Margaret Starbird is the author of two previous books on the Sacred Feminine in Christianity: The Woman with the Alabaster Jar and The Goddess in the Gospels: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine. In this rousing work, she charts the vibrant and impressive contributions of holy women in this religious tradition that has often been severely criticized for its patriarchal excesses.
Starbird profiles the women who walked with Jesus and then examines the role of virgins, martyrs, and desert mothers held in high esteem by medieval Christians. These chapters are followed by a rich one on serenity, service, and simplicity as those aspects of the sacred are accentuated in Christianity. Here is a discussion of Celtic Christianity and the monastic tradition, as well as wonderful profiles of Hildegard of Bingen, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, and Therese of Lisieux.
Women today participate in pilgrimages to the Black Madonna, Our Lady at Chartres, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and other holy shrines. Devotion to the Virgin continues to play an important role in Christian spirituality, and the author devotes a chapter to Marian visions.
In the closing chapter, "Walking in the Spirit," Starbird profiles women such as Harriet Tubman, Corrie ten Bloom, Mother Teresa, and others who have and are today building the "City of God" through their special approaches to devotion and service.
This is an outstanding paperback on a subject that deserves more attention within Christianity. Starbird includes Christian practices that acknowledge the Sacred Feminine, and the whole book is filled with wonderful illustrations that bring the subject to life.
