The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine―A Personal Story of Spiritual Awakening and Healing

The memoir, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, details the powerful faith journey taken by Sue Monk Kidd, who begins by questioning the status quo of patriarchy that is embedded in most Christian traditions. However, when the misogynist forces rear their ugly head to menace her teenage daughter, the overwhelming emotions as mother tigress kicks in. Monk takes us on her seven year quest of discovery, and the process evolves in precise movements. We travel through her experiences of Awakening, Initiation, Grounding, and Empowerment, all the while celebrating her awareness of the Divine Feminine, and reclaiming Her as our own along the way. For those of you who are not familiar with this feminine expression of God, The Divine Sophia emerges in the Hebrew Scriptures as Ruach ~ Shekhinah ~ Chokmah, translated as the Breath of God, the Presence of God, and the Wisdom of God, all of which have been with God since the beginning of Creation. This feminine aspect of God, which would have been well-known by the ancient Jews, Jesus and his followers, and those in the early Christian movement, was diminished to the point of non-existence in theology and doctrine of the Orthodox Church. The great thinkers of the early Church could not reconcile the greatness of the Holy Spirit/Divine Wisdom with the inferior, insignificant, weak idea of anything related to the Feminine. However, these feminine names for God represent an inclusive view of God, the possibility of what God “is”. By reflecting on the Divine Sophia as the Holy Spirit, we could begin to deconstruct our terminology, our language of God, to highlight and define the holy feminine within the Trinity. We could begin the process of reclaiming Sophia as a divine symbol, acknowledging the feminine in God in addition to the masculine, how God and the Christ and the Holy Spirit are both male/female, all of the same substance, representing all of humanity. The Holy Spirit is probably the most difficult concept for people to grasp, and can be uncomfortable for those that prefer all-male terminology for God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. However, this establishes the basis for reclaiming ourselves, reflecting on women’s stories of wisdom and spirituality within our Traditions, and encouraging us to explore the divine in our lives today. Overall, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter is an essential read for anyone who questions whether women can image God or the rightful place of women in our faith. Historians, theologians, archaeologists, and feminist scholars alike, all attest to this most basic of assumptions: women were present in all forms and all places: as apostles, disciples, deacons, leaders of house churches, teachers and evangelists. We have the information to redirect the conversation and make substantial changes in the education of our congregations and schools, changes within the clergy and the laity, which includes women in authority and decision-making positions in every aspect of the Church.

"The Dance of the Dissident Daughter" is a remarkable read. It tells the story of Ms. Kidd's journey of transformation, as she witnesses a conversation being held as her daughter is kneeling in a store. A conversation between two men who state, "Women belong on their knees". This statement triggered a response that made her look inside of herself and search for what was missing. In her search, she finds her voice and she finds herself in the feminine: A place of belonging. Her journey reveals her truth, authenticity, courage, and circumspect to fully fine the meaning of feminine spirituality. Kidd states, " I'd been an unconscious victim before my awakening began". Discovering her truth was wakening from victimization and it made it possible for her to move beyond it. Naomi Wolf states, "Women are not natural victims, but they sure are victimized". We come into a world that has already labeled us inferior. We have come into a world that continues to perpetuate a tradition that devalues, diminishes, rejects, and limits women and the feminine. Kidd dispels this. I have nothing but good things to say about the book. I truly recommend this book because I can see myself evolving into a new authentic me. No longer i am willing to accept what has been mandated for me and I have chosen the path to follow my path to my spiritual feminine and authentic me.

An absorbing read about a devout Christian who questions her church’s and indeed Christianity’s treatment of women through dogma, biblical teaching and practices through the centuries.

I found this book a very well-written, well-organized 'mini-bio' of the author's experiences as she first realizes that traditional religion has no--at heart--way of speaking to women. And that that has opened up a bottle of societal ills--all aimed at women. In fact, it is that recognition with which she opens her tale, having seen 2 men overtly and casually sexualizing and denigrating her own daughter as they passed her in a store. From there, she begins to explore other traditions, how to think outside the patriarchal 'box' and how to connect with what, for her, constitutes what I suppose you might call 'feminine spirit.' It's a journey of months and years. Her writing voice is both intimate and clear. Very enjoyable to read. I found myself not wanting to set down the book, or staying up just a little too late with it...always a good indication. I recommend this book to anybody, male or female (but perhaps more to women), who have ever wondered why there are NO goddesses in our churches. Why there are no culturally common female religious figures. Why it's ok to have and worship divine males...but not divine females...why women appear to be invisible in religion or at best Oscar-for-Best-Supporting-Actress types. And how, if you are invisible in that sphere... you have no cache in a more tangible way. I also recommend it to anybody who thinks he/she will be offended by it, because as other reviewers have noted, it's a gracious exploration of one woman's truth--not rage--and as such is instructive and interesting. It's not at all preachy. Not ranting. Just...like sitting with a good friend over coffee. I also recommend it because the reactions of her own (very religious) husband are also worth consideration.

