REVIEW: ROCK YOUR WORLD WITH THE DIVINE MOTHER

ROCK YOUR WORLD WITH THE DIVINE MOTHER
Bringing the Sacred Power of the Divine Mother into Our Lives
Author: Sondra Ray
New World Library
ISBN: 9781930722750
Price: $14.95

“Ray describes her pilgrimages to holy places where she has seeked [sic] the divine feminine ... Her reflections ... provide insight and inspiration as well as suggestions for worship and renewal. Ray’s ... insightful teaching and prayers, show how embracing the Divine Mother can help attract more love, abundance, clarity, and wisdom into your life... Ray demonstrates that the Divine Mother’s presence is essential to both inner peace and peace in the world.” [from outside back cover]


I found the above blurb very enticing. I have related deeply and lovingly (and in awe) to The Great Goddess In All Her Many Guises for many years, so I thought “This is right up my alley!” Unfortunately, it turned out not to be, though I kept hoping as I read that it would turn out otherwise.

The author says that The Divine Mother is available/present to all, is in effect the same Great Mother who can be found in all spiritual paths. I could not agree more. However, the book is so thoroughly steeped in the author’s particular practices as to make The Great Goddess seem reachable only by lengthy rituals half-way around the world in an ecstatic tradition of deep trances and intense psychic events. In my own experience, the Great Goddess is present even in the smallest moments of life, making Herself known in the tender and ordinary bat of an eyelash (and just as quickly). I am not certain the author would necessarily disagree with this, by the way. My trouble is with the author’s unbalanced presentation of how one can connect to the Divine Mother.

I was also left feeling I’d been all too clearly and precisely told exactly what the path to The Divine Mother is, how to heal my emotional and psychological wounds, and what society and the world need for healing. And although part of what she says I would not completely disagree with, I cannot agree that this path is The Panacea. No one spiritual path has the “inside track” on healing ourselves or the earth. Even one that so clearly aims to bring the love of The Divine Mother into our world.

Therefore, as much as my spirit thrums in sympathy with some aspects of this book, I would not recommend it except to those already drawn to works such as “A Course in Miracles” (the concept of “miracle consciousness” being part of both The Course and this book) or to an ecstatic spiritual tradition.

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‘til next time, keep dreaming,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****My other blogs ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL and ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT.

A POEM BY LAO-TZU

We join spokes together in a wheel
But it is the center hole
That makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot
But it is the emptiness inside
That holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house
But it is the inner space
That makes it livable.

We work with being,
But non-being is what we use.


by Lao-Tzu,
creator of the Tao Te Ching,
4th or 6th century B.C.

I live in New York City. There’s a terrific arts program, Poetry in Public Places, that displays the occasional wonderful poem in subway car commercial ad space. When I was still commuting to work I’d find myself scrabbling madly through my purse for a pen and paper so I could take down a poem I would not want to forget about. Fortunately, I take shorthand as many times I’d have only noticed the poem one station before my stop. :-) Yes, I could have just noted the author and poem name, but somehow I always wanted to capture the poem entire. This one above by Lao-Tzu (see "Resource" below) appeared in June of 1999. I have not been in the subways in almost two years and hope this program still exists (could not find out anything on a basic google).

[Image is from fotosearch.com]

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Resource: about Lao Tzu.

‘til next time, keep dreaming,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****My other blogs ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL and ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT.

HAIKU: Response to One Deep Breath Prompt of 9-3-07

my cat teaches
our tiny new housemate
I, proud grandmother

The prompt for this week at One Deep Breath is "grandparents." You can visit during the week to enjoy others' reponses to this prompt. (On reading the first several responses posted, I was very touched. They are references to real grandparents. Forgive this old -- nearing 64 --writer her quirks. I went with my immediate association to the prompt, which did take me a bit far afield, I'm afraid.)

I had a dream last night that gave me some important insights that was couched in cat imagery. On reading this prompt I was therefore predisposed to recall an incident that made me both laugh and kvell (yiddish for beam with pride). I had carefully taught (yes, they can be taught ... sometimes :-D) a cat named Solace not to play with the items on our coffeetable. When we got a new kitten, who I swear was no bigger than a cigarette package, Solace took him "under her wing." I watched one time as she taught Dreyfuss not to touch those coffeetable items. Each time Dreyfuss would reach for one of them, she'd very lightly, barely touching him, box his ears! LOL! He finally got the message. I felt just like a proud grandparent. I must admit I always had to dust plenty of cat hair off that table. But as long as they didn't knock them off and play hockey with them when we weren't around, I was purrrrr-fectly content.

[The above image is The Ten of Pentacles in The Tarot of the Cat People.]

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‘til next time, keep dreaming,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or poems, please email me for permission (under "View my complete profile")****My other blogs ROSWILA’S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNAL and ROSWILA’S TAIGA TAROT.