Buzz Coil: February

Here’s what’s been buzzin’ on other blogs recently. If we missed a blog post you think is important. Please leave the info as a "comment."

The Huffington Post: Tom Hayden shares parts of a speech he gave to Progressive Christians Uniting in his Feb. 20 post, "No More Crusades," about both Iraq and environmental issues. Among his comments:

...I want to challenge the stewardship notion that we were placed here, at some distant time in the past, to suddenly become stewards of nature, as if nature was doing badly on its own. The stewardship concept extracts us from, and places us above, the realm of nature. The scriptures place us in this role to underscore our special, sacred status above the lesser world of living things and ecosystems. As stewards, we become the plant managers for the absentee owner. If this reposterous idea was true, we would have been overthrown or fired from our administrative roles for malfeasance and neglect long ago.

....But our dominant story is upside down, and the challenge is to make it right. Eve is not Adam's rib, but the early goddess made dependent on man; the snake is not the Devil, but the symbol of nature brought low.... we have to acknowledge those old wars against nature worship and goddess cults, and make a just peace at last with those enemies. We must acknowledge and no longer be threatened by the pagan and goddess spirits within the mystic traditions of Christianity....

Pagan Godspell: In a Feb. 13 post, "Praying for Honey Bees" ,Sara Sutterfield Winn gives us a very moving Prayer for the Honey Bees (they’re dying from a mysterious ailment) that I’ve been including it in my devotions. In her Feb. 12 post, she writes about her longing for "Pagan monasticism."

Radical Goddess Thealogy: In her Feb 21 posts, Athana has a pic and link to a "Goddess Timeline" and she blogs about how it’s "Time to Ditch the Dude," She begins:

Babies, we need a new Role Model. Big Daddy War God aka "The-Lord-Is-a-Warrior"* isn’t cutting it.We need Mother Goddess to sweep back and calm us down.

She goes on to discuss the damage done by the biblical War God image.

Goddessing: In her Feb. 14 post, "Bonobos," Blogger Sage writes of the a PBS tv program "The Last Great Ape," about the happily sexy Bonobos. Sage explains:

Bonobos are interesting for so many reasons. Chief among them, for me, is the mirror they hold up to us about human primate nature and social possibilities. Like chimpanzees, bonobos share 98% of their genetic material with us. Unlike patriarchal chimpanzess, however, bonobos are matriarchal. Matriarchal. That's the word they used on the program

At the end of desire: As she promised, Blogger Inanna’s gives us a second post in her series on healing. On Jan 26, in "Healing: paying attention," she writes:

How different would it be if we paid attention to the needs of people who are sick or have disabilities, rather than trying to fix them?

She also continues her posts on thealogy, with Jan. 23's "Polytheology 2" about trying to make distinctions between monotheism and polytheism.

Hecate: Blogger Hecate shares her planting plans and explores how the Demeter-Persephone myth can inspire feminists in her Feb. 17 post, "Saturday Goddess Blogging" .

Roots Down:Deborah Oak tells us why she is sitting on her deck rather than at Pantheacon in her Feb. 17 post, "Experiential Witchcraft," part of an ongoing blogosphere discussion on book learning vs practice

Doire Musings: Quoting her teacher, Christian feminist scholar Elizabeth Schussler-Fiorenza, blogger mdiv94, now herself a professor of religion writes,"Truth is constructed," and expands on that thought in her Feb. 3 post, "Truth and Dare."

Walking on Fire: In her Feb. 20 post, "Purim Torah, Mysteries of the Night," blogger Liorah Lleucu combines the Jewish Purim holiday with Celtic goddesses.

Evoking The Goddess: Blogger Paul writes about sacred dance in his Feb. 19 post, "Awakening Earth."

The-Goddess: "‘ Hard Evidence’ of Matriarchy?" is the question blogger Morgaine seeks to answer for a reader of her blog in a Feb. 7 post.

Blog o’Gnosis: Anne Hill writes about her mixed feelings identifying as a Witch in her Jan 28 post "What’s In a Name?"

