Daughters of the Goddess

Studies of Identity, Healing, and Empowerment

Edited by Wendy Griffin

Not available to order

Publication date:

17 November 1999

Length of book:

240 pages

Publisher

AltaMira Press

ISBN-13: 9780742503472

A collection of original essays examining the Goddess Movement in its many facets, Daughters of the Goddess explores the ways women have abandoned Western patriarchal religions and have embraced a spirituality based in a celebration of the Goddess and the female body as sacred text. Among the first scholars to publish in this area, editor Wendy Griffin brings together a group of academics and practitioners who offer a wide-ranging study of this movement, from a critique of the patriarchal cult of Princess Diana to a celebration of bellydance as a form of spiritual expression. Other essays not only trace women's myriad spiritual journeys but also examine the creation of personal rituals that have led to healing and a new sense of identity for many women. An innovative volume, Daughters of the Goddess serves as an invaluable guide for anyone wishing to gain a thorough introduction to this rapidly growing religious and cultural movement.
I have used several of these contributions successfully in an undergraduate course on American Neopaganism and Witchcraft. This volume will be especially valuable for advanced undergraduate and graduate level courses dealing with women's issues, feminism and goddess spirituality. Specialists will find some of the essays to be invaluable for particular research problems, either because they report information not available elsewhere and/or because they present novel issues or perspectives. Altogether, then, this volume makes important contributions to the emergent literature on goddess spirituality and religion.