The search for the Divine is an eternal one, a journey to understand that which is unknown and a mystery, to form a personal relationship with that which we call God. The interest in the feminine face of God, the Mother Goddess, has seen a great resurgence. Many books have been written about the different stories of the Goddess, her significance and value. Very few could compare to two books beautifully written and lusciously illustrated by Kris Waldherr.

In her latest book, Embracing the Goddess Within, Kris explores feminine rites of passage, delightfully bridging the gap from ancient priestess to modern day woman. Each of the six sections deals with a different phase and aspect of a female's life, from the fertility found in maidenhood to the emotional maturity found in later years. Each section examines different goddesses and their mythos, then offers simple yet extremely potent rituals designed to encourage the reader to recognize and honor that which is goddess within themselves.

The section entitled Motherhood explores this phase of feminine life through the eyes of the Cuban Goddess Yemana, the Roman Juno, the Egyptian Renenet, the Greek Demeter, and the very intriguing twin-sister aboriginal fertility goddesses, the Wawalak. The profound story of the Wawalak demonstrates the incredible love of a mother and the extreme measures that a woman will go to to protect her child. In it, the Goddesses overcome a great battle with the great rainbow snake Yurlunger, even escaping death after being eaten by the serpent by being reborn of the snake with their children. The ritual for Wawalak centers around taking time alone to remember your sacredness, to reconnect with the earth, recharging your strength and ability to mother your children and yourself. Personally I found this story very enriching and comforting as my son is now ninteen months old and keeps me hopping!

"I think that it is so important to empower women who may not realize that there is such a rich history and tradition of viewing women as sacred," Kris explained to me. "I grew up in a very matriarchal household, raised by a single mother in a time period when women didn't get divorced. As I got older, I realized how lacking the support of such women was and how I might address this void. The stories of the Goddess transcend religion, race or background, and through retelling her myths, women can begin to realize their own strengths, gifts and connection to the Divine.

"I don't know how many people in today's society realize how important the Goddess was and what a strong impact the Goddess had on ancient societies. It has been easy to forget her many stories due to the more pervasive patriarchal religious stories of modern times, yet we find the stories of the goddess are thousands of years older and are still very relevant."

What sets this book apart from the many books out there on the subject of the Goddess is that Kris has been able to present this information in such a simple, straightforward manner that any woman could pick this up and find a section to relate to.

Her companion book to Embracing the Goddess Within, The Book of Goddesses, is a deliciously illustrated and written book. Twenty-six Goddesses from around the world each have two pages dedicated to them. On one page the reader will be immersed in Kris' fantastic illustrations, each one a masterpiece. Her years of study at the School of Visual Arts in New York City are seen in her work. She is a brilliant artist with a real flare at bringing each of these goddesses to life, expressing their subtle natures and energy in vibrant watercolors.

Each Goddess also has her myth retold in a concise and simple manner. It would be easy to pass over this book, thinking it is just a beautifully illustrated children's book; however, it has been written to engage readers of all ages. "I wanted this book to be accessible to women of all ages. When I was a child my mother gave me this incredibly illustrated book on King Arthur. I couldn't read it, but I loved the pictures. As I grew, I was able to appreciate the book on different levels. I wanted my book to be that way, so that an eight year old could sit down and take away from it something special on her level and a thirty-five year old could do the same.

Actually this is a very important book for boys and men too. I think that this is such a wonderful time for mothers and fathers. This is a time when more spiritual resources are out there for parents to call upon when raising their children than were available for our parents. What different outlooks the children of today's people will have after being exposed to a balanced view of the Divine, one in which both the masculine and the feminine are holy."

Kestrel is a wife, mother, freelance writer and student of the Old Ways.

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For more information about Kris' work visit her site at www.artandwords.com.