Wild Hunt Blog reports on "The Return of Green Egg" as a web-zine. In his Feb. 16 post, Jason Pitzl-Waters gives a brief history of what may be the first neopagan pub in the U.S. (Medusa has hanging on her wall, a framed cover of a Green Egg issue, probably from the 1970s, with lavender background showing Sophia as a grain goddess.)

'The Gods'

[transcript of an unreal conversation, early 21st Century]

Abrahamic Believer: I believe in the One True God who rules Heaven and Earth.

Pagan Individual: I reject monotheism and a transcendent God who exists outside creation, a God you call "He."

AB: Some places may still use the supposedly generic "He" for God but the place where I worship stopped calling God "He" 20 years ago, when some women said they felt excluded when God was called only "He" and "Lord" and other similar male words. We degendered our language, and a church where a friend of mine goes had another solution: they alternate male and female language.

PI: Well, we Pagans have a God and a Goddess, Gods and Goddesses, male and female. Your monotheism relies on transcendence, but the gods we Pagans have are immanent. The Gods are within creation not somewhere outside or above it.

AB: the gods?

PI: Yes, the gods, plural. You got a problem with that?

AB: You mean just the male gods are immanent?

PI: Of course not, all the gods are immanent.

AB: So you’re using "the gods" to mean both gods and goddesses?

PI: Yes, everyone knows "the gods" means both gods and goddesses. That’s how it’s always been said.

AB: So you’re using "the gods" as a generic, just like we used "he" as a generic pronoun for God, as it had always been used.

PI: It’s not the same because we have both gods and goddesses, and priests and priestesses.

AB: It sure seems the same to me! People used to say "God" had no gender even though we called him "he." We have both male and female ministers. So explain how "the gods" doesn’t exclude the female divine just like "God...He" does.

PI: It’s just an expression! What are you, the Word Police?

Medusa [in a voice that sounds like it’s coming through a bullhorn]: I understand that your ear has become used to the sound of certain words, and that it seems like "the gods" rolls off the tongue easily and it takes up less space when you’re writing to leave off "the goddesses." But when I’m left out I become angry. You wouldn’t want to anger Medusa, would you? To include me, my sister Goddesses, and women, when speaking of us, please use "gods and goddesses" (alternating that term with "goddesses and gods"), or if you want something short, use "deities" or "divinities." If you’re writing, use these or use "God/desses."

Abrahamic Believer: What or Who was that?

Pagan Individual: I didn’t hear anything....

TAGS:life the gods spiritual feminism Pagan Goddess women and religion

Review Policy

Updated 6/25/08, 11/08; 10/9/09, 11/15/11, 1/27/12, 7/5/14, 10/24/16; 11/22/2019
In response to inquiries, here is our policy for summaries or reviews:

Books–We will consider for review print books, and as of 1/27/12, Kindle E-books, supplied to us as they are sold on Kindle, however, as is standard in the reviewing field, we cannot promise to review them. As of Jan 1, 2017, we no longer review  anthologies whose publishers offer no payment, either in money or in books, to contributors. (in our definition, a pdf doesn't count as a "copy." Copies of the book given to contributors must be in the same form as those being sold.) We have adopted this policy because we believe writers should be paid for their work. For print books we accept only the finished book as it is sold in stores. We do not accept pdfs for either print books or e-books.  The Kindle edition must sent as it is selling on Amazon (not just in a format sent to Amazon or which Amazon uses, whether .mobi or some other). Please contact us at one of contact methods listed in link above for instructions about how to send the Kindle edition. We prefer to receive books within 4 months of publication, although up to a year after publication is acceptable. (We have, in the past, made exceptions for books published before we began blogging.) Occasionally we will include information/opinion about a book published more than a year ago in a post which discusses the subject of the book but which is not specifically a review of that book. We never sell review copies of books we receive from publishers, authors or their representatives.
CDs and DVDs–We also accept CDs and DVDs for review that are finished and ready for marketing. Please query in the same way as described for print books. We never sell review copies of these either.
Online ‘Zines and Journals–We will post summaries or reviews of online ‘zines and journals relevant to Goddess, women and religion, and spiritual feminism only if there is no impediment to reading them, such as registration or pdf format, and they are free (except in cases where they pay contributors more than the cost of a subscription). Publishing on the Internet reduces greatly the cost of producing a journal (no printing or mailing costs). In addition, payment in copies isn’t possible. Therefore, we feel if an online journal is charging readers, it should be paying contributors. We understand that other people, such as editors, who put together these journals, deserve compensation too, but we suggest that getting that money from sponsors or advertisers, and/or asking for "free will" donations, may be more effective than charging readers. Charging readers decreases readership and thus decreases the only advantage to unpaid contributors of publishing in these ‘zines: having their materials read and seen by a large number of people. In cases where most of the content is free to readers but there is charge for some of the content, we will summarize/review only the free content.
At present we are not reviewing print journals.

Unless otherwise stated all books, CDs, and DVDs reviewed here have been supplied by the author, publisher, or other creator/orginator.

Goddess Pages - Imbolc Issue

This second wonderful issue of Goddess Pages includes a stellar article by Max Dashu, "The Meaning of ‘Goddess’," which begins (ital. hers):

So much confusion has been sown about goddess veneration. Resistance to seeing any sacral value in ancient female icons has been a particular sticking point in academia. There, emphasis is usually placed on theoretical frameworks that seem to ignore the sense of sacredness that pervades aboriginal cultures. And there has been fundamental misunderstanding of what the Women’s Spirituality movement means when we speak of Goddess or goddesses. These are some of my reflections on these gaps and what needs to be clarified.

Dashu then comments on various (mis)usages, such as "sex goddess," Greek and Roman pantheons, and "fertility idol," as well as the "forbidden" quality of serious discussion of Goddess subjects, including its stigmatization in Women’s Studies and, paradoxically (to me) the increasing acceptability of such discussions in patriarchal religions under certain conditions. She writes:

The good news is that some of what we have been saying is coming in through another door. The bad news is that they don’t want to hear it from us. They want any consideration of sexual politics stripped out, so that the discourse can be kept safely abstract and psychological. And it must be theoretical, not spiritual, for the play-acting of objectivity.

Dashu goes on to touch on the historical suppression of Goddess religions and "the political function of male supremacist religion." She also discusses contemporary concepts of Goddess and their history.

This is one of the best summaries of current understanding of Goddess history and thealogy, and I urge you not to miss it. A Part II, looking at "how the ‘Western’ heritage of academia has shaped the heretical status Goddess discourse" is promised to us in the next issue of Goddess Pages.

Other articles in this issue include "Let Down Your Hair," an account of the symbolism of hair, haircuts, hair coverings, and veils, by Jacqui Woodward-Smith; "Imbolc and Bridget" by Cheryl Straffron; "The New Goddess Advocates: Who Are They?" by Rev. Karen Tate; "The Computer Goddesses," by Barbara Ardinger.

Poetry includes: "Serpent Skirt (dedicated to Monica Sjoo)" by Jacqui Woodward-Smith; "Imbolc 1995" by Jill Smith; "Beauty of the Heart" by Joyce Bergkotte; "Hoar Frost: Winter in the Era of Climate Change" and "Goddess Come," both by Leona Graham-Elen; and "Imbolc in the Quantocks" and "Dozing" both by Rachael Clyne.

Also featured in "The Standstill Gallery" is a series of images by Jill Smith. Reviews include London events, Witchfest International and The Halloween Festival; two reviews of the same non-fiction book, Savage Breast; and a review of the novel, The Passion of Mary Magdalen.

TAGS:life news Pagan Goddess women and religion Goddess zines Goddess Spirituality Goddess Pages Goddess Journals

Guest Blog: Dutch Goddess Temple

by Priestesses of Avalon-Mystic: Laura, Joyce, Petra, Marion, Lida, Sandra

The story of the Dutch Goddess Temple begins in the year 2000 when two women meet: Manon Tromp and Sandra Warmerdam were both on a journey for spiritual growth.

