Billed as a special edition from Crossed Crow Publishers that takes you on a spiritual, In the Shadow of 13 Moons most assuredly succeeds. The author shares so much of herself in these pages. She formulated a concept to find herself, heal herself and emerge whole and strong. She took this journey with some trepidation when traditional methods and medicines just weren't working. When her way worked so well for her, she set out to share it with everyone in the hope they too could heal themselves. It's not just magical empowerment; it's self empowerment which you find as you go through the steps.
This book is definitely timely. It comes at a time when so many people are mentally fragile. Many teens can't go off to college without a therapy animal. People are constantly urged to "ask your doctor, therapist, whoever." It seems people can't think for themselves anymore or don't trust their own judgement. They feel cast adrift on a sea of doubt. Who can you trust? There is a proliferation of charlatans out there. They're on your phone, they're on your computer, they're in your mailbox.
Author Sherman=Cook assures you you won't be alone. She, too, was once afraid but she faced her fears and so can you. As you walk through the dark of the 13 balsamic moon phases she'll be right there holding your hand. The book can almost be accused of information overload. There is good advice, tips, reassurances, meditations.
You'll be introduced to the dark deities of the dark moon. Not evil. Dark. Those deities protect you on your journey and you'll be able to select your own and work with that god or goddess. The author is going to teach you to find your own power or to reclaim it if you've given it away.
When Sherman-Cook invites you to walk with her and go into the dark energies, you trust her to guide you and keep you safe.and help you emerge into the light. And although dark moons are often thought of as Women's Mysteries, this doesn't shut out men.It embraces them using Crone (wise woman) or Sage (wise man) archetypes. It connects them to the yin half of themselves or with the deep healing of the Shaman within.
The dark of the moon is opposite the full moon and is just as powerful . There is an abundance of wisdom in the dark moons. You use the dark to face your fears, confront your traumas, to heal your soul, and to find your true self. But the author doesn't want you to stay in the dark. That was your tool to heal emotionally,mentally, physically and spiritually.
A symbol she likes to use during the transformation process is a key, real or imagined. You hold it, she says, you use it, you can become it, to unlock all the places you feared to go and the doors you were afraid to open. . Now you can emerge into the Light, fully whole. The secret is in uniting the yin and the yang, balancing the dark and the light. It's all about balance.
This is a very wise book. Sherman-Cook's words will resonate within you and remain for a long time. What stands out is her total honesty. She didn't write the book to make money so much as to have it be used as a teaching tool and a healing tool..
I highly recommend this book.
~review by Judy Blackstone~
Kimberly Sherman-Cook
Crossed Crow Books, 2022
339 pp.
