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The Heroine's Journey: Woman's Quest for Wholeness
This book describes contemporary woman's search for wholeness in a society in which she has been defined according to masculine values. Drawing upon cultural myths and fairy tales, ancient symbols and goddesses, and the dreams of contemporary women, Murdock illustrates the need for—and the reality of—feminine values in Western culture today.
232 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Maureen Murdock
16 books117 followersMaureen Murdock is an author, educator, Jungian-oriented psychotherapist and photographer. Maureen teaches memoir writing, which she loves, through the Memoir Certificate at Pacifica Graduate Institute, for IWWG (International Women's Writing Guild) and in workshops throughout the US. She was Chair and Core faculty of the MA Counseling Psychology Program at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara and adjunct faculty in the Depth Psychology Department at Sonoma State University. Murdock blogs about mental illness, addiction and incarceration on her website and participates in Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) as a volunteer at Lompoc Federal Prison.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 267 reviews
April 12, 2008
This book is DATED. Which is interesting because it was published 18 years ago. It's kind of wild that a book like this can seem so old because it indicates to me that quite a lot has happened in the last 18 years. This book came out when I was beginning my most radical feminist years and if I'd read it then, I'd probably have loved it. But the issues in it now seem like they are of another time, in a way. This is not to say that women don't still struggle with the balance of having it all or how to negotiate the masculine and the feminine but it seems like those issues are a lot more complex than this book makes them out to be. This may be generational as well. The women in generations before mine had to fight their way into the workplace at all. My generation takes that for granted.
This book makes a case for wounded femininity and a need for returning to the Great Mother. It's full of dreams that the author had and narratives of women's dreams about encountering images like the "dark woman" (a concept I found disturbingly racist.) Maybe I've leaned a little too far toward the masculine drive or something but this kind of stuff kind of gets on my nerves. Maybe it's just because I'm hungry for someone to REALLY lay out a heroine's journey, to really take on the feminine experience of the mythic structure and not just some "let's remember to honor our mother, Gaia" song.
Maybe that's my book to write! And maybe I will. And 18 years from now some snarky contemporary feminist will find it strangely dated.
This book makes a case for wounded femininity and a need for returning to the Great Mother. It's full of dreams that the author had and narratives of women's dreams about encountering images like the "dark woman" (a concept I found disturbingly racist.) Maybe I've leaned a little too far toward the masculine drive or something but this kind of stuff kind of gets on my nerves. Maybe it's just because I'm hungry for someone to REALLY lay out a heroine's journey, to really take on the feminine experience of the mythic structure and not just some "let's remember to honor our mother, Gaia" song.
Maybe that's my book to write! And maybe I will. And 18 years from now some snarky contemporary feminist will find it strangely dated.
June 22, 2020
This book at its best was a disappointment, and at its worst was literally offensive.
THIS IS NOT a female-oriented companion to Joseph Campbell's study of the Hero's Journey/Monomyth. First, you need to know that if you are looking for a study of narrative structure, you will be just as disappointed as I was, and will find very little of value for your writing or analysis.
Second, know that this is a feminist self-help book written in 1990, and is rife with dated, unbalanced views of feminism clothed in new-age mysticism. Some segments draw interesting parallels to mythology, however the bulk of the text is drawn from the author's own anecdotes with a dramatic flare.
I respect that there are women out there who will find this text helpful or even healing, but I myself was frustrated with Murdock's theories and anecdotes, and a touch disgusted by the broad generalizations she makes regarding women's motives, choices, and experiences.
THIS IS NOT a female-oriented companion to Joseph Campbell's study of the Hero's Journey/Monomyth. First, you need to know that if you are looking for a study of narrative structure, you will be just as disappointed as I was, and will find very little of value for your writing or analysis.
Second, know that this is a feminist self-help book written in 1990, and is rife with dated, unbalanced views of feminism clothed in new-age mysticism. Some segments draw interesting parallels to mythology, however the bulk of the text is drawn from the author's own anecdotes with a dramatic flare.
I respect that there are women out there who will find this text helpful or even healing, but I myself was frustrated with Murdock's theories and anecdotes, and a touch disgusted by the broad generalizations she makes regarding women's motives, choices, and experiences.
October 13, 2016
تمام مایعات بدن ما وقتی که تحت تاثیر قرار میگیریم-وقتی گریه میکنیم، عشق می ورزیم، خونریزی داریم- جاری می شوند. تمام تجارب الهی بدن مابه رطوبت ربط دارند و این رطوبت است که به این سیاره حیات می بخشد. بزرگترین گناه بشریت خشکی و بی حاصلی است و نیاز بزرگ بشر نیز این است که رطوبت و سبزی را به زندگی بیاورد.
August 2, 2024
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زنان آفرینشگر هستند،آنها بچه‌های کوچک و فرزندان رؤیاهای خود را به دنیا می‌آورند.
زنان شفاگر هستند آنها اسرار بدن ،خون و روح را می‌دانند زیرا این‌ها همه با هم یکی هستند.و...
📝کتاب توسط خانم دکتر مورین مورداک نوشته شده که مهم‌ترین دغدغه‌اش عرصه معنا و مفهوم زنانگی و خواسته‌های زنان از زندگی است.
چیزی که در کتاب نفی شده قربانی کردن زنانگی در ازای موفقیتی موهوم در دنیایی است که همه‌ی قواعد را مردان از قبل معلوم کرده‌اند و در این چالش است که زنان به بازگشت به سوی خویش تشویق میشوند.تلاش برای برقراری تعادل میان آمال و آرزوهای درونی با اعمال بیرونی و روابط عاطفی و استعدادها و مسئولیت‌های خانوادگی و اجتماعی از نکات قوت کتاب بود و اینکه همان‌طور که زن به روح و جسم به اندازه‌ی ذهن خود ارج مینهد،می‌تواند شکاف و فاصله درون خود و فرهنگ جامعه را شفا بخشد.در مورد روابط بین دختران با پدر و مادرشان در کودکی مطالب خیلی خوبی ارائه شده بود.دخترانی که از کم‌توجهی پدر رنج میبرند،زنانی که به علت ترس درونی از تحقیرشدن،به کمال طلبی عادت کرده‌اند و تلاش میکنند که موفق به نظر بیایند و ...مسائلی هستند که در کتاب به آنها پرداخته شده.کتاب تا حدودی با فرهنگ ما مغایرت داشت ولی مفید بود اصلا حس فمینیستی رو القا نمی‌کرد. کتابیه که بارها و بارها باید سراغش برم.برای نوشتن از کهن الگوهای یونانی و اسطوره‌شناسی زیاد کمک گرفته شده بود،که برای مطالعه باید آگاهی و علاقه به این موضوع داشته باشید فقط حیف این کتاب که انقدر ترجمه‌ی سخت و نامفهومی داشت!
