Title: Four Aspects of The Goddess & The Wheel of the Year
Author: Norma Joyce
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-5245-3742-5
Pages: 190
Genre: Nonfiction/Spirituality
Reviewed by: Courtney Letourneau
Pacific Book Review
The Four Aspects of The Goddess & The Wheel of the Year is a non-fiction book centered on spirituality, specifically the separate aspects of the Goddess. I was instantly intrigued by this book’s premise. Generally, people recognize the three Aspects of the Goddess. This book aims to challenge these assumptions and add a fourth aspect to the situation. Joyce expertly delves into the pressures and wants as human beings, especially women. She asserts that we “need to recognize what our souls yearn for.” She holds a focus on men and the power they wield in the world and how this power is ultimately an illusion. Suddenly their carefully built pedestals are crumbling, and women are rising, fearfully and sometimes timidly, but they do.
Joyce carefully dissects each of the aspects, seamlessly transitioning from the Maiden, Mother, Woman, and Crone. Woman is the aspect that Joyce has added as the fourth Aspect. She sees how society has changed, as women no longer count motherhood as the end of their purpose (as many did in the early years). Women are evolving as independents from unhappy relationships and unhappy jobs. After the settling down we aren’t satisfied with doing simple what is expected of us as women. This whole premise was ultimately so fascinating to me. As a society whose people are constantly changing and evolving, why shouldn’t our spirituality? What sense does it make to stay stuck in the archaic spirituality or religious ways of the past?
What I really enjoyed in this book was not only how Joyce was able to break down each Aspect in a knowledgeable but easy-to-understand way, she also placed a neat list summary of the utmost important facts of each Aspect. I found it a perfect way to organize everything I had just been reading. The language was accessible, and I was able to understand what was happening. Joyce’s voice was also very assertive, but uplifting. She read like someone who was ready to motivate you to push your limits and reach for your goals. I thought she was able to deliver her message adeptly and concisely. I didn’t feel as though the sentences were unnecessary or too long or rambling. It felt as though every sentence was well thought out and propelled the meaning of the book.
I highly recommend this book to anyone. Even if you aren’t necessarily knowledgeable about spirituality, the concepts Joyce explores here would be interesting to all.
