Eight women—Jungian psychoanalysts— share our personal stories of the emergence of and transformative manifestations of the archetypal feminine, the complexities of love and the necessity for Eros – relatedness to inner and outer realities. Meaningful experiences span the heartbeats of life and reveal the significance of a woman’s emotional, sexual and spiritual awakenings as she learns to claim her own value and voice. In a zeitgeist of patriarchal attitudes in which divine archetypal feminine images and principles continue to be devalued, categorized, and pathologized, the storytellers’ desire to personally claim Her significance and authority has encouraged us to write a part of our stories—in honor of Her.
The effects of collective consciousness, religious beliefs, and parental patterns of relating are prominent aspects of these stories. This book tells of the pivotal struggles, revelatory dreams, illuminating myths and the emotional fires that have informed, transformed, and supported us on our paths of individuation.