Book Review: Untie the Strong Woman: Blessed Mother's Immaculate Love for the Wild Soul, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Untie the Strong Woman: Blessed Mother's Immaculate Love for the Wild Soul
Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Trade Paperback, 374 pages
Sounds True
Sept. 1, 2013 (first published Jan. 1, 2011)
Christianity, Feminism, Mythology, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Social Justice, Spirituality


Book Synopsis:  "There is a promise Holy Mother makes to us," proclaims Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, "that any soul needing comfort, vision, or strength can cry out to her, and Blessed Mother will immediately arrive with veils flying. She will place us under her mantle for refuge, and give us the warmth of her most compassionate touch, and strong guidance about how to go by the soul's lights." Untie the Strong Woman is Dr. Estes's invitation to come together under the shelter of The Mother-whether she appears to us as the Madonna, Our Lady of Guadalupe, or any one of her countless incarnations. This unforgettable collection of stories, prayers, and blessings includes: "The Drunkard and the Lady"- a story of unexpected miracles that arise from the mud and soil, "Guadalupe is a Girl Gang Leader in Heaven"- a poem of resistance and hope, "The Shirt of Arrows"- a love that is invincible no matter how many times we are wounded, "The Black Madonna"- she who stands at the juncture between two worlds and protects us as we enter the dark places.

Why does the face of Our Lady appear in the most humble and unexpected places? Why does she burst forth into every culture no matter how hard authority tries to suppress her? It is because no bonds can prevent her from returning to those who need her most. With Untie the Strong Woman, Dr. Estes invites you to encounter the force of Immaculate Love, "So that your memory of Her is renewed, or that the knowledge of her miraculous, fierce, enduring ways is drawn into your heart for the very first time."

 

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 My Review

Before discovering this beautiful, moving work, I had only heard of Dr.  Estes through her previous masterpiece, Women Who Run With The Wolves, which I must admit I have yet to read, although I do own it.

The present book is a loving tribute to Mary, the mother of Jesus, but it goes beyond that, for Dr. Estes connects the Blessed Mother to the Divine Feminine.  Thus, she is really the Great Mother Goddess, prevalent in all human cultures throughout the centuries, and known by many names.

It's really fascinating to see how much this love of God as Mother has come to the surface in recent years.  Although I share the author's religion -- Catholicism -- I'm not completely comfortable with Estes's take on this, since the Virgin Mary has never been a goddess.  She was born a human being, just like the rest of us, except that she was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah.  Still, I can't help but be drawn to this book, because somehow, it speaks deeply to me.  I suppose there's just something in the human soul that yearns for a mother's nurturing, fierce love.  And that's just how Estes pictures Mary, and the Divine Mother -- as a fierce, yet tender warrior, always ready to protect her children.

At the beginning of each chapter, there are photographs of the author's own collage artwork, done in honor of Our Lady, and as a memento of prayers answered.  The cover of the book depicts Our Lady of Guadalupe, done in the beautiful style of Mexican muralist George Yepes.

  

It was this beautiful cover that initially attracted me to this wonderful, profoundly spiritual, yet profoundly earthy, book.  The woman on this cover is a tender, yet strong, warrior mother.  She is of her people, a woman of great moral courage, of strength in the face of injustice.   She has suffered, and triumphed.  She is holy, and loving, and proud, and she will never be defeated, never be completely blotted from human history.  The author emphasizes this point many times throughout the book.

It wasn't just the cover that attracted me, though; when I picked up the book, which I found in a Barnes & Noble store I visited recently, and opened it, the most delicious book smell wafted from its pages.  I don't know what kind of paper has been used for this treasure, but it has certainly helped me love this book!  From the moment I first saw it standing proudly on a bookshelf, I felt it calling to me.  Grabbing it, I went straight to the snack section of the store, quickly found an empty table, and proceeded to get lost in the wonderfully-scented pages, that were filled with gentle eloquence.

There are many short, as well as longer, chapters in the book, in which Estes vividly details, in her unique, lyrical style, the many facets of the Divine Mother.  She writes at length about Our Lady of Guadalupe, and in one of the more touching chapters, "The Drunkard and the Lady", tells the story of a drunk with stone mason skills who helps her build a shrine to Guadalupe, under the title of "La Conquista" ("The Conquest").  Long before he had finished the shrine, the man had stopped drinking -- completely.  

