You Are a Goddess: Working with the Sacred Feminine to … (2024)

Overview of several Goddess archetypes interspersed with moments from the authors life. If sacred feminine energy is of interest then this might be worth a look. Sophie Bashford is enthusiastic and tries to remain inclusive. There's also guided meditations thoughout which, if listening to the audiobook, are read by the author.

Actual Rating 4.5 Stars

I was surprised what a feel-good book this one is! I found it by chance and really enjoyed it. I dunno if I will ever re-read it, but it found me in a time when I needed a bit of a pick-me-up. If you need something reassuring to read, try this book out - it might be just what you need! Blessed Be x

This was such an amazing and enlightening read. I absolutely enjoyed every second of it. I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about the Goddess and Mother Earth and how her energy is in everything and everyone.

" The Deep Woman is an illuminated dream of truth in a soporific, numbed, heart-hardened, adrenaline-filled, disconnected, fear-induced nightmare pretending to be life." PG 268

Many books I read and put down and remember. This one will be like a friend for life. Its wisdom forever changing. If you're on a journey of self discovery with the divine feminine, witches and sages, then this is the book for you.

There were passages that brought tears of joy and tears of remembrance, words that shifted my reality, & echos that scribed my soul. I took my time with this book too, every part like a delicious adventure.

The quote I chose to share felt perfect. I'm chronically ill in Trumpian times, during a pandemic, & mass protest. I'm cut off from many things that make me feel secure and empowered. But a woman who walks with the Goddess isn't this picture of perfection dripped in Gold while the world burns. She's here, now, very present, knowing her place is plant new seeds and to hold a vision for a world unchained. To remember in her body and her soul the divine feminine that is so sorely missed.

"As we heal our wounding arising from the ruthless severance of faith in the ancient feminine, we make it easier for the Earth to recover and rebalance." PG 108

I also thought her language was inclusive and did well to address transgender and non-uterus-having people. The divine feminine transcends the body and is a part of our soul.

Humbled Heralded Holy

It felt like I wrote the book.. I was every word. Tears of relief and release and healing and hope as well as acknowledgement of pain and peace flowed all the way through. Deep healing and connection. Deeply thankful

There was some good information in this but i found my self skimming alot.

Sophie Bashford takes the listener (or reader) on a journey of reclaiming their own sacred feminine energy with introductions to several Goddess archetypes. I’d like to note up front that this book is not just for women - everyone has both feminine and masculine energy so this work is applicable for both male and female seekers. This book simply focuses on how Goddess works in our lives, leading us along our path to our own empowerment and strength, regardless of the participant’s gender.

The author provides an overview of several Goddess archetypes. Note: the Goddesses covered in this book are by no means all of them - that large of a work would fill up an entire bookshelf. However, she does touch on the ones that can address nearly any trauma, lack, crises, or event the reader is going through and covers several pantheons. You’ll visit the temple of Kali (removal of blockages), Mother Mary (emotional healing), Kuan Yin (self-nourishment), the Avalon Priestesses (intuition), Hecate/Hekate (releasing past life trauma), Aphrodite (relationships), Lilith (energetic awakening), Mary Magdalene (love/sexual energy), and Isis (full self-empowerment).

Each chapter provides a meditation to connect with the Goddess and the author reveals stories from her own life of how Goddess has worked through her, plus how reclaimed energy can be practically used in your life. There is a lot of emphasis on women as healers, since Divine feminine energy is a healing energy. However, you don’t need to consider yourself a healer (in whatever way that resonates with you) to benefit from this book. Nor do you need to connect with every Goddess in here. I already had an acquaintance with Hekate but had shied away from working with her closely. And while Hekate means a lot more to me than just healing past life trauma, I did use the meditation provided to reconnect and recommit and get our relationship back on track.

This is one of those books that will mean something different to almost anyone who reads or listens to it - whether you’re just interested in learning more about Goddess energy or you’re working through a trauma and looking for the right one to reach out to - you should find information in here that is applicable to you. But if you really take the time to work with a Goddess, be prepared to be transformed - for the better.

Not to mention the author seems like a very lovely person - she’s a delight to listen to.

4.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐+

I loved every bit of it. Sophie Bashford takes you on an engaging journey and while this is a book full of spiritual teachings, it also never ceases to entertain, emote, and inform. I want to stress that I did not use the word "journey" in the previous sentence lightly - this is indeed a transformational path, carefully and impactfully crafted. I deeply enjoyed my travel through the land of the goddesses and feel this book left me a bit better than it found me.