For Sandra it all started in the landscape of the Lady of Avalon in Glastonbury, having an emotional connection with her ancestors and a feeling that answers were about to come. When standing in the Chalice Well during her initiation in 2002 Sandra made a promise to the Goddess to bring her back to Holland. She had absolutely no clue how and when.

Together Manon and Sandra decided to join hands in bringing the Goddess back in Holland. At spiritual fairs they stood and carried out their beliefs and their goal: a Goddess Temple in Holland. A spiritual space to share with people the love for the Goddess and a space for spiritual growth. In the meantime they organized sacred tours to Avalon, wanting to share their love for this magical place with other people. In no time they had about 150 people who were interested all over Holland, Belgium and even a reaction from France. In Holland there is for sure very little for people who are interested in the Goddess. In England there are lots of information and places to connect, whereas in the Netherlands people still have much to rediscover about the Goddess, including naming and renaming, which is important in the process of getting the Goddess back. There are almost no Dutch books about the Goddess, fewer known places to visit and what we have is based on Wicca. So there is a lot of work to do.

A Place for the Goddess to be Celebrated - Autumn Equinox 2004
Sooner than Sandra wanted and expected we were offered a space to use for free for at least one and a half years. We could not refuse that, respecting energies and signs that were so evidently coming our way. We got the key in mid-August and started to work, first decorating, then smudging (a lot) followed by performing eight private ceremonies, calling in the Goddesses based on Ana's Wheel, which we had learned from the Glastonbury Goddess Temple. This was a very intense thing to do being just the two of us. Doubting if we were ready after all, there was the opening September 21st 2004.

Nervous, wondering if anyone would show up, asking if this is really what She wants her to do, Sandra felt Her Presence the moment she was in the temple.

About 25 people came and were really interested, not just for supporting us, Manon and Sandra, but because they wanted to connect with the Goddess, Her female inspiration and to feel our Celtic background.

The best thing was a few days after; the really lovely emails, letters and phone calls of people who were with the ceremony. It made us believe that we were on the right track, on our way to bring the Goddess back into the hearts and minds of the Dutch. The Foundation of Avalon Mystic was a fact!

So we started performing the ceremonies of the Wheel – now being the Dutch Wheel – and very soon some women joined the board and the Foundation, helping with the ceremonies, taking the lead, donating and showing up at fairs and markets to spread the word.

High Spirits, Challenges, & Conferences
This was high time, spirits being high. Sandra relaunched the idea of a Goddess Conference and we worked hard on it. The first Dutch Goddess Conference in Lochem was a great success.

In the meantime the building in which the temple of Avalon Mystic was located, closed for a big extreme make-over and left us without our meeting place and temple for half a year. It was a challenge really, but at last in November 2005 we could reopen our beautiful new place in the same building with an impressive Samhain ceremony, visited by loads of people, who had not lost their way to the temple and the Goddess. Emma, priestess of Avalon, who was with us, gave her blessings to the Dutch temple as did every one present that day.(See bottom of page at http://home.hetnet.nl/~Sandra.POA/ for pictures.)

Sandra having started her course for Priestess of the Goddess at Samhain 2004, the first group of temple priestesses was a fact, a herald of ‘De Boomgaard' (The Orchard) that we launched April 2006. This is the beginning of a true spiritual community of women! A second group of students started at Samhain 2005. The ceremonies are organised by a fine group of priestesses, we are working hard on the second Dutch Goddess Conference [scheduled for June 21-27, 2007], and still facing the challenge of getting this and everything all round. Changes have occurred in the composition of the board, Manon finally heading for her own spiritual path with her Natural Magic. A group of volunteers and co-workers creates a wonderful team of women, focused on the Goddess and woman's spirituality in the Netherlands.

Contact Us!

Want to be part of a team of wonderful women creating a spiritual community….either with your time, money or other gifts? Want to know more about the temple? Want to experience the wonderful energies and celebrate the Goddess in the Dutch landscape of Lochem? Join the second Dutch Goddess Conference ! Want to help and donate and keep our Dutch temple open? We are looking for volunteers and donations!! Please contact us, we will be very thankful.

