Grandmothers Counsel the World - by Carol Schaefer (Paperback)

About the Book

In 2004, grandmothers representing 13 indigenous peoples from five continents gathered for an unprecedented meeting in the United States, where they discussed the major challenges facing the world and shared their tribes' wisdom on how best to move forward. This book offers their insights and guidance.

Book Synopsis

We are thirteen indigenous grandmothers. . . . We are deeply concerned with the unprecedented destruction of our Mother Earth, the atrocities of war, the global scourge of poverty, the prevailing culture of materialism, the epidemics that threaten the health of the Earth's peoples, and with the destruction of indigenous ways of life.

We, the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, believe that our ancestral ways of prayer, peacemaking, and healing are vitally needed today. . . . We believe that the teachings of our ancestors will light our way through an uncertain future.

In some Native American societies, tribal leaders consulted a council of grandmothers before making any major decisions that would affect the whole community. What if we consulted our wise women elders about the problems facing our global community today? This book presents the insights and guidance of thirteen indigenous grandmothers from five continents, many of whom are living legends among their own peoples. The Grandmothers offer wisdom on such timely issues as nurturing our families; cultivating physical and mental health; and confronting violence, war, and poverty. Also included are the reflections of Western women elders, including Alice Walker, Gloria Steinem, Helena Norberg-Hodge, and Carol Moseley Brown.

Review Quotes

"Intriguing and meaningful . . . Grandmothers Counsel the World is an uplifting read that should be displayed prominently and hand-sold to those who wish for world healing."--New Age Retailer

"Resonates with warmth and compassion . . . it will press you to see the world through the eyes of indigenous wisdom."--Feminist Review

"Grandmother Spider is said to have the power to weave up the broken web of connection which sustains the world. This book was surely written in her spirit. Grandmothers Counsel the World is a fascinating collection of Grandmother stories and Grandmother wisdom told as if the future matters."--Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., author of Kitchen Table Wisdom and My Grandfather's Blessings

"Prophecy foretold the gathering of the Indigenous Grandmothers long before these thirteen wise women-elders from the North, Central and South America, Africa, Tibet and Nepal, and the Artic Circle were brought together. Who they are and what they have to say at this critical time in human and planetary history is fascinating. We can hope that they may be harbingers of a major spiritual shift toward peace, prophesized to occur in 2012 with women taking the lead, and circles of people bringing visible and invisible worlds together."--Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., author of Goddesses in Everywoman and Urgent Message from Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World

"Wise women from around the globe stand strong together on behalf of all of life. Their stories are amazing, their message to us is strong and inspirational. They are marvelous role models of how we can gather our energies together to make the necessary changes needed to return to a life of balance and harmony. I felt truly blessed to read this book."--Sandra Ingerman, author of Soul Retrieval and Medicine for the Earth

About the Author

Carol Schaefer is a writer, editor, journalist, and photographer who has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, and MSNBC. She is the author of The Other Mother, and she lives in New York City.