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A Woman's Journey to God
The author of "A Woman's Book of Life" takes a personal, scientific, historical, and practical look at the unique ways in which women approach ritual, spirituality, and God.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
16 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Joan Borysenko
69 books100 followersThis distinguished pioneer in integrative medicine is a world-renowned expert in the mind/body connection.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 4, 2018
“Women’s spirituality is as wild and free as that little girl. It is natural, earthy, relational, mystical, embodied, intuitive, sensuous, and compassionate. Slowly but surely, women’s poems, psalms, songs and liturgy are being written and prayed, sung and danced in a way of our own, suitable to a path of our own. We are digging back down to ourselves.”
This is a book I should have loved. I am fascinated by women’s spirituality. I am always looking for more to learn on this subject. However, somehow, Borysenko did not touch me in the way I had hoped. I finished this book, but only because I just could not give up. I was hoping to find that wild and free spirituality and I never did.
It may be because she has confused the Lord’s Prayer with the 23rd Psalm. I happen to find that appalling since it could have been easily checked. It may be because I have read so much, there just wasn’t anything for Borysenko to teach me. That seems a bit conceited and I know it just isn’t true.
I am assuming that the blame for my reaction to this book falls completely on my shoulders. I just hope I can find some book that rekindles my interests. Right now women’s religion as a subject does not appeal to me.
This is a book I should have loved. I am fascinated by women’s spirituality. I am always looking for more to learn on this subject. However, somehow, Borysenko did not touch me in the way I had hoped. I finished this book, but only because I just could not give up. I was hoping to find that wild and free spirituality and I never did.
It may be because she has confused the Lord’s Prayer with the 23rd Psalm. I happen to find that appalling since it could have been easily checked. It may be because I have read so much, there just wasn’t anything for Borysenko to teach me. That seems a bit conceited and I know it just isn’t true.
I am assuming that the blame for my reaction to this book falls completely on my shoulders. I just hope I can find some book that rekindles my interests. Right now women’s religion as a subject does not appeal to me.
March 12, 2021
Not worth the time. Rubbish,even if you want to expand on other peoples views..
February 5, 2011
I really loved this book. It helped that I brought it with me on vacation, and had the luxury of dipping into it whenever I felt like it and taking as much time as I needed to take it all in and process its wonderful ideas and feminine, spiritual perspective of science and life. Ms. Borysenko really weaves all her ideas together beautifully, through story and humor. And I am forever thankful to her for pointing out that women have a different spiritual story than men. We are not climbing Jacob's ladder, but in fact, turning through Sarah's Circle. This book is a keeper, because I know I will dip back into it, whenever my spiritual life feels a little off track.
March 13, 2020
I didn't even finish the book. It espouses a belief that is not my own. The author talks about God, but then clearly says it doesn't matter which 'god' one chooses, and talks about mother earth. The path I have found to God goes through the one and true God, from whom I have found peace and strength even as I live through pain, turmoil, and even fear. I tend to hold onto books, and reread them a year or two later. I won't be keeping this one.
October 17, 2015
The author helped me understand my feminine journey with spirituality. I loved understanding the difference between the masculine and the feminine, both important yet different. Really enjoyed this book.
