The Heart of the Goddess

Art, Myth, and Meditations of the World's Sacred Feminine

Hallie Iglehart Austen

Foreword by Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD

Paperback
978-1-939681-94-2
US $26.95
October 2018

This extraordinary compilation of the art, values and living lessons of Goddess culture dating from 30,000 years ago to the present, from Africa to Hawaii, Siberia to North America, is a multicultural tapestry of artwork, historical background, and meditations organized by the themes of creation, transformation and celebration, bringing focus and expression to the myth and spirituality of the feminine.

Hallie Iglehart Austen grew up on a farm and has lived close to the earth most of her life. After graduating from Brown University, she drove from England to Nepal and back again over the course of a year. This journey, described in her first book "Womanspirit" led to a synthesis of spirituality and feminism, which she began teaching in the 1970s. Since then, she has led workshops, rituals and conferences at universities, the United Nations, and theological schools among other places. Hallie Iglehart Austen is cofounder of Seaflow: Protect Our Living Oceans, which educates the public about the dangers of active sonars and other ocean noise to whales, dolphins, and all sea life. She also initiated All One Oceans, establishing over fifty beach cleanup stations in California, Hawai‘i, Iowa, and Alabama and is starting a pilot project for grade school students on ocean plastic pollution. Hallie lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and gives classes and private consultations on dream work, life transition rituals, and Wisdom Healing Qigong.

“What a treasure! Decades of scholarship and oceans of love have been poured into gathering this exquisite collection of goddesses from all the world’s wisdom traditions. By gazing at the images and contemplating their stories, I felt myself joyously reclaiming the feminine face of the Holy One that has been imprinted on my own heart all along. I love love love this book! ”—Mirabai Starr, author of God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity & Islam and Caravan of No Despair: A Memoir of Loss & Transformation

“A loving contribution towards illuminating the many attributes of the great, great Goddess. Intuitive and practical, Hallie Iglehart Austen’s work will nourish and heal its readers on many levels.” —Marija Gimbutas, author of The Language of the Goddess

“… a mythical journey to every corner of the Earth.…a delightful book of life-affirming legends, rituals, and images that help us envision a more balanced and creative world.” —Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and the Blade

“A beautiful book … an excellent resource for information and inspiration from many cultures.”—Starhawk

“Calling to us from the high level of a consciousness of our entire global family, The Heart of the Goddess sings a song we must hear in order to fully experience and understand Goddess reverence.” —Merlin Stone, author of When God Was a Woman

“Hallie Iglehart Austen has given us a rare and much-needed pictorial survey of the metaphoric life and power of the Goddess. Her concise introduction and commentaries are eloquent and informed. A thoroughly readable and delightful book.” —Jamake Highwater, author of The Primal Mind

“What it means to be empowered comes to life in us through our meditations on these sacred cross-cultural images of the Feminine.” —Vicki Noble, author of Motherpeace

"Well researched and engagingly written, The Heart of the Goddess is an excellent informational text, but it succeeds further as a personal and spiritual resource."—Foreword Reviews

"Regardless of how many books you own or have read about goddesses, I guarantee you that you’ve never encountered anything like this. Informative, spiritual, and filled with art pieces from antiquity to contemporary times, The Heart of the Goddess is, and will remain, a classic."—The Magical Buffet

“I highly recommend The Heart of the Goddess as an educational resource, for your self, for educational programs, and/or any group. I encourage you to do yourself and others you may teach, a favour, and have this new edition of The Heart of the Goddess on your bookshelf, within reach. I love Hallie’s ending advice in the new Introduction: Gaze on these images, live with them, sing their songs and praises, tell their stories and wait: wait and see what inspiration they have for you, right now, today.” —Glenys Livingstone, Magoism