I also want to highlight that this does not fall into a trap that many "sacred feminine" works do: It stays inclusive. The author seems to be acutely aware of how the genre can drift into sexism and transphobia and, I'd guess consciously, does neither.

One of my favorite books I've read this year, highly recommend.

I started out fully engaged by this book and captivated by Sophie Bashford's flowery yet beautiful writing style (that reminded me a lot of one of my favorite witch authors, Danielle Dulsky). While I'm not a huge practitioner of deity worship other than as a metaphor, I do admire the concept of healing the sacred feminine for inner-transformation, which this book seemed to be about.

A couple of chapters in, I found myself incredibly displeased by Bashford's approach toward the sacred feminine, for several reasons. First of all, while I appreciate her pointing out that both men and women have the sacred masculine and feminine in them, the book was too binary in nature and I do think that's troublesome. She marketed the book toward women mainly, but I believe she should have made that clearer in the beginning, because I can see how contents could be triggering for those who experience dysphoria, including trans women.

Also, I find Bashford to be morally repugnant in some ways. I admire her resilience very much and her strength to overcome such horrible things in her life, including losing her mother as a young girl. However, early on she discusses valid frustration about her husband being uncommunicative and not listening to her, which is a horrible thing, of course. Shortly after, she briefly mentions having an affair with a flirty friend, and throughout the book, she does not hold herself accountable for this hurtful mistake to her husband.

I am all for open relationships and find that marriages can be stifling and fueled by hateful religion; however, if you enter that agreement with a monogamous person, you do not break the promise, hurt that person you claim to love AND THEN attribute it to feminine instincts. She could have left her husband in a much more admirable manner, divorcing him before sleeping with someone else. I'm sure she had guilt in person, but in the writing, I saw no remorse for her actions because of her entering a better place. That is not okay. I would not want to take self-help advice from someone like this, although she does have good words of wisdom throughout the book.

My final complaint is more of a personal preference. Toward the end of the book, she got a little bit too "transformational" for my liking, and I do not find much value in my life from reading about past-life trauma. It is valuable information, just not for me.

Could have been a better book if the author hadn't focused on heteronormative ideas and not mentioned anything non conforming until quite late in the book

This book is literally divine. Pure pure wisdom and gorgeous story telling. All I have is gratitude for the author, here’s what I have to say:
Oh my goodness Sophie! THANK YOU! Your book transformed me and made me feel known and healed in ways I didn’t know I still could be after this much self work - it’s never over! More so, it inspired me to tell my own story and finally follow my guidance to teach and embody the divine feminine and support other women to do the same. I am forever grateful. You are a queen. Listening to it as an audiobook with your voice in my ear as I fell asleep was a new found form of healing! Highly recommend it to anyone!
💓🙏🏼💥🧜🏼‍♀️

This is a fabulous book for those starting on the goddess path. Unlike other goddess books, this one is a journey. You start at the beginning and keep moving along the pathway all the way until the final chapter. This structure gives the reader a more intimate time with each goddess and makes the meditations deeper and very personal. I highly recommend getting this as an audiobook so you can really get into the journey the writer takes you on.

If you are interested in the Sacred Feminine

If you are interested in the Sacred Feminine, this is a lovely book about several of the goddesses and what they have to offer you. I also bought the audiobook, which is read by the author and also very good, if you want to use the book as a guided meditation.

I really don’t know how to feel about this book or rate it. There are good pieces dispersed throughout this book, but I find it incredibly strange that Christian aspects/deities/revered figures are in a book that is mostly pagan in concept.
I do love how this book has made me think about things I never have before, and see things in a new light.
Overall, I just don’t know how to rate it

Incredible book Sophie has a beautiful vulnerability in her story telling and has an ability to connect to the reader in a beautiful way. The journey through the nine archetypes of the Goddess is mind blowing and reaches deep within your soul. My most favourite book.

You Are a Goddess

This is one of the most amazing books I've read.
So much of what Sophie has written rings true for me.
This is a book I will return to time and time again.
Thank you Sophie for writing this book at a time when women really need to hear these words.

I initially heard of this book because I stumbled across a YouTube video titled „Books + Podcasts that changed my life“ by Harmony Nice. I immediately gravitated toward this book by Sophie Bashford and back then I did not know why.