There is a time in most women's lives when they remember who they are. For me, this time came in the middle of my fortieth decade. It was truly as if I had been jostled from a life-long sleep and viewed the world with new eyes. This time of awakening can be difficult for women. It can feel incredibly lonely to experience this without others. Your friends and family may look at you as if you are crazy, depressed, self-indulgent, or worse, heretical. Enter Sue Monk Kidd. Sue took my hand through the words she wrote in this book and held it tightly as I navigated this thrilling but difficult time. With words that resonated with my soul, she helped me explore the feminine divine, the mystery, through her experience. If you are a woman who has begun to question the way that things are in society and religion, if you have begun to wonder why the bible was written for men, why men are the leaders of the church, why men are the heads of the family, why men are charged with the spiritual edification of their wives and children, why the God of the old testament seems like a petty, jealous, lover . . . you MUST read this book. Filled with her personal story, history, and brilliant quotes, you will not be sorry you picked up this gentle, spirit filled, book.

Snake medicine is the power of transmutation. It is the energy of wholeness, cosmic consciousness, and the ability to experience anything willingly and without resistance. This willingness to experience is extremely courageous, as it brings into question many if not all of the "things that we know". It is the knowledge that all things are equal in creation, and that those things which might be experienced or regarded as poison (both physicaly and spititualy) can be integrated and transmuted if one has the proper state of mind. This medicine teaches you on a personal level that you are a universal being. Through accepting all aspects of your life, you can bring about the transmutation of the fire medicine. This fire energy, when functioning on the material plane, creates passion, desire, procreation, and physical vitality. On the emotional plane, it becomes ambition, creation, resolution, and dreams. On the mental plane, it becomes intellect, power, charisma, and leadership. When Snake energy reaches the spiritual plane, it becomes wisdom, understandig, wholeness, and connection to the Divine. This is heavy magic, but remember, magic is no more than a change in consciousness. Sue Monk Kidd appears to be well on her way to acheiving her personal goal of becoming a whole and healthy being. What astounds me is that she put it down in writing for the whole world to see and let the change in the course of her life happen both privately and publicly. We should all have such courage.

It takes a brave woman to swim against the tides of tradition, and Sue Monk Kidd did that when she elected to leave the traditonal forms of patriarchy espoused by her church upbringing. This autobiographical memoir gives voice to the feelings and questions that many women in similar environments might have. I believe Kidd's story of her withdrawal from conservative Christian patriarchy to a feminist theology has valuable potential to normalise the fears and questions of other women with similar doubts. As well as Kidd's personal narrative, there is a good deal of detailed research on feminism, Jungian symbology, and the goddess movement underpinning this book. It also provides interesting insight into the beginnings of patriarchy and male domination in religious circles. At times, I felt the book bogged down with details, but I still believe it is relevant, and would be interesting in the secular or Christian arena. It is definitely a book for a thinking person, female or male.

This book was initially published in 1996 and maintained its four-part storyline of the author's awakening, initiation, grounding, and empowerment. • Awakening – to oneself and feminism • Initiation – to break barriers to being feminine and divine. • Grounding - to spiritual awareness; the dance of dissidence • Empowerment – to finally tell the story of a sacred feminine experience. Traditionally, God's face is always represented by a male human aspect. However, this book explores how we can see God's face through the lens of female resistance and strength to conquer and overcome being complicit to male ideology. Sue Monk Kidd, who is also the author of The Secret Life of Bees, is no stranger to writing compelling events, but now she is discovering wholeness that will outline feminine divinity. Wisdom was with God in the beginning, and God's Wisdom formed the earth, the waters, the light, and the works of the first six days in Genesis. This book has opened my mind to the concept of feminine divinity through references to Wisdom's ability in the beginning. Like the Word, Wisdom was always in existence, and she (Wisdom) encompasses the Divine' I Am.'