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Summary: Hygieia: A Woman;s Herbal
Review: As a librarian with over fifteen years experience, I have reviewed and read reviews, browsed and selected thousands of books. With this in mind, I can attest to you that Hygieia is a unique, wise and beautiful book. It is one of those rare books that is a treasure to hold and behold, as well as, to read and savour. Many moons ago, I became acquainted with Jeannine Parvati Baker's work from her book, Prenatal Yoga (which I also highly recommend). From that, I learned about Hygieia and I loved every page of it.Hygieia imparts the knowledge and wisdom of herbals for the needs of women. Letters from women, dream interpretations only add to the delight of this wise-women book. It is easy to use, with an organized format and thorough index, but also a pleasure to simply browse. I find myself returning to this book often as it is in invaluable tool for women at any age or stage in their life. Even though I share most of my day, every day, with books and purchased this book for our collection at the library, it is truly such an outstanding book in both wisdom and beauty that I had to buy my own copy!
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Summary: Hygieia in review (Hygieia, A Woman's Herbal, by Jeannine
Review: Hygieia is an important and fascinating compendium of many kinds of heath lore about women's health. This hefty paperback with the cramy, near-square pages and the fine line drawings and calligraphy outgrowth of the author's master's project written while raising three small children (she had three more after the early editions of the book appeared.) Hygieia combines listings of traditional botanical remedies from North America and Western Europe with new ways of using the imagination and ,ythology to create a self-health model for women. Parvati-Baker's book is not so much intended as a guide to how to USE herbs to build health as a guide to new ways of thinking and feeling about women's reproductive and sexual lives. There are chapters and sections devoted to thinking about sexual desire, about natural birthing options including natural home birth and non-separation from the placenta (Lotus birth, about re-visioning menstruation as a time to celebrate, about Western and Asian myths of heraling and women;s power, about re-thinking fertility itself, and about many types of spiritual and psychological practice, especially those that have leant meaning to the author. Hygieia is a personal book, a sort of a glimpse into the inner as well as the family life of its creator, Jeannine Parvati. It is about many aspects of being a woman involved in creating one's own healing, as Parvati-Baker experiences this. The openminded reader is drawn into her world, where she (or he) can pick and choose those ideas and images that speak to her (or his) psyche, while leaving that which does not work as well to bloom in the same garden for another. It reads as a journey into a way of being where healing and honoring one's reproductive and living self is a birthright that can be claimed by all. Those lookig to use this book as a sort of alternative pharmacopeia will probably be disappointed, for the author is calling the reader into a more broadbased, holistic understanding about the relationship between plant allies, the earth, and women's health and well-being.Hygieia does not prescribe; it brings seeds for further contemplation on ways of regarding botanicals, health, adn the experience of being female.
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Summary: Hygieia
Review: Hygieia is an important herbal book guiding women back into the ancient traditions of inner wisdom; meanwhile, it offers much guidance in the use of herbs recommended for family wellness. The artwork as well as goddess wisdom is divine! This book is a wonderful reference book for the technical aspects of using herbs as well as a wholistic companion in understanding the multi-dimensions of one's full being, and is simply a pleasureable book to explore regularly.
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Summary: A Herbal for Changing Women
Review: Hygieia is not for those women seeking pre-digested, one-faceted answers to their ailments, nor is it a "Herbal for Dummies." It is not a "how to" book which will give you quick, easy answers. It will require you to find those answers for yourself, all the while guiding you in the process of self-discovery. It is written for those wise women seeking to deepen their knowledge of themselves through contemplation. It is for those fortunate maidens and mothers who enjoy being in tune with their lunar bodies, women who think and dream and live moment to moment, day by day. It is for Changing Women, and not the clinical, bare females of medical journals and anatomy books. Hygieia is for responsible women who first take their inner wisdom as gospel, before that of any book or doctor or even healer. Those women who are open and ready for such an approach will love coming back to it again and again, picking it up with a specific question or simply leafing through it and letting it guide them to what is right for them. It is a guide for finding our own relationship with plants, our own balance in healing ourselves. Jeannine Parvati Baker's herbal is akin to a philosphy, a way of life. It is a herbal for a lifetime, not simply for a "quick fix."
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Summary: Manual for truly living in the Feminine
Review: I first received this book as a gift in the early 80's from a wonderful free spirit living on the beach. I was so attracted to this wild woman who seemed to be the exact opposite of all that culture expected me to be. I remember sitting in the beach over several days reading it cover to cover... it was as if I was spending my days with an old friend. I could feel something within my deepest being becoming awake, aware... My intuition told me to hold fast to my copy which I read many times over the years. I fell in love with being a woman and having the power to control my own health, energy and vitality. Visually, this is a stunning book with artwork and graphics, borders and creative usage of fonts that make the reader feel as though she has stumbled upon a written treasure, secret knowledge gathered over the course of hundreds of years - passed down for hundreds more. I have used herbs my entire life and I've come to realize that herbs are not to be used for specific "treatments" but rather for whole living. Much more than just a herbal guide, this books shows how to tap into the strength, intuitive wisdom, self-mastery, and sheer life force of every woman and it provides the key to self-knowledge and wholeness. I feel this book is very intimately written and that it truly speaks to a woman's soul, awakening her own inner healing spirit. So many women I have given this book over the years have thanked me time and again for giving them the book that changed the course of their lives. Jeannine Parvati-Baker is truly a Goddess of our time. Her life's work has been a testament to preserving all that IS our birthright as women, the power to heal - our bodies, our families, our planet. She is a feminist in the truest sense of the word and allows us to be strong in our woman power without tearing down the power of our male partners... This is truly a profound, powerful, and moving book which provides hope for celebration as we turn to embrace a lost aspect of ourselves.... A MUST for every woman and the men who long to know her.
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Summary: Goddesses, empower yourselves!
Review: I remember when I first saw Hygieia. I was in an old rootsy health food store and I think there was some really groovy music playing on the stereo. My partner was taking a long time to pick out fruit and so I wandered into the "holistic health for women" section of the bookstand. I was immediatedly attracted to the cover of Jeannine Parvati Baker's herbal and as I flipped through it, I knew I had to have it....the beauty upon each page in art and in word resonated deep in an inner place within my soul and I felt I needed to sit many hours by the fireside and absorb the wisdom of this incredibly feminine herbal. Now that I have a copy of Hygeiea, I carry it with me on long journeys and I reference it often. I enjoy the fresh perspective on feminism ....I appreciate Jeannine's efforts to empower women to take care of our reproductive health in a way that is connecteed to Earth wisdom and sages of old. Jeannine Parvati Baker, in her book Hygieia, encourages women of all ages to fully embrace each cycle of womanhood from puberty to motherhood to menopause and beyond in a beautiful way. Truly the book Hygieia is a rare gem, a true blessing to the aspiring wise woman(or man!!)
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Summary: Goddesses, empower yourselves!
Review: I remember when I first saw Hygieia. I was in an old rootsy health food store and I think there was some really groovy music playing on the stereo. My partner was taking a long time to pick out fruit and so I wandered into the "holistic health for women" section of the bookstand. I was immediatedly attracted to the cover of Jeannine Parvati Baker's herbal and as I flipped through it, I knew I had to have it....the beauty upon each page in art and in word resonated deep in an inner place within my soul and I felt I needed to sit many hours by the fireside and absorb the wisdom of this incredibly feminine herbal. Now that I have a copy of Hygeiea, I carry it with me on long journeys and I reference it often. I enjoy the fresh perspective on feminism ....I appreciate Jeannine's efforts to empower women to take care of our reproductive health in a way that is connecteed to Earth wisdom and sages of old. Jeannine Parvati Baker, in her book Hygieia, encourages women of all ages to fully embrace each cycle of womanhood from puberty to motherhood to menopause and beyond in a beautiful way. Truly the book Hygieia is a rare gem, a true blessing to the aspiring wise woman(or man!!)
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Summary: Hygieia: A Woman's Herbal
Review: If I could turn back time, I would have read this book in my pre-teens. Then my forties would be much simpler had I been living in harmony with my body all of these years. Jeannine has something for everyone, no matter what your age, it's never too late or too soon to begin taking care of yourself in the most natural way possible. Her intuitive finesse combined with her extensive experience as an herbalist and midwife is very comforting and respectfully given to the reader. Her delightful wit along with her indisputable wisdom uses time-tested ancient tools to create realistic ways to celebrate ALL the phases of being a woman. She wakes us up to possibilites we may never have found on our own regarding contraception, pregnancy, childbirth, sterilty, birth control and even aphrodisiacs! Her insight to these matters is often surprisingly simple and spiritually sane as she tells us that "good gynecological health is contingent upon general good health". I especially appreciate the knowledge shared by the Native American traditions to well-woman care. Thank you, Jeanine for being "lovingly real" and oh, so spontaneous in your delivery of this precious and beautiful book!
Rating:
Summary: Hygieia: A Woman's Herbal
Review: If I could turn back time, I would have read this book in my pre-teens. Then my forties would be much simpler had I been living in harmony with my body all of these years. Jeannine has something for everyone, no matter what your age, it's never too late or too soon to begin taking care of yourself in the most natural way possible. Her intuitive finesse combined with her extensive experience as an herbalist and midwife is very comforting and respectfully given to the reader. Her delightful wit along with her indisputable wisdom uses time-tested ancient tools to create realistic ways to celebrate ALL the phases of being a woman. She wakes us up to possibilites we may never have found on our own regarding contraception, pregnancy, childbirth, sterilty, birth control and even aphrodisiacs! Her insight to these matters is often surprisingly simple and spiritually sane as she tells us that "good gynecological health is contingent upon general good health". I especially appreciate the knowledge shared by the Native American traditions to well-woman care. Thank you, Jeanine for being "lovingly real" and oh, so spontaneous in your delivery of this precious and beautiful book!
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Summary: A YOUNG WOMAN
Review: Jeanine Parvati Baker's Hygieia: A Woman's Herbal is one of those books that jumped off of the shelf ino my arms when I was most ready to receive it. The book is lovely, a pleasure to handle and a labyrinth into places deep within all of us, that brings us more fully into being human. Hygieia is warm and vital, and inspires the reader to connect with the plant world. It is a classic in herbals, as well as feminist spirituality. Highly recommend it for those who want more than cut and dry recipes for using herbs.
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