What do you think?
Rate this book
Finding Mother God: Poems to Heal the World
Honoring the female part of the divine, from a refreshingly modern perspective. Call Her Goddess―call her God the Mother―call her the Feminine Principle―Her children need Her, and our world deeply suffers the pains of Her absence. Through the warmth and the wit of poetry, this book is an invitation for all―women, men, of any religion or of no religion―to welcome Her home and set a permanent place for Her at the family table. Carol Lynn Pearson’s poetry are accessible, thoughtful, and thought-provoking―the perfect balance of wisdom, humility, and humor.
144 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2020
44 people are currently reading
793 people want to read
About the author
Carol Lynn Pearson
93 books123 followersFrom http://www.clpearson.com/about_me.htm
In fourth grade, in Gusher, Utah, I won four dollars in a school district essay contest on “Why We Should Eat a Better Breakfast.” And yes, this morning I had a bowl of my own excellent granola, followed by a hike in the hills near my home in Walnut Creek, California.
In high school I began writing in earnest. I have now in my files a folder marked “Poetry, Very Bad,” and another, “Poetry, Not Quite So Bad.” Writing served a good purpose for that very dramatic, insecure adolescent. Also at that time I began to keep a diary, which I still maintain and which has been indescribably useful to me both as a writer and as a pilgrim on the earth.
After graduating from Brigham Young University with an MA in theatre, teaching for a year in Utah at Snow College, and traveling for a year, I taught part-time at BYU in the English department and was then hired by the motion picture studio on campus to write educational and religious screenplays.
While performing at the university as Mrs. Antrobus in Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth,” I met and fell in love with Gerald Pearson, a shining, blond, enthusiastic young man, who fell in love with me and my poems.
“We’ve got to get them published,” he said on our honeymoon, and soon dragged me up to the big city, Salt Lake City, to see who would be first in line to publish them. “Poetry doesn’t sell,” insisted everyone we spoke to, and I, somewhat relieved, put publishing on the list of things to do posthumously.
But not Gerald. “Then I’ll publish them,” he said. Borrowing two thousand dollars, he created a company called “Trilogy Arts” and published two thousand copies of a book called Beginnings, a slim, hard-back volume with a white cover that featured a stunning illustration, “God in Embryo,” by our good friend Trevor Southey, now an internationally known artist. On the day in autumn of 1967 that Gerald delivered the books by truck to our little apartment in Provo, I was terrified. I really had wanted to do this posthumously.
Beginnings
Today
You came running
With a small specked egg
Warm in your hand.
You could barely understand,
I know,
As I told you of Beginnings–
Of egg and bird.
Told, too,
That years ago you began,
Smaller than sight.
And then,
As egg yearns for sky
And seed stretches to tree,
You became–
Like me.
Oh,
But there’s so much more.
You and I, child,
Have just begun.
Think:
Worlds from now
What might we be?–
We, who are seed
Of Deity.
We toted a package of books up to the BYU bookstore, and asked to see the book buyer. “Well,” she said, “nobody ever buys poetry, but since you’re a local person, let me take four on consignment.” As they came in packages of twenty, we persuaded her to take twenty--on consignment. Next day she called and asked, “Those books you brought up here. Do you have any more of them?”
I had anticipated that the two thousand books, now stacked in our little closet and under our bed and in my Daddy’s garage, would last us years and years as wedding presents. But immediately we ordered a second printing. Beginnings sold over 150,000 copies before we gave it to Doubleday and then to Bookcraft.
Beginnings was followed by other volumes of poetry: The Search, The Growing Season, A Widening View, I Can’t Stop Smiling, and Women I Have Known and Been. Most of the poems from the earlier books now appear in a compilation, Beginnings and Beyond. The poems have been widely reprinted in such places as Ann Landers’ column, the second volume of Chicken Soup for the Soul, and college textbooks such as Houghton Mifflin’s Structure and Meaning: an Introduction to Literature. That first little volume of verse, and my husband’s determination, laid the foundation for my entire career.
