Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Through their work in psychotherapy, coaching, and leadership, this mother/daughter author team of Patricia Adson and Jennifer Van Homer turns a sweet fable into an allegory for women, with a particular purpose: to aid us in probing the past to create the future we desire.
Fairy tales for adults must be in vogue. A Princess and Her Garden: A Fable of Awakening and Arrival is the second I’ve read this year. Fairy tales send us a signal to slow down. They give us an opportunity to turn off the Type A drive to success, and perhaps get a little closer to a time when we believed in magic, playfulness and true happiness.
Many women, after years of giving to others, find they need to learn or re-learn how to care for themselves and put their own needs first. A Princess and Her Garden shows you the path to gain strength, focus on what’s important, and reach past obstacles and limits that block your growth.
A Princess and Her Garden begins with a brief fable where we encounter a young princess with doubts. “I wonder what has changed and what I am supposed to do.” And so typically, when scolded by the Queen, the princess assumes whatever is wrong, its likely her fault, as she says “I must be very bad. What have I done to make them so angry? It is all my fault.”
As the story grows, don’t miss the metaphor of the garden wall to remind you to set personal boundaries about your needs versus those of other people.
As we, along with the princess, learn about nurturing ourselves as well as tending to the needs of others, it’s the delightful Wise Woman Wizard who sets the princess on the path to personal discovery.
This brief fable sets the tone for the girl to become “Queen of Herself,” and is followed by the true focus of the book: a guided journal.
The journal, in full color with sweet illustrations, offers sections to explore: Then, The In-Between, Now and From Now On. As you think about past behaviors, you’re able to use your writing to move yu from reflection toward creating a plan for the future.
A Princess and Her Garden is a lovely book, with high-quality color illustrations, reminding you that the garden metaphor is your life, and you are the architect.
