Untie the Strong Woman - by Clarissa Pinkola Estés (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Have You Forgotten? I Am Your Mother. You Are Under My Protection."

"There is a promise Holy Mother makes to us," proclaims Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, "that any soul needing comfort, vision, guidance, or strength can cry out to her, flee to her protection, and Blessed Mother will immediately arrive with veils flying. She will place us under her mantle for refuge, and give us the warmth of her most compassionate touch, and strong guidance about how to go by the soul's lights." Untie the Strong Woman is Dr. Estés invitation to come together under the shelter of The Mother--whether she appears to us as the Madonna, Our Lady of Guadalupe, or any one of her countless incarnations. In this unforgettable collection of stories, prayers, and blessings, Dr. Estés shares:

"The Drunkard and the Lady"--a story of unexpected miracles that arise from the mud and soil
- "Guadalupe is a Girl Gang Leader in Heaven"--a poem of resistance and hope
- "No One Too Bad, Too Mean, or Too Hopeless"--the fierce Mother that never gives up on us
- "The Shirt of Arrows"--a love that is invincible no matter how many times we are wounded
- "The Black Madonna"--she who stands at the juncture between two worlds and protects us as we enter the dark places

Why does the face of Our Lady appear in the most humble and unexpected places? Why does she burst forth into every culture no matter how hard authority tries to suppress her? It is because no bonds can restrain the power of her love, nor prevent her from returning to those who need her most. With Untie the Strong Woman, Dr. Estés invites you to encounter the force of Immaculate Love--"So that your memory of Her is renewed, or that the knowledge of her miraculous, fierce, enduring ways is drawn into your heart for the very first time."

Review Quotes

"Like warm bread from the oven, these words are mother's loving touch, they are her fierce cry to find every child lost in the wild storms, they are ancient grandmothers' fearless cloak for each vulnerable human. Read this marvelous book and let the Strong Woman ennoble, transport, protect, inspire, embrace you, and bring you home." --Dr. Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart

"Clarissa has accomplished yet another masterpiece. She has written a book so profoundly deep and inspiring that you feel the grace of the Blessed Mother, even as you read it. How grateful I am for this treasure." --Caroline Myss, author of Defy Gravity and Anatomy of the Spirit

"Here is Mary set free from heaven, an earthy Mary making herself known in every culture, healing the wounded and joining in global struggles against oppression. This is a brave and necessary book, destined to become a spiritual classic." --Demetria Martinez, author of Mother Tongue

About the Author

Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Clarissa Pinkola Estés, PhD, is an internationally recognized scholar, award-winning poet, diplomate senior Jungian psychoanalyst, and cantadora (keeper of the old stories in the Latina tradition). In addition to her international bestseller Women Who Run With the Wolves, Dr. Estés is a managing editor and columnist writing on politics, spirituality, and culture at the newsblog TheModerateVoice.com, and she is a columnist at The National Catholic Reporter online.