#ژرفای_زن_بودن
#مورین_مورداک
#سیمین_موحد
زنان آفرینشگر هستند،آنها بچه‌های کوچک و فرزندان رؤیاهای خود را به دنیا می‌آورند.
زنان شفاگر هستند آنها اسرار بدن ،خون و روح را می‌دانند زیرا این‌ها همه با هم یکی هستند.و...
📝کتاب توسط خانم دکتر مورین مورداک نوشته شده که مهم‌ترین دغدغه‌اش عرصه معنا و مفهوم زنانگی و خواسته‌های زنان از زندگی است.
چیزی که در کتاب نفی شده قربانی کردن زنانگی در ازای موفقیتی موهوم در دنیایی است که همه‌ی قواعد را مردان از قبل معلوم کرده‌اند و در این چالش است که زنان به بازگشت به سوی خویش تشویق میشوند.تلاش برای برقراری تعادل میان آمال و آرزوهای درونی با اعمال بیرونی و روابط عاطفی و استعدادها و مسئولیت‌های خانوادگی و اجتماعی از نکات قوت کتاب بود و اینکه همان‌طور که زن به روح و جسم به اندازه‌ی ذهن خود ارج مینهد،می‌تواند شکاف و فاصله درون خود و فرهنگ جامعه را شفا بخشد.در مورد روابط بین دختران با پدر و مادرشان در کودکی مطالب خیلی خوبی ارائه شده بود.دخترانی که از کم‌توجهی پدر رنج میبرند،زنانی که به علت ترس درونی از تحقیرشدن،به کمال طلبی عادت کرده‌اند و تلاش میکنند که موفق به نظر بیایند و ...مسائلی هستند که در کتاب به آنها پرداخته شده.کتاب تا حدودی با فرهنگ ما مغایرت داشت ولی مفید بود اصلا حس فمینیستی رو القا نمی‌کرد. کتابیه که بارها و بارها باید سراغش برم.برای نوشتن از کهن الگوهای یونانی و اسطوره‌شناسی زیاد کمک گرفته شده بود،که برای مطالعه باید آگاهی و علاقه به این موضوع داشته باشید فقط حیف این کتاب که انقدر ترجمه‌ی سخت و نامفهومی داشت!
#ژرفای_زن_بودن
#مورین_مورداک
#سیمین_موحد
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September 11, 2015بسیاری از زنان بسیار موفق ،دختران پدر محسوب میشوند زیرا آنها در جستجوی کسب تایید و قدرت آن اولین الگوی مردانه هستند.تایید و تحسین مادر آنها چندان مهم تلقی نمیشود و این پدر است که زنانگی را تعریف میکند و این تعریف ،بر جنسیت دختر،توانایی ارتباط با مردان و قابلیت او برای موفق شدن در دنیا اثر میگذارد.احساس خوب زن ازبلند پرواز بودن ،قدرت داشتن ،پول در آوردن و داشتن رابطه موفق با یک مرد از رابطه او با پدرش ناشی میشود.
روانشناسانی که روی انگیزه های افراد مطالعه میکنند دریافته اند که بسیاری از زنان موفق پدرانی داشته اند که استعداد آن ها را پرورش داده و باعث شده اند تا از کودکی احساس جذابیت و دوست داشتنی بودن کنند. ماجوری لوزاف دانشمند علوم اجتماعی به مدت چهار سال روی زنان موفق مطالعه کرد و به این تیجه رسید که وقتی پدران با دختران خود مانند افراد جالب و شایسته احترام و تشویق رفتار میکنند آنها به زنان موفق تری بدل میشوند ."احساس" زنانی که چنین رفتاری از جانب پدر خود میدیدند این بوده که پرورش استعدادها در آنها باعث به خطر افتادن زنانگی نمیشود.این پدران علاقه زیادی به زندگی دختران خود نشان میدادند و آنها را تشویق میکردند تا به طور فعال به زندگی حرفه ای یا علاقمندی های خود در زمینه سیاست ،ورزش یا هنر توجه نشان دهند.
زنانی که تایید و پذیرش پدر را احساس کرده اند ، اطمینان دارند که از سوی دنیا پذیرفته خواهند شد.علاوه بر این ، آنها رابطه مثبتی با طبیعت مردانه خود برقرار میکنند. آنها یک شخصیت مذکر درونی دارند که آنها را همینطور که هستند دوست دارد. شخصیت مذکر درونی یا"آنیموس" مثبت آنها همان مردحامی و دلرحم است که به نحوی پذیرا و بدون قضاوت از تلاش های خلاق آنها حمایت خواهد کرد.
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زنی که به علت تلاش زیاد برای ایفا کردن نقش های مردانه خود را به آب و می زند و دچار خشکی روح شده است، احساس می کند که به او خیانت شده است.هم ذهن شخصی هم ذهن فرهنگی که به او گفته اند اگر از تفکر «هدف محور»مردانه پیروی کند ،پاداش می گیرد.حالا او به شدت احساس تنهایی می کند و آرامش و آسایش خود را از دست داده است.یکی از خانوم هایی که به من مراجعه کرده بود این قضیه را چنین توصیف می کند:«پوسته نازک پیرامون من دارد ترک می خورد این پوسته به قدری نازک است که به سختی می توانم آنرا ببینم،اما محافظ من بوده است که تا به حال همه چیز را منظم نگاه داشته است.ولی حالا احساس می کنم که دارد می شکند.صدای ترک خوردن آن را می شنوم.وحشتناک است.»
او در می یابد که دنیا به آن شکل که تصور می کرد نیست.به او خیانت شده است.از اینکه دنیای آرزوهای خود را از دست رفته می بیند خشمگین است و با اکراه این واقعیت را می پذیرد که حالا باید به تنهایی و بدون پشتیبان پیش برود.از این رو زن قهرمان تصمیم می گیرد که قربانی نیروهای خارج از کنترل نباشد بلکه اختیار زندگی خود را به دست بگیرد.ایفی ژنیا چنین زنی بود.
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دکتر الکساندرا سیموندز استاد دانشکده پزشکی دانشگاه نیویورک در مورد زنانی که تعهد شدیدی نسبت به کار خود داشتند مطالعه ای انجام داد و دریافت که آنها پدرانی داشته اند که روی اهمیت تحصیلات پافشاری کرده و بازی های دنیای کسب و کاررا به آنها یاد داده اند.آنها دختران خود را هدایت کردند تا به رغم شکست و احساس عادی نگرانی ،پیش بروند.آنها به دختران خود آموختند که مسئول زندگی خود باشند .این زنان در سنین کودکی تشویق شدند تا به جای وابسته بودن موفق باشند.سیموندز دریافت که این پدران هستند که به بهترین وجه می توانند قابلیت های سالم را در دختران خود پرورش دهند.البته من احساس میکنم که مادران هم به همان اندازه در ایجاد شایستگی دختران خود نقش دارند.اما با این نظر او موافقم که اگر پدران ،دختران را هم به اندازه پسران خود تشویق کنند و در زمینه فعالیتهای ورزشی ،تلاش و کوشش مستمر و خودکفایی از آنها حمایت کنند ،در این صورت حتی اگر دختران موفقیت خارق العاده ای کسب نکنند از ویژگی هایی برخوردار خواهند شد که برای بقیه عمرآنها اهمیت دارد.پدران به جای اینکه سر آنها را نوازش کنند و بگویند"تو قشنگی"،میتوانند کمک بسیار زیادی به آنها بکنند ،تنها نوازش کافی نیست.
