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In Search of Woman's Passionate Soul: Revealing the Daimon Lover Within
The daimon lover (also known as the animus) plays a signifcant part in guiding and shaping women's lives. The inner male, counterpart to the museit is he who appears in male shape in women's dreams, fantasies, and meditations. Often suppressed and shrouded in negativity, the daimon archetype can be transformed into an empowering and inspiring influence on the female soul. Here is a unique and intimate exploration that will speak to and honor the heart and creativity of every woman.
253 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 1997
About the author
Caitlín Matthews
143 books204 followersCaitlín Matthews is a writer, singer and teacher whose ground-breaking work has introduced many to the riches of our western spiritual heritage.
She is acknowledged as a world authority on Celtic Wisdom, the Western Mysteries and the ancestral traditions of Britain and Europe. She is the author of over 50 books including Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, a study of Divine Feminine in Gnostic, Jewish and Christian thought and King Arthur’s Raid on the Underworld, a new translation and study of the Welsh poet Taliesin’s extraordinary poem, itself a major cross-roads of British mythology.
Caitlín was trained in the esoteric mystery traditions through the schools founded by Dion Fortune, Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki and Gareth Knight. Her shamanic vocation emerged early in her ability to sing between the worlds and to embody spirits. She has worked in many of the western traditions with companions upon the path including R.J.Stewart. Like him, she teaches the many strands of the ancestral European traditions. She specializes in teaching traditional European spirit-consultation oracles where the diviner draws directly upon the spirits of nature for answers and in the use of the voice to sound the unseen. Caitlín has been instrumental in revealing the ancestral heritage of the Western traditions through practical exploration of the mysteries as well as through scholarly research. Her teachings are couched in a firm historical and linguistic framework, with respect to the original context of the teachings, but never loses sight of the living traditions of these teachings which can be explored through direct application to their spiritual sources.
Trained as an actress, Caitlín is in demand as a storyteller and singer. She appears frequently on international radio and television, and was the song-writer and Pictish language originator for the Jerry Bruckheimer film King Arthur. With John Matthews, her partner, who was historical consultant on the film, she shared in the 2004 BAFTA award given to Film Education for the best educational CD Rom: this project introduced school-children to the life and times of King Arthur. She and John are both concerned with the oral nature of storytelling and its ability to communicate the myth at a much deeper level than of the commercial booktrade. This is apparent in their forthcoming project, The Story Box. For Caitlín, her books are merely the tip of a much bigger oral iceberg which is her teaching.
With her partner, John Matthews, and with Felicity Wombwell , she is co-founder of The Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to the sacred arts that are not written down. Their FíOS shamanic training programme teaches students the healing arts as well as hosting masterclasses with exemplars of living sacred traditions. Caitlín has a shamanic practice in Oxford dedicated to addressing soul sickness and ancestral fragmentation, as well as helping clients find vocational and spiritual direction. Her soul-singing and embodiment uniquely bring the ancient healing traditions to everyday life.
Caitlín’s other books include Singing the Soul Back Home, Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, The Psychic Protection Handbook, and Celtic Devotional. She is co-author, with John Matthews, of the Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom and Encyclopaedia of Celtic Myth and Legend. Her books have been translated into more than nineteen languages from Brazil to Japan.
The author lives in Oxford with her husband and son in a kind of book-cave or library, whichever you will. They share their home with a white cat and a black cat.
She is acknowledged as a world authority on Celtic Wisdom, the Western Mysteries and the ancestral traditions of Britain and Europe. She is the author of over 50 books including Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, a study of Divine Feminine in Gnostic, Jewish and Christian thought and King Arthur’s Raid on the Underworld, a new translation and study of the Welsh poet Taliesin’s extraordinary poem, itself a major cross-roads of British mythology.
Caitlín was trained in the esoteric mystery traditions through the schools founded by Dion Fortune, Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki and Gareth Knight. Her shamanic vocation emerged early in her ability to sing between the worlds and to embody spirits. She has worked in many of the western traditions with companions upon the path including R.J.Stewart. Like him, she teaches the many strands of the ancestral European traditions. She specializes in teaching traditional European spirit-consultation oracles where the diviner draws directly upon the spirits of nature for answers and in the use of the voice to sound the unseen. Caitlín has been instrumental in revealing the ancestral heritage of the Western traditions through practical exploration of the mysteries as well as through scholarly research. Her teachings are couched in a firm historical and linguistic framework, with respect to the original context of the teachings, but never loses sight of the living traditions of these teachings which can be explored through direct application to their spiritual sources.
