I received this book in exchnge for a fair and honest review
Published: September 23, 2015
Number of pages: 352
Genre: Personal Transformation, Religion & Spirituality, Women's Self Help
Synopsis:
The modern woman often does not know herself as a goddess; her feminine energy is out of balance and her divine essence has yet to awaken. But the time has come, right now, for women to know that being female is special, sacred, and divine. This inspiring, poetic and magically potent book will entice women of all ages to explore and activate their relationship with the divine, feminine and most sacred part of themselves―the goddess within. In You Are Woman, You Are Divine, Back to the Goddess founder Renée Starr takes women on an enchanting, empowering journey, offering ancient wisdom in a fresh, modern way to help woman reclaim all the beauty, grace, and strength that being female is. In Part 1 of the book, she leads readers back through history to revisit the reverence for women that every ancient culture possessed. From the dawn of pre-history, women were perceived as holy, sacred, and divine incarnations of the Great Mother Goddess. Powerful figures full of strength, wisdom, and leadership, women were the keepers of the human race, from which all life flowed. In Part 2, Starr retells in mesmerizing narrative seven of the greatest goddess myths from ancient cultures around the world: Ancient Egypt, Africa, India, Tibet, Ancient Greece, Lakota, and the Judeo-Christian Bible. Each myth presents a quality that modern women can restore back into their lives: Lilith (Power), Yemaya (Creativity), Tara (Stillness), Radha (Passion), Kassandra (Voice), White Buffalo Calf Woman (Wisdom), and Eve (Awakening). Accompanying each myth are anointing, bathing and lunar rituals, instructions for altars, invocations, meditations, and more to deepen their connection to their own inner goddess and inspire living as a goddess on earth. In Part 3, Starr shows women how to integrate the teachings of The Divine Feminine into everyday life, honoring the sacredness of their body and how to be in energetic, feminine balance. The book offers fresh, new ways for women to embrace their ancient and sacred traditions. It uplifts the spirit of any woman―from young womanhood to her elder, wise-woman years. It honors the Feminine spirit that all women can celebrate in themselves to rebalance the world. Readers will live more fulfilled lives and feel more confident, free and feminine…becoming the goddesses they were meant to be. Beautifully designed & illustrated; includes a foreword by Raquel Allegra, noted fashion designer. Praise for You Are Woman, You Are Divine by Renee Starr:
“You Are Woman, You Are Divine is inspired. You can’t read it without feeling the presence of The Divine Femi- nine, the ancient goddess energy, moving in your bones. It is so beautifully written and woven together; I’m enthralled and I can’t stop reading it even though I should be packing for a trip. My suitcase sits empty as I turn the pages . . . . filling my soul with much needed food. Open this book and unlock the door to important myths, mysteries, goddesses and rituals that were lovingly chosen by Renée Starr. Her deep connection with The Divine Feminine leaps off the pages and enters the psyche in rich and meaningful ways. This extraordinary work brings us close to The Beloved, to Freedom and ultimately to honor our own Sacred–Self. I will give this book to my friends.”—Terry Laszlo-Gopadze, Editor of The Spirit of a Woman: Stories to Empower and Inspire “We live in a modern world where women are expected to achieve greatness, look perfect and made to feel like they are never enough. You Are Woman You Are Divine is a great handbook that gracefully leads women into “beingness” and less into “doingness” and ultimately into their divine feminine self. Through her writing, Renée Starr strives to guide women to restore their inner feminine light, create an energetic shift to claim peace, harmony and well-being. Through transforming ourselves, we can transform the world.”—Mary Ann Halpin, photographer and author of Fearless Women and Visions of a New World “Divine Femininity is a mystery, and the experience of it is always mystical. We can only speak about it in metaphor—it cannot be directly defined, but instead must be evoked from within. Renée Starr in her amazing book You Are Woman You Are Divine uses myth, storytelling, concrete examples, and ceremonial instruction to give the reader a roadmap for what she calls the “journey back to The Goddess.” Every woman would benefit from reading it, no matter how old. In my opinion, it should be required reading for every female high school senior so that she will enter her journey into mature womanhood fully aware of her own power, facing her destiny well-informed and metaphorically girded!”—Connie Kaplan, author of The Woman’s Book of Dreams, Dreams are Letters from the Soul, and The Invisible Garment
What did I think of this book:
I have to say the reason I picked this book to read it I was interested in what the author had to say. Thankfully I was not disappointed. She has filled this book with a lot of information that I will be going back and reading more than once. You will want to be sure to take plenty of notes on this. I like that she included journal prompts and rituals. Now I must confess I did not do many of the rituals but that is not to say that I will not try them in the future. I was just not ready for that part at this time, maybe on my second reading of it I will. This is a book I needed to read at this time as it helps you to make yourself feel special as you should feel. You will learn how to embrace your inner goddess by the time you are finished reading I know this book will not appeal to some but I encourage you to read it with an open mind and I think you will get something out of it.
