Here is a book that might interest you: Conversations with the Goddess: Encounter at Petra, Place of Power by Dorothy Atalla.

I had been meaning to read it for some time, but you know how that goes. Finally, I had the luxury of uninterrupted time to savor her fascinating travels through time and space to find the Feminine Divine.

On a January day in the depths of mid-western winter, Dorothy Atalla, a woman in her middle years, expected more of the same: snow, ice and gray skies. But when she lay down on her living room carpet to relax with music, she had an experience, which changed her life. Inexplicably, a vision of a radiant and beneficent female presence appeared to her. This astonishing event was only the beginning of a journey she could never have imagined in her wildest dreams. That vision foreshadowed the dialogue with a deity, which is the essence of this book.

“I suddenly saw with photographic clarity an image of a woman who radiated scintillating light. She was richly dressed and wore a diadem in the manner of East Indian royalty. She turned her head and smiled in my direction. I had never had such an experience, and didn’t know who she might be. At the time I didn’t know this vision was going to be a preface to the conversations, which would follow later on.” 

Conversations with the Goddess swiftly evolves from a personal story into a universal story in which a feminine Presence speaks about the role of the sacred Feminine in the future. She also speaks of the past, revealing a panoramic view of a time in which the Goddess was revered not only at Petra but also throughout the ancient world. Dorothy’s story is a multiplicity of strands which she deftly weaves together, creating a tapestry that spans immense time frames in Earth’s evolution. As her tale progresses, people from the deep past step forward to tell about their lives and their relationship with the Goddess. And what a fascinating group of characters they are – from Zillah, slave woman, to Hayyan al-Shubri, high priest who serves the chief goddess of Petra.

“It had been seven years since my family and I visited the site of Petra. It had made such an indelible impression upon me that I wrote a poem and a travel essay about it, which was published in the local newspaper. I had not felt motivated to write more about Petra, although its grandeur and antiquity had thrilled me. Why, then, was this place showing up in my meditation?”

Woven into the dialogues are lively commentaries about Petra as a cosmic power point, women as agents for planetary evolution and restoration of ancient Goddess knowledge and women’s mysteries. Other threads in this weaving are also relevant to modern women: woman’s innate spiritual power, Earth’s powers and the powers of woman, symbolism in female artifacts and the consciousness which created them, what the dark Feminine really is, correction of misperceptions about the nature of the Great Goddess, and a path toward balance of the divine Feminine and the divine Masculine.

“What was empowering about the conversations was this: I came to understand that the disempowering story which our culture has given us about our lives as females can, and will be, transcended. When our misperceptions about ourselves as females are cleared away, we can begin to see the powers, which are uniquely ours.”

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Donna Henes is the author of The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife. She offers counseling and upbeat, practical and ceremonial guidance for individual women and groups who want to enjoy the fruits of an enriching, influential, purposeful, passionate, and powerful maturity. Consult the MIDLIFE MIDWIFE™

The Queen welcomes questions concerning all issues of interest to women in their mature years. Send your inquiries to thequeenofmyself@aol.com.