The Combined Third Edition of She Lives! The Return of Our Great Mother by Judith Laura has just been released by its publisher Open Sea Press. The trade paperback explores the return of the divine personified as female through myth-like stories, rituals for both personal and seasonal celebrations with songs and dances, and a variety of meditations. The book was originally published by The Crossing Press(now out of business) in 1989.
A 10th Anniversary Edition, revised and expanded, was published in 1999. Now in its third edition, this book continues to be treasured for its innovative multi-traditional perspective and the beauty of its language.
The Combined Third Edition has all material from the 1989 edition, including 30 songs with music notation for 26 of them. (The four songs for which notation is not included in this 2010 edition have well-known melodies. The 1999 edition had notation for only 11 of the songs.) The Combined Third Edition also includes material added in the second (10th Anniversary) edition, such as guided meditations for each of the seasonal celebrations and an entirely new section, “Reflections on Seasonal Rituals,” with information on holidays of a number of different traditions. There are also some changes and additions found only in the Combined Third Edition, such as an alternative “Hail Mary” in one of the “Modern Myths,” and other material modified or added to keep pace with the evolution of Goddess thought.
Judith Laura’s approach in She Lives! is exceptional among Goddess spirituality books. In describing how female divinity might return to people on diverse paths, it addresses a variety of issues in a number of different religions and in secular settings. Its seasonal rituals contain aspects of Pagan, Jewish, Christian and other traditions. One of the earliest writers to see the connection between what is commonly called belly dance and Goddess heritage, Laura includes this and other folk dance forms in her rituals and meditations.
For more information, including reviews, table of contents, excerpts, and bookseller links, visit Click here
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