The Path of the Mothers

IN 1985, POET AND TEACHER Carol Rose designed a set of cards with artist Lu-Ann Lynde called, "Walking the Motherpath." Each oval-shaped card represented a woman from the Bible accompanied by a poetic interpretation of her significance. The hope was that the cards would serve as "mirrors of identity" or doorways into a greater sense of personal awareness, and that women and men could use the cards to unravel the stories of the biblical mothers to gain greater insight into their own life processes. Over the years, the cards have been used in private study groups, as meditative tools for individuals, and in Rose's own workshops called "Walking the Motherpath" and "Listening to Our Inner Prophetesses." In these workshops and study groups, an image is chosen randomly and serves as a guide for directing seekers inward to the Source of Wisdom, allowing the stories of these biblical women to be re-imagined experientially. Now, it is hoped that the book, The Path of the Mothers, will provide new opportunities for the same kind of exploration, opportunities for expanding one's understanding of the lives the biblical matriarchs from a woman-centered perspective, and for finding personal meaning in them.