Sacred Spirit Book Club

Reading the first chapter of The Feminine Face of God, I was immediately drawn in by the authors’ authentic and very personal approach. The authors took on “the seemingly impossible challenge: to give birth and be midwives at the same time”. I think this multi-faceted role is one of the greatest challenges that women on a spiritual journey face today.

If we are to nurture, protect and even guide ourselves (like midwives) throughout the journey of sacred awakening, we must have time and space in which to retreat for contemplation and connection to our inborn spiritual source. Because modern culture fills our schedules to bursting with career and social obligations (projects and events we must ?birth? and ?mother?) that rarely fulfill our deepest needs, it is no wonder many of us are completely disconnected from our own divine nature and innate wisdom. Read more »

Timeless Woman

Last night in the silence
my questions were answered
alone, lying in a darkened meadow
under the indifference of the starry sky
It seems the universe refuses to be categorized
laughs when we try to measure Her
No ending or beginning
from big bang of nothingness
into atoms with electrons, planets with moons
Neutrinos from nowhere
passing through brain casing and soul
Energy, invisible and everywhere
in the beating of hummingbird’s heart
cracking of seed, exploding star
I wonder if ancient woman lying under night sky
knew her mysterious feeling
was the omniscient presence of timeless woman.

I first read The Feminine Face of God by Sherry Anderson and Patricia Hopkins in the mid 1990s and it deeply resonated with me then.  At the time I was working as a nurse practitioner with homeless teens and feeling a dearth of the sacred feminine in our society.  My work was really dark and in order to stay centered I felt I needed a connection with a feminine deity and so at that time Kuan Yin became my guide.

The Feminine Face of God

For me she embodied the quintessence of the sacred feminine that I had always felt at a cellular and cosmic level since I was a little girl.  She was kind, compassionate, receptive, tender, powerful and open-hearted all qualities that I wanted to find and  nurture within myself.

And now it is fifteen years later and I have gladly reread The Feminine Face of God.  What I love about this book is how Sherry Anderson and Patricia Hopkins encompass so many stories of a variety of forms and idealogies that can help women everywhere see the possibility of bringing their own idea of the essence of the sacred into their daily lives.  This wonderful little book invites us, gives us permission to delve deeper and deeper into ourselves, into the mystery for all of our answers.

The mission of Celedra: Touchstones of the Sacred is to create and nurture community while providing tools, resources and diverse paths to explore along your own sacred journey of intentional living. We hope to be a resource for women at any stage of their life and spiritual journey and believe that books are are a wonderful way to bridge the gaps in our common experience, especially by discussing them in a group.

The Feminine Face of God

Inspired by their teachings and stories, books support us in growth and change. Books can quench our spiritual and intellectual search for meaning and sustain us on our lifelong journeys. The best books also motivate us to action, igniting the internal spark that leads to transformation.

We have chosen The Feminine Face of God by Sherry Ruth Anderson and Patricia Hopkins to launch our book club for several reasons. Originally published in 1991, this book is a timeless resource for women as they begin to heed the inner call of the sacred; it also reflects the nascent stage that our blog community is in. The book chronicles the journey each of us take as individuals and the questioning and open discussion in the book also reflects the type of community we hope to nurture here.

Once we begin the first book cycle our core writers and guest bloggers will post their insights, personal reflections and questions to the community throughout each week. We invite you to post your own comments and personal reflections as well. If you would like to participate in our book club as a guest blogger contact us at matsya@celedra.com. The start date for The Feminine Face of God will be announced soon! In the meantime please feel free to contact us for more information.