The Path of the Mother : With the Divine Guidance of the Holy Mother, Ammachi

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 432 pages
• Published by: Wellspring/Ballantine
• Edition: 1st Edition June 6, 2000
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 034542347X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0345423474
• Book Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Weighs: 14.4 ounces

From Publishers Weekly
This disjointed book aims to illuminate the "path of the Mother," a journey to the divine feminine that is based largely in Hindu traditions with a smattering of Goddess threads from other religions. Bess, a therapist and artist who began practicing yoga nearly three decades ago, deepened her understanding of Eastern spirituality when she discovered Ammachi, an Indian guru (b. 1953) who is regarded as an incarnation of the divine Mother by thousands of followers in India and America. Bess describes Ammachi's preternatural spiritual gifts (she walked and talked at six months and composed devotional songs and prayers as a toddler) with the adoration of a disciple, so readers desiring more balanced biographical information are left hanging. The narrative then becomes confusing, as Bess introduces other 20th-century women gurus (one, nicknamed Amma, has a life story confoundingly similar to Ammachi's). Bess discusses the many contradictory goddess-incarnations of the Mother, who appears as a sexual seductress in Kundalini Shakti, a destructive force in Kali and a source of wealth and beauty in Lakshmi. The diffuse book is rescued somewhat by its practical focus on meditation, chanting, prayer, altar-building and other activities of bhakti yoga, guiding Western readers through the basics of daily Hindu spirituality. While the book fills a void in providing insight into Hindu goddess traditions and contemporary Indian women saints, such rich material deserves more careful study. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Review
"Compelling . . . Makes the Divine Mother come alive for us!" -- Richard Schiffman, Author of "The Mother of All"

Reader Reviews
The author has done a great job in tracking the path to the Mother aspect of God- The Divine Mother . She has used as her fundamental example her own experiences with Ammachi, the Great Saint from South India who is widely revered as a modern day Embodiment of the Divine Mother. Very nicely written book, full of love and very nice pictures of Ammachi.