality that was explored in this book. It was refreshing to hear women's stories of the sacred.
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===
The Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women
by Sherry Ruth Anderson (Goodreads Author), Patricia Hopkins
really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 674 ratings · 45 reviews
For many contemporary women, the old patriarchal models of religion are no longer relevant, forming a need to look beyond the male-oriented past to a wider, more fulfilling spiritual horizon. In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Sherry Anderson and Patricia Hopkins show how many women have redefined spiritual beliefs and rediscovered their unique spiritual heritage - The Feminine Face of God.
Anderson and Hopkins guide you through the sacred garden of:
* Childhood - seedbed of life's sacred passage
* Leaving home - finding your own inner authority
* Relationships - new perspectives on intimacy
* Spiritual practice - the importance of guidance and discipline
* Sexuality - a wild card constantly cracking open the heart
* and much more. (less)
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Paperback, 253 pages
Published July 1st 1992 by Bantam (first published 1991)
Original TitleThe Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women
ISBN0553352660 (ISBN13: 9780553352665)
Edition LanguageEnglish
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The Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women
The Feminine Face of God
The Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women
The Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women
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LISTS WITH THIS BOOK
Little Women by Louisa May AlcottThe Diary of a Young Girl by Anne FrankThe Princess Bride by William GoldmanThe Woman in White by Wilkie CollinsThe Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
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really liked it Average rating4.00 · Rating details · 674 ratings · 45 reviews
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Elizabeth
Nov 04, 2014Elizabeth rated it really liked it
This is an invaluable if dated resource for navigating complex spiritual landscapes from a place of vulnerability and intuition. It can be bio-essentialist (exclusive of trans people) and approaches femme spirituality from the perspectives of "women" and not "femmes", womyn, feminine of center people and/or a myriad of other identities that need to be included but aren't necessarily within the title "women". But as a source of wisdom, strength, affirmation, encouragement, challenging and guidance, the authors have created an excellent resource, particularly the imagery of tending an inner garden that's woven throughout the text, and the stories they collected of these womens' lives, that resonates as much now as I'm sure it did then. (less)
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Kar Schmidt Holloway
May 28, 2013Kar Schmidt Holloway rated it it was ok
Shelves: unfinished
Cisnormative, heteronormative, euro-centric. Includes the voices of people of color but seems to try to squeeze non-major religious traditions (like Native American traditions) into the authors' personal theories of a universal feminine spiritual experience. Sort of appropriative, but really more speaking over and attempting to speak for all women in all cultures and religious traditions. (less)
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Rae
May 29, 2011Rae rated it really liked it
Shelves: feminism
This was a very enlightening book for me in college. Near the end of the book, the authors talk about women who have remained in their marriages versus those who have left to be alone or a few with women. My boyfriend now husband had broken up with me, and I remember thinking about this. An all female commune was starting to sound good...Also, this book is not a hard core male bashing read, which was a relief from the other feminist literature I was reading at the time.
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J.M.
Jul 08, 2009J.M. rated it liked it
Shelves: religious, nonfiction, feminist
Read this in college. It was a real eye-opener to me, who was raised Catholic and unfamiliar with the feminine in religion, particularly feminine aspects of the Deity which retain sexuality (as opposed to being sexless or celibate). Very interesting read. I'd recommend it for any woman looking to find a sacredness she can better identify with in conventional religions. (less)
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Isis Isis
Mar 02, 2013Isis Isis rated it did not like it
About the worst introduction to sacred feminine concepts. Written with a strong judaistic influence. There is almost a worshipful wishful devotion to the dominant male perspective throughout this book. As if the author was desperately seeking approval from ancient male bible characters. One of the most disappointing reads in feminine spiritual literature to date.