روانشناسانی که روی انگیزه های افراد مطالعه میکنند دریافته اند که بسیاری از زنان موفق پدرانی داشته اند که استعداد آن ها را پرورش داده و باعث شده اند تا از کودکی احساس جذابیت و دوست داشتنی بودن کنند. ماجوری لوزاف دانشمند علوم اجتماعی به مدت چهار سال روی زنان موفق مطالعه کرد و به این تیجه رسید که وقتی پدران با دختران خود مانند افراد جالب و شایسته احترام و تشویق رفتار میکنند آنها به زنان موفق تری بدل میشوند ."احساس" زنانی که چنین رفتاری از جانب پدر خود میدیدند این بوده که پرورش استعدادها در آنها باعث به خطر افتادن زنانگی نمیشود.این پدران علاقه زیادی به زندگی دختران خود نشان میدادند و آنها را تشویق میکردند تا به طور فعال به زندگی حرفه ای یا علاقمندی های خود در زمینه سیاست ،ورزش یا هنر توجه نشان دهند.
زنانی که تایید و پذیرش پدر را احساس کرده اند ، اطمینان دارند که از سوی دنیا پذیرفته خواهند شد.علاوه بر این ، آنها رابطه مثبتی با طبیعت مردانه خود برقرار میکنند. آنها یک شخصیت مذکر درونی دارند که آنها را همینطور که هستند دوست دارد. شخصیت مذکر درونی یا"آنیموس" مثبت آنها همان مردحامی و دلرحم است که به نحوی پذیرا و بدون قضاوت از تلاش های خلاق آنها حمایت خواهد کرد.
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زنی که به علت تلاش زیاد برای ایفا کردن نقش های مردانه خود را به آب و می زند و دچار خشکی روح شده است، احساس می کند که به او خیانت شده است.هم ذهن شخصی هم ذهن فرهنگی که به او گفته اند اگر از تفکر «هدف محور»مردانه پیروی کند ،پاداش می گیرد.حالا او به شدت احساس تنهایی می کند و آرامش و آسایش خود را از دست داده است.یکی از خانوم هایی که به من مراجعه کرده بود این قضیه را چنین توصیف می کند:«پوسته نازک پیرامون من دارد ترک می خورد این پوسته به قدری نازک است که به سختی می توانم آنرا ببینم،اما محافظ من بوده است که تا به حال همه چیز را منظم نگاه داشته است.ولی حالا احساس می کنم که دارد می شکند.صدای ترک خوردن آن را می شنوم.وحشتناک است.»
او در می یابد که دنیا به آن شکل که تصور می کرد نیست.به او خیانت شده است.از اینکه دنیای آرزوهای خود را از دست رفته می بیند خشمگین است و با اکراه این واقعیت را می پذیرد که حالا باید به تنهایی و بدون پشتیبان پیش برود.از این رو زن قهرمان تصمیم می گیرد که قربانی نیروهای خارج از کنترل نباشد بلکه اختیار زندگی خود را به دست بگیرد.ایفی ژنیا چنین زنی بود.
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دکتر الکساندرا سیموندز استاد دانشکده پزشکی دانشگاه نیویورک در مورد زنانی که تعهد شدیدی نسبت به کار خود داشتند مطالعه ای انجام داد و دریافت که آنها پدرانی داشته اند که روی اهمیت تحصیلات پافشاری کرده و بازی های دنیای کسب و کاررا به آنها یاد داده اند.آنها دختران خود را هدایت کردند تا به رغم شکست و احساس عادی نگرانی ،پیش بروند.آنها به دختران خود آموختند که مسئول زندگی خود باشند .این زنان در سنین کودکی تشویق شدند تا به جای وابسته بودن موفق باشند.سیموندز دریافت که این پدران هستند که به بهترین وجه می توانند قابلیت های سالم را در دختران خود پرورش دهند.البته من احساس میکنم که مادران هم به همان اندازه در ایجاد شایستگی دختران خود نقش دارند.اما با این نظر او موافقم که اگر پدران ،دختران را هم به اندازه پسران خود تشویق کنند و در زمینه فعالیتهای ورزشی ،تلاش و کوشش مستمر و خودکفایی از آنها حمایت کنند ،در این صورت حتی اگر دختران موفقیت خارق العاده ای کسب نکنند از ویژگی هایی برخوردار خواهند شد که برای بقیه عمرآنها اهمیت دارد.پدران به جای اینکه سر آنها را نوازش کنند و بگویند"تو قشنگی"،میتوانند کمک بسیار زیادی به آنها بکنند ،تنها نوازش کافی نیست.
February 4, 2014
I was initially excited to read this book. It is supposed to be the female companion to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Being a great fan of that book and Joseph Campbell, but finding lack of the feminine in that book, this is what first drew me in. However, I am even hurt by this comparison because Campbell’s masterpiece, with its faults, is still genius. This book, besides being racist, or at the very least fetishizing race, and being backwards in its feminine politics is just bad and a book with no value. Always being a reader of fantasy/myth/goddess studies, this does not belong in this category. It is a self-help book with backwards feminist politics. Its psychology is based in mommy and daddy issues, rather than anything completely substantial. It does try to through in tales of goddesses, but it seems wholy unconnected when the writer is throwing in her own life struggles, stories of her patient’s lives that we are somehow supposed to care about, and her dated feminist politics. It really doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be. Towards the end of the book, however, it tries to wrap up in a similar fashion of Campbell’s work by saying that the hero/heroine goes back to society to teach them something and make it better. Her book doesn’t even take us on a journey that warrants this conclusion. Another thing that bothered me is that she only thinks that a traumatic event allows us to get in touch with ‘our feminine nature,’ which just seems a little insulting. This whole book reeked of very bad psychology.
I believe her aims were good. If I was writing this book, I would do a few things differently. First of all, I would base this book completely in myth/folklore/fairy tales and I would choose tales that were written by women, or featured heroines as the main actor in their own fate. She used ones that went against her supposed aims. They are not as popular as the tales by the Brothers Grimm, but they are out there. I would use this to illustrate a woman’s journey and even throw in (better) feminist politics through them.
