keelygorski's review against another edition
5.0
When I stumbled across this book, I already had that feeling that something was wrong in my life. I wasnt happy and the things I enjoyed doing I didnt care about anymore or had to force myself to do just to stay in routine. I was just existing and that was it. I ultimately felt the Dark Goddess breathing on my neck and was scared because I knew the walls of illusion that is my life were getting ready to crumble, and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I started reading this book on a thursday, I believe. That following sunday morning, when I got up to get ready for work, my relationship of two years (best friend for 6 years) ended with him saying he didnt want to be in a relationship anymore. I was entering into the underworld and questioning everything I believed to be real.
This book is/was just what I need/needed during this time because the Dark Goddess and I have met several times, and I have always been dragged into the underworld kicking and screaming, not wanting to face my reality. This book explains why we need these moments of darkness in our lives to learn and grow and if we accept this time and work through it, we will come back into the light more balanced and happier individuals. The exercises and rituals are great, and I am currently working through them right now. Along with explaining in detail her understanding of the myths of Inanna, Psyche and Persephone, Jane Meredith also adds her own personal experiences showing that we all go through this period of darkness and its a part of the normal cycle of life. It should not be considered a bad thing to experience depression because it is at this time that we grow stronger and learn compassion so that we may understand and help others who maybe facing their own Underworld Journey as well.
I definitely recommend this book to everyone. Those who are going through a tough time and those who are completely happy with life. Change is inevitable, and you never know what tomorrow will bring.
I started reading this book on a thursday, I believe. That following sunday morning, when I got up to get ready for work, my relationship of two years (best friend for 6 years) ended with him saying he didnt want to be in a relationship anymore. I was entering into the underworld and questioning everything I believed to be real.
This book is/was just what I need/needed during this time because the Dark Goddess and I have met several times, and I have always been dragged into the underworld kicking and screaming, not wanting to face my reality. This book explains why we need these moments of darkness in our lives to learn and grow and if we accept this time and work through it, we will come back into the light more balanced and happier individuals. The exercises and rituals are great, and I am currently working through them right now. Along with explaining in detail her understanding of the myths of Inanna, Psyche and Persephone, Jane Meredith also adds her own personal experiences showing that we all go through this period of darkness and its a part of the normal cycle of life. It should not be considered a bad thing to experience depression because it is at this time that we grow stronger and learn compassion so that we may understand and help others who maybe facing their own Underworld Journey as well.
I definitely recommend this book to everyone. Those who are going through a tough time and those who are completely happy with life. Change is inevitable, and you never know what tomorrow will bring.
andreag23's review against another edition
5.0
People from spiritual communities tend to over-emphasize the light. But the darkness and darker aspects of ourselves, in our souls have to be integrated as well into our lives in order for us to be completely true to ourselves – and this is what this book is about. It It is not so much about shadow work, but there are some similarities to that. In the course of this book, the author interpretes several myths of descent to the underworld from various angles, many of them on a psychological level – the descents of the sumerian goddess Inanna, and from Greek mythology Persephone and Psyche and she also retells parts of them in a beautiful style.
She tells about her own experience with rituals about such descents in spiritual groups with other women and also gives practical advice about how to do a four-part ritualisation of a descent into the Underworld and a following ascent, with many suggestions for creative approaches. She also writes about classical fairy tales and the evil queens/stepmothers/witches/fairies in them – and compares their often life-threatening challenges for the heroine of the tale as ways of initiation, which makes them similar to the Dark Goddess, as the author shows.
Jane Meredith also writes about how some people seem to be stuck in the Underworld – for instance with experiences in their everyday life with abuse, loss, grief, addictions, recurring depressions or other painful experiences. For these she recommends seeking also help in the everyday world, for instance by counselling or therapy. But I guess combining that with the suggested rituals might be helpful as well for some people.
I‘d recommend to read the whole book once and then, if you are willing to work through the rituals, read those parts again carefully. The author also recommend to have a check-in person for when the rituals are done and I think this is a good idea, because I guess those rituals, especially of descending into and staying in the Underworld could be quite intense and it is surely a good thing to be able to talk about them with a close person.
This is an intense book and a treasure for anyone who wants to follow and meet the Dark Goddess or feels called by her.
She tells about her own experience with rituals about such descents in spiritual groups with other women and also gives practical advice about how to do a four-part ritualisation of a descent into the Underworld and a following ascent, with many suggestions for creative approaches. She also writes about classical fairy tales and the evil queens/stepmothers/witches/fairies in them – and compares their often life-threatening challenges for the heroine of the tale as ways of initiation, which makes them similar to the Dark Goddess, as the author shows.
Jane Meredith also writes about how some people seem to be stuck in the Underworld – for instance with experiences in their everyday life with abuse, loss, grief, addictions, recurring depressions or other painful experiences. For these she recommends seeking also help in the everyday world, for instance by counselling or therapy. But I guess combining that with the suggested rituals might be helpful as well for some people.
I‘d recommend to read the whole book once and then, if you are willing to work through the rituals, read those parts again carefully. The author also recommend to have a check-in person for when the rituals are done and I think this is a good idea, because I guess those rituals, especially of descending into and staying in the Underworld could be quite intense and it is surely a good thing to be able to talk about them with a close person.
This is an intense book and a treasure for anyone who wants to follow and meet the Dark Goddess or feels called by her.
journey_keeper's review against another edition
3.0
I love the idea around exploring our dark and shadow selves, and although this book seemed to be that, it was not. At least not in the general and practical sense. I think it might reach and speak to a very particular niche (people who have dealt with trauma and are struggling to get past it, as well as wiccans). Perhaps. Personally, I found it all much too dramatic and unnecessary.
The writing became extremely repetitive, to the extent that I started skipping pages, and ideas and examples simply weren't complete. The writing and punctuation was confusing at times, several times there were personal recounts that just left me wondering what and why, and even the rituals were largely the same thing over and over.
This is a theme we need to explore more, but this is not the book that will give us that exploration in a practically applicable way.
Having said that, I gave it 3 stars because there is value in it, and the first couple of pages were good enough to get the idea across.
The writing became extremely repetitive, to the extent that I started skipping pages, and ideas and examples simply weren't complete. The writing and punctuation was confusing at times, several times there were personal recounts that just left me wondering what and why, and even the rituals were largely the same thing over and over.
This is a theme we need to explore more, but this is not the book that will give us that exploration in a practically applicable way.
Having said that, I gave it 3 stars because there is value in it, and the first couple of pages were good enough to get the idea across.
dreamofbookspines's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first pagan self-help book I've read (or even seen actually). As a general rule, I'm not a fan of self-help books. I think the author makes a lot of good points, though it's unclear how some of her advice is to be carried out. The author primarily focuses on three myths: Inanna, Persephone, and Psyche. I like how she imagines their stories in addition to using them to illustrate her points. The rituals are by far the most valuable part of this book (for me).
melissaclair18's review against another edition
5.0
This book was difficult to get through. I was not prepared for the level of intensity that this book brings because when I heard others talk about it they made it seem easy, and maybe it was for them. The realisation that I have been in the underworld for most of my life was a hard pill to swallow. I would recommend this book only to people who are ready to do the work. I would also recommend to read the entire book before doing the descent.
shonna5000's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting, but not what I expected. I thought this book would be more generally about using trance states and inner journeying in shadow work, but it is more focused than that, outlining a rather specific series of rituals. I found it more instructional than creatively inspiring.
candyfm's review against another edition
5.0
An amazing book! A must read for everybody seeking their truth and wholeness
rues_human's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant and approachable guidebook for developing and experiencing rituals that help us uncover our greatest depths and truest selves.