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Athena Macmillan
Nov 24, 2020Athena Macmillan rated it liked it
Shelves: inspirational, spiritual, thought-provoking, for-and-about-women, earth-wisdom, cultural-issues, feminism, human-behavior, 2020-reads, relatable
This is a fantastic book for what it is, but you can really tell it was written in the 90s, being very heteronormative and trans exclusionary. It also would have been nice to see accounts from Islamic women and those following earth based traditions. That being said, many of the ideas and questions they raise are still very much relevant today, with the emphasis that everybody's spiritual journey is unique. (less)
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Melanie Beard
Dec 05, 2019Melanie Beard rated it it was amazing
Beautiful
flag1 like · Like · 1 comment · see review
Doreen
Mar 25, 2022Doreen rated it it was amazing
I first read this book about 25 years ago when I was co-leading a woman's study group. It led me on a quest to more deeply explore my own spirituality. Now after relocating from the east coast to California, I once again needed a connection to my spiritual side and THE FEMININE FACE OF GOD gave me the jump start that I didn't even know I needed. Just like the women in the book, my spiritual journey was personal, private, and ingrained deep in my body and soul. Over the years, I have given away my copy of this book to several women who were exploring their own spirituality over the years. But since settling into my west coast home, I decided to get a copy of this book again - and this time I will keep my copy. I have suggested this title to a friend who is exploring her own spirituality after having read Mitch Albom's The Stranger in the Lifeboat, and she immediately purchased a copy. (less)
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Celía Burke
Jun 08, 2016Celía Burke rated it it was amazing
I picked up this book over a year ago in a used bookstore and I'm so glad I did. Though this book is older, the concepts it presents are timeless. Seeking divinity in what is feminine is ancient, and I am not alone in wanting to explore my spirituality with this point of view. What I love about this book is that it emphasizes that everyone's spiritual journey is different, and though it offers stories of different women's experiences, there's always a reminder of taking your own path, or "tending to your garden." In a world where people are so quick to take sides and believe that everything is black and white, I live in the gray. These women do too, even those who follow a specific religious path. I truly appreciate that and find it refreshing. Because of this, it holds up even after almost 3 decades. (less)
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Rae
Oct 20, 2009Rae rated it it was ok
Shelves: religiosity
I read this back in my early college days when I was much more interested in feminist issues. I found it useful to examine the spiritual side of women and this gave me a lot to think about. Nothing earth-shattering though.
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Joann
Jan 13, 2020Joann rated it really liked it
Twenty years ago when I read this book, my concerns were individual and much different than they are today. This time when I read the book, I was interested in spirituality, my own and that of my country. While it is true that changes have been made in the last twenty years, much remains the same. We have yet to elect a woman to the office of president or Vice President. Most CEOs are still male and only Title IX has succeeded in opening athletic doors for women. (Though sport is not specifically included in this Act, it has bled into the field of sport allowing women more support). Religion still has a stranglehold on people and policies. Most likely there would be a full scale riot if a temple honoring goddesses was erected and provided solace for some.
Do I have answers about spirituality, even after reading this book? Not really, but I will keep looking for myself and for this Planet.
(less)
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Viki Sonntag
Jan 01, 2018Viki Sonntag rated it it was amazing
I've just reread this after some 20- 25 (?) years. Wow. Very impressive in its humanity and scholarship. Considering it was published in 1991, there is good representation of women of color and lesbians "in their own words". Profoundly, I believe the book values deep questions, not for seeking definitive answers but to explore the essence of women's sacred unfolding in everyday life. Speaking finally to how we, as individuals, as women and women-identified folks, find ourselves in community and within each other, I felt was powerfully inclusive, even to revealing the space for our collective mind to consider the more complex issues of our times. Quoting one community, "in our diversity is our strength". (less)
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Jeanne Thornton
Aug 08, 2020Jeanne Thornton rated it really liked it
I found this book for free on the street in Bushwick; I took it home based on randomly turning to the part where Meinrad Craighead leaves the convent after starting to uncontrollably paint birds in her work: "an archetype of flight." The rest of the book did not disappoint. The coauthors' introduction alludes to some kind of conflict between them at some point during the process of researching and writing the book: I wish I knew more about this, because the moments when they show up--conducting interviews in isolated forest trailers, etc.--bring much life. (less)
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SusanAhh
Nov 29, 2018SusanAhh rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: non-fiction, spirituality
Like most books of this type... it stimulates helpful thinking. By no means is it a transformative or revolutionary approach to the divine in femme energy. There is so much more. So much scared femme history lost to religious, societal and even spiritual patriarchy. It is worthwhile to read for some of the ideas...half complete as they may be.
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Melissa
Aug 05, 2020Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Important today and timeless
I was somewhat skeptical that this book would seem dated and reminiscent. It is so relevant and so deeply resonant for our current times. It just kept getting better and more interesting until the brilliant end.
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Fernanda Navarro
May 23, 2017Fernanda Navarro rated it it was amazing
Beautiful book, full of inspiring sroties. Perfect for finding your own spiritual path, your own inner garden.
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Em Eichner Niculcea
Oct 30, 2017Em Eichner Niculcea rated it liked it
Super interesting theory/idea, but a little vague in application.
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Constance Chevalier
Sep 24, 2018Constance Chevalier rated it it was ok
I was looking for more.