This book doesn’t succeed in making its point, if it really does have one. No matter how the author wants it to be a feminine masterpiece to Campbell’s masculine one, the material used does not warrant it and it isn’t helped by a faulty ideal of what a contemporary heroine is.
I believe her aims were good. If I was writing this book, I would do a few things differently. First of all, I would base this book completely in myth/folklore/fairy tales and I would choose tales that were written by women, or featured heroines as the main actor in their own fate. She used ones that went against her supposed aims. They are not as popular as the tales by the Brothers Grimm, but they are out there. I would use this to illustrate a woman’s journey and even throw in (better) feminist politics through them.
This book doesn’t succeed in making its point, if it really does have one. No matter how the author wants it to be a feminine masterpiece to Campbell’s masculine one, the material used does not warrant it and it isn’t helped by a faulty ideal of what a contemporary heroine is.
January 28, 2019
اين كتاب به توضيحات مفصلي در مورد انگيزه ها و دلمشغولي هاي زنان امروزي در دنياي مردانه مي پردازد، اينكه زنان امروزه در كنار مردان و بر اساس آموزه ها و تبليغات دنياي مدرن در حال جنگيدن و تكاپو براي دستيابي به پيشرفت هاي اجتماعي و بيروني هستند و آنها نيز همچون مردان از درون خود و توانايي هاي خاص خود غافل هستند.
توجه به ويژگي هاي منحصر به فرد زنان و پرورش ستعداد و توانايي هايي كه مي تواند دنياي مردانه را به تعادل برساند در جهان امروزي به كل فراموش شده است.
دستاوردهاي بيروني و داشتن مشاغل رده بالا مانعي براي پرورش درونيات يك زن نيست، اما ما براي بقا در اين دنياي مردانه گاها به پرورش بيش از حد آنيموس خود پرداخته و از آنچه مختص آنيما و ويژگي هاي زنانه است غافل مانده ايم، سفر قهرماني زن بر اساس اموزه هاي يونگ با "جدايي از زنانگي" آغاز مي شود و پرورش آنيموس و رسيدن به موفقيت هاي بيروني در ادامه سفر رخ مي دهد، اما خلاء و عدم رضايت دروني باعث تمنا دوباره براي پيوند با زنانگي مي شود و اين مسير در نهايت به تماميت و پيوند زنانگي و مردانگي مي انجامد.
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قسمتي از كتاب:
"زنان با ورود به روشنايي راه خود را پيدا نمي كنند بلكه با رفتن به اعماق زمين وجود خود اين كار را مي كنند، با انزواي عمدي زن به اعماق درون خود رفته و بخشهايي را كه موقع طرد مادر و خرد كردن آينه زنانگي جدا شده اند باز پس مي گيرد. شايد براي اولين بار با بدن، عواطف، جنسيت، شهود، تصاوير حسي و ذهن خود آشنا مي شود، اين همان چيزهايي هست كه او در اعماق كشف مي كند."
توجه به ويژگي هاي منحصر به فرد زنان و پرورش ستعداد و توانايي هايي كه مي تواند دنياي مردانه را به تعادل برساند در جهان امروزي به كل فراموش شده است.
دستاوردهاي بيروني و داشتن مشاغل رده بالا مانعي براي پرورش درونيات يك زن نيست، اما ما براي بقا در اين دنياي مردانه گاها به پرورش بيش از حد آنيموس خود پرداخته و از آنچه مختص آنيما و ويژگي هاي زنانه است غافل مانده ايم، سفر قهرماني زن بر اساس اموزه هاي يونگ با "جدايي از زنانگي" آغاز مي شود و پرورش آنيموس و رسيدن به موفقيت هاي بيروني در ادامه سفر رخ مي دهد، اما خلاء و عدم رضايت دروني باعث تمنا دوباره براي پيوند با زنانگي مي شود و اين مسير در نهايت به تماميت و پيوند زنانگي و مردانگي مي انجامد.
.
.
قسمتي از كتاب:
"زنان با ورود به روشنايي راه خود را پيدا نمي كنند بلكه با رفتن به اعماق زمين وجود خود اين كار را مي كنند، با انزواي عمدي زن به اعماق درون خود رفته و بخشهايي را كه موقع طرد مادر و خرد كردن آينه زنانگي جدا شده اند باز پس مي گيرد. شايد براي اولين بار با بدن، عواطف، جنسيت، شهود، تصاوير حسي و ذهن خود آشنا مي شود، اين همان چيزهايي هست كه او در اعماق كشف مي كند."
September 28, 2013
Very insightful read about spiritual and feminist liberation. However, there was a chapter on the continuation on the stereotype that women of color being the bearers of the great mysteries and great healers of the world. I don't see this as being much different than the black mammy stereotype. There was also a story in which she pointed out that the woman was black but which had nothing to do with the story. I think I am going to write her a letter.
November 12, 2017
This book was strongly recommended by several speakers at Geek Girl Con who were disappointed that Joseph Campbell’s worth on the monomyth excluded the female mythic adventure. Campbell’s comment that women don’t need to make the journey pains me deeply.* Like the author, I found it deeply unsatisfying.
I like the idea of expanding on The Hero’s Journey; of moving from a monomyth to a multiplicity of mythic paths. Murdock proposes a different, 10 step mythic adventure for women:
1. Separation from the feminine
2. Identification with the masculine and gathering of allies
3. Road of trials: meeting ogres and dragons
4. Finding the boon of success
5. Awakening to feelings of spiritual aridity: death
6. Initiation and descent to the Goddess
7. Urgent yearning to reconnect with the feminine
8. Healing the mother/daughter split
9. Healing the wounded masculine
10. Integration of masculine and feminine.
. . . and I just don’t buy it. That seems more like a family therapy journey, not a mythic one. The steps that resonate with me are the steps that were in Campbell’s original. Also, it seems even more gender essentialist than Campbell’s original.
Murdock might have been able to persuade me if she tried. But she really didn’t. Instead, she offers variants on myths and a lot of ahistorical woo-woo. Some that really made me cringe: “Finding out about being instead of doing is the sacred task of the feminine.” (128). That’s just what Campbell said that you rejected. “As women have taken more of a role in the outer world, the hearth of the family has been left unattended, and the spirit of nurturing connection has deteriorated.” (140). That’s utter claptrap. “Christ’s message that every human being – woman, man, and child – was made in the image of God was very radical for the culture in which he lived. In the Roman Empire, three-fourths of the people were slaves or descended from slaves, and he preached that these people, not solely the emperor, were one with God. This union of divinity and humanity had far-reaching political ramifications, and that is why Christ was put to death.” (172). Don’t even know where to begin on that.
A valiant experiment but I’d rather watch Buffy again.
