Extra and reviews

“Almost every woman will find at least one ‘aha’!”

Dr. Bolen is one of my favorite modern authors... She weaves the stories of 7 goddesses of classical Greece (Athena, Artemis, Hestia, Hera, Demeter, Persephone, and Aphrodite) with observations of emotional and behavioral patterns culled from her years of clinical work. The results are truly compelling portraits — almost every women will find at least one "aha!" of recognition... and all of us can find some kind of "aha!" for the women dear to us in our lives. By casting these behavioral patterns as *goddesses*, Dr. Bolen is ennobling the internal and external struggles of women and underscoring their inherent strength and wisdom...
– Michael Mc.

“Helps women readily identify who they naturally are”

Discover you’re a Goddess! Jean Shinoda Bolen is remarkable for putting together a set of archetypes for women to study and gain self-comprehension. The use of Greek goddesses — Artemis, Athena, Hestia, Hera, Demeter, Persephone and Aphrodite — helps women readily identify who they naturally are and whom they were conditioned to be. In addition, the archetypes enable women to look into activating whom they would like to be. I too noticed the presence of different goddesses in my life, in particular Artemis, Aphrodite, and Persephone. I was completely taken by these 3 archetypes, and plan to research them further...
– Alex B.

“Absolutely fascinating!”

Bolen takes Jungian psychology one step further by positing that there is not just, but many, female archetypes, and that a well-balanced women should incorporate aspects from each into her personality. Bolen uses the Greek goddesses Artemis, Athena, Hestia, Persephone, Demeter, Hera and Aphrodite to illustrate aspects of femininity — including both strengths and weaknesses that come with certain characteristics. In the end, Bolen reminds women that choosing which archetype to draw from in any particular circumstance or learning to develop new aspects is critical. Absolutely fascinating!
– K. B.

“I now had a starting point, I could then walk forward.”

...I have had to overcome many myths my family has projected onto me, about myself. Dr. Bolen’s book helped me to pinpoint my underlying picture. I was able to do this because of the information about the other goddess archetypes. I think if you are a woman, and you are beginning a path of healing and recovery of your true self, this book will help you find the goddess who holds you captive (so to speak). I could then search for a way out of my captivity and access the strength available to me through the archetype I identified with. There are strengths and weaknesses to all the goddesses but I saw a common thread that ran through all of my life. I now had a starting point, I could then walk forward.
– Cathy A.