MARY JEAN IRION She-Fire

Annotation

SHE-FIRE is a modern vision quest whose narrative commentary shows language at work, probing metaphoric meanings. Readers on an armchair safari in Kenya study the human animalvia warthogs, elephants, zebrasconfronting ancient religions' fabrications that still command today's America, unchallenged. Many consequent evils have been heaped on nature, human nature, women and sexuality, with medieval supernaturalism as accuser, while it poses as redeemer. Currently, wars of huge proportion loom over spectral tomorrows, as three fundamentalisms force their theistic cliches into power's killing fields, until atheism's dead religions look good. A better way opens with She-fire's mediating journey. It speaks the unspeakable in friendly, engaging ways, learning from hides of giraffes, mating of lions, clear springs from Kilimanjaroto evoke religions' transformations. She-fire redefines and relocates the sacred, urging seekers to create what the human spirit needs for the future, without throwing away what it needs from the past: our Greek heritage, plus the best from discredited faiths. While "a thousand are hacking at the branches of evil," this book "strikes at the root," (Thoreau). She-fire affirms Life and God, honoring Nature, Earth, Humanity, Universe, Mystery almost palpable as safarists reclaim civilization, where America is still the best place to welcome open civil discussion.