Another characteristic of my husband was to have a profound effect on both
In fourth grade, in Gusher, Utah, I won four dollars in a school district essay contest on “Why We Should Eat a Better Breakfast.” And yes, this morning I had a bowl of my own excellent granola, followed by a hike in the hills near my home in Walnut Creek, California.
In high school I began writing in earnest. I have now in my files a folder marked “Poetry, Very Bad,” and another, “Poetry, Not Quite So Bad.” Writing served a good purpose for that very dramatic, insecure adolescent. Also at that time I began to keep a diary, which I still maintain and which has been indescribably useful to me both as a writer and as a pilgrim on the earth.
After graduating from Brigham Young University with an MA in theatre, teaching for a year in Utah at Snow College, and traveling for a year, I taught part-time at BYU in the English department and was then hired by the motion picture studio on campus to write educational and religious screenplays.
While performing at the university as Mrs. Antrobus in Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth,” I met and fell in love with Gerald Pearson, a shining, blond, enthusiastic young man, who fell in love with me and my poems.
“We’ve got to get them published,” he said on our honeymoon, and soon dragged me up to the big city, Salt Lake City, to see who would be first in line to publish them. “Poetry doesn’t sell,” insisted everyone we spoke to, and I, somewhat relieved, put publishing on the list of things to do posthumously.
But not Gerald. “Then I’ll publish them,” he said. Borrowing two thousand dollars, he created a company called “Trilogy Arts” and published two thousand copies of a book called Beginnings, a slim, hard-back volume with a white cover that featured a stunning illustration, “God in Embryo,” by our good friend Trevor Southey, now an internationally known artist. On the day in autumn of 1967 that Gerald delivered the books by truck to our little apartment in Provo, I was terrified. I really had wanted to do this posthumously.
Beginnings
Today
You came running
With a small specked egg
Warm in your hand.
You could barely understand,
I know,
As I told you of Beginnings–
Of egg and bird.
Told, too,
That years ago you began,
Smaller than sight.
And then,
As egg yearns for sky
And seed stretches to tree,
You became–
Like me.
Oh,
But there’s so much more.
You and I, child,
Have just begun.
Think:
Worlds from now
What might we be?–
We, who are seed
Of Deity.
We toted a package of books up to the BYU bookstore, and asked to see the book buyer. “Well,” she said, “nobody ever buys poetry, but since you’re a local person, let me take four on consignment.” As they came in packages of twenty, we persuaded her to take twenty--on consignment. Next day she called and asked, “Those books you brought up here. Do you have any more of them?”
I had anticipated that the two thousand books, now stacked in our little closet and under our bed and in my Daddy’s garage, would last us years and years as wedding presents. But immediately we ordered a second printing. Beginnings sold over 150,000 copies before we gave it to Doubleday and then to Bookcraft.
Beginnings was followed by other volumes of poetry: The Search, The Growing Season, A Widening View, I Can’t Stop Smiling, and Women I Have Known and Been. Most of the poems from the earlier books now appear in a compilation, Beginnings and Beyond. The poems have been widely reprinted in such places as Ann Landers’ column, the second volume of Chicken Soup for the Soul, and college textbooks such as Houghton Mifflin’s Structure and Meaning: an Introduction to Literature. That first little volume of verse, and my husband’s determination, laid the foundation for my entire career.
Another characteristic of my husband was to have a profound effect on both
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
February 16, 2021
I listened to a podcast where Carol Lynn Pearson read a few of these poems and talked about them, and I was absolutely bawling—tears spilling down my cheeks, nose running. Poetry rarely has that effect on me. So I bought the book immediately. I loved it. I cried less reading it than listening to it, but quite a few still touched me deeply. Some made me think. Some made me want to research. There were a few that gave such a beautiful interpretation of scripture stories that I had never thought of before, and they were perhaps my favorite.
Those are too long to share, but I also loved this shorter poem because I have felt the same sentiment as I’ve searched for my Heavenly Mother. (Page 35)
ASKING FATHER
I tiptoed into prayer.
