What do you think?
Rate this book
Goddess of Light : Poetry About Mental Health
Mental health is health. Even in the darkness, you are worthy of the light. That's the central idea of this collection of poems about accepting yourself, finding yourself, and always moving towards the light, even when you are at your lowest.
73 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 17, 2021
8 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 21, 2020
Blank Verse Poetry at its Startling Best!
This stunning collection of poetry has a song-like movement about it, and the perceptive depth of the verses reminded me of my favorite poet, artist and songstress, Joni Mitchell. The poems depict a range of real experiences in love, voiced as "I" and "me" "him" and "her" and "she" and the poet shows the gaps in meaning and understanding between voices and experiences, mind and heart, thought and feeling.
The woman starts out as a wide universe, searching for a man who will understand her being. Understands and fathoms her complexities, her depths, as if he looks into the silence of a midnight sky, and his gaze is infinite and deep.
The poet takes us on a journey that starts with the quest for love of a naive teen, who theorizes about love, and yet:
"She realised that he only loved
on a scale model
so his whole universe fit
into the palm of her hand"
She doesn't know that:
"the thing about being sixteen
is that the world doesn't let
you
stay so naive and green and soft"
Rejecting lust in her quest for love she fears both abandonment and the kind of commitment in which she might lose herself:
"he wanted her
and she wanted a story
so he wrote her a chapter
and she stayed for fifty years
because she wanted to see
how it ended"
The poetess leads us through all the range of emotions in the woman's quest. All the kinds of situations that one who has lived a life will know: searching for an idealistic, unrealistic kind of love in our youth, fear of abandonment, wanting to grow, losing in love to someone else, jealousy, make-believe and emptiness:
"it's the pretending
that makes it real"
The Mitchellian line I love for it's satire and wisdom:
"She gave so much of herself
to each man she loved
like a plate of hors d'oeuvres
at a party"
The realisation that she is short-changed and empty of self-love begins a time of soul-searching:
"the closer she got to him
the further she got from herself"
Another Mitchellian line I love:
"I tried to give myself away
to a new man after he left
but I realised I forgot
to pack up the deepest parts of me
with my dishes and workout clothes"
After this comes a reflection on the fighting, the alcohol, the affairs, the disappointments, the conflict of love.
My most favorite part of the book, which I will not spoil by quoting it here is the reconciliation, the ending in which the broken woman is healed and whole as her lover embraces her as a beautiful collage, a whole:
"he loved her poetry that didn't rhyme ..."
I loved this poetry that didn't rhyme, too!
This stunning collection of poetry has a song-like movement about it, and the perceptive depth of the verses reminded me of my favorite poet, artist and songstress, Joni Mitchell. The poems depict a range of real experiences in love, voiced as "I" and "me" "him" and "her" and "she" and the poet shows the gaps in meaning and understanding between voices and experiences, mind and heart, thought and feeling.
The woman starts out as a wide universe, searching for a man who will understand her being. Understands and fathoms her complexities, her depths, as if he looks into the silence of a midnight sky, and his gaze is infinite and deep.
The poet takes us on a journey that starts with the quest for love of a naive teen, who theorizes about love, and yet:
"She realised that he only loved
on a scale model
so his whole universe fit
into the palm of her hand"
She doesn't know that:
"the thing about being sixteen
is that the world doesn't let
you
stay so naive and green and soft"
Rejecting lust in her quest for love she fears both abandonment and the kind of commitment in which she might lose herself:
"he wanted her
and she wanted a story
so he wrote her a chapter
and she stayed for fifty years
because she wanted to see
how it ended"
The poetess leads us through all the range of emotions in the woman's quest. All the kinds of situations that one who has lived a life will know: searching for an idealistic, unrealistic kind of love in our youth, fear of abandonment, wanting to grow, losing in love to someone else, jealousy, make-believe and emptiness:
"it's the pretending
that makes it real"
The Mitchellian line I love for it's satire and wisdom:
"She gave so much of herself
to each man she loved
like a plate of hors d'oeuvres
at a party"
The realisation that she is short-changed and empty of self-love begins a time of soul-searching:
"the closer she got to him
the further she got from herself"
Another Mitchellian line I love:
"I tried to give myself away
to a new man after he left
but I realised I forgot
to pack up the deepest parts of me
with my dishes and workout clothes"
After this comes a reflection on the fighting, the alcohol, the affairs, the disappointments, the conflict of love.
My most favorite part of the book, which I will not spoil by quoting it here is the reconciliation, the ending in which the broken woman is healed and whole as her lover embraces her as a beautiful collage, a whole:
"he loved her poetry that didn't rhyme ..."
I loved this poetry that didn't rhyme, too!
September 15, 2020
It's not about astronomy
The poet presents an outstanding collection of romance poetry. Although presented from the female perspective, this elderly male connected with much of her insight. She presents a good deal of romantic wisdom, especially for someone so relatively young. Then again, that may be the point in life when the fire burns brightest and hottest. Well done in any case.
The poet presents an outstanding collection of romance poetry. Although presented from the female perspective, this elderly male connected with much of her insight. She presents a good deal of romantic wisdom, especially for someone so relatively young. Then again, that may be the point in life when the fire burns brightest and hottest. Well done in any case.
January 5, 2022
Wow wow wow 😍
August 30, 2022
Beautifully written collection, a real deep dive. It made me feel things. I can’t recommend enough.
