Mother of the Unseen World

November 20, 2017
Journalist Matousek (Sex, Death, Enlightenment) tells the life story of Mother Meera, an Indian mystic believed by her followers to be an incarnation of the Divine Mother. Born Kamala Reddy in a small south Indian village in 1960, Mother Meera underwent an open-eyed samadhi (a trance state said to be an encounter with the divine) at age 6 and became famous throughout India at age 14 after well-known mystics and ashram leaders corroborated her claims. Matousek chronicles her travels as a spiritual guide, from the residence for orphans she founded in India to her eventual home in Thalheim, Germany, receiving pilgrims such as Matousek himself. Mother Meera’s story is incredible, but the book itself is more heartfelt than hard-hitting. Matousek begins his story with the spiritual awakening he underwent upon first meeting Mother Meera, and he openly, passionately describes her appeal: “This woman was unlike anyone I’d seen before—qualitatively different—as if she belonged to another species.” Matousek is a lively guide, but those not already interested in Mother Meera’s story will find this book most valuable as an introduction to the presence of avatars in Hindu spirituality. Agent: Joy Harris, Joy Harris Literary.

November 15, 2017
Matousek, a writer and spiritual speaker, has spent considerable time during the last three decades with Mother Meera, an Indian woman so enlightened that she is considered by her followers to be an avatar, an incarnation of the feminine divine. Mother Meera's task on Earth, Matousek reports, is to untie energy knots for those who come to her centers in India and Germany. She does this by gripping the heads of her adherents, suffusing them with her energy, and pulling light from the universe and implanting it into their bodies. Remarkable spiritual, mental, and physical changes have been claimed by those who have had the treatment. Matousek's story of his relationship with Mother Meera is fascinating and personal, as is the story of her life, which follows her as she learns to understand and use her gifts. Oddly, perhaps the least satisfying part of the book is Matousek's recent interview with Mother Meera, in which she answers his questions in the shortest of sentences. But even unbelievers will come away from this account in wondereven if only to wonder about the enlightenment Mother Meera claims to offer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)