*The book reports Campbell telling the author that “‘In the whole mythological tradition the woman is there. All she has to do is realize that she’s the place that people are trying to get to. When a woman realizes what her wonderful character is, she’s not going to get messed up with the notion of being a pseudo-male.’” 2 (quoting a September 15, 1981 New York inteview with the author. Not sure I ever would have read Campbell if I’d known he’d said that.)
I like the idea of expanding on The Hero’s Journey; of moving from a monomyth to a multiplicity of mythic paths. Murdock proposes a different, 10 step mythic adventure for women:
1. Separation from the feminine
2. Identification with the masculine and gathering of allies
3. Road of trials: meeting ogres and dragons
4. Finding the boon of success
5. Awakening to feelings of spiritual aridity: death
6. Initiation and descent to the Goddess
7. Urgent yearning to reconnect with the feminine
8. Healing the mother/daughter split
9. Healing the wounded masculine
10. Integration of masculine and feminine.
. . . and I just don’t buy it. That seems more like a family therapy journey, not a mythic one. The steps that resonate with me are the steps that were in Campbell’s original. Also, it seems even more gender essentialist than Campbell’s original.
Murdock might have been able to persuade me if she tried. But she really didn’t. Instead, she offers variants on myths and a lot of ahistorical woo-woo. Some that really made me cringe: “Finding out about being instead of doing is the sacred task of the feminine.” (128). That’s just what Campbell said that you rejected. “As women have taken more of a role in the outer world, the hearth of the family has been left unattended, and the spirit of nurturing connection has deteriorated.” (140). That’s utter claptrap. “Christ’s message that every human being – woman, man, and child – was made in the image of God was very radical for the culture in which he lived. In the Roman Empire, three-fourths of the people were slaves or descended from slaves, and he preached that these people, not solely the emperor, were one with God. This union of divinity and humanity had far-reaching political ramifications, and that is why Christ was put to death.” (172). Don’t even know where to begin on that.
A valiant experiment but I’d rather watch Buffy again.
*The book reports Campbell telling the author that “‘In the whole mythological tradition the woman is there. All she has to do is realize that she’s the place that people are trying to get to. When a woman realizes what her wonderful character is, she’s not going to get messed up with the notion of being a pseudo-male.’” 2 (quoting a September 15, 1981 New York inteview with the author. Not sure I ever would have read Campbell if I’d known he’d said that.)
August 30, 2021
This book was not what I expected. I've been looking into the Hero's Journey as a construct for story, and had heard a couple references to this book, and so thought I'd pick it up. I thought it would talk about principles of story that resonate more with the female experience.
That being said, I adjusted quickly to what the book actually was. For the first 30-40 pages I thought that the book had some resonance with my experience, but that it also seemed to talk a lot about ideas that came from the time it was published (1990), and that there were aspects that felt less relevant 30 years on, being the daughter of a mother who had gone out to slay her own dragons.
But as I got into the book more, that feeling of disconnection faded away. It's a very intuitively written book - going from myth to dreams to prose and back, all without preamble or apology. There was something very satisfying about the honor to the feminine power in the book, and in ways of being that I feel I've likely suppressed as a "daughter of the father" as she would say.
It's not a book that I think would be ruined by "spoilers", but if you want to leave your experience of the book's nuggets for reading it, I'd suggest stopping here.
There were two ideas that have really resonated and stuck with me from the book. The first was the idea of the feminine cycle: death, decay, gestation, rebirth. When I first read her talk about that - it resonated so strongly with me, and felt like it poured acceptance into me about where I am currently in my life - I was able to identify myself as in a state of decay. But it allowed me to see that without needing to change it, and see that as part of a cycle, it is an important part of breaking down nutrients so that they can be reused in the next phase. (The descent was another concept along this lines which really resonated with me, but at a different time in life).
The second idea that I loved was the concept of a feminine life not following a linear path, but a spiral. I was expecting her to say a circle, but the spiral - something about it just sang to me. I could feel it in my current state, how I feel this connection to earlier parts in my life (similar parts of the spiral?), and it was a really powerful metaphor to me of how to conceptualise my life.
It was a transformative read, and I enjoyed the experience.
That being said, I adjusted quickly to what the book actually was. For the first 30-40 pages I thought that the book had some resonance with my experience, but that it also seemed to talk a lot about ideas that came from the time it was published (1990), and that there were aspects that felt less relevant 30 years on, being the daughter of a mother who had gone out to slay her own dragons.
But as I got into the book more, that feeling of disconnection faded away. It's a very intuitively written book - going from myth to dreams to prose and back, all without preamble or apology. There was something very satisfying about the honor to the feminine power in the book, and in ways of being that I feel I've likely suppressed as a "daughter of the father" as she would say.
It's not a book that I think would be ruined by "spoilers", but if you want to leave your experience of the book's nuggets for reading it, I'd suggest stopping here.
There were two ideas that have really resonated and stuck with me from the book. The first was the idea of the feminine cycle: death, decay, gestation, rebirth. When I first read her talk about that - it resonated so strongly with me, and felt like it poured acceptance into me about where I am currently in my life - I was able to identify myself as in a state of decay. But it allowed me to see that without needing to change it, and see that as part of a cycle, it is an important part of breaking down nutrients so that they can be reused in the next phase. (The descent was another concept along this lines which really resonated with me, but at a different time in life).
The second idea that I loved was the concept of a feminine life not following a linear path, but a spiral. I was expecting her to say a circle, but the spiral - something about it just sang to me. I could feel it in my current state, how I feel this connection to earlier parts in my life (similar parts of the spiral?), and it was a really powerful metaphor to me of how to conceptualise my life.
It was a transformative read, and I enjoyed the experience.
May 14, 2024
Bayıldım. Bana çok şey katan ve düşündüren bir kitap oldu.
July 30, 2024
Maureen Murdock, bu kitabı annesiyle arasındaki kopukluğun yarattığı yaraları sarma isteği üzerine yazmış. Diğer motivasyonu da Joseph Campbell’ın Kahramanın Sonsuz Yolculuğu’ndaki kahramanın erkek olması ve yoldaki kadınların çoğunlukla yardımcı ve/veya bir bariyer konumunda bırakılması. Tüm bunlar kadın deneyimlerine dair fikir vermek konusunda kitabı tamamlanmamış hissettirmiş. Bu kitabı okuyana kadar KSY’ye çeviriye dair taşıdığım endişe nedeniyle mesafeliydim. Ancak artık en azından bir göz atacağım.
