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Returning To My Mother's House: Taking Back the Wisdom of the Feminine
by Gail Straub
Of all the things I struggle with in my overly reflective life, one of the most prominent is my somewhat spotty ability to stand in my own power and to connect with my innate internal authority. So much of what has informed my life-decisions has come from sources external to myself—forces dominated by the patriarchal structures of church and culture. As I approach my forties, I have made it a priority to stop listening to those external opinions, and to focus more intently upon the intuitive, instinctive wisdom that lies within my own self. This is what Gail Straub addresses in her book, Returning To My Mother's House: Taking Back the Wisdom of the Feminine
Straub tells the story of herself, her mother and the disconnect that occurred between them as she moved into adulthood. In her own younger years, Straub’s own mother left behind adventure and creativity to acquiesce to the cultural norm of home and family. In contrast, Straub chose to travel the world, to embrace art and lovers, and to delve into experimentation and intrigue. But in spite of her bohemian lifestyle, Straub eventually felt a deep disconnect from her feminine wisdom—a disconnection which was tied to her mother’s unexpected death in Straub’s early twenties. This book is the story of how Straub recovers from that loss and reacquaints herself with feminine ways of knowing and being.
I think now that taking back my feminine was like a holy excavation, a layer-by-gradual-layer digging to reclaim the hidden artifacts of untamed imagination, kinship with the mystery, quiet contemplation, feelings and moods, and the fluid spaciousness that embraces paradox, mending the opposites of life into a whole.
(p. 100)
Returning to My Mothers’ House is an intriguing story of a varied and thoughtful life. Straub has a concise but reflective writing style that allows the reader to move rapidly through the story. She is effectively selective regarding which stories she chooses to tell, and makes clear observations about key events in her life and the revelations which followed. While she does not make a distinctive summary of these life-lessons in the book, the reading group questions and other materials on her website help the readers draw out the specifics and enhance the “take away” value of the text. For instance, the accompanying material includes a summary of five ways women lose their innate feminine wisdom which includes, among others: fleeing from one’s emotions, losing connection with one’s physical self, and becoming addicted to ‘doing’ – all things to which many of us can relate. Straub’s website also includes suggested practices for taking back the wisdom of the feminine. These practices are embedded within the stories told in the book, but are separated out and stated more succinctly here. The combination of the book along with the discussion material provided on her site, create a powerful transformational tool for women who are seeking to reconnect to the wisdom they know lies within. I highly recommend it, especially as reading material for a book group, or perhaps as the launching point for a Soultribe.
Come, come dear reader, return to the house of the Great Mother. Up, up, take the elegant grand staircase of relationships made up of collaboration, cooperation, communication and caring….where the rooms of intuition provide safe haven for the imagination, for dreams and symbols, for creativity, and the arts. … I know how you feel up here in this sacred space; this is what has been missing from your life, this is what you have been so hungry for.
(from the prologue)
More Praise for Gail Straub’s Returning to My Mother’s House:
Story Circle Book Reviews: Reviewing books by, for, and about women
Mom Fuse: For Moms, By Moms
Rachelle Mee-Chapman is an alt-minister, mom, and writer blogging at Magpie Girl, and now at Food Hero and Twitter .
