A unique collection of one thousand prayers by women from ancient times to the present day "Shall we keep silent, or shall we speak? And if we speak what shall we say?" These questions of Dorothy Day's have rung in the ears of spiritual women for centuries. Silence has been the usual response, precipitated often by doubts, fears, and isolation. Now, in The Flowering of the Soul, Lucinda Vardey traces the voices of all those women who have used the written word to share their experience of God. In this remarkable collection, the prayers of more than two hundred women from thirteen different religions and many diverse cultures have been gathered together for the first time. Sun Bu-er, Sappho, Julian of Norwich, Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson, Annie Dillard, Marcia Falk, Marion Woodman--these are just some of the women whose prayers are showcased here. In addition to the prayers, Vardey provides a compelling introduction to women's thought on prayer. Weaving together the teachings of such spiritual figures as St. Teresa of Avila and Hildegard of Bingen with the ideas of writers like Simone Weil and Patricia Hampl, Vardey maps out a unique history of women's teachings on prayer. The Flowering of the Soul provides all women who pray, or who want to pray, with a collective feminine spiritual wisdom that can be drawn on and shared. Women, of whatever background, will find comfort and common ground in these pages. "All women will find peace, solace, and joy here." --Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom "Remarkable . . . brimming with compassion, common sense, and grace." --Spiritual Book News