religious studies

Almost 175 women of all cultures and times, from a priestess of the goddess Inanna (2000 BCE) to contemporary storyteller Clarissa Pinkola Estes, are chronicled in this volume. A brief biography of each woman introduces her words: poems, letters, dreams, polemics, stories, sayings, visions, journals, even a recipe.

The reader meets famous women like Hildegard of Bingen or Georgia O'Keeffe, and obscure or anonymous women: Bibi Hayat of Persia, Sarada Devi of India, and Bedouin, Pygmy and Hopi women. One of my favorite entries is this poem where the erotic meets the mystical, from someone I'd never heard of, Rabia Al-Adawiyya, Persian, 717-801:

STARS ARE SHINING

O my Lord, stars are shining
And the eyes of men are closed.
Kings have shut their doors
And every lover is alone with his beloved.
Here I am alone with you.

Sacred Voices' entries bring us diversity of age, race, sexual orientation, historical period, geography, literary form, and spiritual perspective. It is a collection of the wisdom of old women, girls, mothers, artists, philosophers, mystics. We meet extravagant women, modest women--all passionate in their own ways, all truth-telling, all women of wisdom, all now, thanks to this book, part of our heritage.

The volume is encyclopedic but not intimidating, to be kept near at hand for inspiration, comfort, and challenge. Don't try to gulp it down in one swallow. I've been reading a few entries every day--what a treat!

Mary Ford-Grabowski has dug deep into the immense treasure of women's experiences and reflections. She deserves our thanks for bringing it to us in such a beautiful and useful volume.