Mary Summer Rain
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Mary Summer Rain is the author of over 25 books on spiritual philosophy, most notably of teachings she received from a Chippewa visionary woman, No-Eyes (a pseudonym). Of the entire Summer Rain oeuvre, only six comprise the No-Eyes series—though these are the most read.
Mary Summer Rain's books have satisfied an audience hungry for a contemporary nature-based spirituality. Although her American Indian-focused books created some controversy [1] * the further evolution of her work totally separates her from New Age plastic shamans by:
- uncovering deeper meanings of the Ten Commandments in The Visitation,
- sharing her philosophies on consciousness and Nature in Fireside, The Singing Web, and The Tao of Nature,
- criticizing the New Age movement, and
- ultimately focusing on the feminine consciousness in later books.
Summer Rain has crafted her work to bring about a gradual awareness of both the equality of women and the Goddess' part in a divine trinity as seen in: the portrayal of No-Eyes and Grandmother Earth; the presentation of historical evidence of the Goddess (citing The Nag Hammadi Library and Lynn Gottlieb's She Who Dwells Within, etc) in Beyond Earthway; and the elucidation of the feminine consciousness in both the clever meta-journey Trined in Twilight and the compassionate fiction Ruby.
A corollary to the consciousness-raising of the Divine Feminine in Mary's books is the positive and powerful portrayal of elderly women: most obvious are the anthropomorphization of Grandmother Earth and the intimate portrait of No-Eyes, but also the respectful and heartwrenching depiction of Mary Belle who suffered from Alzheimers in Love Never Sleeps, Grandma in Trined in Twilight, and the mysterious and formidable Ruby in the book of the same name.
Often for Mary the gateway to spirituality is Mother Nature, and nearly all of her books enlighten readers to the reality of Nature via her personal journeys into consciousness, triggered by a communion with Nature.
Many of her works are guidebooks: living naturally in Earthway; interpreting dreams in 3 successively expanded editions of dream symbolism; learning about spirituality in the Q&A format of Daybreak, Beyond Earthway and Eclipse; and educating children about their spiritual heritage in Mountains, Meadows and Moonbeams and Star Babies.
Two of her books tell personal life stories: Soul Sounds and Bittersweet.
Mary is originally from Michigan but currently resides in Colorado, where she values private mountain living.
- Copyright © 2001 The University of Nebraska. All rights reserved. "Plastic Shamans and Astroturf Dances" by Lisa Aldred, The American Indian Quarterly, 24.3 (2000) 329-352
Contents |
[edit] Books Written
[edit] Nonfiction
- Spirit Song
- Phoenix Rising
- Dreamwalker
- Phantoms Afoot
- Earthway
- Daybreak
- Soul Sounds
- Whispered Wisdom
- Ancient Echoes
- Bittersweet
- Mary Summer Rain on Dreams
- The Visitation
- Millennium Memories
- Fireside
- The Singing Web
- Beyond Earthway
- Trined in Twilight
- Pinecones
- Love Never Sleeps
- Tao Of Nature
- Woodsmoke
- In Your Dreams
[edit] Children's Books
- Mountains, Meadows, and Moonbeams
- Star Babies
[edit] Fiction
- The Seventh Mesa
- Ruby
[edit] Books on Tape
- Spirit Song
- Phoenix Rising
- Dreamwalker
- Phamtoms Afoot
- The Visitation