Kitap epeyce yaş almış olduğu için anlatılanlar güncel değil ve hatta bazı bölümler mistisizm nedeniyle sıkıcı. Üstelik böylesine geniş spektrumlu bir cinsiyet (biyolojik cinsiyet-toplumsal cinsiyet farkları?) olan “kadın” hakkında bir serüven şablonu yaratmak epey iddialı. Doğrusu bana bir kadının “dişilden ayrıldıktan sonra eril ve dişil tamamlanmayla sona eren bir döngü”de olduğu fikri önce fena gelmemişti. Ancak bir noktadan sonra anlatılanlar özcülükten öteye gitmedi ve tekrarlarla dolu çözümsüz bir metne dönüştü. Yalnızca kadının iş hayatında erkek kahramanların yolculuklarını benimserken kendi doğasını koruyup kucaklamayı unutması, kendisine değer vermeyi ihmal etmesi gibi kısımlar için okunabilir.
Kitap epeyce yaş almış olduğu için anlatılanlar güncel değil ve hatta bazı bölümler mistisizm nedeniyle sıkıcı. Üstelik böylesine geniş spektrumlu bir cinsiyet (biyolojik cinsiyet-toplumsal cinsiyet farkları?) olan “kadın” hakkında bir serüven şablonu yaratmak epey iddialı. Doğrusu bana bir kadının “dişilden ayrıldıktan sonra eril ve dişil tamamlanmayla sona eren bir döngü”de olduğu fikri önce fena gelmemişti. Ancak bir noktadan sonra anlatılanlar özcülükten öteye gitmedi ve tekrarlarla dolu çözümsüz bir metne dönüştü. Yalnızca kadının iş hayatında erkek kahramanların yolculuklarını benimserken kendi doğasını koruyup kucaklamayı unutması, kendisine değer vermeyi ihmal etmesi gibi kısımlar için okunabilir.
September 7, 2024
اگه بالای ۳۰/۳۵ سالتونه(گرچه لزوماً سن خاصی نداره) و احساس میکنین یه جای کار میلنگه، شیوه زندگی قبلی دیگه جوابگو نیست براتون، گیج و سردرگمین یا نیاز دارین وارد مرحله جدیدی از زندگیتون بشین، احتمالاً خیلی با این کتاب ارتباط برقرار کنین.
کتاب دعوتیه برای بازگشت به خویشتن زنانه و بسیار سفر زیباییه.
کتاب دعوتیه برای بازگشت به خویشتن زنانه و بسیار سفر زیباییه.
April 14, 2013
I started quoting this book before I finished reading it. That's pretty much an indication that it's an important one for me. If you write women's fiction and you haven't read this book, read it. If you write about women and you haven't read this book, read it. I'm having a reaction that I've heard others have when they "discover" Joseph Campbell's work for the first time: how did I not know about this book sooner? It's especially strange for me that I wrote a master's thesis in the 90's about the mother role in british lit and somehow I never came across this text. Ah well, I've read it now, and I'll be going back to it. In fact, I have a feeling that as I complete re-writes on my current project I'll be revisiting this text a lot.
The only complaint I have about The Heroine's Journey is that it's dated. Just like the thesis I wrote in 1995 is not what I would have to say, now, about the mother role in our society, I wish we could have an updated edition of The Heroine's Journey. We have a beautiful updated version of Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey (which is were I read about Murdock's work), so how about a similar edition for The Heroine? I'm just saying....
The only complaint I have about The Heroine's Journey is that it's dated. Just like the thesis I wrote in 1995 is not what I would have to say, now, about the mother role in our society, I wish we could have an updated edition of The Heroine's Journey. We have a beautiful updated version of Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey (which is were I read about Murdock's work), so how about a similar edition for The Heroine? I'm just saying....
February 17, 2015
In Patriarchal Relationships, there is always a Dominate and Submissive-Excerpt from Heroine's Journey - Maureen Murdock touches upon the enormous task of going into the abyss and transforming into wholeness.
"My mother deemed worthy that I should be the rejected, quiet, martyr, powerless/ full of shame and doubt, insignificant Co-dependent-caretaker. However, I have to identify with the other side of my personality. I have to accept and regard myself worthy of being different and to stand up for myself, entitled to abundance and fulfillment, become autonomous/confident, interdependent, communicator/assertive and significant in order to make a whole me.
This may sound like it is very easy to do. However, once the personality is used to knowing itself in such a way, it is extremely hard to break the mold."-Excerpt from The Auto-Bond by Serena Jade
My mother was the dominate and I was broken into submission at a very young age.
The Heroine and Hero's journey is about transforming one's self into a whole person, linking together the personality with the intangible soul, creating; The Self.
The message in The Heroine's Journey is NOT dated but so overlooked in our society.
"My mother deemed worthy that I should be the rejected, quiet, martyr, powerless/ full of shame and doubt, insignificant Co-dependent-caretaker. However, I have to identify with the other side of my personality. I have to accept and regard myself worthy of being different and to stand up for myself, entitled to abundance and fulfillment, become autonomous/confident, interdependent, communicator/assertive and significant in order to make a whole me.
This may sound like it is very easy to do. However, once the personality is used to knowing itself in such a way, it is extremely hard to break the mold."-Excerpt from The Auto-Bond by Serena Jade
My mother was the dominate and I was broken into submission at a very young age.
The Heroine and Hero's journey is about transforming one's self into a whole person, linking together the personality with the intangible soul, creating; The Self.
The message in The Heroine's Journey is NOT dated but so overlooked in our society.
March 4, 2023
Bir kadın olarak çocukluğumdan beri sorup durduğum pek çok sorunun yanıtını derli toplu bulduğum ve kesinlikle beni artık eskisi gibi olamayacak kadar ‘dönüştüren’ bir kitap. Çok etkilendim. İçinde debelenip durduğum sancıların bana aşılanan eril motivasyonlar ve amaçlar nedeniyle oluştuğunu fark ettim. Çizgisel bir rota izlemem gerektiğine dair yargımın, mükemmeliyetçiliğimin ve içimde büyüyüp kabaran öfkelerimin kökeniyle yüzleştim. Ve sanki hep bildiğim şeylerdi gibi… Bütünlük, iyileşme ve denge arayışımın ‘çember’ imgesinde olduğunu da gördüm. Dili, sistematik olmayan yapısı (ki belki bu da doğal) okumamı biraz zorlaştırdıysa da bu metinle karşılaşıp onu okuduğum için çok ama çok mutluyum. Terapiden ala terapi gibiydi ☺️
May 6, 2016
This is one of only 2 books I have ever read that changed the way that I view my life as a woman. I loved this book and could hardly put it down. It is a beautiful way to add to the work of Joseph Campbell by answering to the way that women experience the journey. It is different and that should be acknowledged. Maureen Murdock did a wonderful job and illuminated some mythology that I see in a whole new light now. Her analysis of the myth of Demeter and Persephone as well as Inana and Erishkigal was jut eye opening. Definitely a must read for anyone who loves the hero's journey and would like to get a more complete picture.
April 4, 2011
Feminism can be better than this. Psychoanalysis can be better than this. Mythological studies can be better than this. If you're looking for a companion philosophy to Campbell's Hero's Journey... keep looking.