What does this mean, to be a woman ‘of power’? It means that you recognize your inner, feminine power—which is something that cannot come from outside of you, and cannot be attained or achieved by something that you do. This power within you is natural, innate and infinite, and its source emanates from the most supreme, and most magnificent essence of all, The Divine Feminine.
A woman who is living her life from this place feels balanced, empowered, confident and strong. She knows that her womanhood is a thing of beauty. She fulfills her life purpose with grace and ease, leaving fear and doubt behind, and she sees other women as sisters, not rivals. A woman of power is aligned with nature, with The Goddess—and with her goddess-self. She recognizes the cycles of nature, and the cycles of the moon and sees herself in them. She flows with life. She radiates with light. And she is not interested in attaining power, for she knows that she possesses and has access to all the power she could ever want from deep within herself.
Do you know of your own power? It took me many years to become aware of mine, and my journey back to The Goddess was, in retrospect, a journey to discovering myself as a woman of power. Whenever I write of Goddess wisdom I feel this power rising in me, infusing my words its magic and blessings, and strengthening my inner, goddess-self.
When I wrote the chapter in my book on Lilith, a biblical/Sumerian goddess of extraordinary feminine power, I experienced my power in an intimate and surprising way:
In the High Desert of the Coachella Valley, in California I drove around and around in the night, looking for a spot to perform a ritual to infuse several candles with the essence of Lilith. I was waiting to hear her call, as she would cause me to stop and I would know that this was the place. My search continued for some time.
Lilith, I knew, was a desert woman, a hot, fiery goddess best sought out on a moonless night, under dark skies and in the wide open, endless stretch of land that is scorched by day and cooled by night. Suddenly, as if she had taken control of the wheel, I turned down a residential street and stopped in front of a public park. Not ever having been there before, I was amazed to find it was the perfect spot with several tall cottonwood trees that formed a semi-circle in a large open field that was half surrounded by mountains.
Taking the paper bag that held five black candles and two bottles of anointing oil—one blood red and one silvery blue—I made my way through the park to the tallest of the trees that was swaying violently in the strong desert winds. The winds had picked up tremendously by the time I kneeled down; they blew my hair into a wild frenzy, almost whisked my shirt right off of me and threatened to knock me over altogether. The Lilitu, the goddesses of wind and storms were here—and I knew this was the right spot.
I laid out the candles and oils in the cool green grass and looked around . . . it was almost midnight. I was in a strange place, alone, in the dark. I knew just how Lilith must have felt the night she left Eden as I, too felt the fear of the unknown mixed with the exhilaration of the wide, open space of the desert at night. Calling out to The Great Mother Goddess and to the dark goddess Lilith, I anointed my palms and touched the damp earth below me. I anointed my heart and looked into the dark night sky—black and studded with stars. I anointed my breasts and my lower belly and felt a sudden, primal surge of power run through me. It felt sexual, female, animal . . . yet it was also tinged with a deep and profound sorrow I could not name. In the dark of the desert night, a wild sound came up and out of me—was this the howl from Lilith? I know that something happened out there, alone in the dark of the desert night . . . I had met the goddess Lilith.
You are the embodiment of The Divine Feminine. And the time has come, right now, for you to know that being a woman is special, sacred, and divine. You are more than we think you are. So much more. You are a spectacular creature and you are beautifully built. You have been specifically designed to be a creatress, the bearer of our species, and to be powerful in the most feminine of ways. You carry within the space of your womb the Light of the world, which you birth anew every morning when you open your eyes. Your very existence makes the world lovelier!
Guest Post:
There is much talk of women being ‘in power’ these days, as more and more women take their place in the political and business arenas. But there is little talk of women being of power, which in my experience is truly a thing to behold!What does this mean, to be a woman ‘of power’? It means that you recognize your inner, feminine power—which is something that cannot come from outside of you, and cannot be attained or achieved by something that you do. This power within you is natural, innate and infinite, and its source emanates from the most supreme, and most magnificent essence of all, The Divine Feminine.
A woman who is living her life from this place feels balanced, empowered, confident and strong. She knows that her womanhood is a thing of beauty. She fulfills her life purpose with grace and ease, leaving fear and doubt behind, and she sees other women as sisters, not rivals. A woman of power is aligned with nature, with The Goddess—and with her goddess-self. She recognizes the cycles of nature, and the cycles of the moon and sees herself in them. She flows with life. She radiates with light. And she is not interested in attaining power, for she knows that she possesses and has access to all the power she could ever want from deep within herself.
Do you know of your own power? It took me many years to become aware of mine, and my journey back to The Goddess was, in retrospect, a journey to discovering myself as a woman of power. Whenever I write of Goddess wisdom I feel this power rising in me, infusing my words its magic and blessings, and strengthening my inner, goddess-self.