Hesitantly:
"Father, do you mind that I am giving so much attention to Her these days?"
There were no words.
There was thought.
I thought there was an instant embrace warm, I thought, and soft and strong
that drew me in so close and drew the Mother in so close
and there we were
held tight in a circle of three a familial trinity.
That's what I thought.
What I know is this:
tears on my cheeks.
Amen.
Those are too long to share, but I also loved this shorter poem because I have felt the same sentiment as I’ve searched for my Heavenly Mother. (Page 35)
ASKING FATHER
I tiptoed into prayer.
Hesitantly:
"Father, do you mind that I am giving so much attention to Her these days?"
There were no words.
There was thought.
I thought there was an instant embrace warm, I thought, and soft and strong
that drew me in so close and drew the Mother in so close
and there we were
held tight in a circle of three a familial trinity.
That's what I thought.
What I know is this:
tears on my cheeks.
Amen.
September 3, 2020
I didn't want this book to end. Carol Lynn expressed such an honest yearning for Heavenly Mother, it shocked me in its familiarity. It resonated so deeply and left me feeling totally filled up and known. It was such a gift.
May 4, 2023
So lovely! Even though I’m not subscribed to any specific religion, I think this book speaks truths concerning spirituality and our physicality on earth. You don’t have to be religious or even spiritual to know there’s a severe lack of Divine Femininity in philosophical/religious/spiritual spheres.
I love the idea of Mother God and I hate how She has been forgotten or erased in our typical spiritual narratives. There are a lot of poems about the beautiful essence of women, womanhood, mothering, sisterhood, and all things feminine and divine in this collection. There was a poem I LOVED about breastfeeding; it was incredible. It’s called “Women Creating” and it is breathtaking. The things us women can do with our bodies is freaking cool and eternal.
Here’s a little section of a poem called, “Ask the Pope or Ask an Atheist” that I enjoyed:
Or even ask the female atheist
“Tell me about God”
She will narrow her eyes and say
“God? There is no God.
He does not exist!”
Miraculous.
Even without existing
God wears a suit and tie.
I love the idea of Mother God and I hate how She has been forgotten or erased in our typical spiritual narratives. There are a lot of poems about the beautiful essence of women, womanhood, mothering, sisterhood, and all things feminine and divine in this collection. There was a poem I LOVED about breastfeeding; it was incredible. It’s called “Women Creating” and it is breathtaking. The things us women can do with our bodies is freaking cool and eternal.
Here’s a little section of a poem called, “Ask the Pope or Ask an Atheist” that I enjoyed:
Or even ask the female atheist
“Tell me about God”
She will narrow her eyes and say
“God? There is no God.
He does not exist!”
Miraculous.
Even without existing
God wears a suit and tie.
June 5, 2021
Feeling full and joyful. What a desperately needed collection of poetry.
March 1, 2023
Had to shelve my Writer Brain's distaste for the style used in a number of these poems to get through the book BUT! the subject matter filled a very large hole in my heart and I'm hungry for more art that engages with the concept of a divine feminine.
January 24, 2022
I liked the message of these poems, but the poet in me didn’t like the poems…does that make sense?
November 7, 2023
A literary religious version of Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie. loved loved loved
May 13, 2024
This was a delightful book of poems, centering on thoughts of our Heavenly Parents. Some of my favorites were:
Sunbeam Story
What to Do
Chiasm of Being God
I also liked this line from "The Name":
"God is not embarrassed
to wear the pink of a sunset or to
dress in the flowered print of the hills."
I have heard Carol Lynn Pearson read a few on various podcasts and her poems are truly a gift. We are blessed to have her courage and wisdom!
I read this during the week leading up to Mother's Day and it was a lovely way to celebrate.
Sunbeam Story
What to Do
Chiasm of Being God
I also liked this line from "The Name":
"God is not embarrassed
to wear the pink of a sunset or to
dress in the flowered print of the hills."
I have heard Carol Lynn Pearson read a few on various podcasts and her poems are truly a gift. We are blessed to have her courage and wisdom!
I read this during the week leading up to Mother's Day and it was a lovely way to celebrate.
June 29, 2022
This was just what I needed to hear right now! The poetry was beautiful and comforting! Everyone should read it, especially women, but everyone too!
August 11, 2022
I don't read a lot of poetry, but I was very intrigued to read about Heavenly Mother. Powerful. You can't have man without woman. So why then do we hide Her?
August 29, 2024
Amazingly beautiful. I loved the raw emotion and her absolute art of words. I’ll definitely be going back to it and back again.
November 12, 2023
Beautiful and, yes, healing.
January 19, 2022
where to start.
i was initially turned off by the title, thinking it was going to the ramblings of a girlboss, twitter-feminist christian. however. barnes and noble was having a half-off hardcover sale, and goodreads reviews praised the author as the next messiah. so i fell for the trap and bought this book. there goes $8. you're welcome ms. pearson.
the first few poems were fine. not great, but not bad. i figured, "hey, i don't love it, but we can only get better from here." wrong. every single poem that followed was either bad or completely and totally boring and bland. after a while, they all blend together. they cover the same few topics over and over and over again, never adding any new ideas or literally anything interesting.
i feel as though the entire book could've been summarized into maybe 15 to 20 poems. this would've allowed the idea to be more compact and not preach-y.
speaking of preach-y, there are certain points in the book where i feel like i'm sitting in an evangelical mega-church. poems speak of how the only way to right the world and be rid of all our issues is by accepting "mother god" into our hearts. while the idea is cool, it was so overdone.
it's hard to write an entire book of poetry based on one idea without it becoming repetitive and boring. i think the length of the book is the issue: had it been condensed to a small chapbook like most poetry collections, it would've been so much better.
the author has a few cool poems and ideas that i actually enjoyed reading. "phoebe the shaker," "seeing mary," and "i want to do that" were all actually well-ish written and not as repetitive as the rest of the novel. there are lines and images that show readers that the writer has the ability to create interesting ideas, but for some reason chooses not to throughout the majority of her collection.
so, to tie it back to the beginning of this review: are these poems the ramblings of a girlboss, twitter-feminist chirstian? in my opinion, yes. but hey, i'm just a future creative writing major, what do i know.
i was initially turned off by the title, thinking it was going to the ramblings of a girlboss, twitter-feminist christian. however. barnes and noble was having a half-off hardcover sale, and goodreads reviews praised the author as the next messiah. so i fell for the trap and bought this book. there goes $8. you're welcome ms. pearson.
the first few poems were fine. not great, but not bad. i figured, "hey, i don't love it, but we can only get better from here." wrong. every single poem that followed was either bad or completely and totally boring and bland. after a while, they all blend together. they cover the same few topics over and over and over again, never adding any new ideas or literally anything interesting.
i feel as though the entire book could've been summarized into maybe 15 to 20 poems. this would've allowed the idea to be more compact and not preach-y.
speaking of preach-y, there are certain points in the book where i feel like i'm sitting in an evangelical mega-church. poems speak of how the only way to right the world and be rid of all our issues is by accepting "mother god" into our hearts. while the idea is cool, it was so overdone.
it's hard to write an entire book of poetry based on one idea without it becoming repetitive and boring. i think the length of the book is the issue: had it been condensed to a small chapbook like most poetry collections, it would've been so much better.
the author has a few cool poems and ideas that i actually enjoyed reading. "phoebe the shaker," "seeing mary," and "i want to do that" were all actually well-ish written and not as repetitive as the rest of the novel. there are lines and images that show readers that the writer has the ability to create interesting ideas, but for some reason chooses not to throughout the majority of her collection.
so, to tie it back to the beginning of this review: are these poems the ramblings of a girlboss, twitter-feminist chirstian? in my opinion, yes. but hey, i'm just a future creative writing major, what do i know.