Laura, Joyce, Petra, Marion, Lida, Sandra

http://www.avalon-mystic.nl

TAGS:life news spiritual feminism Goddess women and religion Goddess Temples Goddess Spirituality

Events Coil: Feb.9-March 31

As far as we know, all of the following are "open" functions; but some may be limited to women or to adults. Please check the websites for group policies. All times are local. All locations are in USA unless otherwise indicated. Other countries in which we currently have listings are Australia, Canada, England, and the Netherlands. We’d like to have events from more countries!!! If you have an event you want listed in future events coils, please leave it in a comment. See the end of this coil for what info we need for listings.

When listing events for the same date, we have tried to list the events occurring first, taking into account time zone differences. If there is a difference between our listings and the listings on the web page linked to, assume their web page correct, as it may have changed since we listed from it. The next Events Coil is planned for early to mid March, and will include events listed here that haven’t happened, plus new events through early May.

Feb. 9, 7 p.m. "The Phillipines," with Max Dashu and Evelie Sales Posch, San Francisco, CA

Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m. Celebrate Eingana, Daughters of the Goddess (Dianic), SF Bay Area CA

Feb. 10, Max Dashu, Taming the Female Body, Emeryville CA

Feb. 11, 11 a.m.Walking An Ancient Path with Rev. Karen Tate, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

Feb. 13 7:30 p.m., Monthly Ritual: The Craft Connection, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

Feb. 16-20 Pantheacon, annual US West Coast Pagan convention, San Jose CA

Feb. 16, 7-9 p.m. New Moon Drumming, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

Feb. 17, 6-10 p.m. Black Gown Event, including showing of "Mists of Avalon," Goddess Shrine, Canberra, Australia

Feb. 18, 2 p.m. New Moon Healing, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury, England

Feb. 18, 11 a.m. Services: Chinese Tea Ceremony with Sylvia McPherson, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

Feb. 24, "Women Voicing the Dharma," Buddhist Women’s Conference, De Paul University, Chicago IL

Feb. 25, 2 p.m. Priest/ess Training, Connect DC, Washington DC

March 2, 8 p.m. Wishes Rite, The Goddess Shrine, Canberra, Australia

March 2, 7:30 p.m. Max Dashu, "Goddess Cosmologies," Women’s Well, West Concord MA

March 2-4, Toronto Pagan Conference, Toronto, Canada

March 3, 7-9 p.m. Full Moon Drumming, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

March 3, 7:30 p.m. Celebrate Bast, Daughters of the Goddess (Dianic), SF Bay Area CA

March 4, 11 a.m."Queen of Myself" with Donna Henes, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

March 4, 7 p.m. Goddess Cosmologies with Max Dashu at Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Andover MA

March 11, 11 a.m., "Financial Alchemy" with Morgona Rae, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

March 12, 7:30 p.m., The Craft Connection, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

March 16, 7 p.m. New Moon Drumming, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

March 17, gather Noon, ritual 1 p.m. Spring Equinox (Reclaiming), Golden Gate Park, San Francisco CA

March 17, 8 p.m. Sacred Temple Party: Sacred SSSSnake Woman Power, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

March 18, Vernal Equinox, WCC Toronto Temple, Toronto, Canada

March 18, Spring Equinox, Connect DC, Washington DC

March 20, 2-4 p.m. New Moon Healing, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury, England

March 20 7:30 p.m., Spring Equinox Festival, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury, England

March 20, Doors open 6:30 p.m., ritual 7 p.m. Spring Equinox Ritual, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

March 20, gather 7 p.m. ritual 7:30 p.m. Spring Equinox Ritual followed by New Moon Women’s Mysteries, Temple of Goddess Spirituality Dedicated to Sekhmet, Indian Springs NV

March 20, gather 7:30 p.m., Celebrate Spring Equinox and Goddess Holi, Daughters of the Goddess (Dianic) SF Bay Area, CA

March 21, 7 p.m. Spring Equinox Celebration, Women’s Well, West Concord MA

March 24, Spring Equinox Ritual, Ostara Egg Hunt & more, Circle Sanctuary, Mt. Horeb, WI

