Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga Paperback – February 1, 2013

I'm moved to write a review of this book because of the powerful shifts it is helping to create in my life. Other reviewers have expertly explained the contents and the value of the exercises. I have only to add that the author's own deep spiritual work (and perhaps the energies of the goddesses themselves) create the effect of love emanating from every page. Kempton is able to see the gifts of each goddess (and thus every personality type in the human spectrum) clearly and without bias. She says she is a Saraswati woman, but she describes that goddess with no more or less devotion than she offers Lakshmi, Kali, or Lalita: all are revered and welcomed. The exercises and meditations she offers feel deeply relevant for the issues each particular goddess raises in one's own experience -- no cursory work here. The effect is that one can actually identify with each of the energies being presented and truly "find oneself" through communion with each goddess.There's no "woo-woo" factor here: Kempton doesn't insist we believe in goddesses as beings in the sky. This could just as easily be a positive alternative to the Myers-Briggs or the Enneagram, particularly for women. Of course, she doesn't dissuade us from conceiving of them as actual goddesses, either; giving us the gentle reassurance that inviting them into our lives will indeed make a difference.I'd particularly recommend this book to women in transition, whether that's college graduation, about to embark on motherhood, menopause, the empty nest, or moving toward the end of life. It's comforting and freeing at once. Bless you, Sally Kempton, for putting so much love, life energy and responsible reporting into this project. You are truly changing lives.

This is an amazing book that I already want to read again to delve deeper into the Goddesses of Yoga! This was a complete healing journey from beginning to end, learning about yourself while empowering and embodying the sacred feminine.

The teachings contained in this book are pure gold. Every chapter contains teachings on a different Mahavidya - that is, an aspect of the Goddess, or Divine Mother. The book is FILLED with practices that are useful in navigating life. I started my own table of contents (TOC) on the different practices so I could go right to them when I needed to practice with them, then I started starring the practices in the TOC. As Ms. Kempton states in the book, the book can be used and referred to over a lifetime to explore the different energies, find what is personally useful at the time, become closer to the Divine. Amazing stuff.Sally Kempton's style of writing is so accessible, personable, even intimate. When I read stories of the different Goddess myths, I felt as though she were in the room with me. I have never met her personally but I pictured her gesturing as she was telling the stories, her eyes alive with merriment and mystique at the start of the story, full of warmth, joy and satisfaction as the story closed. So much fun! Her energy is steeped into the words of this book.

This is one of my favorite books. I do not need another book on mediation. The author is so awesome in her descriptions and offers exercises that may have a profound effect on the reader. I have experienced shifts in my life whenever I follow any of these exercises or mediations. I loved the way the book opens your mind to different ways of seeing the world. You really must read it cover to cover to understand. I am rereading this book a lot. I have shared with friends but they have to get their own copy because it really is a reference. I have read a lot of books on spirituality and meditation and this is my favorite. I am not sure if this author has many other books but I highly recommend this and any other books Sally Kempton has wrote. She writes from experience, and if you do read it you will know what I mean when I say this author gains the reader's trust through this book. This book can help restore a sense of true empowerment in women but it is so much more than that, because it is not just for women.

An excellent meditation guide for shakti sadhana. The author is an experienced scholar and practitioner with over forty years of experience. I highly recommend this book for all wishing to take yoga to a deeper level.