Trained as an actress, Caitlín is in demand as a storyteller and singer. She appears frequently on international radio and television, and was the song-writer and Pictish language originator for the Jerry Bruckheimer film King Arthur. With John Matthews, her partner, who was historical consultant on the film, she shared in the 2004 BAFTA award given to Film Education for the best educational CD Rom: this project introduced school-children to the life and times of King Arthur. She and John are both concerned with the oral nature of storytelling and its ability to communicate the myth at a much deeper level than of the commercial booktrade. This is apparent in their forthcoming project, The Story Box. For Caitlín, her books are merely the tip of a much bigger oral iceberg which is her teaching.
With her partner, John Matthews, and with Felicity Wombwell , she is co-founder of The Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to the sacred arts that are not written down. Their FíOS shamanic training programme teaches students the healing arts as well as hosting masterclasses with exemplars of living sacred traditions. Caitlín has a shamanic practice in Oxford dedicated to addressing soul sickness and ancestral fragmentation, as well as helping clients find vocational and spiritual direction. Her soul-singing and embodiment uniquely bring the ancient healing traditions to everyday life.
Caitlín’s other books include Singing the Soul Back Home, Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, The Psychic Protection Handbook, and Celtic Devotional. She is co-author, with John Matthews, of the Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom and Encyclopaedia of Celtic Myth and Legend. Her books have been translated into more than nineteen languages from Brazil to Japan.
The author lives in Oxford with her husband and son in a kind of book-cave or library, whichever you will. They share their home with a white cat and a black cat.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 12, 2009
I recommend this book frequently, and am disappointed that it seems to be one of C. Matthews' less-known works.
Matthews uses the term "daimon" to describe the "masculine muse" -- the contralsexual Other, a spiritual being who can be a woman's inspiration, lover, and guide. Using interviews with women who have experienced a relationship with the daimon, she illustrates both the blessings and the shadow aspects of this relationship. Her findings resonated strongly with my own experiences, and my own copy has many passages underlined and lots of notes in the margins.
Matthews uses the term "daimon" to describe the "masculine muse" -- the contralsexual Other, a spiritual being who can be a woman's inspiration, lover, and guide. Using interviews with women who have experienced a relationship with the daimon, she illustrates both the blessings and the shadow aspects of this relationship. Her findings resonated strongly with my own experiences, and my own copy has many passages underlined and lots of notes in the margins.
January 25, 2012
I finally finished this book. It took me long enough.
Truth be told, I'm not exactly sure what I think about this book yet. I may have to let it sit and perk in my head a while. It is loaded with a ton of first person accounts as well as practical questions and exercises.
Truth be told, I'm not exactly sure what I think about this book yet. I may have to let it sit and perk in my head a while. It is loaded with a ton of first person accounts as well as practical questions and exercises.
February 8, 2010
Fascinating book that speaks to that intense sexual power surge that happens to women in the mid-30's.
May 30, 2025
This is a lot less titillating than the title might make it sound. It's based on Jungian psychology and frequently reminded me of the daimons in Lyra's world in Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy. I found the exercises somewhat orthogonal to the text of the chapters and not terribly helpful. I did find Matthews' interpretation of some of the Greek myths interesting; I've never related well to Greek mythology, and reading this helped somewhat.
August 21, 2011
What I like about this book--it has excerpts from women, so it tries to capture a variety of psychological worlds. Also, it has questions at the end of each chapter to help you meditate further on the different topics, and the bibliography at the back looks helpful.
What I didn't like about this book--it's super New Agey, and I felt like there was not enough variety in the women interviewed to get a clear view of women's psychology.
What I didn't like about this book--it's super New Agey, and I felt like there was not enough variety in the women interviewed to get a clear view of women's psychology.
October 11, 2008
I tried. I really did. Yet I didn't find my daimon. There just hasn't been one fantasy guy inspiring me all my life, or a list of them for all my different phases. I think if it was more scholarly or more how to, it would have been much better for me. Maybe. Maybe I just don't have a daimon. I was really hoping to find him too! (Is it as hard to meet the right fantasy man as it is a real one?)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews