Description

There is, perhaps, no more powerful archetype of female resistance than Lilith. As women across the globe rise up against the patriarchy, Lilith stands beside them, misogyny’s original challenger. This anthology—a chorus of voices hitting chords of defiance, liberation, anger and joy—reclaims the goodness of women bold enough to hold tight to their essence. Through poetry, prose, incantation, prayer and imagery, women from all walks of life invite you to join them in the revolutionary act of claiming their place—of reclaiming themselves.

"Women (and the people who love us) must dig deep into our souls to liberate the questions that have been locked away in our time capsules. We must traverse the annals of history to unearth the sacred sites that have been violently gentrified by white patriarchy. We must find the Divine Truth that cannot be claimed, contained or tamed. What better place to start than at the beginning with Lilith, the world's first woman."-Christena Cleveland, Ph.D., in her Preface

Praise for Original Resistance:

"Everything my feminine soul has been thirsting for is contained in the brimming cup of this book. The Lilith archetype unleashes the wild heart, blows open the gates of the nondual mind, and blesses every cell of the holy, holy body. A fiery elixir of poetry and scholarship, myth and personal narrative, Original Resistance is a call to sacred action riding in on a wave of lovingkindness."

-Mirabai Starr, Author of Caravan of No Despair and Wild Mercy

"The original warrior goddess: Lilith. This anthology shows the re-awakening of the major female archetype of resistance movement against the roots of patriarchy. Through these diverse voices, listen to the murmur of a revolution that lives in the hearts of all women and is now bursting forth in a roar."

-HeatherAsh Amara, Author of Warrior Goddess Training

"A rich anthology filled with essays, poetry, and art inspired by Lilith, the forgotten first woman of the Old Testament. Lilith's original story is described in detail, and the personal stories shared by women remind us that we all need to meet Lilith, the first radical feminist to stand aside from the rules of the father God. Read this book and decide for yourself— is Lilith a dangerous outcast, or is she a much-needed companion for women who don't take it lying down?"

-Dr Kaalii Cargill, PhD, author of Don't Take It Lying Down: Life According to the Goddess.

"Female resistance is dangerous. It is also necessary. For far too long the Western Judeo-Christian stigma of Eve as the downfall of humankind has served to oppress women, silence our voices, desecrate our power, annihilate our very existence. As an archetype of female strength and sovereignty, Lilith is the missing link in our spiritual mitochondria. Inviolable. Self-defining. Autonomous. She reminds us that we can, and must, resist any and all attempts to silence our voices, diminish our strength, erase our lived-experience. Original Resistance: Reclaiming Lilith, Reclaiming Ourselves is a veritable feast of artwork, poetry, and prose by visual artists and writers from a wide range of ethnicities, cultures, and countries around the world. It nourishes the soul and inspires us to embrace the wild beauty of our nature, and dance with abandon. Ultimately, it urges us to remember and reclaim our right—our duty—to resist all attempts to oppress and subvert our innate power. Like Lilith, it calls us to denounce the patriarchally-enforced feminine role of subservience, and restore our rightful place in the world."

-Mary Saracino, author of the novels, Heretics: A Love Story and The Singing of Swans, as well as other two other novels, a book-length memoir, and numerous poems and prose pieces.

“I have to admit I knew very little about Lilith before reading ORIGINAL RESISTANCE: Reclaiming Lilith, Reclaiming Ourselves. For me—once again not consciously realizing it was by patriarchal design—Lilith was no more than a vague name lost somewhere in the dusty bins of mythology. But, as I found myself getting deeper and deeper into this marvelous Girl God anthology, it became clear that Lilith—unlike the Old Testament Eve—is so much more than a myth. She is a very deep and profound truth.

Following the essays, stories, poems and artwork throughout the book I found myself absorbing a virtual symphony of thoughts as the myriad of instruments played a similar note but in completely different voices. And I came to the realization that reclaiming Lilith—especially in this day and age—is essential to life. For she truly is the path of compassion, the driving force of personal sovereignty, the creator of self-determination, the fighter for equality, and the absolutely necessary reclaimer of female erotic power. Yet, as I turned the last page, I saw that Lilith is even more than all that. She is the fundamental driving force of the soul, not only for women, but for all of humankind…

And her time has come.”

-Peter Wilkes, author of A Woman Called God and Lucifer Eve And Adam.

“It’s lovely to see the ways in which the archetype of Lilith continues to speak to women from different cultures and traditions. The beautiful art in Original Resistance adds much to the written accounts of Lilith’s impact and meaning.”

-Judith Plaskow, author of The Coming of Lilith: Essays on Feminism, Judaism, and Sexual Ethics.