Women’s rites of passage: how to embrace change and celebrate life

272 Pages·2007·42.99 MB·English

by  Abigail Brenner

WOMEN'S
RITES
PASSAGE
of
How EMBRACE CHANGE
to
and CELEBRATE LIFE
ABIGAIL BRENNER, M.D

Women's Rites of Passage

Women's
Rites of Passage
How
to Embrace Change and Celebrate Life
Abigail Brenner, M.D.
ROWMAN & EITTEEFIEED PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Published in the United StatesofAmerica
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Copyright © 2007 by Rowman &Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Allrights reserved. Nopartofthis publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any formorby any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, orotherwise,
without the priorpermissionofthe publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brenner, Abigail.
Women'sritesofpassage: how toembrace change and celebrate life/Abigail
Brenner,
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7425-4748-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0—-7425-4748-5 (pbk. : alk. pa—per)
1. Women Psychology. 2. Women Social life and customs. 3. Self-
realization in women. 4. Ritesand ceremonies. I. Title.
HQ1206.B724 2006
305.401—dc22 2006024246
Printed in the United StatesofAmerica
($9™The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirementso(American
—
National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence ofPaperfor Printed Library
Materials, ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992.
To Ray
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2012
in
http://archive.org/details/womensritesofpasOObren
One'swhole life is like a ritualoraceremony. . . . Sacredness iseverywhere.
. . . Genuine heartfelt ritual helps us reconnect with power and vision as
well as the sadness and painofthe human condition.
—
PemaChodron
Campbell: The myths and rites were means ofputting the mind in accord
with the body and the way of life in accord with the way that nature
dictates.
Moyers: So these old stories live in us?
Campbell: Theydo indeed. The stagesofhumandevelopmentare thesame
today as theywere in the ancient times.
Moyers: And these myths tell me how others have made the passage, and
how I can make the passage?
Campbell: Yes, and alsowhat are the beautiesofthe way.
—
JosephCampbell and Bill Moyers, The PowerofMyth