July 22, 2025
A HEARTFELT APPROACH TO A CONTEMPORARY SPIRITUALITY
Author Joan Borysenko wrote in the Preface to this 1999 book, “The spirituality that we three shared as friends was essentially feminine, if unspoken. The intimacy of our conversation, the deep rest provided by nature, and the oldest women’s ritual of all—sharing our stories---reminded us that God is everywhere… The invisible ease and steadiness of the feminine path stand in sharp contrast to the angst that many women have over the journey to God. Many of us are religious dropouts. Others are loyal to our religion of origin but get little in the way of spirituality from it. Some of us are so angry at religious institutions, or at an image of God that cannot possibly reflect who we are, that we have shut our eyes to the feast that is always laid before us… It is my hope that the thirsty woman will drink deeply as she reads this book. That she will celebrate and heal and that, like the she-bear, she will stand on her own strong legs. As she finds her balance, she can reclaim Spirit in whatever way suits her, whether within a church or temple, or outside institutional religion. Perhaps she will reinvent religion.” (Pg. xvi-xvii)
She states in the Introduction, “A quiet awakening is under way across America as women are coming together to worship, to tell their stories and to find their place spiritually, if not religiously, in the household of God. Women’s spiritual groups are cropping up everywhere… Far from being some kind of New Age phenomenon, they involve women of every Christian and Jewish sect… and others. Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim women also discuss the woman’s way… Gay women and straight, those who consider themselves feminists and others who abhor the word, are nonetheless searching for authentic spiritual expression. We do so organically, through the medium of sharing our stories, writing and performing songs and poems, celebrating the Divine with our bodies through dance and movement, creating rituals that celebrate the important passages of life and heal its inevitable wounds, creating egalitarian and participatory models for worship and by reaching out to others to heal social injustice, racism, and discrimination. God as a jealous, punitive white Anglo-Saxon male with a long beard … lacks appeal for many contemporary women… it has led many … to question the relevance of their religious beliefs to the homely realities of everyday life.” (Pg. 2)
Later, she adds, “the question remains, ‘How can we find our own path within the feminine way?’ Considering ritual and prayer, as well as the conflicts and synergies between doing and being, what we do versus who we are, our authentic soul voice can emerge. Appreciating both the hero’s and the heroine’s journey, the balance of female and male in ourselves, to communities of worship, and to God.” (Pg. 11)
She says, “As we grow and change, tasting the bittersweet realities of life, our faith is likely to change as well. Faith in the God of childhood ripens with the challenges of life. Both victory and defeat temper faith, as do wisdom and love. Along the way it is heathy to undergo periods of questioning and reevaluation.” (Pg. 13)
She suggests, “While some women find spirituality within religion, others need to make a distinction between the two. If they are religious dropouts like I was, they may even need to heal old religious wounds before they can find an authentic spiritual path of their own. For those who ultimately… return to their childhood religion, there is an additional process of winnowing out the spiritual wheat from the religious chaff.” (Pg. 44)
She states, “The journey to God is one of spiritual connection to a greater whole. That whole is not somewhere above us, a place to which we ultimately ascend. It is found within us here and now…. the journey is one of connection to our own deepest self. That connection enables us to access and utilize our gifts and strengths… Spirituality is the result of thoughts, words, and deed that culminate in the ability to take our place in a universe where every thread is important to the integrity of the final design.” (Pg. 69)
She says, “If God is the center point that defines the circle of our lives, we can think of the spiritual journey as the process by which that center becomes accessible and familiar to us. We have a strong connection to the God within, when we are in intimate terms with our intuition, when we have a strong and inspiring image of the Divine, we can trust that our life is guided by the highest principles. We feel that our life has meaning and purpose and that we are taking our part in the cocreation of a better and more beautiful world.” (Pg. 130)
She advises, “The pain of being a round spiritual peg pushed into a square religious hole is all too real. But we’ll never find our authentic spiritual Selves until we let go of residual anger and rejoice and can and do have a path of our own. Celebrating that path in community, where we can grow through sharing experience, praying, and creating ritual pertinent to the details of women’s lives, is a way that we can make Sarah’s circle an explicit force.” (Pg. 227-228)
She notes, “Perhaps the most neglected and simplest form of simplicity lies in surrender. We live in a busy world that shows no signs of slowing down… women are even busier than men. Those who work outside the home have a second full-time job inside the home… that’s unlikely to change.. I believe that learning to accept what is, with some sense of humor, is a crucial ingredient in the spirituality of being.” (Pg. 282)
In the final chapter, she observes, “Many women are also working outwardly for world peace and healing within their communities… Women of the world over are saddened, grief stricken, and frustrated by the continuing holocausts, ethnic cleansings, and violence born of intolerance and competition for scarcer and scarcer resources. These things will change not only by important work, the doings of women with the world as a web of relationships, but also by the subtle power of our being, our spiritual presence as we walk on a path of our own, creating a world of greater understanding and tolerance.” (Pg. 288-289)
This book will be of great interest to those (and not just women!) developing their own spirituality.
