Book Reviews (June 2011)

2012 and the Galactic Center: The Return of the Great Mother
Christine Page. 2012 and the Galactic Center: The Return of the Great Mother. Rochester, VT: Bear & Company 2008.

This is a wonderfully deep book that is still an easy and engaging read. Christine Page, a physician and homeopath from England, now lives in California and teaches people to develop and enhance their intuition.

Page has an excellent grasp on the multidimensional levels of reality of our existence, and on the ways in which we can connect with and deepen our awareness of them. She opens with a dialogue with an unidentified teacher, apparently from a distant time in a past life or in an altered state of consciousness. Here are a few quotes from this dialogue

As an expression of the One Mind, we are first and foremost creators and transformers of reality. Unfortunately, many fail to appreciate the realm of possibilities readily available to them, preferring to live within the illusionary state of security offered by a familiar experience that has been well tried and tested. Such individuals strive to rise above scarcity and into abundance without realizing that the poverty they wish to leave behind exists primarily within their own minds. (p. 2)

This is not a time to be limited by the fear of change or the unknown or by holding onto a belief that somehow we don’t deserve what the Great Mother has to offer. Why do you think there are so many souls on this planet at this time? For lifetimes, everybody has been working toward this moment, determined not to allow this unique opportunity for soul transformation to pass them by, forcing them to wait another twenty-six thousands years. (p. 3-4.)

Imagine a world where denial of our interrelatedness is no longer an option. Imagine how a decision to injure or abuse others, whether physically or emotionally, would alter if we knew that their pain would be our pain. When you and I are one, all feelings are shared, and instinctively we will select those actions that bring the greatest degree of harmony and joy. In essence, the fifth world of ether presents us with the possibility of a peace upon this planet that truly passes all our present-day understanding. (p. 7)

It suddenly dawns on me that an extremely clever plan has been set in place to be activated at this time. Each soul has been given a unique part of the jigsaw puzzle which, when brought together with all other parts, will create the fullness of our future. Yet in order for this to happen, we as a species must learn to value and encourage the contributions of every individual; no one piece is more important than another. (p.17)

Her teacher continues,

When you have forgotten the sweet embrace of the immortal self, you will cling to your possessions – material, emotional, or mental – as lifelines, even though these attachments have long since failed to nurture your soul and they appease only the personality. (p. 18)

I very much resonate with Page's cosmology. She identifies the Deity as neither masculine nor feminine, but as embodying both. Out of the interplay of the duality between these different ways of perceiving and being in the universe come many awarenesses that contribute to our growth and development. At the same time, our experiences inform and enrich the universe.

Page points out that every aspect of our being, every relationship and other experience – whether perceived as positive of negative – is a potential teacher to us along our path of development. And, in fact, every aspect of our experience is a reflection of our inner self. In other words, we manifest into our lives those things and those interactions which our inner selves need to bring into consciousness, experience, respond to, and learn from. Page wryly observes that we tend to be more willing to own and take credit for our more pleasant experiences than for our troublesome or distressing ones. These lessons are often manifested in our relationships.

It is through our ability to master and embrace these opposing forces that spiritual growth occurs, where each aspect seeks not only its own fulfillment but also that of its partner, through a continuous process of give and take. This exquisite interplay of energies is reflected monthly by the cycles of the moon, and is etched into the messages, in myth and legend, left to us by our ancestors. (p. 39)

Page focuses more on the feminine side of this duality, and that is a contribution to our awarenesses of the Transcendent at this stage in Western transpersonal thinking – which has been altogether too dominated by masculine, thinking, rationalizing, dominating approaches. A lovely example of this is in Page's observations:

The archetype of the Virgin whose name, contrary to popular belief, connotes not an innocent, sexually unaware girl, but instead means “to be complete unto oneself without the need of another to make one whole.” (p. 84)

Now it is easier to understand why the archetype of the Virgin is often portrayed as being unmarried, for it is more accurate to say that she has no need of another to make her whole. Picture a world in which our relationships are not bound by the fear of rejection or the neediness of others in order to know completion. Imagine the joy of just being in the presence of another soul who knows and trusts his or her implicit wholeness. (p. 89)

Historical and astrological discussions of these topics further enrich this marvelous book. For instance:

Probably one of the greatest challenges we encounter during our spiritual evolution is mastery of our own power. The first time we meet this issue is in the sign of Gemini, as the hero takes on the strength of the twin powers. These powers are represented by the physical-masculine and the spiritual-feminine faces of the Divine, both of which must be acknowledged equally and mastered. In terms of consciousness, the masculine is seen to pertain to intellect while the feminine represents intuition. (p. 103)

Page has a gift for presenting and analyzing profound truths in enjoyable, engaging and enlightening ways. This book is warmly recommended for anyone on the path of self-healing and spiritual development.

(Book reviews by Daniel Benor, MD, Editor in Chief)