The Goddess

by Shahrukh Husain

Tapping into America's interest in female deities and ancient rites, this study brings to life the rituals, symbolism, and significance of the Goddess from ancient to modern times, referring to fertility, motherhood, feminism, Wicca, and much more. Original.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, Spirituality, History, Feminism, Religion, Womens

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Born 28 April 1950, she is the daughter of Prince Ahmed Husain and Sabeeha (Ahmed) Husain. In 1979 Shahrukh Husain received her Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Shahrukh Husain has lectured extensively and has worked as a consultant on TV documentaries and in an advisory role to members of Parliament on cultural matters ranging from marriage and race to religion and language issues. Husain practises as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist specialising in transcultural work. Currently, she is working on an historical screenplay for Bend It Films and completing a series of mythology books for children. Husain resides in London.

Shahrukh Husain is best known for her works. Her adaptation of "In Custody" was Ismail Merchant's directorial debut and was nominated for Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1995.

Reviews

[Victoria Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully designed and rendered with incredible images of artifacts, art, and photographs. More importantly, it was a delightful survey of goddess worship throughout history. The themes of this extremely common religious practice as well as the human desire to connect with nature and the divine feminine are compiled in a manner that is thoughtful, scholarly, and reverent.

[Francisco Becerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide to feminity in its most deep meanings. The different aspects of beign a woman are covered in sufficient detail, enriching the imagination and understanding of womanhood. Highly recommended not just for those interested in mithology, but for all who want to understand women.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is well-researched that explains not only the history of goddess worship but how the goddess is for all women. 8 covers true feminism using the strength and power of the goddess to show that women are beautiful and strong

[Miekje1402 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book about the history, development and contemporary practices of Goddess worship. Recommended if you're interested in goddesses and are looking for a low key yet complete starter book on the subject!

[Vaughnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very easy to read, but also very disheartening. Chronicles the destruction of the Goddess figure across most cultures, quite sad. Informative read though.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel this is an excellent introduction to goddess mythology. It gives numerous examples of the similarities and differences not just in different cultures, but across time. The book examines goddess worship and mythology from the neolithic era to the modern day. It lost one star as I noticed some information about Greek myth and modern Wicca and the goddess movement were off (so I can assume information on other subjects was off as well), but only one star because of the numerous details that were correct when similar texts wouldn't even bother to go into those details. Overall it was extremely well researched, well presented, and an enjoyable read. Also, the pictures were a huge bonus!

[Theresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I obtained and retained this book as a possible reference for creative art projects. However, this book is unsuitable for this purpose. This book is removed from my personal library, and I do not recommend it.

[Syl · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a very well told book about the origins of the feminine myths and archetypes, of the Goddess and her wordhipings and worshippers. It's also very well researched, great images and foot notes.

[S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5