Absent Mother God of the West

Book Description

Drawing from her rich heritage of growing up with Kali and countless other goddesses, Indian scholar Neela Bhatta Saxena embarks on both a deeply personal and rigorously academic exploration of what has been lost in Western spirituality. This thought-provoking work emerges from her university course "The Goddess in World Religions" and addresses a profound absence that has shaped centuries of religious consciousness.

Saxena investigates how the Divine Feminine was systematically removed from Western spiritual traditions, creating what she identifies as an exclusively patriarchal monotheism. Through her Hindu and Buddhist lens, she examines the far-reaching psychological and spiritual consequences this erasure has had on both women and men in Western societies. Her analysis reveals how colonial and proselytizing forces contributed to denying the sacred nature of the feminine.

Yet the author also recognizes signs of awakening. The growing Western embrace of body-centered practices like yoga and the proliferation of goddess-focused literature point to what she calls a "deep seated mother hunger" in contemporary consciousness. Saxena explores fascinating phenomena such as Europe's Black Madonna traditions and the mystical figure of Shekhinah in Jewish spirituality, offering fresh perspectives on how the feminine divine persists despite centuries of suppression.

This scholarly yet accessible work invites readers to reconsider fundamental questions about spirituality, gender, and the wholeness that comes from honoring both masculine and feminine aspects of the sacred.