In Search of the Divine Mother

Given rare access to Mother Meera's inner circle, journalist Martin Goodman began as an innocent pilgrim. As his investigative journey continued Goodman not only separated truth from fiction, but discovered something about his own spirituality. Offering a travelogue to the soul, Goodman uncovered not only the phenomenon of Mother Meera, but the source of what makes all of us seek a higher meaning, a transcendent purpose, the promise of something divine. IN SEARCH OF THE DIVINE MOTHER, provides valuable insight into the nature of the guru-disciple relationship and brings to light much of the mystery surrounding Mother Meera's contemporary Christ-figure. Goodman offers a deep, personal insight that layers biography with a mesmerizing spiritual sojourn. - Turtle River Press

Martin Goodman is a writer with a gift for description. This book offers a fascinating account of a woman some believe is an incarnation of the feminine divine. - The New Mexican

This is a loving chronicle of what could easily be viewed as a soap opera. ... It's a fascinating, engaging story full of appreciation for the wondrous synchronicity that brought Mother Meera to the world. - The Napra ReView

When English novelist and essayist Martin Goodman sent his guru Mother Meera a draft of his book about her for suggestions, she had only one: destroy this book. Goodman's devotion is so complete that he complies. In rewriting the book, he is forced to work through his deep-seated anger. He embraces his homosexuality. Most important, he realizes that the key to finding peace is to hold on to nothing but to savor everything. "We have an infinite capacity, but it is not one of containment," he writes. "It is one of processing." Goodman blends an unyielding introspection with thorough research in his portrait of the infamous avatar. ....... Though Goodman's account might lead skeptics to believe that this goddess was made, not born, the author remains impassioned. - Mick Macleod, New Age Journal

Goodman's spiritual link with Mother Meera, a contemporary Indian mystic who connects with her followers by means of her steady gaze and purportedly transformative touch, began long before meeting her in person. Goodman practiced transcendental meditation and traveled through Asia, visiting holy sites, but eventually sought a way beyond systems and communities, a path not predicated on woundedness but that promised wholeness. Encountering Meera at her German base of operations, he met others there on similar pilgrimages (including eventual life partner James) and found the capability within to expose the secret, hated parts of himself to the divine light. An insightful testimony from a onetime devotee of its putative subject, who, whether or not she is, as some contend, God on earth, remains a gifted seer and worth the attention of browsers of the spiritual fulfillment shelves. - Booklist , March 15, 1998 The book is not the sensationalist exposure one might have expected; it rings with painful truthfulness and impresses one with its fine sensitivity and clarity of thought and expression. - Anita Desai, author of JOURNEY TO ITHACA

A significant, illuminating contribution to the anatomy of the guru-disciple relationship. -Olga Kharitidi, M.D., author of ENTERING THE CIRCLE

For readers struggling with complex issues of the master-disciple relationship, and the mind-bending clash of the skeptical mind with the mystic view, Goodman's superb book will come as a long-awaited reality check. Both analytical and profoundly personal, IN SEARCH OF THE DIVINE MOTHER--the only reliable biography to date of the modern master known as Mother Meera--is an illuminating account of the author's efforts to separate truth from make-believe and to bridge the gap between the inner and outer teacher. Gifted with the ironic eye of a novelist and the tender heart of a born seeker, Goodman manages to explode the legend surrounding Mother Meera while preserving the mystery behind her silent touch. Very inspiring. - Mark Matousek, author of SEX DEATH ENLIGHTENMENT