April 29, 2020
صفحات آغازین کتاب منو به وحشت انداخت،جملاتی بی نهایت زن ستیزانه در تقبیح کار و تحصیل برای زنان که هجده سال قبل توسط یک زن نوشته شده!
September 13, 2020
simplesmente maravilhoso. essa é a minha segunda leitura desse texto, muitos e muitos anos depois, e foi uma experiência ainda mais poderosa.
leiam.
leiam.
August 21, 2019
« شخص خردمندی زمانی گفته که هدف اصلی مردانه «در کمال بودن» و هدف اصلی زنانه «کامل‌بودن» است. اگر شما در کمال باشید دیگر نمی‌توانید کامل باشید زیرا باید تمام نواقص و کاستی‌های طبیعت خود را بیرون برانید. اگر کامل باشید هم نمی‌توانید تمام و کمال باشید زیرا کامل‌بودن یعنی هم خوب و هم بد، هم درست وهم نادرست، هم امید و هم یأس. پس شاید بهترین کار این باشد که به چیزی کم‌تر از کامل رضایت دهیم. شاید لازم است که با میل و رغبت بیشتری زندگی را همین‌گونه که هست بپذیریم. »
در این کتاب خبری از ایده‌های افراط گرایانه‌ی فمینیستی نیست. این‌بار ما با تعریف جدیدی از فمینیسم در این کتاب طرفیم: در چارچوب‌های خودت فعالیت کن و معیارهای دنیای مردانه را ملاکی برای موفقیت خودت قرارنده. که مستلزم این است که خودت را برای شنیدن نیش و کنایه و سرزنش و خلاف جهت آب شنا‌کردن آماده کنی.
نویسنده، اندکی مفهوم مطالبش را گسترش می‌دهد و از مرد و زن درون همه‌ی انسان‌ها صحبت میکند. مردی که حساب‌گر است و زنی که عشق و توجه دارد. او از مردانگی افراطی‌ای می‌گوید که حیاط را در زمین نابودکرده‌است و اوضاع را برای همه‌ی موجودات جهان هستی دشوار کرده‌است. و زنانگی‌ای که توسط همه و توسط خود زنان نیز نادیده‌گرفته و تحقیر شده‌است.
او سرانجام از زنان می‌خواهد که زن خردمند و مرد مهربان درون خود را بنشانند پای سفره‌ی عقد ازدواج مقدس و میان‌شان پیوند ایجاد کنند.
و در نهایت دوباره به کلیشه‌های جنسیتی اعتراض میکند و از زنان و مردان می‌خواهد بدون برتری‌جویی در کنار هم زندگی کنند.
~ کتابی که برای خواندنش نیازی نیست، حتماً مونث باشید.
در این کتاب خبری از ایده‌های افراط گرایانه‌ی فمینیستی نیست. این‌بار ما با تعریف جدیدی از فمینیسم در این کتاب طرفیم: در چارچوب‌های خودت فعالیت کن و معیارهای دنیای مردانه را ملاکی برای موفقیت خودت قرارنده. که مستلزم این است که خودت را برای شنیدن نیش و کنایه و سرزنش و خلاف جهت آب شنا‌کردن آماده کنی.
نویسنده، اندکی مفهوم مطالبش را گسترش می‌دهد و از مرد و زن درون همه‌ی انسان‌ها صحبت میکند. مردی که حساب‌گر است و زنی که عشق و توجه دارد. او از مردانگی افراطی‌ای می‌گوید که حیاط را در زمین نابودکرده‌است و اوضاع را برای همه‌ی موجودات جهان هستی دشوار کرده‌است. و زنانگی‌ای که توسط همه و توسط خود زنان نیز نادیده‌گرفته و تحقیر شده‌است.
او سرانجام از زنان می‌خواهد که زن خردمند و مرد مهربان درون خود را بنشانند پای سفره‌ی عقد ازدواج مقدس و میان‌شان پیوند ایجاد کنند.
و در نهایت دوباره به کلیشه‌های جنسیتی اعتراض میکند و از زنان و مردان می‌خواهد بدون برتری‌جویی در کنار هم زندگی کنند.
~ کتابی که برای خواندنش نیازی نیست، حتماً مونث باشید.
July 3, 2020
به پیشنهاد یکی از دوستان تصمیم گرفتم بخونمش.
فصل‌های ابتدایی کتاب برام جذاب بود، یسری چیزها برام تازگی داشت از دنیای زنانه‌ی درونم، رابطه با پدر و مادرم و اتفاق‌های که از کودکی ایجاد میشود.
فکر نمی‌کردم نقش مادر انقدر در روابط بعدی فرزندش تاثیرگذار باشد.
ولی در ادامه کتاب برام خسته کننده شد، تکرار تمام چیزهای که در 100 صفحه اول اشاره شده بود.
ولی در کل کتاب بدی نبود
ارزش اینکه خیلی روزنامه‌وار خوانده شود و دارد.
فصل‌های ابتدایی کتاب برام جذاب بود، یسری چیزها برام تازگی داشت از دنیای زنانه‌ی درونم، رابطه با پدر و مادرم و اتفاق‌های که از کودکی ایجاد میشود.
فکر نمی‌کردم نقش مادر انقدر در روابط بعدی فرزندش تاثیرگذار باشد.
ولی در ادامه کتاب برام خسته کننده شد، تکرار تمام چیزهای که در 100 صفحه اول اشاره شده بود.
ولی در کل کتاب بدی نبود
ارزش اینکه خیلی روزنامه‌وار خوانده شود و دارد.
July 21, 2017
A few good insights, but you have to wade through an awful lot of chaff to get to the wheat.
Not a parallel to Campbell's monomyth. More a self-help book that might be useful if you struggle with the EXACT issues as the author.
A few good moments. There are even a few people I might recommend it to, but it's objective seems misrepresented to me.
Not a parallel to Campbell's monomyth. More a self-help book that might be useful if you struggle with the EXACT issues as the author.
A few good moments. There are even a few people I might recommend it to, but it's objective seems misrepresented to me.
May 20, 2022
It was good, but not what I expected it to be. I would have preferred less of the author’s dreams and more analysis of female archetypes in myth and how we could create our own myths, or what feminine mean the were like before the patriarchy. Still, a good read.
October 15, 2021
Forse il problema più grosso che ho avuto con questo libro è stata l'aspettativa.
L'avevo sentito decantare e sono rimasta molto sorpresa di trovare un testo colmo di spunti interessantissimi e schiaffoni sonori all'autocoscienza (il concetto di 'figlia del padre', la ricerca della madre etc), ma con riferimenti culturali purtroppo comprensibilmente datati (a parte la psicologia junghiana che si puó condividere o meno, la netta divisione evidentemente culturale ma spacciata per naturale tra maschile e femminile, il sottointendere che 'le figlie del padre', proprio perchè erroneamente nel maschile, siano comunque votate al successo, anche se infelice, e il serpeggiante inneggiare a una rinascita un po' wicca e un po' new age che non si è mai realizzata), e soprattutto una struttura estremamente confusa.
