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Authoring Self: A Journey through Dreams to the Feminine
Is God a baptized Catholic? What do we know before we are taught the "right" answers? How does "woman" come to know her own instinctive wild feminine self within the constraints of a patriarchal culture that defines her as flawed from birth? This is the second in a three-part series of one woman's independent and courageous journey to heal clinical depression and weave body, mind and soul into wholeness. Pearl speaks in her own voice through many dreams that offer deep insights over years of writing. Eventually, she begins to recognize vestiges of the Sumerian goddess, Inanna, Queen of Heaven, as strange, weird symbols emerge from the depths of her psyche.
In Authoring Self: A Journey through Dreams to the Feminine, Pearl struggles to the edges of consciousness to uproot and heal deeply embedded unconscious beliefs in a vengeful punishing Old Testament God. Authoring Self begins in Maryknoll Center, Ossining, New York, 4,000 miles from her Alberta farm home where she experiences deep archetypal dreams and visions and learns about the transpersonal. In search of her self, Pearl must learn a whole new language and excavate the many layers of embedded patriarchy to become her own authority. Many Jungian thinkers, such as Sylvia Perera, identify these patterns as the emergence of the sacred feminine.
In Authoring Self: A Journey through Dreams to the Feminine, Pearl struggles to the edges of consciousness to uproot and heal deeply embedded unconscious beliefs in a vengeful punishing Old Testament God. Authoring Self begins in Maryknoll Center, Ossining, New York, 4,000 miles from her Alberta farm home where she experiences deep archetypal dreams and visions and learns about the transpersonal. In search of her self, Pearl must learn a whole new language and excavate the many layers of embedded patriarchy to become her own authority. Many Jungian thinkers, such as Sylvia Perera, identify these patterns as the emergence of the sacred feminine.
270 pages, Paperback
First published May 24, 2019
2 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Pearl E. Gregor
4 books9 followersPearl Gregor was born and raised in northern Alberta. She became an educator, administrator, provincial government consultant and along the way, a radical feminist. She came to writing late in life.
At age 43, in a desperate search to heal clincial depression, Pearl found the inner world of meditation and dreams. The story begins in Book I in the Dreams Along the Way series, I, the Woman, Planted the Tree: A Journey through Dreams to the feminine, which was published in December 2018.
Now, healing the aftermath of repressed trauma takes Pearl even deeper into the uncharted territory of psyche. Authoring Self: A Journey through Dreams to the Feminine is the next part of the story of that navigation as told through deeper and deeper work with each new dream experience.
At age 43, in a desperate search to heal clincial depression, Pearl found the inner world of meditation and dreams. The story begins in Book I in the Dreams Along the Way series, I, the Woman, Planted the Tree: A Journey through Dreams to the feminine, which was published in December 2018.
Now, healing the aftermath of repressed trauma takes Pearl even deeper into the uncharted territory of psyche. Authoring Self: A Journey through Dreams to the Feminine is the next part of the story of that navigation as told through deeper and deeper work with each new dream experience.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 3, 2020
Titles often give readers an impression of what a book will be about. The two words "Authoring Self" implies creating a new narrative of the self, another story, a re-creation or even rebirth. The book is about the author defining her own story and self amidst other existing mindsets and toxic narratives, held in a society that doesn't support or value women's experiences and stories as much.
The format of the book is similar to the first, the dreams are listed with their dates, along with the author's analyses, thoughts, and personal anecdotes and experiences. I recommend that readers start from the first book of the series to get familiar with the author's style, and this book also references the previous and continues her story from there.
In my opinion, the dreams in this book seem to be more vivid and should I say, more 'powerful' than the ones from the first book. The dreams and their details may seem weird, but below the surface, these symbols actually have a deeper meaning. Some are actually enlightening to the author's experience. They may seem like random images and scenes, but the author's enlightened reading of her own dreams from a personal and mythical lens gives them a higher meaning.
What is remarkable to me is that aside from accepting her femininity, the author also recognizes the importance of the masculine traits of the psyche. I like that she is finding balance, not just on one side.
While the author writes about her own dreams, we can also probably recognize the same images and symbols in our own dreams. This is not a handbook on dream interpretation, but it's interesting to see the process of how the author deciphers them in terms of her own experience. There are also many references to books that guided her, which is sure to be on my 'next reads' pile.
Overall, it is a strong follow-up to the first book. Feminists, dream enthusiasts, educators, and psychologists, and anyone struggling with life and looking for answers might find this book interesting.
Read my book reviews my blog: http://malditanglibrarian.blogspot.com
The format of the book is similar to the first, the dreams are listed with their dates, along with the author's analyses, thoughts, and personal anecdotes and experiences. I recommend that readers start from the first book of the series to get familiar with the author's style, and this book also references the previous and continues her story from there.
In my opinion, the dreams in this book seem to be more vivid and should I say, more 'powerful' than the ones from the first book. The dreams and their details may seem weird, but below the surface, these symbols actually have a deeper meaning. Some are actually enlightening to the author's experience. They may seem like random images and scenes, but the author's enlightened reading of her own dreams from a personal and mythical lens gives them a higher meaning.
What is remarkable to me is that aside from accepting her femininity, the author also recognizes the importance of the masculine traits of the psyche. I like that she is finding balance, not just on one side.
While the author writes about her own dreams, we can also probably recognize the same images and symbols in our own dreams. This is not a handbook on dream interpretation, but it's interesting to see the process of how the author deciphers them in terms of her own experience. There are also many references to books that guided her, which is sure to be on my 'next reads' pile.
Overall, it is a strong follow-up to the first book. Feminists, dream enthusiasts, educators, and psychologists, and anyone struggling with life and looking for answers might find this book interesting.
Read my book reviews my blog: http://malditanglibrarian.blogspot.com
October 29, 2019
In Book Two, Authoring Self, Pearl continues her journey to wholeness. She shares honestly and openly her personal journey of healing, search for self and the world of the feminine. Pearl digs through layers of embedded patriarchy to become her own authority. Her journey speaks to all men and women living in a patriarchal society who have the belief, whether conscious or unconscious, that woman is “less than”.
After reading this fascinating, inspiring and informative book I am left with this thought from Clarissa Pinkole Estes’ book, Women Who Run With the Wolves,
“A single creative act has the potential to feed a continent. One creative act can cause a torrent to break through stone.”
Thank you for your creative act Pearl Gregor.
After reading this fascinating, inspiring and informative book I am left with this thought from Clarissa Pinkole Estes’ book, Women Who Run With the Wolves,
“A single creative act has the potential to feed a continent. One creative act can cause a torrent to break through stone.”
Thank you for your creative act Pearl Gregor.
July 11, 2021
A very unique book which has greatly encouraged me on my healing journey. There are many good books on inner transformation but very few which describe the process in a personal way. The author does this using dreamwork as a major tool. I appreciate her radical honesty with which she describes the ups and downs of her journey. I am very thankful for this rare gift and recommand it to everyone who is on a journey to find his authentic self.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews