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26 ratings | 2 reviews | avg rating:4.75

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Venus Gunyeli

Goodreads Author

Born

in Istanbul, Turkey

Genre

Nonfiction, History, Spirituality

Member Since

June 2019

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/venusgunyeli

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Venus Gunyeli is an author exploring the ways ancient stories, traditions, and ideas continue to resonate in contemporary life.

Her work moves between mythology, cultural history, contemplative living, and reflective nonfiction, with a particular interest in the inner life and the meanings we continue to draw from the past.

She is the author of The Intimate Afterlife of Myth: Ancient Stories for the Inner Life, Ancient Anatolia’s Healing Secrets: Timeless Remedies for Body and Soul, and Awaken Each Day: A 12-Week Guided Meditation Journal Inspired by Rumi.

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Venus Gunyeli’s books

Average rating: 4.95 · 21 ratings · 17 reviews · 2 distinct works

	The Intimate Afterlife of Myth: Ancient Stories for the Inner Life 4.89 avg rating — 9 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ancient Anatolia's Healing Secrets: Timeless Remedies for Body and Soul it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2025 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

1 post
Venus Gunyeli's Blog

When the Ground Opens

There is a part of the Persephone myth I find myself returning to: the moment before she is taken.

She is in a meadow with her companions, reaching for a flower she has never seen before. The ground opens, and Hades carries her away. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, the narcissus has been made to bloom as a snare for her. She doesn’t know that as she reaches for it.

The moment itself is so ordinary. Read more of this blog post »

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Published on October 21, 2026 15:13 • Tags: classical-literature, greek-mythology, literary-non-fiction, mythology, persephone

Venus is Currently Reading

Venus Gunyeli is currently reading

Stone Blind: Medusa's Story

by Natalie Haynes (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Oct 15, 2026 03:04PM

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Venus Gunyeli wants to read Mestra by Madeline Miller (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 24, 2026 12:24PM · like
Venus Gunyeli wants to read Cassandra by Christa Wolf	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 24, 2026 08:07AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Cassandra by Christa Wolf. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Cassandra by Christa Wolf <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Venus Gunyeli has read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 24, 2026 07:21AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Meditations by Marcus Aurelius <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Venus Gunyeli and 209 other people liked Adam Dalva's review of Meditations: "It's, of course, completely ridiculous to rate a nearly 2000 year old journal by a Roman emperor who never intended it to be read. As a book experience, the repetition of Aurelius's thoughts can be frustrating (the excellent introduction in this volu" Read more of this review »
Oct 24, 2026 07:21AM · see review
Venus Gunyeli is now following Marcus Aurelius Author of Meditations
Oct 24, 2026 07:18AM · like
Venus Gunyeli started reading Stone Blind: Medusa's Story by Natalie Haynes (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 15, 2026 03:04PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Quotes by Venus Gunyeli (?)

“Admiration had never kept me company. It had only taught me how much could depend on a face.”
― Venus Gunyeli, The Intimate Afterlife of Myth: Ancient Stories for the Inner Life

tags: admiration, appearance, beauty, greek-mythology, identity, loneliness, love, psyche, self-worth, vulnerability

0 likes

“The old map has not vanished, but it can no longer explain where we are.”
― Venus Gunyeli, The Intimate Afterlife of Myth: Ancient Stories for the Inner Life

tags: change, finding-your-way, identity, life-transitions, mythology, personal-growth, reflection, self-discovery, uncertainty

0 likes

“Hope had worn his face in my mind for years. That did not mean the face before me was his.”
― Venus Gunyeli, The Intimate Afterlife of Myth: Ancient Stories for the Inner Life

tags: greek-mythology, hope, longing, love, memory, odyssey, penelope, trust, uncertainty, waiting

0 likes

See all Venus Gunyeli's quotes »

Venus’s Quotes

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
― Rumi

tags: brokenness, healing, scars, suffering

7919 likes

“it's much better to do good in a way that no one knows anything about it.”
― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

tags: anna-karenina, deeds, good, leo-tolstoy

824 likes

“The old map has not vanished, but it can no longer explain where we are.”
― Venus Gunyeli, The Intimate Afterlife of Myth: Ancient Stories for the Inner Life

tags: change, finding-your-way, identity, life-transitions, mythology, personal-growth, reflection, self-discovery, uncertainty

0 likes

“Hope had worn his face in my mind for years. That did not mean the face before me was his.”
― Venus Gunyeli, The Intimate Afterlife of Myth: Ancient Stories for the Inner Life

tags: greek-mythology, hope, longing, love, memory, odyssey, penelope, trust, uncertainty, waiting

0 likes

“Admiration had never kept me company. It had only taught me how much could depend on a face.”
― Venus Gunyeli, The Intimate Afterlife of Myth: Ancient Stories for the Inner Life