Goddesses in Everywoman : A New Psychology of Women

Dr. Bolen is one of my favorite modern authors. She is a Jungian who teaches in SF. This is a book written by an intelligent and empowered woman, in an attempt to give other women insight on their own strengths & inner gifts. She weaves the stories of 7 goddess of classical Greece (Athena, Artemis, Hestia, Hera, Demeter, Persephone, and Aphrodite) with observations of emotional & behavioral patterns culled from her years of clinical work. The result are truly compelling portraits --- almost every women will find at least one "aha!" of recognition in this book, 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 & external struggles of women and underscoring their inherent strength & wisdom. It is a book of tremendous optimism, courage, and hope. This is a book I have often given as a gift to women, especially young women.

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 feminity--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!

I keep at least two copies of this book on hand at all times. One for myself (for safe-keeping) and the second one to loan out to friends who simply must read the book. (I've replaced the second copy several times after loaning it to friends who simply must "KEEP" the book.)Goddesses in Everywoman is one of the clearest presentations of Jungian theory I've ever seen put into actions. I've loaned this book to people with PhDs, people with GEDs, and people with every educational level between. Male or female, each person has found something of themselves in this book--each person who reads it finds a bit of their mom, or sister, or girlfriend, too.If I could give just one book to every woman in my life, it would be Goddesses in Everywoman, by Dr. Bolen.

This book was very insightful. It talked about the 7 general types of women, each relating to one of the major goddesses from Greek Mythology, and the strengths and weeknesses of each. It led to better understanding of myself and of other women, some of whom I've always felt I had little in common with. I got this book as a gift from my mother, and I found it so interesting I had to give a copy to my mother-in-law who also loved it.