Books That Changed My Life
(and a Game Too!)

in issue four
Scintillations
Purple Bikini
Saraswati
Change In Air
Sarah's Gift
Fairy Chimes
Real Dreams
Xena
Writer?
Younger Self
Fledgling Artiste
Goddess Poetry
No McD's In Cuba
AF Photographers
Goddess On Phone
Moody Girl
Met The Goddess
To My Mother
Life Changing Books
Girl Crushes
Universe Spoke
Visualize This!
Contributors

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future issues
Issue Five: Bravery
Issue Six: Friendship

previous issues
Issue One: Change
Issue Two: Balance
Issue Three: Spring

The Feminine Face of God
The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women
by Sherry Ruth Anderson & Patricia Hopkins

When I read The Feminine Face of God, I might begin halfway through, picking up where I put it down a year before. Or I might read the first chapter three times, then go to page 200, read to the last page, start over, and read the whole thing twice. And then forget about it for a couple of years.

That's why I think of this as a cyclical book.  My hunger to read it comes like my hunger for cashew butter, black olives, or jars of artichoke hearts.  I forget about them until, one day I have to eat them over and over, buying them week after week until I'm full up.

I fill up, but never tire of these spiritual portraits of women you'll never hear of outside this book, and also of women whose names you know.  I am reassured by their stories of life paths meandering in ways the women could not have expected.  Paths which often drop them "between a rock and a hard place."

There are triumphs and tragedies, opportunities missed and met, women living real miraculous lives.  

When I feel lost, when I feel my life has no meaning and never will, when I feel that I am in over my head, I find footing in this book. I see over the waves. If I don't see shore, at least I believe once again that it will appear, and I am on my own sacred path. Always. No matter how it might seem.

- Juliette Sterner

Speed Cleaning

 by Jeff Campbell and The Clean Team

I love this book.  It truly changed my life.  In fact, it transformed me into the Domestic Goddess that I am today.

I never was known for having a clean house.  Okay, I was a slob (I wish there were a nicer term, but unfortunately this is entirely accurate).  I only did the dishes when I ran out of clean forks.  I rarely swept or vacuumed.  My dust bunnies had dust bunnies.  Let's not even talk about the grimy, moldy bathrooms.  Speed Cleaning seemed to be written just for me since it said this in the introduction: "Naturally, cleaning house may not be your favorite pastime.  You can hate it as far as we're concerned.  Whatever your attitude toward housecleaning, we can teach you how to get it over with in half the time or less.  Guaranteed." 

I always had good intentions of scrubbing and scouring and sweeping and mopping, but it just never seemed to happen.  If I did start a cleaning project I would easily get discouraged and quit.  I suppose I bought Speed Cleaning because the idea of reading a book about housecleaning, rather than actually doing it, appealed to me.  I figured I would read it in bed on a Saturday while staring up at the cobwebs on my ceiling and then fall back to sleep.  But, I didn't go to sleep.  I got up and cleaned!  I didn’t clean everything, but I really made a dent.  Enough of a dent that I was inspired to REALLY follow all of their instructions the following weekend.

I dutifully bought all of the new cleaning supplies the book suggested.  (I always enjoyed buying cleaning products because it felt like I was taking some real action, not just thinking about it.)  Even armed with the assuring words of Speed Cleaning, I was still a bit worried that once again I would have spent lots of money and still have a dirty house to show for it. 

On Sunday (I admit I procrastinated on Saturday) I assembled all the fun supplies, opened up the book, and got to work.  I cleaned my whole house in a few hours –  from top to bottom, including mopping the floors!**

I sat down to catch my breath and absolutely beamed looking all around me at the sparkliness.  The Gods were looking out for me because ten minutes later some unexpected friends dropped by and I was thrilled to invite them into my shiny house.  They were shocked that my house was so clean. 

I was shocked, too.  I felt different.  I was laughing with delight.  For the first time in my life I had a clean house.  And witnesses!   I didn’t just dream it ¾ it was really my house!  I was also surprised that I actually enjoyed cleaning once I learned how to do it so efficiently.  I took it as a challenge to keep my house that clean from then on. 

I still have more fun ordering their fabulous products (they really are great, especially Red Juice and the “Sh-Mop”) than cleaning with them.  But I do know that once I put my mind to it, I can once again have a clean and shiny house in just a little while. 

Speed Cleaning is fun to read, inspiring, and truly helpful.  It works!!   

**[Oh my God!  I LOVE the mop they recommend!  I am serious.  The other day I went into my kitchen at 10:10 in the morning.  I swept the floor, mopped it to a brilliant shine, and even DRIED it enough to walk on by 10:30!!  The Sh-Mop is incredible!].

- Rebecca Carlisle

For ordering products and to learn the 13 Speed Cleaning Rules, visit www.thecleanteam.com.  The site is almost as entertaining as the book. 

How the Go Goddess game changed my life:

I have to start out by telling you how I happened to find the game.  I saw it in the Femail creations catalog and it looked so beautiful and I was intrigued by it.  I wanted to find out more, so I went to the Go Goddess website www.gogoddess.com.  I read all the juicy details about the game and I knew that I had to have it.

It is not an ordinary game.  Of course the gorgeous rainbow colors on the box and the lush designs of the cards appealed to me, but what really sold me was the description saying that I had to gather women together to play this game and that we would generate the kinds of deep conversations that I crave.

I had an awesome circle of women friends that I wanted to share this with, so I went out and purchased it.  Once I brought it home I couldn't stop staring at the box.  I was so excited!  I only allowed myself to peek inside a little bit.  The candles and cards were so extravagant. It wasn't a normal game with board and dice.  It had a richly colored silk scarf for the "board" with a puzzle of Goddesses dancing and candles -- one for every color of the spectrum -- to be lit at specific times while playing.  The game cards were beautiful, but I promised myself I wouldn’t read them before the real game day arrived.

For weeks and weeks I tried to get everyone together to play Go Goddess.  Finally, finally, finally I coordinated a night to have 6 of my succulent wild goddess friends over to play.  It was so amazing, and fun loving, and intimate, and private.  It helped so much that we all trust and love one another.  The dialog that came out of that night will stay in my heart forever.  Each question card generated such wonderful conversations.  As each candle was lit we were sad the game was getting closer to ending. We all wanted to keep playing forever.

I learned a great deal from everyone that night but most of all I got a lot from what I found myself saying and how people responded to me.   It opened up things about myself that I might not have known or wanted to know before.   Every time I am in the presence of these women they amaze me, but that night was different; the truthfulness and raw feelings were amazing!

Relaxing, drinking tea, eating munchies and chit-chatting with my favorite
Goddesses will always be a life changing event for me.  Thank you to all the Goddesses in my life.  (And thank you to those Goddesses who created the game!)

Go in peace,
Stefanie Lindeen