Gaia Codex

by Sarah Drew

Both an ancient, "found" wisdom text and a sumptuous, epic novel, GAIA CODEX reveals the hidden histories of a world long forgotten, the secret wisdom of an ancient lineage of women, the Priestesses of Astera. Set in a near future of impending societal and environmental collapse, the novel is a tale of hope and remembrance, as well as an inspired vision of humanity's origins and of the potential we hold for conscious evolution. With a passionate fan base of international readers, "Gaia Codex" captures the passionate Spirit of the Feminine Rising and our deepening reconnection to our Mother Earth.

The Story...
Lila Sophia had heard the whispered tales, stories of an ancient lineage of women, the Priestesses of Astera, who through the rise and fall of civilizations have protected codes of cultural and planetary rejuvenation, the Secrets to Life. Although these women have lived in every culture, few have known of their existence-until now. Born onto a planet in the throes of environmental and social crises, Lila's life implodes when her mother, Dominique, suddenly dies, and Lila is left with a mysterious illuminated manuscript that reveals that Lila is both a priestess and a genetic experiment called the Metamorphosis Project, a fusion of alchemy and magic designed to rebalance humanity's relationship with the Mother Earth. In search of her sister-priestesses and further understanding of her origins, Lila journeys from the mythic countryside of Glastonbury to Delphi, to an ancient hidden temple in the center of Paris, and finally, into the heart of the Amazon jungle. On her quest, Lila learns how to use her mutation to benefit Life. She also must decide between two passionate a wise and beautiful sister-priestess, Rhea, and a mysterious man Theo, who has been waiting for her for millennia.




Sarah Drew's Gaia Codex has the ring of truth disguised as fiction. Gripping, urgent in its message, and rich with relatable characters, Gaia Codex transported me to a world so radiant that I was disheartened to come back to reality . . . even in my disappointment about how many of us have tragically lost touch with our divine nature and with Mother Earth, I am filled with hope that one day, such fiction might become real life.

Lissa Rankin, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Mind Over Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself 



"A beautifully written, inspiring story, GAIA CODEX is a portal into a magical world, one that we can — and must — shapeshift into reality. Sarah Drew pierces the veils of perception that divide past from present and future; she brings joy and hope through a riveting tale that honors the wisdom and power of nature, the feminine, and a Loving Earth."

John Perkins–NYT Bestselling Author and Cofounder of Pachamama Alliance


"GAIA CODEX is one of the most transformative books I've ever read. I literally stayed awake for over twenty-four hours, mesmerized, and transported by its poetry, magic, and beauty. It's a book that sources its wisdom far beyond time and space, and yet it's a book written precisely for this moment in time. I've given it to everyone in my circle, and all have been transported by the story, reminded of their own essential nature, and called into something higher and wider than the visible life in which they partake. There are books that touch and inspire you, and then there is a sacred text like "Gaia Codex" that literally alchemizes who you know yourself to be. Don't miss this stunning offering by Seer and Mystic Sarah Drew. The time is urgent. The code is calling to you. The moment is now."

Amy Elizabeth Fox –CEO and Founder, Mobius Executive Leadership


"GAIA CODEX is a transformational text that carries within it one of the most important invitations of our time. It is a call for women to remember who we are as lineage holders of reverence for the sacredness of life through time. It is a call home to an encoded wisdom that knows how to live in a profound right relationship with the intelligence of nature. It is an activator and a catalyst of awakening and remembering that is as much about stepping out of the current numb sleepwalk and into personal mastery as it is about the deep belonging found in the circles of the feminine. This book can flick the switch in your DNA like no other I have read. It is a potent key that can unlock aspects of self that are needed on this planet at this exact time - if we are to make it through."

Claire Dubois–Founder/CEO of Tree Sisters


"Sarah Drew is nothing short of a prophetic visionary whose words awaken the pathway to reclaiming our union within ourselves and healing our disconnection with nature. Her novel GAIA CODEX is an epic adventure that seeds a global movement, igniting the vital, ancient remembrance that we each hold a mystical connection with our Mother Earth. This lush narrative is a catalysis for the Rising of the Feminine in these times of transfor...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Spirituality, Feminism, Magical Realism, Time Travel, Nature

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 19, 2014

About the author

As the visionary author of the eco-feminist fantasy, Gaia Codex, Sarah Drew catalyzes powerful blueprints for the future deeply rooted in the gnosis of the past.

As an independent scholar and cultural philosopher, her work explores the intersection of consciousness, ecology, and feminine spirituality. Her writing has gained a significant and devoted global following of 140,000 plus across all social media platforms and has been praised for its prescient insights and message by NYT bestsellers and globally lauded feminists and environmental leaders.