October 12, 2020
Every Constellation is a beautiful reflection of the multifaceted aspects of relationships. It touches the pre-disposed ideas that men and women have as it relates to their expectations in a partner and it sheds light on the realities as compared. Sonnenberg-Pietila explores the depths of intimacy, it’s durability, and the inevitability of its highs and lows. As she delves into the fantasy of romance and desire, poetic expression is vivid. Yet, the longing for more than what meets the eye is the undertone that leaps off every page. It is the motivating factor that inspires the search and it is that once in a life-time love that may never be found again. Every Constellation reminds me of the adage, “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”
October 1, 2020
The difficult thing about poetry is that it can accomplish its main goal of conveying the writers feeling appropriately while also failing to connect with a perspective reader. It is by nature a very fickle form of writing and therefore, extremely tricky to review. On paper the words look good and I can tell the author poured her heart out on the pages which automatically makes me like the book. On the flip-side, the writing in this one just didn’t connect with me fully. I have no doubt many others will enjoy the emotions that the author puts on display. I did very much enjoy the authors abundant use of metaphorical language from front to back cover.
October 27, 2020
This book is divine. I was surprised to get to the end so quickly. That's how immersed I was in the author's words. What I enjoyed most is the consistency of the poems. Sometimes, when I am reading poetry, the compositions vary. Some of them are on par with the theme, some of them are not. Some of them I like, some of them I can do without. I am happy to say that wasn't the case here. Everything flowed, like a love story. The author's tone and lyrical brilliance resonated all the way through. My favorite line:
"Her past was not pretty
but she was because
she chose not to wear it."
"Her past was not pretty
but she was because
she chose not to wear it."
January 19, 2026
This poetry collection focuses on how the loves of your lives can provide a story and shape your views of life and situations.
Too Late, was a great poem on reflection of a break-up and realising how good someone was and the desire to go back when you can't.
A short but detailed storytelling style poetry collection.
Too Late, was a great poem on reflection of a break-up and realising how good someone was and the desire to go back when you can't.
A short but detailed storytelling style poetry collection.
October 3, 2020
Very touching
I really felt the authors pain in some of these and could very much relate. I hope she did find the man to make her bloom. I gave it four, not five, because I’d liked to have read more about others ways for a woman to complete herself than finding a new man. Saying that, the sentiment was beautifully expressed.
I really felt the authors pain in some of these and could very much relate. I hope she did find the man to make her bloom. I gave it four, not five, because I’d liked to have read more about others ways for a woman to complete herself than finding a new man. Saying that, the sentiment was beautifully expressed.
September 25, 2020
Nice collection of poetry
A quick read, but a powerful one. Like taking a glimpse into 100 different people’s mind at once, while all tying together through poetry
A quick read, but a powerful one. Like taking a glimpse into 100 different people’s mind at once, while all tying together through poetry
April 15, 2023
(3.5)
Okay, so this book DEFINITELY has potential! …I just don’t think it quite reached it. The poet’s style is more simplistic, which actually would be accepted by the “masses” as I call them (aka the ridiculous number of people who enjoy simple poetry because it makes them feel something without getting too deep or complicated). There’s nothing wrong with that either.
Where I think this book could have been improved was using punctuation - mainly commas - to even out the pacing and make certain lines stand out/have more emotional impact. There were a few odd lines that could be changed grammatically to read smoother too. Lastly, I do wish all the poems were gender neutral (i.e. used ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘we’, etc) since the book’s title and purpose is directed toward all readers.
Still, there were so many poems that really did inspire me and I love the author’s intent with self-empowerment, self-love, and so on. I REALLY do think this has potential and I would love to see how the author improves their style!
Okay, so this book DEFINITELY has potential! …I just don’t think it quite reached it. The poet’s style is more simplistic, which actually would be accepted by the “masses” as I call them (aka the ridiculous number of people who enjoy simple poetry because it makes them feel something without getting too deep or complicated). There’s nothing wrong with that either.
Where I think this book could have been improved was using punctuation - mainly commas - to even out the pacing and make certain lines stand out/have more emotional impact. There were a few odd lines that could be changed grammatically to read smoother too. Lastly, I do wish all the poems were gender neutral (i.e. used ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘we’, etc) since the book’s title and purpose is directed toward all readers.
Still, there were so many poems that really did inspire me and I love the author’s intent with self-empowerment, self-love, and so on. I REALLY do think this has potential and I would love to see how the author improves their style!
November 29, 2020
After enlightenment, the laundry
A collection of lyrical meditations on love and life, sometimes hopeful, sometimes heartbroken. I found these poems moving and authentic reflections on the struggle between the fantasy we imagine love to be and the chore it often is. Both are real, but the holding of them in tension can be more than we bargained for.
A collection of lyrical meditations on love and life, sometimes hopeful, sometimes heartbroken. I found these poems moving and authentic reflections on the struggle between the fantasy we imagine love to be and the chore it often is. Both are real, but the holding of them in tension can be more than we bargained for.
December 22, 2020
Lots of images
As far as images, the poet provided vivid images that complements the theme. However, I am more of a romance poetry fan. I wish it was a bit more optimistic. But this opinion is subject to my poetry taste!
As far as images, the poet provided vivid images that complements the theme. However, I am more of a romance poetry fan. I wish it was a bit more optimistic. But this opinion is subject to my poetry taste!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews