Women in Love with the Divine

What does it mean to be a woman committed to a relationship with the sacred in today’s world? On a quest to answer this question for herself, Erica Bassani shares stories from her encounters with a dozen women spiritual teachers from Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Nondual traditions. In Women in Love with the Divine, Erica Bassani embarks on a deeply personal journey of spiritual rediscovery after years of disciplined Buddhist practice during her 20s. Facing the end of a relationship, job loss, and physical injury, she felt the need to connect with female spiritual role models, only to realize she knew almost none. Her search for inspiration leads her to the banks of the Ganges, the peaks of the Himalayas, the streets of Florence, and the highways of the United States, where she engages in transformative conversations with twelve extraordinary female spiritual teachers from diverse traditions. Through heartfelt and intimate exchanges, Bassani bridges generations as she shares what she learns from women like Tibetan Buddhist nun Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, yoga and Zen teacher Elena Brower, Taoist priestess Karine Martin, and Hindu teacher Vanamali Mataji, who share their insights on navigating the spiritual path as a woman. Together, they explore themes of vulnerability, resilience, and surrender, contemplating questions like: - What does it mean to approach spiritual practice as a woman?- How do we surrender without losing our sense of agency and strength?- In what ways can women reclaim their voices in traditions that often silence them?- What practices help us balance the masculine and feminine energies within?- What does it mean to be a woman in love with the Divine while trying to balance family, career, and self-care? With evocative storytelling and meaningful insights, this book is an invitation to deepen your own spiritual journey or begin anew—guided by the voices of women who embody the fierce strength, wisdom, devotion, and tenderness of the feminine spirit. Also included are discussions with Lama Tsultrim Allione, Ayya Soma, Bhante Suddhaso, Antonietta Potente, Francesca Bocca-Aldaqre, Marina Borruso, Paramjyoti Carola Stieber, Antonella Lumini, and Rabbi Julia Watts Belser.

ERICA BASSANI is a writer based in Italy. A graduate of the Academy of Storytelling in Turin, she spent a year living in a Theravadan Buddhist monastery at the age of 23. Since then, she has turned to female spiritual teachers from diverse traditions to help her navigate her inner journey. She created the Women Awakening Project—an initiative that highlights the wisdom of female spiritual role models and explores spiritual practice through the lens of women’s experiences—to share their wisdom and create a bridge between generations of seekers. Bassani is author of Donne che Eslporano il Divino, coauthor (with Massimo Bonomelli) of Va Bene Così, and the Italian translator of The Four Noble Truths of Love by Susan Piver.