February 16, 2021
This book is so beautiful! Every poem resonates with me, and she so eloquently puts words to so many of my feelings! If you've ever wondered about Heavenly Mother, or if you're a feminist, or if you're just a human, there will be at least one poem in here that speaks to you!
June 6, 2021
A beautifully written poetry series about finding, learning about, and embracing the Her in God, Heavenly Mother. Pearson brings in history and beauty and reverence through this work of hers. I felt truly connected while reading and want to share this with everyone.
January 26, 2021
She is found in these pages. I felt the holy of holies while reading about Her. Keeping on my bedside table- this is a collection to keep reading & reading & reading. Mother God we need you.
February 7, 2021
So beautiful and touching. Over too soon. I crave more. ❤️
June 17, 2021
I wept the entire time I was reading this
and felt less alone.
and felt less alone.
September 8, 2021
These poems are so beautiful and poignant. I laughed and got teary. So many really spine to me and expressed feelings I have so eloquently.
September 6, 2022
This book of poetry/Mother in Heaven/doctrine brought me back to when I first read her books: Beginnings and The Search in high school. They are beautiful, meaningful, and thought provoking. This is a book that is meant to be savored and pondered upon. She may be the best LDS poet for her time since Eliza R. Snow. Or maybe just the best of all time. Thanks to her for touching me both in adolescence and very ripe maturity.
April 28, 2023
Beautiful, funny, healing to my soul! A Delight to listen to. Read with feeling by the author. I Highly recommend!
December 4, 2024
Most precious treasures for your truest divine self.
February 4, 2025
Absolutely loved this. So many of these poems spoke to my heart and rang with truth. I will be rereading this frequently!
December 19, 2020
A truly, truly beautiful collection. I'm ready for volume 2!
February 11, 2021
Poems to heal the world, indeed. Each of these varied poems was beautiful and felt like it held so much meaning, whether personal or historical. This is a collection I plan to revisit often. Truly amazing.
April 15, 2021
This little book of poetry is masterfully written and delightful, full of truth and metaphor, drawing the reader through a faithful exploration of who our Heavenly Mother surely must and should be, the other half of God, always there for us, before, now and always. I have read other such insightful writings by younger faithful women, but Carol Lynn Pearson’s maturity, breadth, depth of experience, and imagery-laden poetry is unparalleled. I will be re-reading and sharing often.
August 30, 2021
Beautiful poetry. I connected with and loved so many individual poems in this book, but the whole is also important. This book wrestles with the inconsistency of the masculine pronoun used exclusively in the scriptures and in the church when speaking of God, with the internal gut feeling that there has to be a She, too. I don’t have any further answers or anything, but there is beautiful comfort and validation in these pages. Perfect for a one poem at a time read, or a binge.
February 11, 2024
I wasn’t expecting to like this book because I’m not a big fan of poetry. But I loved it! There were a few poems that really spoke to me. I can honestly say I see the world differently after listening to the author read her own poems.
June 4, 2024
Absolutely breath taking. Carol has such a way with words. I feel privileged to be privy to her inner musings and her love and pursuit of love, equality and deep reverence. I feel that this book of poems truly brought me closer to God, Heavenly Mother and Heavenly Father together.
October 18, 2020
This book is a BEAUTIFUL concept. I’ve frequently thought on Mother God and the hole that has existed in my life from her lack of presence.
My criticism of this book is that it prescribes typically feminine values to mother god and typically masculine values to men, which reinforces the patriarchy. Women can be powerful, warriors, and leaders too.
Overall, I’m glad I read it. I hope to find other poetry that embodies mother God as all that God is described to be. I am more than what would be perceived as “womanly” attributes, so I want to believe she is too.
My criticism of this book is that it prescribes typically feminine values to mother god and typically masculine values to men, which reinforces the patriarchy. Women can be powerful, warriors, and leaders too.
Overall, I’m glad I read it. I hope to find other poetry that embodies mother God as all that God is described to be. I am more than what would be perceived as “womanly” attributes, so I want to believe she is too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews