cover image Twilight Goddess: Spiritual Feminism and Feminine Spirituality

Twilight Goddess: Spiritual Feminism and Feminine Spirituality

S. Aziz, Thomas F. Cleary. Shambhala Publications, $24.95 (304pp) ISBN 978-1-57062-499-5

This disappointing introduction to Goddess worship in Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism and Sufism is marred by poor writing, a confusing organization and overly technical language. This is a shame, since the book contains potentially significant insights into the inner world of Goddess spirituality, particularly as it is ritualized in daily practice. Much of the material will be familiar to any student of the Goddess, but the book also contains new information offered in too complex a way (the chapters on Tantric Buddhism and the Taoist traditions, in particular, misfire). Where there should have been a much-needed corrective to the usual male-centered discussions of Eastern religions, there is largely a garbled narrative that tries unsuccessfully to disentangle the various intricacies of Indian cultural diversity. Chapters are arranged haphazardly, with no overarching narrative thread; the oft-subtle differences among the religions covered are elided by the authors' determination to approach too many topics from a thematic perspective. (The various threads on female sexuality in Eastern religions become particularly confusing for the reader, who may feel lost between the similar treatments of ""Left-Hand Tantra"" and Taoist sexology.) The irony here is that Cleary is an important scholar of Eastern religions (though not of feminist spirituality per se), and should have been able to bring clarity to this project. (Sept.)