The Secret Life of Lady Liberty: Goddess in the New World
By
Reviewed by Henry Reed
They say the principle of the feminine is on the rise in our culture. Women
probably wouldn’t call it a “rise,” but perhaps that we are becoming more
receptive to the feminine principle. Men especially have been encouraged to get
in touch with their feminine side—yet, according to the wise and perceptive
Peter Einstein, creator of the Intuition Cruise, “if men had a feminine side,
they’d be touching it all the time!”
Is it a battle of the sexes? No, more like
hide-and-seek, but it seems that the archetypal White Guy Anglo Saxon Gringo has
witnessed what He experiences as threats to His sovereignty while there’s been
an uptick in the perceived value of processes more Yin-like. Witness
Madam Secretary, etc.
There have been a lot of political cartoons, however,
lately depicting the lady of the Statue of Liberty crying, or in despair, and
other attitudes and postures depicting upsetness. There’s real meaning in her
for us. She stands for something about America. A new book is a wonderful story
about her:
The Secret Life of Lady Liberty: Goddess in the New World. A new story, or
at least new to us, as the authors have dug up an all but forgotten history—and
gosh, there’s a lot of it. Did you know that the original model for the lady in
the statue was an Native American woman?
There’s more, a lot more. It is amazing what all has been swept under the rug to
make for a history more to our predelictions. This book is not alt-history: yet
again, it does tell a different story than what you learned at that place the
school bus took you to everyday.
To explore The Secret Life of Lady Liberty at Amazon.com, click here!
From the publisher:
The goddess origins of the Statue of Liberty and her connections with the
founding and the future of America
• Examines Lady Liberty’s ties to Native American spiritual traditions, the
Earth Mother, Roman goddesses, Black Madonnas, and Mary Magdalene
• Reveals the sharp contrast between depicting “liberty” as a female and the
reality of women and other suppressed classes even today
• Explains how this Goddess of the New World inspires all people toward
equality, compassion, peace-keeping, and environmental stewardship
Uncovering the forgotten lineage of the Statue of Liberty, Bob Hieronimus
and Laura Cortner explain how she is based on a female symbol representing
America on the earliest maps of the continent in the form of a Native American
“Queen.” The image of a woman symbolizing independence was embraced by the
American revolutionaries to rally the populace against the King, filling the
role of “Founding Mother” and protector of the fledgling republic. Incorporating
Libertas, the Roman goddess of freed slaves, with Minerva, Demeter, Justice, and
the Indian Princess, Lady Liberty is seen all over the nation’s capital, and on
the seals and flags of many states.
Showing how a new appreciation for the Statue of Liberty as the American
goddess can serve as a unifying inspiration for activism, the authors explore
how this Lady Liberty is a personification of America and its destiny. They
examine multiple traditions that influenced her symbolism, from the Neolithic
Earth Mother, to Mary Magdalene, Columbia, and Joan of Arc, while revealing the
sharp contrast between depicting “liberty” as a female and the reality of women
and other suppressed classes throughout history. Their study of “Liberty
Enlightening the World” led them to conclude that the empowerment of
contemporary women is essential for achieving sustainable liberty for all.
Sounding the call for this “Goddess of the New World” to inspire us all
toward peacekeeping, nurturing, compassion, and environmental stewardship, the
authors explain how the Statue of Liberty serves as the conscience of our nation
and is a symbol of both the myths that unite us and the diversity that
strengthens us.
for another viewpoint...