Author Joan Borysenko wrote in the Preface to this 1999 book, “The spirituality that we three shared as friends was essentially feminine, if unspoken. The intimacy of our conversation, the deep rest provided by nature, and the oldest women’s ritual of all—sharing our stories---reminded us that God is everywhere… The invisible ease and steadiness of the feminine path stand in sharp contrast to the angst that many women have over the journey to God. Many of us are religious dropouts. Others are loyal to our religion of origin but get little in the way of spirituality from it. Some of us are so angry at religious institutions, or at an image of God that cannot possibly reflect who we are, that we have shut our eyes to the feast that is always laid before us… It is my hope that the thirsty woman will drink deeply as she reads this book. That she will celebrate and heal and that, like the she-bear, she will stand on her own strong legs. As she finds her balance, she can reclaim Spirit in whatever way suits her, whether within a church or temple, or outside institutional religion. Perhaps she will reinvent religion.” (Pg. xvi-xvii)
She states in the Introduction, “A quiet awakening is under way across America as women are coming together to worship, to tell their stories and to find their place spiritually, if not religiously, in the household of God. Women’s spiritual groups are cropping up everywhere… Far from being some kind of New Age phenomenon, they involve women of every Christian and Jewish sect… and others. Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim women also discuss the woman’s way… Gay women and straight, those who consider themselves feminists and others who abhor the word, are nonetheless searching for authentic spiritual expression. We do so organically, through the medium of sharing our stories, writing and performing songs and poems, celebrating the Divine with our bodies through dance and movement, creating rituals that celebrate the important passages of life and heal its inevitable wounds, creating egalitarian and participatory models for worship and by reaching out to others to heal social injustice, racism, and discrimination. God as a jealous, punitive white Anglo-Saxon male with a long beard … lacks appeal for many contemporary women… it has led many … to question the relevance of their religious beliefs to the homely realities of everyday life.” (Pg. 2)
Later, she adds, “the question remains, ‘How can we find our own path within the feminine way?’ Considering ritual and prayer, as well as the conflicts and synergies between doing and being, what we do versus who we are, our authentic soul voice can emerge. Appreciating both the hero’s and the heroine’s journey, the balance of female and male in ourselves, to communities of worship, and to God.” (Pg. 11)
She says, “As we grow and change, tasting the bittersweet realities of life, our faith is likely to change as well. Faith in the God of childhood ripens with the challenges of life. Both victory and defeat temper faith, as do wisdom and love. Along the way it is heathy to undergo periods of questioning and reevaluation.” (Pg. 13)
She suggests, “While some women find spirituality within religion, others need to make a distinction between the two. If they are religious dropouts like I was, they may even need to heal old religious wounds before they can find an authentic spiritual path of their own. For those who ultimately… return to their childhood religion, there is an additional process of winnowing out the spiritual wheat from the religious chaff.” (Pg. 44)
She states, “The journey to God is one of spiritual connection to a greater whole. That whole is not somewhere above us, a place to which we ultimately ascend. It is found within us here and now…. the journey is one of connection to our own deepest self. That connection enables us to access and utilize our gifts and strengths… Spirituality is the result of thoughts, words, and deed that culminate in the ability to take our place in a universe where every thread is important to the integrity of the final design.” (Pg. 69)
She says, “If God is the center point that defines the circle of our lives, we can think of the spiritual journey as the process by which that center becomes accessible and familiar to us. We have a strong connection to the God within, when we are in intimate terms with our intuition, when we have a strong and inspiring image of the Divine, we can trust that our life is guided by the highest principles. We feel that our life has meaning and purpose and that we are taking our part in the cocreation of a better and more beautiful world.” (Pg. 130)
She advises, “The pain of being a round spiritual peg pushed into a square religious hole is all too real. But we’ll never find our authentic spiritual Selves until we let go of residual anger and rejoice and can and do have a path of our own. Celebrating that path in community, where we can grow through sharing experience, praying, and creating ritual pertinent to the details of women’s lives, is a way that we can make Sarah’s circle an explicit force.” (Pg. 227-228)
She notes, “Perhaps the most neglected and simplest form of simplicity lies in surrender. We live in a busy world that shows no signs of slowing down… women are even busier than men. Those who work outside the home have a second full-time job inside the home… that’s unlikely to change.. I believe that learning to accept what is, with some sense of humor, is a crucial ingredient in the spirituality of being.” (Pg. 282)
In the final chapter, she observes, “Many women are also working outwardly for world peace and healing within their communities… Women of the world over are saddened, grief stricken, and frustrated by the continuing holocausts, ethnic cleansings, and violence born of intolerance and competition for scarcer and scarcer resources. These things will change not only by important work, the doings of women with the world as a web of relationships, but also by the subtle power of our being, our spiritual presence as we walk on a path of our own, creating a world of greater understanding and tolerance.” (Pg. 288-289)
This book will be of great interest to those (and not just women!) developing their own spirituality.
