Emmie Returns - A Memoir of Two Lifetimes
Emmie Returns is a memoir that documents one woman’s struggle towards emancipation from the bonds of patriarchal society. As a work of reincarnation, this book demonstrates how it can take more than one lifetime to achieve that freedom.
Emmie Returns is based on a series of letters written in 1897 by the author’s grandaunt, Emmie Woodburn, during a visit to Limerick Ireland. Writing to her family in Canada, Emmie happily describes the details of life amongst her wealthy relatives. However, she soon becomes distressed when she discovers a family conspiracy to marry her off. Thinking there must be something wrong with her, Emmie becomes trapped in a conflict between her personal desire to remain single and family pressure to select a mate. Emmie fails to speak up for her well-being and never fulfills her desire to return to her home in Canada.
The letters are eventually passed down to the author, Liz Woodburn, who was born in 1948 on Emmie’s birthday. Thanks to the Women’s Movement as well as ‘New Age’ trends in thought, Liz grows up with permission to question outmoded power structures and so-called authorities. Liz relies on “Internal Authority” in the form of feminine energies when she concludes that she is Emmie’s reincarnation.
Emmie Returns documents how the author found faith in herself by restoring a sense of inner goodness. She brings power to her voice through publishing Emmie’s story, thus demonstrating that it is never too late to triumph over adversity.
Emmie Returns is based on a series of letters written in 1897 by the author’s grandaunt, Emmie Woodburn, during a visit to Limerick Ireland. Writing to her family in Canada, Emmie happily describes the details of life amongst her wealthy relatives. However, she soon becomes distressed when she discovers a family conspiracy to marry her off. Thinking there must be something wrong with her, Emmie becomes trapped in a conflict between her personal desire to remain single and family pressure to select a mate. Emmie fails to speak up for her well-being and never fulfills her desire to return to her home in Canada.
The letters are eventually passed down to the author, Liz Woodburn, who was born in 1948 on Emmie’s birthday. Thanks to the Women’s Movement as well as ‘New Age’ trends in thought, Liz grows up with permission to question outmoded power structures and so-called authorities. Liz relies on “Internal Authority” in the form of feminine energies when she concludes that she is Emmie’s reincarnation.
Emmie Returns documents how the author found faith in herself by restoring a sense of inner goodness. She brings power to her voice through publishing Emmie’s story, thus demonstrating that it is never too late to triumph over adversity.
Why I Wrote "Emmie Returns"
I wrote Emmie Returns for two primary reasons. The first is to fulfill a promise made at Emmie’s graveside that I would tell her story to the world. Secondly, this book is for the vast majority of ordinary people like me who have been taught that dreams, visions, and other ‘feminine’ ways of knowing are worthless and untrustworthy. I maintain that this stance results in loss of contact with important sources of Inner Wisdom.
An article in The New York Times of August 27, 2010 (“Remembrances of Lives Past” by Lisa Miller) indicates that one quarter of North Americans believe they have lived before. Currently, there is a large body of excellent material available to the public on the topic of reincarnation. Many of the books on this subject have a ‘masculine energy focus’ on research, documentation, and logical attempts to prove that past lives have indeed occurred. However, the topic remains highly controversial. This is understandable when the majority of the population is unable to access actual memories that support a belief in reincarnation.
I believe that the time is ripe to look at the subject from a different angle. Emmie Returns approaches reincarnation from the standpoint of ‘Inner Knowing’, a ‘feminine energy’ point of view. Focus on external proofs has been suspended as readers are asked to reconsider their beliefs about the value of knowledge gained through ‘feminine processes’. While the work of external authorities is certainly important, I assert that the modalities leading to individual ‘Inner Knowing’ are equally valid when considering whether or not we have lived before.
An article in The New York Times of August 27, 2010 (“Remembrances of Lives Past” by Lisa Miller) indicates that one quarter of North Americans believe they have lived before. Currently, there is a large body of excellent material available to the public on the topic of reincarnation. Many of the books on this subject have a ‘masculine energy focus’ on research, documentation, and logical attempts to prove that past lives have indeed occurred. However, the topic remains highly controversial. This is understandable when the majority of the population is unable to access actual memories that support a belief in reincarnation.
I believe that the time is ripe to look at the subject from a different angle. Emmie Returns approaches reincarnation from the standpoint of ‘Inner Knowing’, a ‘feminine energy’ point of view. Focus on external proofs has been suspended as readers are asked to reconsider their beliefs about the value of knowledge gained through ‘feminine processes’. While the work of external authorities is certainly important, I assert that the modalities leading to individual ‘Inner Knowing’ are equally valid when considering whether or not we have lived before.
About This Website
I created this website as a companion to my book, Emmie Returns – A Memoir of Two Lifetimes. Along with Emmie’s letters, I was especially fortunate to have inherited numerous old family photographs. The images of the main characters in the book as well as a family genealogy chart can be viewed on the Photo Gallery page. Emmie’s first hand descriptions of scenes in 1897 Limerick with accompanying photos are available on the Book Excerpts page. To read more about my background and how this book came to be written, please refer to the About the Author page. Information about how to obtain the paperback and e-book versions of Emmie Returns - A Memoir of Two Lifetimes is located on the Purchase page.
Contemporary photograph of Liz Woodburn:: Dave Battler Photography.
Website © Liz Woodburn and Woodlandstream.com. All rights reserved.
Book excerpts © Liz Woodburn. All rights reserved.
Website © Liz Woodburn and Woodlandstream.com. All rights reserved.
Book excerpts © Liz Woodburn. All rights reserved.