From Shadow Work to Goddess Affirmations
Thanks for the gifted book to Penguin Random House.
Full disclosure: I do not agree with most of the modern Divine Feminine/Divine Masculine concepts or the appropriation of female figures from other cultures to create an amalgamation of ‘goddesses’ divorced from their original cultural context. With that said, I know that meditations, affirmations, and programs that have to do with “stepping into your femininity” or “finding your inner goddess” have helped a lot of women who struggle with confidence and femininity. Just because it’s not for me does not mean that it may not be useful for other women. Because of that, I am reviewing this book on the basis of how it presents its information and how easy it is to follow and not on whether or not I agree with its methods or believe its teachings.
UK author Kirsty Gallagher is a moon mentor, soul alignment and spiritual coach, yoga teacher, meditation teacher and Sunday Times bestselling author. Some of her other titles include: Crystals for Self-Care, Lunar Living, The Lunar Living Journal, and Sacred Seasons.
This book is written as a 13-step journey. Coincidentally, I’ve written about the number 13 and how it relates to femininity. I was happy to see that Gallagher made a call back to that history by choosing to present The Goddess Path in thirteen chapters, specifically mentioning how it corresponds to the number of lunar and menstrual cycles in a year.
The first six chapters encompass the descent into women’s doubts, fears, and everything that’s kept them hidden, scared, and small. The final six chapters focus on reclaiming the goddess within using the lessons you learned from the first six chapters. This book is meant to be worked through in real time, so it might take a while to get through it if you follow all the exercises.
Gallagher stresses that this book is for everyone, not just women. “Wherever you identify on the gender spectrum, we all have feminine, Goddess energy within us, just as we all have masculine energy within us. Anyone can walk the Goddess Path and use this journey to reclaim the divine Goddess within.” She goes on to explain that she uses the word women in the book because it is her lived experience.
I agree that we all fall somewhere along the gender spectrum and can all learn from our feminine and masculine sides. And I would love for men to read a book like this in good faith and with an open mind and see if it improves their empathy towards women.
While I commend her for clarifying that this book is for anyone, I don’t think the marketing reflected that. And sure, there are only so many marketing dollars to go around and she has her main audience to think about, but this makes the comment feel like a throwaway line. “Sure, you can read it, too, I guess.”
I enjoyed most of the second chapter: Reclaim Your Self-Worth. Particularly this line: “You also teach others how to treat you so, if you want other people to understand you, you have to first understand yourself.” I like this take because we often see the practice of shadow work thrown around without a real purpose. Here, we find a purpose for all those hours of introspection — so that you can be understood as you understand yourself.
I’m not sure if that was her intention, but I think it’s a valuable statement.
Gallagher offers affirmations at the end of each chapter. These are hit or miss. Earlier in the book, they are vague:
“I am a Goddess”
“I honor the Goddess”
“My inner Goddess guides me”
But there are a couple that are more precise and impactful:
“I give myself full permission to rest/receive/slow down”
“I am wise, intuitive, and all-knowing”
“I follow my own internal navigational system”
This book is a useful self-help tool for women who need to feel more comfortable in their femininity. Her voice throughout the book sounds like a loving mother guiding you past your most awkward teenage phase.
Surprisingly, I agree with most of her secular points. Yes, we have been raised in a masculine hustle culture. Yes, we should redefine what success means to us. Yes, writing a “life experience resume” to list out our natural gifts and talents is a great prompt to figure out our purpose in life.
Okay, I had to say it…
Where she loses me is when she invokes “goddesses,” which is the crux of the book. Like I mentioned above, this is strictly a difference of ideology. A “me” problem in this review.
She is working under a new age framework where people redefine “dark” feminine figures as goddesses to use a source of empowerment, regardless of whether or not they come from a closed practice or were considered goddesses at all in their tradition.
For example, she refers to Lilith as a ‘Jewish goddess,’ though Lilith is not regarded as a goddess in Jewish tradition. Instead, she is seen as a demonic figure. Personally, I do see Lilith as a source of empowerment, and I don’t need to strip her of her demonic label and slap on a pretty goddess one to have a meaningful experience with her energy.
Oshun is an orisha of the Yoruba religion, which requires a sacred initiation rite. Within this religion, orishas are beyond gods and goddesses, they are primordial spirits, meaning they are the building blocks of the universe. (For a frame of reference, think of the difference between Gaia and Aphrodite.)
To believe that you are above initiation and that you have a special connection to an orisha that the people of the originating culture do not is at best disrespectful, and at worst, lethal.
Now…I did promise to be fair.
If I judge this book strictly as a secular self-help book for women, I give it a solid 4-star review. She uses feminine figures from around the world as vehicles to get her message across and that can be a very interesting framework to work with. The exercises are helpful, especially the journaling ones. If you are not a practioner of the occult or spirituality, but find goddesses alluring, you will enjoy this book.
If I were to consider metaphysical theory in my review, I would not recommend this book.
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