Sarah is a popular and featured speaker at the graduate level and at organizations such as Google, ABC Deepak Homebase, Bioneers, Tibet House, Paua, and Taschen Paris. She is also popular guest on multiple podcasts on online symposiums globally. Sarah offers curated online and in programs on Awakening to Feminine Spirituality andGaia Consciousness for the Gaia Codex community and her debut novel Gaia Codex continues to popular with international book circles.

Her past professional experience includes early forays into creating content for virtual reality platforms as the CEO and co-founder of Los Angeles-based Serpmon in the 1990s and subsequently working as a creative director, experience designer and consultant on media projects that have explored the edges of digital technology and visionary narrative.

A lifelong explorer, Sarah has traveled from the jungles of the Amazon to the high peaks of Bhutan where she studied with key lineage teachers. At U.C. Berkeley, Sarah studied Religious Studies. She is multi decade practitioner of Vajrayana Buddhism and holds certifications in Sowa Rigpa, Tibetan Medicine.

Sarah’s writing expresses a deep curiosity and a polymathic approach to exploring multiple disciplines with a focus on humanity’s evolution, the cultivation of compassion and our multi-generational nurturance of Mother Earth. Sarah lives with her husband in Manhattan and on a lushly forested farm in the Hudson Valley.

Reviews

[Michelle Simonson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was captivated by the lush descriptions, fabulous characters and totally engaging adventure in Gaia Codex, but this book is so much more. Sarah Drew addresses the crucial shift that is taking place on our planet right now in a way that does not shrink from it's dire nature, but also offers a vision of hope. Good stories have always had power to be transformative vehicles and Gaia Codex is a transformative blueprint for those who are ready to see it. I hope it is widely read and taken to heart.

[Linda Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend loaned me this novel. I read it yesterday. The prose is like a song; a lyric poem. It's an ode to sisterhood and the ancient wisdom of women but the story is thin with no threat, unlike the real story of women's wisdom through the ages.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

As other reviewers have mentioned, this book served as an activation of sorts. It often reminded me of how I felt while reading The Celestine Prophecy, way back when. I loved the magical feeling it evoked, and I appreciated that it was a book "out of time," though some would characterize that as dystopian or post-apocalyptic.
I came away from this book feeling hopeful, and lately, that is a feat in and of itself, given our current political and ecological climate!

[NormaCenva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very "weird" book. In many ways it is written deliberately to challenge perceptions of the reader and to help you get out of your comfort zone. It is slightly confusing in the beginning, to be fair, but more the story develops, more interesting it becomes.
I already want to re-read it, as I noticed that listening to in for the first time I got somewhat carried away, and in places more then a little emotional if I can be completely honest.
If you can allow your imagination to fly you will enjoy the wild ride this book will freely give to you. How your journey will end or continue is entirely up to you!

[Toni Havens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book. In theory I should have loved this book. It is just lacking in something I can't put my finger on. I listened to it and it was beautifully read. It is like a poem. But I guess the characters were just not engaging. I didn't really care what happened to them. I guess I didn't feel the connection I was hoping for when I chose this book.

[dori · Rating 2 out of 5]

*sigh* (MINOR SPOILER AHEAD)

Where to start? The story was originally very captivating in a "couldn't put it down and I feel reconnected to the magic" kind of way, and then Theo finally arrived and (nothing against handsome Theo) the story took an incredibly cheesy turn and came to a grinding halt. I seriously couldn't believe I'd arrived at "the end" (oh but no, there were like, 12 kindle-pages of acknowledgments, lol).

I admire the effort (I admire anyone's effort in FINISHING a book) but this really should have gone to an editor first - one with the capability to correct the ENDLESS typos and grammatical errors throughout and guide the author to deeper characters and a far more intriguing (and less harlequin-romance-cheesy, typically heteronormative) ending. This had such potential. I suspect that perhaps the intent was for a sequel but oh god no, please just send this one back to the drawing board first.

[Chet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The style of this book not being included in my normal genres, I would call this a fantasy (as in science fiction and fantasy), about the life of a goddess in the Gaia tradition, from her childhood, as she starts to discover who she is, up to the age of young womanhood. I was attracted to this book after reading "The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future" and searching for books on similar topics. This book was very well written and I finished it although it contained a lot more magical things then I would normally be interested in finding in a book.

[Vicki Valenta · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really disliked this book. The story felt incomplete and was frustrating. I kept waiting for it to get better but it didn't. I also seriously disliked the narrator. The tone of her voice was not pleasant. This is the only audible book I have ever returned.

[Victoria Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it!

[Penney Peirce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some amazing wisdom in this book!

