Review: Your Goddess Year

Last week, I received a delightful surpise in the mail. An unexpected book to review called Your Goddess Year by Skye Alexander. I set about reading through this book so I could share my review with you today.

Your Goddess Year: Defined

First, let’s take a quick look at some of the back cover description of the book:

Guidance. Protection. Power.

For centuries, women have turned to sacred goddesses of the past to guide their way. You, too, can invite the energy and wisdom of these goddesses into your  life with Your Goddess Year.

Inside, you’ll meet fifty-two distinctively mighty goddesses — one for every week of the year– from all cultures and belief systems. Perform unique rituals to summon each goddess. Call upon them during different times of the year to channel their strengths hen you need them most. Infuse your life with their powerful energy.

Your Goddess Year celebrates the reawakening of the Divine Feminine and aligns you with the goddess who will enrich your spirit and expand your life.

Your Goddess Year: First Impressions

This book is beautiful. Appealing cover and beautiful artwork for each month with a variety of goddess portraits included throughout. The design is easy on the eyes, making the book enjoyable to read and easy to use.

Each month includes an introduction and the goddesses to be focused upon. Every goddess chapter is divided into sections by Dates, Herstory, Seasons (of life) in which you may want to invite the goddess and a “how to” invite Her with a simple ritual.

Additional highlighted sections per goddess may include Friends and Foes (of the goddess), Animal Totems, Where to Seek Her, Symbols and Correspondances.

Your Goddess Year: My Opinion

I wish I could say this book blew me away and I love it to Selene and back. And while I enjoy the book as a whole, there are minor details which do not appeal to me.

1. Herstory: Using words such as “herstory” in replace of “history” (because of “implied masculinity”) does not resonate with me as a person for whom inclusion matters. I understand “herstory” is used as a feminist term meant to honor and elevate women. However, “history”  is based on the Greek ἱστορία, historia, meaning ‘inquiry; knowledge acquired by investigation.’ I do not believe it is necessary to apply a feminist term to the Divine Feminine, who is available to all genders. All this does is dim my enthusiasm for the book.
2. Totem Animals: Use of these words is tricky because of cultural appropriation within the Pagan community. The author is meaning to list the animals associated with these deities, which I understand. However, because of the sensitive nature of the discussion in regard to totem animals, spirit animals, etc., I believe animal associations with deities belong under Symbols and Correspondances. But that’s just my opinion.

Overall, I do think this is a good book with interesting introductions to a variety of goddesses. However, Your Goddess Year does assume the reader approaches these deities as aspects of the Divine Femine. In other words, one deity with many faces or energies. My personal path no longer resonates with that idea. Which is why I like the rituals included with each chapter. If there is a goddess with whom you’d like to work, but do not know, the book offers an opportunity to build that relationship. And personally, it seems more polite to get to know someone before asking for favors.

Your Goddes Year: Final Impression

While the book (in my opinion) has a few flaws, there is much to be gained by reading or working through this book. If nothing else, Your Goddess Year brings deities into awareness not considered or have had no knowledge of prior to reading the book. As a result, the book encourages creating new relationships with various goddesses, which invites research and gaining knowledge. In my view, that is the mark of a good read.

If you cannot get past the aforementioned difficult terminology, then this is not the book for you. But I do recommend this book for those who worship the Divine Feminine in Her many aspects and those who desire to learn of goddeses other than to whom they are already devoted or with whom they work.