March 24, 9 a.m. "Fat, Sexuality, and Women’s Spirituality" with Deborah-Ruth Mockrin, Women’s Well, West Concord MA

March 24, arrive 6:45 p.m., ritual 7:30 p.m. Spring Equinox, Temple of the Goddess, Pasadena CA

March 25, 1400uur, Lente Equinox, Avalon-Mystic, Hillgom, Nederland

March 25, 11 a.m. "The Aztec Dance to Honor Tonantzin" with Regine Costello, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

March 30, 7 p.m. Full Moon Drumming, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

March 31, evening, "Iseum of Isis Navigatum" with Rev. Karen Tate, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

Ongoing
Australia
Perth (White Gum Valley): Mondays, 6 p.m., Chalice Ceremony, Daughters of Ishtar.

Canada
Sudbury: 1st Friday (Sept.-June) 7:30 p.m., Sudbury Women's Circle.

Hamilton: Saturdays, 4-6 p.m. Open Classes ; Sundays, gather 6:30-7 p.m. Open Circles , Hamilton Temple, Wiccan Church of Canada.

USA
Baltimore MD: Sundays 10 a.m., Rites of Cafeina, Cedar Light Grove (ADF)

Geyersville CA: Sunday Services 2-4 p.m. Temple of Isis

Houston TX: Sundays, 10 a.m. Magdalene Community, Rothko Chapel; Mondays at Noon, Christian feminist theology study group ; 1st &3rd Fridays at Noon, Group studying Gospel of Mary Brigid's Place, Christ Church Cathedral.

Irvine CA: Sunday Services: 1st Service at 9:30 a.m. inward, meditative; 2nd service at 11 a.m., dancing, drumming, singing; see dates for guest speakers. Goddess Temple of Orange County,

Mt. Horeb WI: Goddess Circle, Thursdays 7-8:30 p.m., Circle Sanctuary.

NYC: Open Monthly Women's Circle, Sirens Sanctuary.

Portland OR: Rituals at new and full moons, quarters and cross-quarters. Full Circle Temple , Tuesdays-Sundays 10 a.m.-10 p.m. "Open to all self-identified women and girls."

Rockville MD: night before new moon, Dark Moon Book Group, Spiral Heart (Reclaiming).

San Francisco CA: Wednesdays 7-8 p.m., Christian Goddess Rosary, Ebenezer Lutheran Church; 1st Fridays, evenings at various locations, Woman's Spirituality group.

San Francisco CA: New Moon and Full Moon observances, Maa Batakali Cultural Mission.

West Concord MA: 1st Monday, 7-9 p.m. Women's Circles; other ongoing groups include Demeter & Persephone's Circle for mothers and daughters; Council of Mother Bears; Menopause As Spritual Journey; Menarche, for mothers and Daughter, at Women's Well.

We'll be happy to add your Goddess and spiritual feminist events (and those you know about that are open to the public) no matter where in the world they are. Leave a comment with your event, giving: Name of event, sponsoring organization (if any), town, date, time (if known), and, required: url of website where person can get more info. (Do NOT give street addresses, phone numbers or email addresses. People should go to the website to get that info.) We plan to publish an Events Coil every month. If the event you leave in a comment takes place after the date of the next Events Coil post, we will also include it in the main section of that post.

Matrifocus - Imbolc Issue

Matrifocus articles are divided into categories listed on the left side of the home page: Goddess/Women, Earth/Life, Photo Essay, and Book Reviews. But don't miss the editorial linked in about the middle of the home page. In this issue, Sage Starwalker's editorial is "Theophany," which discusses how this term, usually used by Abrahamic religions, applies to the Pagan experience.

I spent most of my time in the Goddess/Woman section. Joanna Stuckey's article, "Goddess, Whore, or Both? Kilili, the Woman at the Window" is about what can be called an Ancient Near Eastern archetype. Is this yet another instance of "scholars" confusing priestesses with prostitutes? This article has a number of illustrations, including one of "Mona Lisa of Nimrod," and a discussion that includes Inanna/Ishtar, Aba-shushu, Abta-gigi, Asherah, Astarte, and the biblical/historical Jezebel.

Max Dashu's article, "The ‘Pagan Days'," is excerpted from The Witches' Goddess, part of her multi-volume Secret History of the Witches, which, if some publisher is smart, will be published soon. Dashu, founder of the Suppressed History Archives, is one of the great contemporary experts on Goddess, women's history and indigenous/folk religions. I've been on a number of mailing lists with her and I continue to be amazed and grateful for the scope of her knowledge and for the extent she is willing to take time to share it. She gives presentations around the countries , which this blog tries to keep up with in our Events Coils. "The 'Pagan Days'," a good example of Dashu's vast knowledge, discusses how the names and functions of winter holidays were changed by "christianization." Cultures discussed include: Slovenian, Bulgarian, Dalmatian, Rumanian, Macedonian, Celtic, German, French, Scandinavian, Greek, Spanish, Swiss, and Austrian. And then there are the tie-ins to Mother Goose and Tarot!

Other articles include Carolyn Lee Boyd's "The Art of Ancient Ascent: Creating Like a Goddess"; Patricia Monaghan's "Wild Law and New Year's Primroses," about her gardening and energy saving program, along with her gripping poem, "There Is No Way Back"; Mary Swander's "What Would the Amish Do?" about Amish shunning and forgiveness; Nancy Vedder-Shults' "Fire Oracles"; Susun Weed's "You Can Have A Green Ally"; and Elizabeth Cunningham's poems, "Over the Oak" and "Gone," from her forthcoming book, Wild Mercy, which is reviewed in this issue. Other reviews are of The Red Book (nonfiction), and The Witch's Boy (fiction). And there is a 2-picture photo essay, "Cave of the Mounds" by Gwen Padden.

TAGS:life news Pagan Goddess women and religion Goddess zines Goddess Spirituality Matrifocus Goddess Journals

Global Goddess Oracle - 2 issues

We missed posting about the Winter Solstice issue of this excellent Goddess ‘zine, so I'll try to catch you up by telling you about two issues at once.

First, the most recent, Imbolc Issue of the Global Goddess Oracle, opening with Mut Danu's description of her experience of the holiday, "Imbolc." Mut Danu is a priestess of the Apple Branch Dianic Tradition. There is so much other good stuff in this issue that it's hard to know where to continue, so I'll just tell you which articles caught my eye first: "Pagan Parenting at Imbolc," by Donyea; an excerpt from Kathy Jones' book, Priestess of Avalon, Priestess of the Goddess: a renewed spiritual path for the 21st century; "Imbolc Solitary Ritual," by Belladona; "Talking to the Dying," by Grizz Dragonzhawk; "When Your Life Purpose Presents Itself, Will You Listen?" by Caryn Colgan; "Musings..." by Rain; "Witch Is It?" by Carol Hunt; a review by Bendis of Biology of Belief. There are also articles by Barbara Ardinger, MarVeena Wells, Stephanie Pflumm, Byron Ballard, and Layni Cook; additional articles by Belladonna and Colgan, and wonderful poetry by Dancing Star, Bendis, and Layni.

Going backwards, here's a look at the Winter Solstice issue: Let me start with "Baby Steps to the Goddess," by Sapphire, because to me, it's an usual story. Sapphire tells how, after leaving the "male Christian god," for the Goddess she was lured into bonding with the Greek god "Haides," which distanced her from the Goddess. Sapphire writes: "I felt guilty whenever speaking to Demeter." She then tells how she returned to "my Mother," last Samhain. The Winter issue also has seasonal material by Mama Donna Henes, Donyea, Morgaine, Moonspinner, and Leigh Barret; and other articles by Bendis, Megumi Kaizu, Anique Radiant Heart, Kathy Jones, Barbara Ardinger; and poetry by Leigh Barret, Mary Hunt, and Dancing Star. There's a lot, and I hope I didn't leave anyone out!

Global Goddess, btw, does more than publish Oracle. It's an innovative group, and if you're not familar with them you might want to visit their home page, http://www.globalgoddess.org/

TAGS:life news Pagan Goddess women and religion Goddess zines Goddess Spirituality Global Goddess Goddess Journals