Prior to me watching this video, I already felt very much drawn to learning more about spirituality and spiritual practices. This desire only became stronger when I read Native American literature that strongly highlighted their own spirituality and thus their understanding of the world. I was fascinated and intrigued.

I must say that after hearing about this book and especially once I actually purchased the book and held it in my hands, I had quiet high expectations going into this. Nevertheless, I began reading with an open mind, willing to learn and to try to figure out how I might realize my own power and capabilities. With that being said, I highly encourage anyone to do the same when beginning to read this book.

After finishing it, I cannot begin to explain how this book has changed my perception of myself, the people around me and the whole world. It made me laugh and it made me cry and I feel more than ready to further embark on the journey of realizing my own power and with that awakening the inner Goddess within myself.

I‘d definitely recommend this book to anyone who‘s already familiar with spirituality but also to those individuals who might have never heard or come in contact with what spirituality is.

It is a journey that you‘ll be taking but one that is very much worth it.

„You don‘t need to know anything more than just begin where you are“

This is the first book I read when feeling lost and in need for some confidence and direction, and it certainly delivered. In these current times of uncertainty and worry, I found solace in these pages and can't recommend it enough to any woman who needs a confidence boost, or even just faith that everything will work out how it's meant to. Loved it!!

this book changed my life.

I was hesitant about this book at the start, but I ended up really enjoying it. I feel ready to step in to my feminine power!! 💪🏻

El libro te lleva a través de un viaje de elevación de conciencia, casi vivencial, en el cual 9 diosas míticas y religiosas te entregan lecciones profundas de sanación.

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it fell flat for me (and at times was just laughably bad).

What I liked:
-The author's personal anecdotes and story
-The beautiful writing style
-The meditations

What I didn't like:
-The author's way of connecting her story to the goddess archetypes seemed...tenuous? Especially considering how she would only use a very small portion of a goddess' persona to match the specific theme of that chapter. It really ignored how multi-dimensional all of these goddesses are
-The bizarre blending of goddesses and traits seemed appropriative. Like, I would have appreciated some explanation on how Lilith (Jewish figure) is the patron of Kundalini (Hinduism). Like ???
-I was so convinced at the end that the book Mary Magdalene was holding was the Bible, and that this whole thing was some weird goddess to Evangelical pipeline. Having it be the author's own book was only /slightly/ better

What I really didn't like:
-How laughably heteronormative and binary this book is. As a queer woman, I am used to reading books on the divine feminine with a grain of salt. However, I had to let out an audible scoff when the author talked in the Mary Magdalene chapter about how, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, a feminine spirit will always couple with a masculine spirit. That has such "so who is the man in your relationship" vibes that I just have to laugh

Wasn’t for me personally, while some may read it and feel very liberated and learn a lot from it, for me personally it was just very... corny. The author wrote very long descriptive things about certain goddesses and the energy you may receive from working with then or learning about them that just felt odd to me. It felt like the author would go on and on without really saying anything of meaning- or say something that resonated with me but would beat it like a dead horse. I felt like it was trying to connect to me but didn’t quite hit the mark. I really wanted to enjoy this book, and I did find some good aspects about it, but it was very difficult to read in other parts and I would find I’d have to force myself to pick it up and read it.

This book was so wonderful read/listen too. I am an audible geek and absolutely love hearing when the authors of the books read their books. There's something magical about it. Sophie guides us through the transitions of self love, through each meditation with the many goddesses. This book radiates love and while aimed at women, she also includes trans and men as well. She explains we all have feminine energy, so we all can honor it.
Beautiful book, I have already been reccomending it to friends ♥️

Most amazing book I have ever read

I've read it twice already on my Kindle and just ordered a paperback version as it's gonna be used a lot on a regular basis.
Beautiful writing, it touches me and speaks to me more and more anytime I read it. I'm really grateful for Sophie's (and the Goddess's) wonderful gift to our world ♥️

This is beautifully written and I’m so glad I found it. Each chapter is a joy to read, with meditations and affirmations sprinkled throughout, it will keep the connections with each Goddess strong and steady. This is a book that I know I’ll keep dipping into! Wonderful.

Good read

Very interesting. It's one you can tell that you are really meant to ponder each chapter before moving to the next one. I'll be rereading this often to really get everything I can out of it.

This book made my heart so incredibly full. I listened to it and it was like she was speaking to me. Great insights and some beautiful meditations.

Thought it had some good points and neat imagery.

I loved this book, the layout, the content, everything! Definitely a book you'll want to keep to make notes and refer back to forevermore.