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She of the Sea
The tenth book from bestselling author of Burning Woman, Medicine Woman, Moon Time and Creatrix, Lucy H. Pearce.
She of the Sea is a lyrical exploration of the call of the sea and the depth of our connection to it, rooted in the author’s personal experience living on the coast of the Celtic Sea, in Ireland.
This book spans from coastal plants to the colour blue, pebbles to prayer, via shapeshifting and suicidal ideation, erosion and immersion, cold water swimming and water birth, seaweed and cyanotypes, from Japanese freedivers and Celtic sea goddesses, selkies to surfing, and mermaids to Mary.
She of the Sea is a strange and wonderful deep dive into the inner sea and the Feminine, exploring where the real and the magical, the salty and the sacred meet, within and without, and what implications this has for us as both individuals…and a species in these tumultuous times.
Dreamlike, meditative, poetic, She of the Sea is a love song. To the ocean. To becoming. To magic. To freedom.
With contributions from thirty sea-loving artists, musicians, cold water swimmers, mothers, environmental educators, witches, mermaids, priestesses and writers from around the world, who share their love for the stretch of sea they call home, from the Irish Sea to the Caribbean, via the Mediterranean and the North Sea, the Pacific and the Atlantic.
This book will transform and reinvigorate your relationship with the sea. A delicious sea-scrap book, Pearce weaves myths and science into an enveloping net, and empowers the reader to return to the sea, informed and enchanted.Alice Tarbuck, author of A Spell in the Wild
She of the Sea is a lyrical exploration of the call of the sea and the depth of our connection to it, rooted in the author’s personal experience living on the coast of the Celtic Sea, in Ireland.
This book spans from coastal plants to the colour blue, pebbles to prayer, via shapeshifting and suicidal ideation, erosion and immersion, cold water swimming and water birth, seaweed and cyanotypes, from Japanese freedivers and Celtic sea goddesses, selkies to surfing, and mermaids to Mary.
She of the Sea is a strange and wonderful deep dive into the inner sea and the Feminine, exploring where the real and the magical, the salty and the sacred meet, within and without, and what implications this has for us as both individuals…and a species in these tumultuous times.
Dreamlike, meditative, poetic, She of the Sea is a love song. To the ocean. To becoming. To magic. To freedom.
With contributions from thirty sea-loving artists, musicians, cold water swimmers, mothers, environmental educators, witches, mermaids, priestesses and writers from around the world, who share their love for the stretch of sea they call home, from the Irish Sea to the Caribbean, via the Mediterranean and the North Sea, the Pacific and the Atlantic.
This book will transform and reinvigorate your relationship with the sea. A delicious sea-scrap book, Pearce weaves myths and science into an enveloping net, and empowers the reader to return to the sea, informed and enchanted.Alice Tarbuck, author of A Spell in the Wild
307 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 2, 2021
35 people are currently reading
347 people want to read
About the author
Lucy H. Pearce
19 books259 followersLucy H. Pearce is the author of multiple life-changing non-fiction books, including Nautilus Award silver winners Medicine Woman, Burning Woman, and Creatrix.
Her newest books are Crow Moon: reclaiming the wisdom of the dark woods and The Kitchen Witch Companion, which she illustrated and co-authored with Sarah Robinson.
Her writing weaves women’s archetypal psychology, feminist historical awareness and the healing power of creativity and nature.
An award-winning graduate in History of Ideas with English Literature from Kingston University, and a PGCE from Cambridge University,
http://www.lucyhpearce.com/
Lucy founded Womancraft Publishing, creating paradigm-shifting books by women for women, in 2014. http://www.womancraftpublishing.com/
She is the host of the Creative Magic podcast, where she interviews contemporary creative women. https://open.spotify.com/show/5tipcBA...
Support her work on Patreon http:/www.Patreon.com/lucyhpearce/
Burning Woman - an incendiary initiation to feminine power is her most recent and is blazing trails with its powerful words, a #1 Amazon bestseller in Women and History.
The Rainbow Way: Cultivating Creativity in the Midst of Motherhood was a #1 Amazon bestseller in Creativity and motherhood in the US and UK. it has been credited with kickstarting the creativity of women - and men - around the world, being the inspiration behind numerous creative businesses and even saving lives.
Moon Time - a book that hundreds of women around the world have labelled “life-changing”. The perennial #1 Amazon.com bestseller in its field.
Reaching for the Moon, a soulful guide to the menstrual cycle for girls aged 9-14, trusted and recommended by thousands of parents and their daughters as a nurturing way to approach a key rite of passage.
Her newest books are Crow Moon: reclaiming the wisdom of the dark woods and The Kitchen Witch Companion, which she illustrated and co-authored with Sarah Robinson.
Her writing weaves women’s archetypal psychology, feminist historical awareness and the healing power of creativity and nature.
An award-winning graduate in History of Ideas with English Literature from Kingston University, and a PGCE from Cambridge University,
http://www.lucyhpearce.com/
Lucy founded Womancraft Publishing, creating paradigm-shifting books by women for women, in 2014. http://www.womancraftpublishing.com/
She is the host of the Creative Magic podcast, where she interviews contemporary creative women. https://open.spotify.com/show/5tipcBA...
Support her work on Patreon http:/www.Patreon.com/lucyhpearce/
Burning Woman - an incendiary initiation to feminine power is her most recent and is blazing trails with its powerful words, a #1 Amazon bestseller in Women and History.
The Rainbow Way: Cultivating Creativity in the Midst of Motherhood was a #1 Amazon bestseller in Creativity and motherhood in the US and UK. it has been credited with kickstarting the creativity of women - and men - around the world, being the inspiration behind numerous creative businesses and even saving lives.
Moon Time - a book that hundreds of women around the world have labelled “life-changing”. The perennial #1 Amazon.com bestseller in its field.
Reaching for the Moon, a soulful guide to the menstrual cycle for girls aged 9-14, trusted and recommended by thousands of parents and their daughters as a nurturing way to approach a key rite of passage.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 9, 2021
Lucy Pearce is in the business of writing books that take the reader on a journey that they return from transformed in some way. Her latest book is an exploration into all that the sea means to us, it’s connection to the feminine, from the myths and stories of mermaids and selkies, to the freedivers of Japan and cold-water swimming. It is magical.
I am one of 30 contributors to this journey. I share my connection to the Irish sea and what that body of water meant to me in my childhood and still does. It is a book that will return you to the joy of childhood moments chasing the waves, to the cleansing and healing we can experience as adults held safely in its waters.
I am one of 30 contributors to this journey. I share my connection to the Irish sea and what that body of water meant to me in my childhood and still does. It is a book that will return you to the joy of childhood moments chasing the waves, to the cleansing and healing we can experience as adults held safely in its waters.
February 28, 2022
I just loved this one. It was a skillful weaving together of personal story, myth, magic, science, and wonder. I saw myself reflected in She of the Sea, but I also glimpsed larger patterns of the world soul in this beautifully wrought book.
February 4, 2024
She of the Sea was a bit of a mixed book for me.
As I got closer and closer to its last pages I came to realize that I should let the information flow through me and not immediately judge it harshly. It's certainly a different book than what I'm used to but calling it "bad" would be wrong and misunderstanding the book's intent.
She of the Sea is a kind of diary collage book that shows to me the outline of a kind of religious text with the goddess itself being water. The book is an assortment of different texts and ideas regarding to water, regarding to the ocean, lakes, rivers and our connection to water. How water has helped us in the past. How it can help us now. How it could help us in the future. It is an analysis of water and its role in the world. Its many occupations and the impact it has made on many peoples.
The writing style is a kind of down to earth "conversating" and "remembering". In contrast to the recent Quaker religious texts I had read it was certainly a breath of fresh air. Such writing style also escapes potential hypocrisies the book might have run into if the style was different.
Sometimes I did have the feeling like things were repeated or sections were hard to distinguish from others.
One thing I found very enjoyable is the inclusion of "spiritual practice" and "meditation" where the book gives you certain questions and spiritual practices to engage with the ideas the book represents in a more fruitful way. I tried some of them myself. I'm not someone who feels as connected to the water as others may do. But I do feel relaxed by the rain and the small creaks.
It's interesting to see the switch towards the end in regards to global warming and the future of the earth. I can't help but feel that this section specifically felt a bit short whereas other sections in the book felt a bit on the long side.
I think that this book will serve the people greatly who are experiencing trouble in their personal lives and want to learn how to heal. I'm sure that there's enough people with a very deep connection to the ocean to whom this book might be of great effect. There's a lot of times where people in the spiritual community will want to take advantage of such weakness to squeeze money out of you. That is not the case for this book.
I think I played the role of "one who listens in silence" during this readthrough. It was curious even if not emotionally striking. A new perspective added to the mix.
