I found the brief section on "Basics of Goddess Spirituality" to be stimulating. Contemplation of the thealogical/theological themes exhibited in this section was rewarding. It was good for me, but it didn't last long.
One page into the second section, "Images of the Goddess," Monaghan had managed to constrain "the goddess path" to a stroll through her rather pastoral views. From the outset, Monaghan discards the traditional triparte goddess, replacing her with a four-part one because Cybil Shepard needed a cheerleader. (Monaghan traces her epiphany to an anecdotal comment by Shepard in which she complains her "Cheerleader" nature wasn't contained in the Maiden-Mother-Crone aspects. Monaghan polarizes the Maiden into "Daughter" and "Lover" (Cheerleader).
In doing so, Monaghan again departs from the traditional, which is characterized by extreme Maiden archetypes such as "Amazon" and "Hetaera." Furthermore, I felt I detected some prejudicial leaning towards the virginal daughter at the expense of her whoring sister, the "Lover." This was confirmed when I read the ritual suggestions for invoking Athena (a "Daughter"):
"As Athena is a virgin goddess, men should not look on her statue during this ritual. If men participate, they should turn and form a protective shield between the ritual and the door."
Many mainstream pagans on the goddess path hold different views on this concept of "virginity." One view is well articulated by Janet and Stewart Farrar (The Witches' Goddess, p. 155):
"Virgin here means two different things. The original meaning was a woman whose status was in her own right, one not subject to the rule of any man; to this concept, celibacy was irrelevant, a matter of personal choice."
Monaghan ignores the original meaning and narrows the path we need to tread to follow her in invoking and knowing the individual aspects of the 20 goddesses she presents.
The foregoing is not an isolated instance. In introducing Aphrodite, Monaghan finds it necessary to issue four paragraphs of warnings before proceeding to suggest ritual. Furthermore, the ritual prescribed by Monaghan is closer to a high school social than traditional Aphrodite worship. The only traditional ritual gesture she suggests (offering the breasts) is diminished by polarization (a habit of Monaghan's). In addition to being "suggestive," Monaghan claims the gesture is also one of "self-containment." Her need to neutralize sex-positive expressions and principles is puzzling.
This book is valuable for the exposition of ideas in the first section, as well as for the inclusion of traditional hymns, prayers and other archaic literature and mythology. Be warned, however, that "The Goddess Path" is really "Patricia Monaghan's Path," no more, and no less.
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