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Goddess Spirituality for the 21st Century
From Kabbalah to Quantum Physics
by Judith Laura
Second Enlarged Edition

ISBN 9781601453822▪ Open Sea Press/Booklocker▪ 2008
 $14.95 ▪ 6"x9"▪ 220 pages • Distributed by Ingram

Available from all major online booksellers and
 from brick-and-mortar stores (see below for details)

This second enlarged edition has the complete text of the original 1997edition PLUS:
—Foreword by Rachel Pollack
—Preface to Second Enlarged Edition
—New graphic of re-visioned Kabbalah Tree showing emergence of remarkable sefirot pattern
—Music notation for songs in rituals
—Tree of Life Tarot Spreads with card position meanings based on re-visioned Tree
—Study Guide for this edition
—Index

 

 

Excerpt from Rachel Pollack's FOREWORD
 [[Deleted material is indicated by ellipses (dots). The length of the actual Foreword is at least 3 times the length of this excerpt] 

This remarkable book manages to say more than many works on these subjects four or five times its size. What’s more, what it says is not just clear and lucid, and stocked with information, it also is valuable for women and men living their lives today. . . .
Through the principle of the spiritual is political we can come to understand the way an all-male concept of God has distorted our society and our own lives. The modern Goddess religion, based on archaeological discoveries, mythological clues, and contemporary inventions, has helped many of us overcome those distortions.

. . . .Because Qabalah includes Goddess imagery, and Kabbalah seems to address the idea of re-uniting male and female, they have both attracted many people who seek a traditional base for Goddess work. And yet, as Judith Laura demonstrates so precisely and eloquently, the Kabbalist traditions are not somehow magically free of patriarchal bias. They are not an absolute truth outside of culture. On the contrary, they, like all other religious traditions, are the work of humans—humans at a very intense state of consciousness, but still humans formed, at least in part, by their culture and its assumptions. . . .

Esoteric beliefs usually include an assumption of privilege. They claim to come directly from divine sources, and usually ancient origins. . . .They also claim to speak of truths very difficult to grasp. All this results in texts that are mysterious and hard to comprehend, along with a readership that accepts their divine authority without question. Laura has read vast amounts of material, and then has outlined the ideas and information in clear and concise language. The wealth of information alone would make this book of great value. But she goes further, for she shows us that these ideas did not emerge from instant revelations but grew over time, and in historical settings.

And then she goes further still, for she suggests ways we can rework, perhaps even restore, a genuine balance of male and female. . . .And then, so we can make use of this river of clear information, she gives us meditations and exercises to make these symbols our own. . . .she then goes on to apply those same remarkable abilities to a field at least as dense and difficult as Kabbalah—quantum physics. . . .  As with Kabbalah, Laura manages to absorb vast amounts of information…and then give it out in precise details and large ideas. . . .

 Goddess Spirituality for the 21st Century is a rare book, a kind of sacred quest of ideas. We can all give thanks that Judith Laura has undertaken it, and fulfilled it with such dedication.

Rachel Pollack is author of The Kabbalah Tree, The Body of the Goddess, and many other books on metaphysical subjects, including Tarot.

Read excerpt from Judith Laura's Preface to Second Enlarged Edition

1997 original
edition
 		 2008
Second Enlarged
Edition

Comments from Reviewers and Readers
"Intellectually exciting and spiritually satisfying, this new classic is highly recommended."
 —The Beltane Papers

 "For those of you who, like me, enjoy exploring the overlap between science and magic, this book will be a big hit. . . . The restructuring makes sense--the author spells out her conclusions quite clearly--and this brings Kabbalah within reach of women who would otherwise ignore it. The adjustment may also appeal to men who prefer a good gender balance in their magical workings."
 —Elizabeth Barrette, Moonlight and Magick!

Contents of Second Edition
Foreword by Rachel Pollack new
Preface to Second Enlarged Edition new
Introduction
Chapter 1. Concepts of  Contemporary Goddess Spirituality
 Chapter 2. Kabbalah: In Its Beginnings
Chapter 3. From Spain to Safed
Chapter 4. Qabalah
Chapter 5. Re-Visioning The Tree
Chapter 6. Taking the Quantum Leap
Appendix 1. Music Notation new
Appendix 2.  Tree of Life Tarot Spreads new
Appendix 3. Study and Discussion Guide new
Notes
Index new

Meditations and Rituals
 Transitions from Transcendent to Immanent Divinity
New Moon: A Meditation on Darkness and Light
New Moon Ritual
Ritual Purification of the Tree
Sefirot Meditations
Permutation of Holy Names
Full Moon Ritual
Waning Crescent Moon Ritual
 More Content Details

"Well-written, brimming with great information,
 and peppered with meaningful rituals.
Get it now!"
 —James Wells,
 Tarot consultant/ healer/ workshop facilitator, Toronto

"With Goddess Spirituality for the 21st Century, Judith Laura has provided an illuminating, inviting introduction and straightforward, user-friendly manual for the study of goddess spirituality and Kabbalic traditions.  While her interpretations of scripture and Kabbalah will doubtless lead to disagreements with members of various schools of thought, many will find great intellectual intrigue and spiritual comfort in the sources of goddess presence in the story of creation which Judith Laura has exposed.  Her instructions for meditation and chant are at once inclusive, flexible and practical.  Both the merely curious and long-time practitioners of goddess spirituality have much to learn from Laura's work."
 —Liisa Hake, FEMSPEC

"Ms. Laura writes for the layperson, and with her extended knowledge of Kabbalah, quantum physics and their relation to Goddess spirituality, she weaves together
 a wonderful book that clarifies a once complex subject.
As a lover and student of Kabbalah myself, I found this book so enlightening and encouragingly expressed,
 I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it
 to any layperson interested in the beauty of the feminine face of God as expressed in Kabbalah."
 —Dryw, The Sacred Green

 Study Aids

Study Guide for Kabbalah/Qabalah chapters with color graphic of
 Re-envisioned Tree
 Available from Lulu.com

Re-Visioned Tree color graphics also separately available as
 prints & posters from cafepress.com/judithlaura3g and
zazzle.com/judithlaura


"Judith Laura guides the gentle reader through a personal voyage of meditation and reawakening. Her vision of the ancient traditions of Kabbalah are guided by a deep knowledge of its ancient ways; yet, she begins to explore in this book a new path, a new way out of the male-centric vision that has guided and shaped the Kabbalistic traditions for all too long. . . There is more in this book to contemplate: a history of Kabbalah from ancient to modern adaptations within the modern occult group known as the Golden Dawn; as well as her own unique re-visioning of this tradition. . . .Plus a look at the history of modern Quantum Physics as well. . . . Her vision is guided. . . by an egalitarian view of both life and the mysteries of existence."
 —Craig Hickman, Wisdom of the Earth

"Exactly what it says! Points the way to a new millennium of Goddess worship."
 —Marisa Young, Amazon.com Listmania! Pagan/Goddess/Feminist Classics

"...I bought this book assuming that I wouldn't like it, yet I was drawn to her premise and wanted to give the book a chance. I'm very glad that I did. Her treatment of Kabbalah very obviously stems from a study in Traditional Kabbalah, which for me indicates scholarship, dedi[c]ation, and true desire to help seekers understand the subject matter. It would have been easy for Ms. Laura to use entirely hermetic sources and views in her treatment of Kabbalah, but instead she teaches from the source, from the heart of Kabbalism, and for that alone, I applaud her... Had I read [this book] several years ago, it very well may have changed my world. As it is, it is a sound, well researched, opinionated and interesting look at Kabbalah through the lenses of feminist spirituality.
 Job well done. "
—Amber Simmons, Amazon.com

"I am teaching Kabbalah and have found this to be one of the more interesting and challenging, thought provoking books.... I really like the way you bring science into the spiritual/magical picture.
I also appreciate the very scholarly way that you approach the idea of gender on the tree, and question it while at the same time offering several views. . . 
I really enjoyed the book immensely."
—Jewel St. Michel, Kabbalah teacher, San Francisco
  For list of journals and anthologies in which excerpts of this book have been published, click here.

Judith Laura donates at least a third of her royalties
 from all her books to charities benefiting women.
(Because authors don't get royalties from used book sales, this cannot include the sale of used books.)

Ways to Get Second Enlarged Edition of This Book

For the Trade: Goddess Spirituality for the 21st Century is distributed to the trade by Ingram.  Bookstores and other retailers can also get wholesale discounts through Booklocker fulfillment.
In recognition that not everyone can afford to buy books, and in gratitude for the great service libraries provide, we share a partial list of public and university libraries whose holdings include either original or second edition of this book:

 University Libraries
Bentley College
Carleton College
Cleveland State University
Harvard Divinity School
Loyola University of Chicago
Ohio University*
Princeton University
Meadville-Lombard Theological School
St. Michael's College (Vermont)
University of North Carolina
University of Georgia
University of Massachusetts
University of Oregon

Public Libraries
Ann Arbor (Mich.)
Aurora (Colo.)
Buffalo & Erie Co. (N.Y.)
Cleveland
Columbus (Oh.)
Denver
La Cross (Wisc.)
Lakeland Coop (Grand Rapids,Mich.)
Springfield (Ore.)
Source: wildcat.org

* With the exception of Ohio University, the author's alma mater, no books were donated to these libraries by
  the author or publisher

For Individuals:
At brick and mortar bookstores. We hope it will be on the shelf, but to be realistic, bookstores with limited shelf-space cannot be expected to have all gazillion books in print on their shelves all the time. They will, however, usually be happy to order the book for you. So ask. You may want to help them by giving them the Trade info above.

Through online booksellers, such as Amazon.com, bn.com, Booklocker, amazon.ca (Canada) amazon.co.uk (Great Britain), Studia (Norway), Webster.it (Italy), amazon.de (Germany) bookfayre.cz (Czech Republic) and others. 

The following are a few U.S. independent bookstores that are both brick-and-mortar and also sell online:
Amazon Bookstore Cooperative (Minneapolis-going oob at end of June, offering 20% off all books in store until then), A Room of One's Own (Madison WI), Book-woman (Austin) Cody's Books (San Francisco), Cover to Cover (San Francisco), Chapters (DC), St. Marks Bookshop (NYC) Women & Children First (Chicago).
If you are going to the bookstore in person, we advise you to call first to see if the book is on their shelves, and if not, ask them to order it for you (most booksellers don't have room on their store shelves for all the books they list online). If you want to go to a bookstore in person and you don't see any here near you, go to booksense.com

Extensive Content Details    Excerpt from Preface

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