September 17, 2020
While this book has some occasional glimmers, overall it is not worth the time it takes to read it. This may be because of the time since it was first published. I am very protective of my books and often keep them for a long time with all my notes and marks. This is one that I literally put in the recycling bin.
December 2, 2020
This book was hopeful and thoughtful. I enjoyed it. 10/10 would recommend to any woman searching for a meaningful spirituality beyond traditional christianity.
September 14, 2021
A Woman's Journey to God (Paperback)
by Joan Borysenko
by Joan Borysenko
March 19, 2024
A little bit heady for me right now. But it has added to my spiritual journey and reverence for the sacred feminine.
October 8, 2012
I love this author. This is my second book that I read by her. The first being A Woman's Book Of Life : The Biology, Psychology, And Spirituality Of The Feminine Life Cycle, which is also an amazing book.
If you are searching spiritually, this book includes all religions and keeps them close to heart while also opening up feminine spiritually and intuition. It describes the importance of women gatherings and our feminine journey as circular, sarah's circle, rather than a straight line journey where there can be only one outcome or goal. that is not the way of women.
Finding a way, as a women in a very male dominated world, to spirituality and encompassing all. Sara's circle is everything related and interdependent. At a time during the journey we can touch the center and know god. You can always know the connection if you walk the circle.
Without forgivenss, old patterns stay locked in place.
Intuition is a natural state of consciousness in which our small isolated mind opens up to the big mind of the divine.
"The most basic message of sarah's circle is simple. OUr lives are our paths. Every form of relationship is a relationship to god. We don't have to do great things in our world, or go on a hero's journey in order to realize our potential and find our place. We don't have to repent of who we are to find god. We have only to love as deeply as we can, using every part of our embodied selves to be present. In our mindfulness, in our attention, we mirror the creation back to the creator. When we do that we feel grateful. And in our gratitude our safety and peace of mind are secured.
When we learn to trust ourselves and have faith in god amid the suffering of the world, we become a healer and revealing presence to those around us. they know themselves more fully, we are mutually mirrored and revealed, deepened and expanded. We reach the heart through the journey of one an another.
What needs to be healed so you can remember who you are?
pain preludes growth.
After ovulation, intuition and receptivity increase. Right brain activity is higher but intune to more negativity. It is our intiution calling attention to a problem area where action is necessary. calling us to create a better future.
If you are searching spiritually, this book includes all religions and keeps them close to heart while also opening up feminine spiritually and intuition. It describes the importance of women gatherings and our feminine journey as circular, sarah's circle, rather than a straight line journey where there can be only one outcome or goal. that is not the way of women.
Finding a way, as a women in a very male dominated world, to spirituality and encompassing all. Sara's circle is everything related and interdependent. At a time during the journey we can touch the center and know god. You can always know the connection if you walk the circle.
Without forgivenss, old patterns stay locked in place.
Intuition is a natural state of consciousness in which our small isolated mind opens up to the big mind of the divine.
"The most basic message of sarah's circle is simple. OUr lives are our paths. Every form of relationship is a relationship to god. We don't have to do great things in our world, or go on a hero's journey in order to realize our potential and find our place. We don't have to repent of who we are to find god. We have only to love as deeply as we can, using every part of our embodied selves to be present. In our mindfulness, in our attention, we mirror the creation back to the creator. When we do that we feel grateful. And in our gratitude our safety and peace of mind are secured.
When we learn to trust ourselves and have faith in god amid the suffering of the world, we become a healer and revealing presence to those around us. they know themselves more fully, we are mutually mirrored and revealed, deepened and expanded. We reach the heart through the journey of one an another.
What needs to be healed so you can remember who you are?
pain preludes growth.
After ovulation, intuition and receptivity increase. Right brain activity is higher but intune to more negativity. It is our intiution calling attention to a problem area where action is necessary. calling us to create a better future.