[Michele Benson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mythology from multiple cultures is woven together in this book to create a rebirth story. Lila Sophia travels through space and time to meet Theo so that they can bring about a new world after humanity destroys the earth.

[Jeanene Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly beautiful book of truths....

[Diana Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Felt like a manifesto loosely blanketed in a thin story. 2 stars for potential of being a great story.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not find this a supremely engaging read. The conflict was pretty vague not specifically threatening. Would not recommend.

[BeauFo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has some good information, but it felt to me as though that was the author's major intention, to push forth information, and that the story was just a minor vehicle to get that info into the hearts of women.
I loved that the emphasis was placed on the importance of the passing of knowledge, from one generation to another. I love that there is a reverence for the knowledge placed forth, and that it is presented as a Right, to all, and it is suggested many many MANY many many many maaany times, that that knowledge is obtained via our environment, via intuition, and from plants, animals, others, etc. And actually, I almost feel as though that not a sentence goes by that I didnt feel that ever-present concept being pressed into the sensations, observations, and experiences that the main character was having.
I think her book gives a voice, and form to many thoughts that new age cultivators have all the time. I believe it might have been the intention of the author to put all those concepts into one "tomb", so that the key concepts were painted into imagined sequences.

But this book, reads more like poetry, and, crashes hard when it comes to story and plot. I am not an expert on these things, so I have a hard time even using proper literary terms to describe my feeling, but part way through I felt very frustrated with direction of the story, and my complaint is that I feel that there is no story. I felt no fear for the main character, and although I did get carried away with her lush experiences of the wild, her physical visceral experiences, and her soap opera like relationships, I was turned off of wanting to really know what was going to happen from a plot stand point.

Another turn off for me, is that much of the info began to feel more and more formalized, and sort of began to feel like something was being pushed at me, an underlying intensity that felt as if the information must be used or else. I have felt this feeling when something becomes preachy. Something happens once u reach a "preaching" level and it shuts out anything that suggests that playfulness is possible and present. I am pretty sure that that is not the author's intention, but it feels as though that so much gets pushed as a means for something else.
We are on a journey of trying to sort out what the "heroine's journey" (woman's journey) is in these times, rather than float along on the coat tails of the all too well-known "hero's journey", but the thing that the hero's journey employs is a well-rounded balance of the things that are important to men, the deep-seated soul-wretching and psyche shattering challenges that transform their character, and the things that absolutely make their life worth living for. Women have all these things too, but they are quite different from mens, and this is what we are all trying to sort out, because the old model of stories, or the details lost from the old hero's stories, make them maligned for the female's perspective. On top of all of this, there are revelations, movements, and things happening at the grassroots levels to suggest that there are other gender groups who would be insulted even by the words and concepts I put forth here. All this to say, that the world is changing and rapidly, and it's becoming more and more difficult to put forth one set of general codes or ethics to live by, and this book reminds me of that struggle.

I would give this book 10 stars if it was formatted differently. The book would have done really well as a collection of short-stories, separating out the different lush environment descriptions into various texts, rather than attempting to press all these concepts together into a larger tapestry of what for me resulted in confusion and frustration. Short stories hold a strength all their own, and when a collection of short-stories is placed together all in one tomb, the amalgamation of the theme and bigger picture are all inferred by the reader, which is one of the deepest ways to raise a consciousness, is by the imagination filling in the gaps of what information is not given.
Poetry would have also been of a help here. Where words perhaps cannot do a concept justice, art could be used as well.

What is valuable about this book, is that it is a manuscript, as well as an ode to women and the path they walk. It's a collection of ideas, references, and concepts brought together in a place of descriptive sensations and visuals. I have even used some of the suggested health info in the book! So this is a testament to what influence the book DOES have, just do away with the shoddy overall plot framework, and you have exactly what the book is intended to be.

I still give credit for this author going out on a limb, she persevered with such a unique concept, and as long as the people love it, she is pioneering the path. This was just my experience.

[N T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully divine concepts of cross cultural sisterhood, past lives, divine union and intuitive abilities ~ never read anything this magical that felt it was applicable to humans toooo (I haven’t read much fantasy though so)

Sarah brought the concepts of visions and other extrasensory phenomena to life well ~ I didn’t need to cringe or brace myself 🤭 beautifully portrayed

I found it a little slow and repetitive about the state of the planet but the book was poetic so I understood the importance of keeping it all alive

I would’ve loved if the Gaia codex was compiled into a separate manuscript at the tail end of the book instead of a page at the beginning of each chapter

Overall, I enjoyed being in the enchanting world she created and it kept me in check with my greater purpose as a spiritual woman ☺️