Forse la traduzione italiana non ha aiutato.
Avevo sperato in un testo piú accademico, o almeno meno dispersivo e 'superficiale'.
É stata comunque una lettura densa, e mi ha messo voglia di approfondire il tema.
L'avevo sentito decantare e sono rimasta molto sorpresa di trovare un testo colmo di spunti interessantissimi e schiaffoni sonori all'autocoscienza (il concetto di 'figlia del padre', la ricerca della madre etc), ma con riferimenti culturali purtroppo comprensibilmente datati (a parte la psicologia junghiana che si puó condividere o meno, la netta divisione evidentemente culturale ma spacciata per naturale tra maschile e femminile, il sottointendere che 'le figlie del padre', proprio perchè erroneamente nel maschile, siano comunque votate al successo, anche se infelice, e il serpeggiante inneggiare a una rinascita un po' wicca e un po' new age che non si è mai realizzata), e soprattutto una struttura estremamente confusa.
Forse la traduzione italiana non ha aiutato.
Avevo sperato in un testo piú accademico, o almeno meno dispersivo e 'superficiale'.
É stata comunque una lettura densa, e mi ha messo voglia di approfondire il tema.
January 10, 2022
The Heroine's Journey - the counterpart to Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey - does its job well. This is a hard and uncomfortable read, because it will hit a nerve. It will make you examine your personal history as a woman (or feminine identifying person) and women's history at large. It is effectively a sort of roadmap of/for personal development. It took me around eight months to get through. It is closely related to your own personal, lived experience as a woman and the extent to which you have worked with that material. I had to let the new insights settle in. I wasn't able to start the second part of the book until I was ready, which beautifully and funnily correlated with the events unfolding in my personal life. The last chapters for me were especially revelatory. One remark: the trials of the soul are of a timeless nature and by extension this book will be too. Yet it is shocking that a book written in 1990 that criticized its zeitgeist can be read today virtually unchanged and still be so relevant and accurate. I suppose the revolutions of society's forward march are rather slow.
The only thing I could reproached Murdock of, is sometimes writing in a floaty manner. The link between different paragraphs is not always clear and merits to be made more visible, as to create a more logical coherence. (I imagine she would laugh and say this is an affliction of the masculine, which is more left-brained).
Characteristics of people who would benefit from reading this book: spiritual, father's daughter, want to reconnect with the feminine, not looking for an academic text but to categorize and process their lived experience.
Thank you for reading, enjoy your evening.
The only thing I could reproached Murdock of, is sometimes writing in a floaty manner. The link between different paragraphs is not always clear and merits to be made more visible, as to create a more logical coherence. (I imagine she would laugh and say this is an affliction of the masculine, which is more left-brained).
Characteristics of people who would benefit from reading this book: spiritual, father's daughter, want to reconnect with the feminine, not looking for an academic text but to categorize and process their lived experience.
Thank you for reading, enjoy your evening.
April 4, 2022
Phenomenal & life-changing. Softened my heart to my own maternal relationship and helped me identify the unconscious masculine that I’ve let overpower me for too long. While this book is 30 years old, it provides a refreshing feminist take that I think has been overlooked by the new-wave feminist movement, which is: femininity is not the antithesis of power and strength. Women do not have to prove they are worthy of equality by striving for achievements and success defined by men. Femininity and masculinity are symbiotic characteristics in all of humankind — true equality is the ability for both men and women to freely express their inner feminine and masculine traits. You are free to climb the corporate ladder, but you are also free to say no, to cry, to garden, to craft, to isolate, to nurture, and to feel; both can, and should, exists at the same time to remain balanced.
This book helped me see areas in my life where I am denying myself of femininity in substitution for productivity and independence, which ultimately provide no joy. I am reminded of my natural instinct for connection and emotional/creative expression, and I am motivated to pursue those activities again. I would recommend this book to any and all woman, but especially those who have experienced identity loss, parental conflict, and burnout. After reading this book, I guarantee you will be kinder to yourself/your experiences.
This book helped me see areas in my life where I am denying myself of femininity in substitution for productivity and independence, which ultimately provide no joy. I am reminded of my natural instinct for connection and emotional/creative expression, and I am motivated to pursue those activities again. I would recommend this book to any and all woman, but especially those who have experienced identity loss, parental conflict, and burnout. After reading this book, I guarantee you will be kinder to yourself/your experiences.
January 24, 2015
Murdock wrote this book to be therapeutic, to not just share the "essence of the female journey," but to guide women through a journey of self-actualization, of self-discovery, as she grows up, comes of age, as she becomes her self, as she becomes an adult woman.
The heroine's journey template used is akin to the Hero's Journey or the Monomyth made so familiar by Joseph Campbell, and the book takes the reader through each stage, from Separation from the Feminine to Integration of the Feminine and the Masculine, to wholeness. There are many examples or stories given of women at each stage, and I think this could be a very useful book.
What I missed was any acknowledgment of women who were not straight, who were not seeking a "man with a heart." I wanted to read more of the mythic at work here, but that is not what Murdock is about--for that, read Frankel, From Girl to Goddess. I would recommend reading both books together.
The heroine's journey template used is akin to the Hero's Journey or the Monomyth made so familiar by Joseph Campbell, and the book takes the reader through each stage, from Separation from the Feminine to Integration of the Feminine and the Masculine, to wholeness. There are many examples or stories given of women at each stage, and I think this could be a very useful book.
What I missed was any acknowledgment of women who were not straight, who were not seeking a "man with a heart." I wanted to read more of the mythic at work here, but that is not what Murdock is about--for that, read Frankel, From Girl to Goddess. I would recommend reading both books together.
May 29, 2009
I felt that I connected with the intent and spirit of the book. Being a fan of Joseph Campbell, this went right along with that only from a feminine point of view; the heroine vs. the hero. Some of the modern content/stories did seem a bit dated, at least compared to my own small social community. There were quite a few phrases, stories and quotes that really did stick with me though. I believe it would be a good book to start off with to jump start research and exploration into the development of feminine mythos and matriarchal archetypes for healing women's spirits as oppose to those which are patriarchally oriented.
January 22, 2013
Any woman familiar with Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey will resonate with this book. It addresses the journey from a uniquely feminine perspective. Although Campbell himself told the author that the female does not need to make the journey because she is the Goal of the hero's journey, Maureen felt that women have their own journey to make. We follow Maureen's journey loosely through each chapter as well as face the many challenges that women deal with and have been dealing with for centuries. I LOVED this book - it was very healing for me.
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