As I got closer and closer to its last pages I came to realize that I should let the information flow through me and not immediately judge it harshly. It's certainly a different book than what I'm used to but calling it "bad" would be wrong and misunderstanding the book's intent.
She of the Sea is a kind of diary collage book that shows to me the outline of a kind of religious text with the goddess itself being water. The book is an assortment of different texts and ideas regarding to water, regarding to the ocean, lakes, rivers and our connection to water. How water has helped us in the past. How it can help us now. How it could help us in the future. It is an analysis of water and its role in the world. Its many occupations and the impact it has made on many peoples.
The writing style is a kind of down to earth "conversating" and "remembering". In contrast to the recent Quaker religious texts I had read it was certainly a breath of fresh air. Such writing style also escapes potential hypocrisies the book might have run into if the style was different.
Sometimes I did have the feeling like things were repeated or sections were hard to distinguish from others.
One thing I found very enjoyable is the inclusion of "spiritual practice" and "meditation" where the book gives you certain questions and spiritual practices to engage with the ideas the book represents in a more fruitful way. I tried some of them myself. I'm not someone who feels as connected to the water as others may do. But I do feel relaxed by the rain and the small creaks.
It's interesting to see the switch towards the end in regards to global warming and the future of the earth. I can't help but feel that this section specifically felt a bit short whereas other sections in the book felt a bit on the long side.
I think that this book will serve the people greatly who are experiencing trouble in their personal lives and want to learn how to heal. I'm sure that there's enough people with a very deep connection to the ocean to whom this book might be of great effect. There's a lot of times where people in the spiritual community will want to take advantage of such weakness to squeeze money out of you. That is not the case for this book.
I think I played the role of "one who listens in silence" during this readthrough. It was curious even if not emotionally striking. A new perspective added to the mix.
July 12, 2023
I'm a fan of everything Lucy Pearce writes, and this is no exception. But don't read it like a how-to guide. Read it like a love song. In addition to her own reflections and experiences, Pearce includes stories from many other women who feel transformed by their relationship with the sea. Personally, I've always found the sea to be a bit terrifying. I grew up around lakes and rivers in the Southern Appalachian mountains, and that is my comfort zone. I prefer the calm tranquility of a lake in the morning with the mist rising off the water or the sound of a rushing river. I wasn't around the ocean enough as a child to say that we had a relationship, but then I lived on the Georgia coast in my early forties. I still can't say that I ever fell madly in love with The Atlantic, but she taught me plenty about tides and marsh and hurricanes. I saw the beauty and fragility of the region—and the damage humans were doing on a daily basis. What I hope people take away from this book is how precious our oceans are and how vital it is that we do all that we can to care for them. This is a wake-up call and a reminder to live in harmony with the cycles of nature or else perish from our own greed and folly.
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November 30, 2023Love this author and her books. Haven’t finished this one but it promises to deliver the same whimsical, informed writing.
December 8, 2025
I’m so glad I finally was able to finish this book. The audio book coming out was just what I needed. Being able to go back and forth between my paperback and the audio book helped me stay moving through the text. I loved the deep dive into everything ocean and I didn’t want it to end!
Chapter five (I think) about origins and creation stories was one of my favorites and I marked it with a special sticky note in my paperback so I can go back and reread it often. Absolutely delightful and thought provoking.
Chapter five (I think) about origins and creation stories was one of my favorites and I marked it with a special sticky note in my paperback so I can go back and reread it often. Absolutely delightful and thought provoking.
October 27, 2024
This book was made for me. I have an abiding love for the wild sea and its mythos. I dreamt once that I was the embodiment of a sea goddess. I have been passionately in love with mermaids, selkies and sirens for years and years. This is my kind of book about the ocean. Not just dry logical science facts about the sea, which is all that seems to be around. But the actual heart of the ocean, deep calls to deep. I would be lost without Lucy Pearce’s soulful and feminine books.
April 12, 2025
I don't think I've ever taken so long to finish a book - this one just didn't grab me. While thematically interesting, I think even non-fiction needs to have some sort of narrative through line and that was missing here for me. The chapters/essays/musings/poems were mostly very short and disjointed and sometimes jarring in transition, which is why I had a hard time sticking with this one.
April 9, 2023
Water is everywhere and within us. Lucy indulges us in tales from other fair ladies and keeps my attention with gorgeous woven poetry and healing practices.
October 3, 2025
I loved this book. One of my favourites. Thank you, Lucy, for being.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews