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For just as they have made the male god to rule
over Our Great Mother,
so they have justified their rule over you.
Know from this that personification is political.
And thus the yoke of your oppression is their denial
of She who is the source of all life. . . .

I will be with you and all who return to me, for as you liberate me,
so shall you be set free
and the balance of the universe be restored.
-from "The Meeting" in She Lives! The Return of Our Great Mother. Copyright 1989, 1999 by Judith Laura

She Lives!
The Return of Our Great Mother

Myths, Rituals, and Meditations

10th Anniversary Edition
Revised and Expanded

This is a revised and expanded version of the book first published by The Crossing Press in 1989.
She Lives! celebrates the return of female divinity to our spiritual lives. The book opens with a creation myth and a mythological account of suppression of Goddess worship. Eight other myth-like short stories follow. They tell about the return of the Goddess in our own time in Pagan, Christian, Jewish and other settings. The book also includes rituals for passages in women's lives, such as menarche and menopause, and separate rituals for men's passages. There are also seasonal celebrations for the community together--including children--with choreographed dances and songs with music notation in a variety of traditions. Also included are meditations and other personal rituals, including a self-blessing belly dance.

From Reviewers

"This beautifully written book contains a variety of treasures, from Laura's myth retellings both ancient and modern, to ritual ideas from many spiritual disciplines, to sacred music and chants for the circle....From beginning to end, She Lives! provides invaluable information and practical ritual resources designed to help the reader."
--Leni Austine, SageWoman

" Judith's myths are gentle, but powerful. They make you smile.
They give you goose bumps."
--The Women's Spirituality Book Review

From the Author

It's been wonderful to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first publication of She Lives! The Return of Our Great Mother with a revised and expanded edition in both hardback and trade paperback.

I've posted the book's Preface on this site so you can read about the considerable amount of new material I've added to the book, as well as my thinking about the revisions. I've also posted an excerpt from the new section called, "Reflections on Seasonal Rituals" here.

The original trade paperback edition of She Lives! was published in 1989 by The Crossing Press (143 pp., ISBN 0895943328). The 10th Anniversary Edition includes two new myth-like short stories, the addition of guided meditations to each of the seasonal rituals, a new section explaining seasonal celebrations, and additional meditations including The Castle, a guided meditation to help you experience separation from and reunion with the Great Mother. I hope the Table of Contents below gives you a fuller idea of the book's contents. For a list of journals and anthologies that have published parts of this book, click here.

For signed copies and for bookstore availability, see below.

Thank you so much for your interest in my work.

Many blessings,
Judith Laura

Table of Contents