Through the Earth Darkly: Female Spirituality in Comparative Perspective

The subject of female spirituality and religious life has long fascinated me. For thinking types traditional religion tends to be viewed as extremely oppressive to women, whereas for feeling types it is a necessary source of comfort for them. In "Through the Earth Darkly", we see how a variety of non-Western cultures treat female spirituality from the view of the the involved women themselves, which is undoubtedly the best perspective. Whilst the authors of "Through the Earth Darkly" admit they fail to cover the full range of global cultures, they do carry out the exceedingly reasonable step of offering some excellent details of where omitted cultures can properly be discussed. More than that, what is covered in "Through the Earth Darkly: Female Spirituality in Comparative Perspective" is done in a manner that is exceptionally good, with clear, yet concise information of rituals discussed. The coverage is varied, from traditional Chinese and Japanese (with a major discussion of Chinese influence) religions to a variety of Native American cultures, including the Ojibwa, Na-Dene, and Hopi, to West African cultures that were imported into the Western Hemisphere as a result of the slave trade. All are covered in very good detail, with rituals ranging from menarche and menstruation ceremonies to traditional household festivals and deities among East Asian cultures being looked at in great depth that makes for an extremely valuable resource for people interested in these (now basically historic) cultures. One is able to relate very well to how these women were able to gain spiritual understanding by the (often complex and/or epic in length) rituals they carried out. The details, though clear, are never graphic in comparison with what one reads of other Native American rituals such as the Sun Dance or Sweat Lodge, so that "Through the Earth Darkly: Female Spirituality in Comparative Perspective" is a very easy read for those who know nothing about the cultures concerned - though I am sure the politically incorrect will feel as if embarrassing practices that one can imagine were present have been overlooked to make it more attractive for the reader. Although "Through the Earth Darkly: Female Spirituality in Comparative Perspective" looks in great detail at the lives of women, it does not in general fall victim to romantic notions of matriarchy like are found in the writings of people such as Marija Gimbutas. Rather, in its "political" views the book maintains the calmness shown in every other facet, thus producing a work that is a very worthwhile read for all engaged in pursuing cultural studies.