Another beautiful, yet poignant chapter, "Our Lady Behind the Wall", tells the story of the mural at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in North Denver.  This mural, which depicts the Lady with the Indian saint, Juan Diego, has been hidden behind a wall for several years now. 

Yet another chapter, "Massacre of the Dreamers: the Maiz Mother" ('maiz' means 'corn') tells the sad legend of the wholesale massacre of Moctezuma's dreamers, by Moctezuma himself, in a vain attempt to stop the prophetic dreams about the brutal colonization of the Americas.  The Corn Mother was then known as "Xilonen".

There's also a chapter dedicated to the Black Madonna, as well as another on "The Marys of Mother Africa".  In the chapter on the Black Madonna, she tells of how her Swabian grandmother, Katerin, rescued blackened pieces of wood that were left after fires burned down, calling them her Black Madonnas, because they had an uncanny resemblance to the overall shape of Our Lady.  These she would plant in her vegetable and wheat fields, which would then flourish.

Perhaps the most difficult chapter for me to read was the one titled, "Post-Abortion Compassion: 'The Children She Got That She Did Not Get'".  This line in the title comes from a Gwendolyn Brooks poem, "The Mother".  Dr. Estes had a chance encounter with the poet, as she was flying to Chicago's O'Hare Airport once, and the two of them discussed the poem, in which Brooks regretfully alluded to her own abortions.

In another chapter, Estes relates the Good Friday ritual of "Pesame" ("I am sorry" is an approximate translation), in which a statue of the Madonna is brought down from an alcove in the church, and placed outside the altar rail, in the church's nave.  The congregation then slowly comes forward, to either tenderly touch the statue, or to place a warm shawl over her head, or a cup of water at her feet.  All the people come to the church in silence, and sit with her in silence, to console her for the death of her Son.  I had never heard of such a ritual before; it's obviously part of Mexican Catholic spirituality.  I found it very moving and beautiful.

Another chapter tells of the tradition of "La Posada" ("The Inn"), in which, every Christmas, a family portraying the Holy Family goes from house to house, being turned away, until at last they come to the designated house where they will be welcomed with open arms.  Along the way, they sometimes meet up with folks who, moved with compassion, forget that they are supposed to turn away the travelers, and eagerly ask them to come in, to the amused consternation of the participants.     

There are many stories throughout this book, which is a wonderful combination of things -- memoir, history, spirituality, philosophy, and poetry written by the author, which she weaves into several chapters.  In a style that is unique, tender, and full of rich metaphors, Estes pulls the reader along, delving into the recesses of the heart and soul, as she touches the sacred and brings it to life, inspiring us to marvel, to ponder, to enter into the mystery ourselves.

Estes ties the story of the Great Mother with the stories of all those who suffer and struggle for justice -- from her own Mexican ancestors, to women in Africa still enduring abuse, to the Russians who finally were able to tear down the Berlin Wall, to those who were killed during the Holocaust.  She tells these tales simply, with no vindictive rage, but with the firm stance of one who presents these horrors to the reader, one who serves as witness.  And the Great Mother grieves....

Some readers might be put off by the fact that the book has a heavy Catholic influence, while more traditional Christians might object, as I do, to the idea of the Virgin Mary being divine.  But then, the concept of the Divine Mother is something universal, something that speaks to a very deep yearning within the human heart, so I would say that everyone and anyone can read this book.  There's something about the idea of God the Mother that is, quite simply, immensely appealing, in spite of its controversy.  This book is sure to charm and ensnare the unsuspecting reader, whatever their views on the Divine Feminine.  Totally fascinating in its grand scope, it's sure to become a spiritual classic!

MY RATING:

 About the Author

 

 Clarissa Pinkola Estes

 An American poet, Jungian psychoanalyst and post-trauma specialist who was raised in now nearly vanished oral and ethnic traditions. She is a first-generation American who grew up in a rural village, population 600, near the Great Lakes. Of Mexican mestiza and majority Magyar and minority Swabian tribal heritages, she comes from immigrant and refugee families who could not read or write, or who did so haltingly. Much of her writing is influenced by her family people who were farmers, shepherds, hopsmeisters, wheelwrights, weavers, orchardists, tailors, cabinet makers, lacemakers, knitters, and horsemen and horsewomen from the Old Countries.

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