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A review by labyrinth_witch
Dark Goddess Craft: A Journey Through the Heart of Transformation by Stephanie Woodfield
4.0
This is a great follow up book to “Journey to the dark goddess” by Jane Meredith. It follows the path of what we now think of as an “existential crisis” but is not a crisis at all, but the regular cycle or change in our lives. Using goddesses from Greek, Celtic, and Hindu traditions, Woodfield traces the following psychological labyrinth path:
Descent
- warning & mourning
- shattered/never not broken
- the crossroads
- choose: betrayal teaches discernment
The center
- joyful change (relief)
- rage as absolute commitment/absorb fears
- struggle/strife/chaos
- taking responsibility/stripped bare
Ascent
- sovereignty of self
- discipline
- rest/tending the flame
This is my interpretation of her layout, but it is helpful I think to have a list of phases or steps of sorts. After laying out this structure and the spells she offers underneath, I think I would choose different spells and rituals. I also think I would move “joyful change” to be either the last step of the center or the first step of ascent. I don’t know exactly what I think about pulling goddesses from these three traditions, but I wonder if I can find similar goddesses in my own tradition to make up the guides along this path.
But overall, I think this book offers a great structure for navigating shadow work and understanding this cyclical process in our lives. It’s really not a crisis when you know where you’re going.
Descent
- warning & mourning
- shattered/never not broken
- the crossroads
- choose: betrayal teaches discernment
The center
- joyful change (relief)
- rage as absolute commitment/absorb fears
- struggle/strife/chaos
- taking responsibility/stripped bare
Ascent
- sovereignty of self
- discipline
- rest/tending the flame
This is my interpretation of her layout, but it is helpful I think to have a list of phases or steps of sorts. After laying out this structure and the spells she offers underneath, I think I would choose different spells and rituals. I also think I would move “joyful change” to be either the last step of the center or the first step of ascent. I don’t know exactly what I think about pulling goddesses from these three traditions, but I wonder if I can find similar goddesses in my own tradition to make up the guides along this path.
But overall, I think this book offers a great structure for navigating shadow work and understanding this cyclical process in our lives. It’s really not a crisis when you know where you’re going.