Books to Read: Women

“The true University of these days is a Collection of Books.”
— Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), The Hero as a Man of Letters

Women Books: eternal feminine, lead us above...
	*Marie-Louise von Franz, Feminine Fairy Tales(1993), Shambhala Publications, ISBN: 157062609X: Marie-Louise von Franz was an associate of Carl Gustav Jung from 1934 until his death in 1961. In this engaging book, she shows how the Feminine reveals itself in fairy tales of German, Russian, Scandinavian, and Eskimo origin. Examples cited include Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Rose Red,* and Rumpelstiltskin. Some tales offer insights into women's psychology, while others reflect the problems and characteristics of the anima, the inner femininity of men. Dr. von Franz discusses the archetypes and symbolic thems that appear in fairy tales as well as dreams and fantasies. She draws practical advice from the tales, and demonstrates its application in case studies from her analytical practice. One reader found the book an “enlightening discernment between the feminine and the anima.” Avg. Review (1):
	*Helen M. Luke, The Way of Woman: Awakening the Perennial Feminine(1996), Image Books; ISBN: 0385485743: Equality of value between men and women is an eternal truth, but this does not mean that men and women are not psychically and spiritually different— profoundly so. A woman must live her life as a woman, with a woman's values, or she fails. In The Way Of Woman,* Luke drew from the riches of the Bible, mythology, folklore, Greek tragedies, and modern poetry to reconnect women with lost feminine images, symbols, and values. She speaks with the power of a true sage on continuity, relationships, the women's movement, marriage and divorce, and mothering. Profound, graceful, and transforming, The Way Of Woman is a true celebration of feminine worth. Helen Luke studied at the Jung Institute in Zurich and founded the Apple Farm Community in Three Rivers, Michigan (1962), “a center for people seeking to discover and appropriate the transforming power of symbols in their lives.” Marion Woodman writes, “Helen Luke can strike one note with one finger with such sensitivity that it resonates forever in our soul.” Avg. Review (3):
	*M. Esther Harding, The Way of All Women(2001), Shambhala Publications; ISBN: 1570626278: Acclaimed as one of the best works available on feminine psychology from the time it first apeared in 1933, The Way of All Women* discusses topics such as work, marriage, motherhood, old age, and women's relationships with family, friends, and lovers. Dr. Harding, who was best known for her work with women and families, stresses the need for a woman to work toward her own wholeness and develop the many sides of her nature, and emphasizes the importance of unconscious process. She was a leading Jungian analyst for many years and a founder of the Analytical Psychology Club of New York. In his introduction to this book, C. G. Jung says “Dr. Harding's book is an important contribution to this striving of our time for a deeper knowledge of the human being and for a clarification of the confusion existing in the relationship between the sexes.”
	*M. Esther Harding, Woman's Mysteries: Ancient & Modern(1971), Shambhala Publications; ISBN: 1570626294*— Here is a classic study of the feminine principle in myths, dreams, and religious symbolism. In presenting the archetypal foundations of feminine psychology, the author shows how the ancient religious initiations of the moon goddess symbolized the development of the emotions. Understanding the psychological meaning of these initiations, she believes, can help to heal the troubled relations between men and women today. Esther Harding's book is dedicated to those who seek a practical way of life, and is valuable for men and women alike. Harding tells about the great festival of Hecate, the moon goddess in Greece, and of Diana, her direct descendant in Rome, celebrated on August 13 to invoke a good harvest. This festival was continued by the Catholic Church and August 15 was chosen for celebrating the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. Avg. Review (2):
	*Anne Baring & Jules Cashford, The Myth of the Goddess: Evolution of an Image(reprint 1993), Arkana; ISBN: 0140192921*— This encyclopedic and easily comprehended work, whose range extends from the Paleolithic Age to the present-day Gaia Hypothesis, is a grand synthesis of art, mythology, literature, and psychology. Publishers Weekly says “A wonderfully readable synthesis, this monumental study is packed with riveting illustrations. It will serve as a source book for students of myth, feminists and those seeking to balance and integrate masculine and feminine components of their psyche.” James Hillman writes “How rare — and how lovely— to find a book that does it all: justice to the great poetic stories; good scholarship that is not burdensome and academic... a sharp psychological intelligence; and a style that is a pleasure to read. I shall recommend this book again and again.” 41 sample pages from this book are available at Amazon.com. Avg. Review (8):
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