Cool themes and I enjoyed the story itself as Lila Sophia went through her own spiritual awakening with the loss of her parents and I liked reading of “strangers” or perfectly placed / fated helpers who took her in lovingly and guided her gently although plot though deep could’ve been stronger communicated better

More a wealth of information gathered over Sarah’s years (cool) but not what I thought i was going to read

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful look at how the world could work if women came together and worked their magic as one. Beautiful imagery. The only thing I didn't like is that there isn't really any sort of conflict. While she is lead on this quest of hers to understand who she is and what she needs to do, things move effortlessly to meet her. There is a slow build up over the course of the story of her connecting with a man and in the last few chapters it just happens and the story ends. While I would say that I really enjoyed the read, the first two thirds of the book is the best and then it just wraps everything up into a pretty little bow at the end. I think the story needed more context to hold it together.

[Amina Colombo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been one of a magical ride. I personally love dystopian worlds, with a beautiful and "hopeness" view, or at least spiritual one. It connects with wisdom that strikes your mind and heart, while it takes you on a ride as if you were there, with all your senses awaken, alive. You need to love nature, and mystery. Theres many words that are not said, that you understand with underlying words, that´s the best part. For me it´s just wonderful read, didn´t want it to end! Beautifully written. Fresh.

[Rebecca B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fiction? Maybe..

I was overwhelmed by this beautiful book. There were instances when I was reading of experiences very similar to some I have had during meditation & breathwork, and it was startling. If was difficult for me at times to remember this was supposed to be fiction. It is grounded in a deep memory that is more real than one might think... we are made of stars.. glad to know I'm not alone in remembering. I will treasure this story..

[Suzanne Singman · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disappointing. I love women and goddess and priestesses. But this just didn't move me. I felt like there were so many holes in the story, side references to the collapse of civilization, but somehow her world was not affected. and the ending... let's just say it was too fast and totally unbelievable. It's like the author ran out of time or pages and had to wrap everything up quickly.
I'm not usually so harsh, but don't waste your time on this book.

[Theodora Zourkas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The message in Gaia Codex is even more relevant today than when it was written. A realistic depiction of what life can become if we continue to abuse our planet, and a suggested future if we let the planet heal . Overlaid is a captivating story part spiritual/fantasy/imaginative that made me reflect on some of the truths of modern western human behaviour. An excellent read that stays with you long after you finish reading.

[Ellen Drummonds Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging, uplifting, mystical and metaphysical and profoundly authored, GAIA CODEX yields forth a stunning display of Life and Light and Wisdom. I have shared virtual/Zoom space with the author, Sarah Drew, and it was an honor. Our book club for this work was utterly marvelous. If you love The Goddess and existential philosophy--or even if you are not sure if you do--I highly recommend you follow the journey of our heroine, Lila Sophia.

[Amelia McD · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this at the beginning of covid a few months after my marriage broke down. It was the best book I had read on such a long time. It gave me hope for a better future for myself and for the world. Reading it 5 years on (and in a new marriage) hits a little differently. I am less hopeful for the world now, but more determined to make what I can of my own little world. I still adore the lush descriptions on every page. I will keep it for now.

[Moorea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Drew’s words lift my pieces of womanhood up to the stars and I ate them as they filled my belly with light until my whole body was in wonderment.
I feel connected to my sisters, being freed of judgement.
I feel connected to Mother Earth for I am her child.
I feel connected to myself because love.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was incredible to read a s apart of book club and as an initiation process for embarking on the change of the earth. I was shocked to read about a breakout of plague and a few mentioning of the alchemizing of pain through the body. The language is often very elaborate and descriptive. I loved how it talked about the divine masculine and divine feminine.

[Elzbeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is definitely a book for some. Just not a book for me. As the world ends, priestesses from across the globe come together to share, learn, celebrate life and mourn death. Lila Sophia is the Experiment and Goddess Priestess tasked with guiding the world as it rebuilds. This was a weird, gentle, semi-plotless book.

[Gail Denny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book awoke new thoughts in me things I have been thinking about it completely validated my thoughts

I truly loved the book I would recommend it to everyone it touched me in a deeper way then any other book

[Zemirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely journey into the imagination with rich imagery. A joy to read. It transported me to the realm of possibility regarding planetary healing and reached deep into the ancient wisdom to the time when priestesses inspired and led.

[Graisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a rare dystopian, yet spiritual novel, about the worship and healing of Mother Earth.

After reading an e-book copy about a year ago, I decided to get a paper copy for a re-read, since I love this book.

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I attended an online bookclub for this and I left feeling more attuned with the sisterhood that's being rewoven and restitched between womxn in this current age, and the ancient threads that tie us together through our mother the earth.