The Way of the Rose, Clark Strand
The Way of the Rose, Clark Strand
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The Way of the Rose
The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary

Author: Clark Strand, Perdita Finn

Narrator: Clark Strand, Perdita Finn, Sophie Strand

Unabridged: 6 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/05/2019


Synopsis

What happens when a former Zen Buddhist monk and his feminist wife experience an apparition of the Virgin Mary?

“This book could not have come at a more auspicious time, and the message is mystical perfection, not to mention a courageous one. I adore this book.”—Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit

Before a vision of a mysterious “Lady” invited Clark Strand and Perdita Finn to pray the rosary, they were not only uninterested in becoming Catholic but finished with institutional religion altogether. Their main spiritual concerns were the fate of the planet and the future of their children and grandchildren in an age of ecological collapse. But this Lady barely even referred to the Church and its proscriptions. Instead, she spoke of the miraculous power of the rosary to transform lives and heal the planet, and revealed the secrets she had hidden within the rosary’s prayers and mysteries—secrets of a past age when forests were the only cathedrals and people wove rose garlands for a Mother whose loving presence was as close as the ground beneath their feet. She told Strand and Finn:

The rosary is My body,
and My body is the body of the world.
Your body is one with that body.
What cause could there be for fear?

Weaving together their own remarkable story of how they came to the rosary, their discoveries about the eco-feminist wisdom at the heart of this ancient devotion, and the life-changing revelations of the Lady herself, the authors reveal an ancestral path—available to everyone, religious or not—that returns us to the powerful healing rhythms of the natural world.

About Clark Strand

Clark Strand is an American spiritual writer and former Zen Buddhist monk. He also served as senior editor of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, a position he left in 1996 in order to write and teach full time. He is the author of Seeds from the Birch and The Wooden Bowl. He currently resides in Woodstock, New York, where he leads the Koans of the Bible Study Group.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Erin

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3. I really wanted to love this. I thought I would love this. I'd say I liked it, in the same way I like a lot of the teachings of Christianity. I can like something and still dislike aspects of it. To me this was a solid 50/50. The Good: -This book starts off very promising......more

Goodreads review by Cynthia

As a Protestant, I had never understood the Catholic preoccupation with Mary. This book not only helped me be open to Marion spirituality, it also set the concept of a feminine God into a context of worldwide, pre-Christian beliefs. I found this book fascinating, and I'll have to admit, I've started......more

Goodreads review by Anne

I definitely enjoyed this book, even though I am no longer Catholic and never had instruction in how to pray the rosary. I am a big believer in the Divine Feminine and found this book freeing as well as informative about Mother Mary and how other cultures perceive and worship the Divine Feminine. I......more

Goodreads review by Alisa

This isn't just a book, it's a movement, a community, a prayer for the divine feminine, a tender antidote to our toxic patriarchy, and a much-needed call to action. I was a life long Buddhist but aside from some basic tenants, was feeling drawn to "Mother Mary" and other female saints and icons to w......more

Goodreads review by Liv

All in all, I am glad I read The Way of the Rose. It’s a sweet book that has the capacity to actually change a life by kickstarting a rosary routine replete with emotional and spiritual benefits. At a couple points, when feeling more merciful, I was close to giving it a higher rating as I adore the......more


Quotes

“A masterwork that will leave you in tears, it comes to the world, as the Lady herself always comes, in our hour of need.”—Eric Utne, founder of Utne Reader and author of Far Out Man
 
“In times of turmoil we need a tangible practice to help us release worry. The Way of the Rose gives us an ancient, sustainable answer for how to root into peace and wisdom beyond dogma and traditions. I can’t recommend this book enough.”—HeatherAsh Amara, author of The Warrior Heart Practice
 
“Ultimately, The Way of the Rose is a love song to the world, and to the mysteries of the world. Moving and profound, powerful and elegant, it is a call for us to remember our place in the larger community of humans past, present, and future, and our place in the larger community of life on this planet.”—Derrick Jensen, author of The Myth of Human Supremacy
 
The Way of the Rose is both a firsthand account of mystic initiation and a revelation of the Divine Feminine in an age of patriarchal madness—erudite, irreverent, and wise. . . . Manna from heaven.”—Mark Matousek, author of Mother of the Unseen World
 
“This is a universal story of love, a huge-hearted invitation to step up and into the field of the sacred feminine, a gratifying guide to a life of joy and service.”—Mirabai Starr, author of Wild Mercy
 
The Way of the Rose is brilliantly written and filled with a wealth of stories meant to inspire us. I feel blessed by reading this beautiful and sacred book.”—Sandra Ingerman, author of The Book of Ceremony
 
“A wonderful book . . . As I read it, I couldn't help but remember my grandmothers and aunts praying—how gentle they were when they handled each bead in prayer.”—Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr., author of The Five Levels of Attachment