Roy McCullagh

Chanting the Feminine Down Roy McCullagh

Chanting the Feminine Down is at heart the painful journey of Colette, a young woman who struggles to come to grips with her Catholicism, her psychology and her soul. Vast in scope and coverage, the novel is a journey through history, mythology and time with the female protagonist searching for shards of the feminine in the Christian tradition while wrestling with the shadow of her own demons. Colette's travels, musings and reflections take her from the present day to the various Catholic Church councils, making side trips with Boccaccio and the Renaissance crowd who found energy and creativity in Plotinus and other Neoplatonists. While Chanting is a religious and psychological novel, the bedrock of the narrative is personal and interior, as is reflected in the dozens of dreams experienced by the heroine which serve as a counterpoint to and a mirror of her bouts with doctrine. Principles of Jungian psychology add meaning and perspective both to her history and to events from the far past. Finally, Chanting is also a feminist novel, not only because of the persona of the protagonist, but because she embraces heroic feminists throughout the ages who have stood up to patriarchy and the church. But for Colette, where will this embrace lead?