When I wrote the chapter in my book on Lilith, a biblical/Sumerian goddess of extraordinary feminine power, I experienced my power in an intimate and surprising way:
In the High Desert of the Coachella Valley, in California I drove around and around in the night, looking for a spot to perform a ritual to infuse several candles with the essence of Lilith. I was waiting to hear her call, as she would cause me to stop and I would know that this was the place. My search continued for some time.
Lilith, I knew, was a desert woman, a hot, fiery goddess best sought out on a moonless night, under dark skies and in the wide open, endless stretch of land that is scorched by day and cooled by night. Suddenly, as if she had taken control of the wheel, I turned down a residential street and stopped in front of a public park. Not ever having been there before, I was amazed to find it was the perfect spot with several tall cottonwood trees that formed a semi-circle in a large open field that was half surrounded by mountains.
Taking the paper bag that held five black candles and two bottles of anointing oil—one blood red and one silvery blue—I made my way through the park to the tallest of the trees that was swaying violently in the strong desert winds. The winds had picked up tremendously by the time I kneeled down; they blew my hair into a wild frenzy, almost whisked my shirt right off of me and threatened to knock me over altogether. The Lilitu, the goddesses of wind and storms were here—and I knew this was the right spot.
I laid out the candles and oils in the cool green grass and looked around . . . it was almost midnight. I was in a strange place, alone, in the dark. I knew just how Lilith must have felt the night she left Eden as I, too felt the fear of the unknown mixed with the exhilaration of the wide, open space of the desert at night. Calling out to The Great Mother Goddess and to the dark goddess Lilith, I anointed my palms and touched the damp earth below me. I anointed my heart and looked into the dark night sky—black and studded with stars. I anointed my breasts and my lower belly and felt a sudden, primal surge of power run through me. It felt sexual, female, animal . . . yet it was also tinged with a deep and profound sorrow I could not name. In the dark of the desert night, a wild sound came up and out of me—was this the howl from Lilith? I know that something happened out there, alone in the dark of the desert night . . . I had met the goddess Lilith.
You are the embodiment of The Divine Feminine. And the time has come, right now, for you to know that being a woman is special, sacred, and divine. You are more than we think you are. So much more. You are a spectacular creature and you are beautifully built. You have been specifically designed to be a creatress, the bearer of our species, and to be powerful in the most feminine of ways. You carry within the space of your womb the Light of the world, which you birth anew every morning when you open your eyes. Your very existence makes the world lovelier!
Giveaway:
About the author:
Renée Starr is a mythologist, sacred storyteller, life coach, and artist. A seeker of ancient Goddess and lunar wisdom for the modern woman, she offers classes, workshops, and Goddess Circles, as well as a variety of women’s retreats through her branded movement, Back to The Goddess. Her passion is to assist women everywhere to awaken to their sacredness, their inner goddess-self and rekindle a relationship with The Divine Feminine. She has her own line of herbal, ritual and Goddess products.
Website: http://www.backtothegoddess.com/
Facebook: http://bit.ly/backtothegoddessFacebook
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToTheGoddess
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tothegoddess/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/backtothegoddess/
Follow the You Are Woman, You Are Divine by Renee Starr Tour:
Teddy Rose Book Reviews Oct 7 Tour Kick off & Giveaway
A Girl and Her Bible Oct 8 Guest Post
So Fundamental Oct 13 Review & Giveaway
Griperang's Bookmarks Oct 20 Review, Guest Post, & Giveaway
Robert Amazon Review Oct 21 Review
Elizabeth McKenna Romance Author Oct 26 Interview & Excerpt
Pomegranate Radio Oct 30 Review
Cassandra M's Place Nov 3 Review & Giveaway
Cindy's Notebook Nov 17 Excerpt
The Towering Pile Nov 19 Review
Deal Sharing Aunt Nov 25 Review & Interview
What U Talking Bout Willis? Nov 30 Guest Post & Excerpt
Thanks for taking part in the tour and hosting Renee. I'm so glad you enjoyed 'You Are Woman..'!
ReplyDeleteThank you for letting me be a part of the tour
DeleteThank you, Angela for hosting me on your blog, and for your lovely review of my book! Sending Goddess blessings to you :-)
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome, it was a joy to read
DeleteThat its about the power of women that interests me in the book.
ReplyDeleteI think you will enjoy this book - good luck
DeleteI think it's a great idea for women, and men too, to reflect back to the ideas of ancient cultures. So often we get caught up in the modern world and lose track of other aspects of ourselves. I think we'd both enjoy this book very much.
ReplyDeleteThat is so true that we all get caught up in the modern world and sometimes I think we need to take a step back. Good luck
Delete