August 29, 2012
I really enjoyed this book and resonated with many things in it. It helps to fill in the huge gaps that organized religion leaves concerning women. Women are either appendages to men, helpers, prostitutes etc., or they are entirely absent. Therefore women have few positive spiritual role models they can relate to. I loved her analogy of women's spiritual journey being "Sara's circle" rather than Jacob's Ladder. I recommend this to any woman who has questions about her spirituality and her life journey. It is a very readable book (and not an angry anti-religion or anti-male book) that addresses some of women's deepest concerns and experiences with reverence and respect.
July 2, 2009
This book appears to be one of those books that is transformational.
The above was a predicition and I have found it to be true. I appreciate so much the author's openess and inclusiveness; her embracing of truth wherever she can find it.
An "ah ha" moment for me was realizing that many years I rejected several aspects of my own feminity; considering those things weaknesses. This author has given me a fresh love for my gender and myself.
The above was a predicition and I have found it to be true. I appreciate so much the author's openess and inclusiveness; her embracing of truth wherever she can find it.
An "ah ha" moment for me was realizing that many years I rejected several aspects of my own feminity; considering those things weaknesses. This author has given me a fresh love for my gender and myself.
August 4, 2011
Not what I expected -- Not a memoir of changing relationship to God. Instead Borysenko reworks myth & Bible & other religious stories, telling them from a female perspective. She also makes up some new tales of her own. Seemed forced to me, but she did clarify why I feel out of the loop in traditional religion.
July 25, 2014
This was the first book I have read by Joan Borysenko. I have enjoyed it quite a bit. IT isn't a book that I sit down and read fast. I've taken my time to read this, reading a section every few days. I like that she pulls information from numerous religious beliefs and brings it all together here.
December 31, 2015
This book is extraordinary in describing the way a women's search for the spiritual is different from a man's. A must-read for every woman on a spiritual journey. I was moved deeply by many of Borysenko's stories because she puts spiritual challenges and quests in the context of real life situations.
December 18, 2024
DNF. This book is devoid of meaning. As another reviewer pointed out - the title is ‘A Woman’s Journey to GOD’ implying, you know, God - then proceeds to say it matters not which god one follows. It does, and this book does not tell you how to do it. Spiritual mumbo-jumbo. Two stars for her quite good prose.
June 25, 2008
I loved this book. There were many, many insights for me about how we tend to characterize God and who he really is. How we are colored by our lives and our history to fear God or maintain distance from him and how deeply he loves us and desires us to move closer to him. Very helpful for me.
October 3, 2010
This book has some great moments. I've even quoted pieces from this book. Sometimes she really says it.
But then there's the rest of the book, which sort of feels, hmm, forced, I guess. It just doesn't quite work. Maybe this would have made a super-fantastic-great book of 1/3 the length.
But then there's the rest of the book, which sort of feels, hmm, forced, I guess. It just doesn't quite work. Maybe this would have made a super-fantastic-great book of 1/3 the length.
September 5, 2011
Joan Borysenko is articulate, compassionate and her writing important. She reveals the importance of woman-to-woman spiritual time, just as she also describes the importance of a facet of worship becoming increasingly lost in our day: spiritual song.
April 15, 2016
A. Woman's. Journey. To. God. I. Had. To. Give. God. 5. Star's. Extranoary. Title. Not. Much. To. Read. But. The. Title. Deserves. That. Alone. Agree. America. Doris. Ps. I. Truelly. Believe. We. All. Need. To. Walk. A. Lot. Closer. To. God. Can. I. Get. Amen.
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March 25, 2009I'm reading this book now, and, so far, I LOVE it!!! I think I qualify as a Joan B. "groupie," though... I love everything she's written... and her!
March 28, 2009
too much to mention! A must-read for women interested in spiritual growth.
July 26, 2011
A very empowering book that makes you feel good about being a woman and just having your own individual faith. Very beautiful and I am extremely happy for having read this.
April 8, 2013
This book changed my life.
August 23, 2023
top 5 2001
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January 9, 2016I read this book years ago, but saw it in the list. A friend got me reading Joan Borysenko's books years ago. I love this book. A spiritualist raised in the Jewish faith brings women to God.
December 27, 2014
Clearly one of the best in women's spirituality...a book I want to have in my personal library.
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September 4, 2017(found read date in diary)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews