Buzz Coil: March '11

A look at some posts of interest from our blogroll and sometimes beyond:

The Wild Hunt: In his March 19 post, "Remembering the Queen of Heaven," Jason Pitzl-Waters begin with the famous quote from Jeremiah 44, and then goes on to blog about the BBC Two series, one segment of which presents the supposedly startling news that the ancient Hebrews/Judeans, Israelites were polytheistic Goddess worshippers. His post the previous day, "Third Wave’s Wallowing in Japan’s Tragedy" is about a "Christian Neo-Pentecostal movement" that sees "The Queen of Heaven" as a "global-level demon spirit."

Queen of Heaven: Blogger Carisa, raised a Baptist, has found herself attending a local Catholic church lately, not fully understanding why. In this March 23 post, "meaningful coincidence," she finds out. With excursions to Jung, a (prophetic? initiatory?) dream, and her discovery of ancient Hebrew polytheism.

Branches Up, Roots Down: Deborah Oak’s March 14 post, "hard rain" tells of Bob Dylan’s song popping out of her iPod Shuffle, and of a nightmare about San Francisco being flooded that she had the night before a tsunami swept Japan. Deborah then recalls her spiritual work relating to nuclear power and weapons.

Driving Audhumla: Victoria Slind-Flor writes about how her knowledge of Japan grew from knowing "Only Three Words" to hosting a Japanese student for the summer, to studying Japanese language and cultures, and being familiar with Japanese goddesses. She shares her reaction to the current disaster in Japan. With 2 videos.

Evoking the Goddess: Blogger Paul explains, in his Feb. 23 post "Hidden Temple of the Goddess," how a short trip to introduce his granddaughter to farm animals also takes him to the studio of a sculptor where he finds "a treasure of Goddess art." With 2 pics.

The Retiring Mind: Recalling her previous post on women-only events written just before February’s Pantheacon, Wendy Griffin, in her March 3 post, "Gender Matters..." again explores this subject, this time in light of an incident at this year’s Pantheacon during which at least one transwoman was not allowed to participate in a Dianic ritual. She includes a description of her participation in a "panel discussion" at Pantheacon about the controversial event.

From Jupiter: Blogger Cosette’s offers her opinion on the Pantheacon incident in her 1 post, "Come As You Are."

A Crone Speaks: Cathryn Platine of the Maetreum of Cybele launched this blog last month. Her Feb. 25 post, "‘The Oldest Religion’," gives a brief history of modern Wicca and Paganism, then traces back to c. 10,000 BCE to what she calls "the old religion." Her Feb. 27 post is a memorial to Merlin Stone.

Association for the Study of Women and Mythology: ASWM’s March 6 post is about "Plans for 2011 Midwest Symposium," including keynote speaker Mary B. Kelly (with pic of her art) and registration information.

Mary Magdalene Within: In her March 20 post, "Magdalene and the Red Egg," Joan Norton writes that she

has never satisfied with the church’s explanation of "Mary Magdalene and the Red Egg Story.

She traces its probable source source to

the deep wisdom of matriarchal religious symbols....When she holds the red egg, she is the goddess herself

With big beautiful pics.

Pagan Godspell: Ruby Sara’s March 20 Ostara post "Io Kore! Kore Evohe!" includes thunder and lightning, sunshine, blueberry cookies, a visit to "Mother Lake" to witness the full red moon, ritual preparation, and hope.

Hecate: Hecate’s March 20 post "Ivo! Evoe! Hail, Kore! Evoe!" describes a deeply spiritual experience in midst of the everyday. After telling us how she got to this place and space, Hecate writes:

And there, sitting at the red light, surrounded by the city, headed for the Teddy Roosevelt bridge, there, I was -- and best of all, knew myself to be -- in the presence of The Kore, in the sunlight, on the day of Os[t]ara. Not, symbolically, not metaphorically, not in any of the ways that it would make sense to say that I was, just a few feet North of that girl, in the presence of The Kore, but, simply, in the presence of The Kore. Not that The Kore "rode" her or that she somehow pulled The Kore down into her. Not that she stopped being a flesh-and-blood girl with a history and a future and braces. Not that she had ever not been The Kore . . . .

And in one of her March 24 posts, Hecate tells us "What This Witch Is For."

Goddess in a Teapot: Carolyn L. Boyd begins her March 23 post, "Spring Goddesses with Their Golden Apples of Hope," by wondering why myths associated with spring often include tragedies that befall goddesses. Then she comes up with an explanation. Her March 10 post, "Merlin Stone: A Foremother of Women’s spirituality," contains a personal anecdote about one of Carolyn’s birthdays.

Broomstick Chronicles: In her March 9 post about the "Hindu-Pagan Interfaith Devotional to Our Great Mother" Macha NightMare/Aline O'Brien writes:

As far as I know, this is the first anyone has blended traditional Hindu practices done by traditional Hindu practitioners (as opposed to Western attempts verging on cultural appropriation) with contemporary American Pagan practices.

The ritual was coordinated by a Dianic priestess and also included Reclaiming priestesses, a sitar player, male chorus and Hindu temple dancers, along with staff from Cherry Hill Seminary. The post appeared simultaneously on on COG Reports.

Veleda: In her March 21 post, "Wu: female shamans in ancient China," Max Dashu writes that

The strong pattern of female shamans in eastern Asia has been erased from history that most people know.

She goes on to explore the history of the Wu. with illustrations and the option to download a pdf of longer article.


Flashsilvermoon Please note the new url of this blog. Flash’s March 22 post, "The Healing is Music" is a 2005 interview by Diane Saarinen in which Flash, now known as an outstanding drummer, tells how she was forbidden to drum by teachers in elementary school through high school because she wasn’t a boy. They wanted Flash to play the play piano but she refused and got into finger painting instead. She developed artistic talents, among other things, that she feels led to her creation of the Wise Woman’s Tarot. Flash’s March 1 post is "Merlin Stone In Memoriam"

Amused Grace: Artist Thalia Took says that she’s "hit a block" and gives a summary of her many projects, confiding that she has mixed feelings about selling her "religious" art. She also discusses the tension between her public and private lives. All in her March 10 post, "Tensions."

Chess, Goddess and Everything: This blog is sponsoring a "Fighting Chess Award" at the Women’s Chess Championship in St. Louis April 15-29. Read all about the history of this cash award in the March 20 post, "The Goddesschess Fighting Chess Award." /2011/03/goddesschess-fighting-chess-award.html

Did we miss an item you think is important? We’d like to know about it, so please leave it as a comment.

Guest Post: BBC TV Programme About Asherah

by Daniel Cohen

Francesca Stavrokopoulou's BBC TV programme on Asherah was the second in a series of three. The first, shown last week, discussed whether David and Solomon's kingdom really existed, and next week's is about the origins of the Garden of Eden story.

This week's programme was an excellent presentation of the current state of scholarship about Asherah (with much mention of Baal and El, as well). It is, of course, new to the general public, but not to those interested in the subject, and she did not have any new insights. I felt it was a mistake for her to say quite often "I believe", "In my opinion" and the like, as this could lead people to think it was an isolated view. She did interview Judith Hadley and Ze'ev Meshel, but I would have liked her to have spoken with more scholars.

She spent some time discussing Deuteronomy 33:2, which is not one of the forty mentions of Asherah/asherah in the Bible. This verse is obscure in the original Hebrew, and has differing translations into English, none of which make much sense. She follows the view of M. Dijkstra and others that there was an error in transcription at one stage, and that the text originally referred to Asherah. The textual emendation is simple, and certainly makes for a more natural reading.

For me the most exciting moment came when she showed the Taanach cult stand. This shows a female figure standing between two lions, and also a tree between two ibexes, both most likely images of Asherah. I had seen pictures of it, but to have a view of the original, with the camera showing it different from different angles, brought it to life. She also showed a replica of the pottery fragment from Kuntillet Ajrud, with its inscription referring to Asherah - the original is currently missing, but it is probably among the items belonging to the Egypt Museum that recently resurfaced.

Daniel Cohen wrote the chapter on Asherah in the recently published 3-volume book set, Goddesses in World Cultures, edited by Patricia Monaghan. He is author of the e-book, The Labyrinth of the Heart: Changed Myths for Changing Lives, available through smashwords.com
His website is www.decohen.com

Several Tributes Planned for the Late Merlin Stone

Several tributes are being planned to honor the late Merlin Stone who died Feb. 23 at the age of 79.

Z Budapest has proposed a global "dumb supper" (silence while eating) for April 10 that takes place wherever you and your friends gather. Z's suggested ritual is posted here.

A "Benefit Memorial Celebration" is being planned for September 24 in Clearwater, Florida, at a Unitarian Universalist church; Internet live-streaming of the event is also planned. A biographical documentary DVD and a book, both titled, In Search of Merlin Stone, are also underway. Information about how to participate in these is on merlinstone.net

Marilyn C. Stone, who, under the name Merlin Stone, wrote books including When God Was A Woman and Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood, and was also an artist and sculptor, was born September 27, 1931 in Brooklyn, NY. See the obituary written by Bobbie Grennier on merlinstone.net for more information.

Pagans Pray for Japan at Cherry Trees in DC

Tonight beginning at 8 p.m., there will be a prayer effort to help Japan at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC, surrounded by cherry trees originally donated to the U.S. by Japan. The event is sponsored by the DC Firefly Pagan Meetup Group. More info, including how to participate if you can't physically be at the meetup, is at the DC Firefly Pagan Meetup site. The announcement gives, imo, a good summary of the Pagan outlook on a natural disaster. Wish I could have given you more notice, but apparently Japan events are being scheduled rapidly.

Worldwide Healing Ritual for Japan

UPDATE: March 18: The following is from an email I received this evening from Selena Fox. (I've turned the urls into links because long links mess up the blog's format.):

"Please join us in doing spiritual healing work for Japan as part of your upcoming Equinox & Full Moon ceremonies and gatherings this weekend. Some possibilities for individuals & groups:
(1) Work with or adapt the Healing for Japan Ritual by Selena Fox
(2) Create a Healing for Japan Altar for use in healing prayers, rites, & meditations - this could include items such as a map, flag or other symbol of Japan, objects made in Japan, Japanese sacred images, quartz crystals, other healing tools.
(3) Envision egg-shaped containment around damaged Japanese nuclear reactors & send support to workers at the reactors sites.
(4) Call on Kannon, Japanese Goddess of Mercy, known also in other parts of Asia as Kwan Yin, to aid Japan, its people, creatures, plants, land, waters, air, energy sources.
(5) Attune to the Circle Sanctuary Community's endeavors on Saturday, March 19. Circle Sanctuary will have a community Healing for Japan Altar set up in its Temple Room at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve near Barneveld, Wisconsin throughout the day of its Welcome Spring Festival on Saturday, March 19, and as part of its Full Moon Circle in the evening.Shibaten of Japan, who is now in Singapore, will be among those spiritually attuning with those of us celebrating - you are welcome to join in as well.
(6) Post about your own spiritual healing work for Japan on Selena Fox's main Facebook page throughout the weekend.
(7) Tune into internet radio for special show on Pagan relief efforts for Japan - join Don Lewis, Peter Dybing, Selena Fox, Zaracon, others on Saturday night, March 19 on Pagans Tonight. Selena is presently scheduled to do her Healing for Japan Ritual shortly after 9 pm CDT on this internet radio show.
(8) Join Pagans of many traditions in Pagan First Giving charity efforts for Doctors without Borders, which is among the international relief organizations now working in Japan.
(9) Network: share this email & links with others."
[end of update]

Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary has announced, on the Sanctuary's website, by email, and on Facebook, a healing ceremony for Japan coordinated with Japanese shamanic healing musician Shibatan, currently in his home country. Selena invites all interested to take part in the coordinated ritual scheduled for this evening at 7 p.m. CDT /9 a.m. Monday Japanese time. The full suggested ritual is on this Circle Sanctuary website page. If you can't do the ritual at the 7 p.m. CDT time, it can be used at other times you feel the ritual is appropriate, needed.

Events Coil: March 12 - May 2

As far as we know, all events we list are open functions; but some may be limited to women or to adults and some may require that you notify them that you plan to attend. Please check the websites for group policies. If no country is given, the event is in USA. All times local. Times for computer/Internet/Web events are given for the place of origin. Events lasting more than 1 day are bolded. When listing events for the same date we have tried to list those that occur first, taking into account time zone differences. If there is a difference between our listings and the listings on the link, assume their web page is correct as details may have changed since we listed from it. Ongoing events are listed after the dated events. The next Events Coil is planned for mid-April and will include events listed here that haven't yet happened, plus new events through late May. If you have an event you want listed, please leave info as a comment. See the end of this Coil for what info we need for listings.

(Update: April 6. After we made an addition to an April event and republished this, all the lines ran together. Apparently a blogspot/blogger problem, we concluded after trying to fix it several times and visiting the "help" section and seeing posts from others having the same problem. Sorry. Hopefully it will be fixed by next month's Events post.)
 March 12-13, East Coast Symposium of the Association for the Study of Women and Mythology Philadelphia PA March 13, 11 a.m. Goddess Service, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA March 18, 4 p.m. Temple Dressing for Spring Equinox, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND March 18, 8 p.m. Ostara/Spring Equinox, North East Pagan Fellowship, Newcastle Upon Tyne, ENGLAND March 18, 2 p.m. Rebel Shamans: Women Confront Empire with Max Dashu, Berkeley CA March 18, 7 p.m. Chants Encounter with Morning Glory Zell, Sonoma County Pagan Network, Santa Rosa CA March 18, 7 p.m. Full Moon Drumming, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA March 19, 7 p.m. Autumn Equinox, PaGaian Moon Court, Blue Mountains NSW AUSTRALIA March 19-20, Season of the Tree Weekend, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY March 19, Welcome Spring with Equinox Ritual, Full Moon Celebration, Egg Hunt, workshops; Circle Sanctuary, near Barneveld WI March 19, 1 p.m. Spring Equinox, San Francisco Reclaiming, Golden Gate Park, SF CA March 19, 2-9 p.m. Spring Equinox: Feast of the Returning Daughter, Sisterhood of the Sacred Circle, Carson City NV March 19, 7 p.m. Waking Up Mama/Vernal Equinox, Mother Grove Goddess Temple, Asheville NC March 19, 6 p.m. Spring Equinox - Full MoonCircle, Sisterhood of the Sacred Circle, San Jose CA March 19, doors open 6:30 p.m., ritual begins 7 p.m., doors lock 7:15 p.m., Temple Holy Day: Dpring Equinox:Spirit of Animals, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA March 19, time tba, Spring Equinox Sabbat, CAYA Coven, Berkeley CA March 20-27, Workshops with Kathy Jones, priestess of Avalon, Nederlandse Godinnen Tempel, Hillegom NEDERLAND March 20, doors open 13.00 uur, ceremony begins 14.00 uur, Lente (Spring) Equinox Ceremonie, Nederlandse Godinnen Tempel, Hillegom NEDERLAND March 20, 11 a.m., Goddess Service honoring Baubo, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA March 20, 7 p.m. Lady Day/Ostara/Spring Equinox, Wiccan Church of Canada, Toronto Temple, Toronto CANADA March 20, 4 p.m. Spring Equinox, North Bay Reclaiming, Sebastolpol CA March 20, 7 p.m. Spring Equinox Celebration, Women's Well, Concord MA March 20, 7:30 p.m., Spring Equinox Ceremony, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND March 20, time tba, Celebrate Spring Equinox and Butterfly Maiden, Daughters of the Goddess, San Francisco CA March 25, 7:15 p.m.Treasures for Women with Max Dashu, Emeryville CA March 26, time tba, Divine Creatrix Sabbat for Amazons, CAYA Coven, Berkeley CA March 27, time tba,Goddess of Light and Dark Mother Workshop, Pomegranate Grove, Mount Ranier AUSTRALIA March 27, 1 p.m. Rites of Spring Blessing, Becoming, Great Falls VA March 27, 11 a.m. Goddess Service honoring Maeve, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA March 27. 7 p.m. "For the Next 7 Generations"A Film about the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers," Women's Well, Concord MA April 1, doors open 13.00uur, ceremony begins 14.00 uur; Dark Moon Ceremony, Nederlandse Godinnen Tempel, Hillegom, NEDERLAND April 1, 7:30 p.m. Spring Equinox Poetry Circle, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND April 2, 4 p.m. Goddess Meetup and Meglamensia Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY April 3, 2 p.m. New Moon Healing, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND April 3, 11 a.m. Goddess Service honoring Diana, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA April 4, time tba, Wiccan Style New Moon Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY April 5, time tba, Cybeline New Moon Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY April 5, 7:30 p.m. Circle of Craft, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA April 7, 7:15 p.m. Treasures for Women, with Max Dashu, Media Education Foundation, Northampton MA April 8-10, Wise Woman's Festival with Flash Silvermoon and others, Hampton FL April 8, 7:30 p.m. Grandmother Stones of Megalithic Europe, with Max Dashu, In Her Name Women's Temple, Canton CT April 9, 10 a.m. Workshop: The Path of Rhiannon, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND April 9, 7 p.m. Female Healers & Shamans, with Max Dashu, Rivers Healing Center, Torrington CT April 10, 12.30 p.m., Circle of Connection, Becoming, near Bethesda MD April 10, 7:30 p.m. Ancient Treasures of African Women, with Max Dashu, Lakshmi Holistic Arts Center, Brooklyn NY April 14, 7 p.m. Grandmother Stones of Megalithic Europe, with Max Dashu, AB Technical College, Asheville NC April 16, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Earth Day Celebration and New Moon Circle, Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve, near Mt. Horeb WI April 16, 7 p.m.Ancient Treasures of African Women, with Max Dashu, AB Technical College, Asheville NC April 16, time tba, Celebrate La'ieikawai, Daughters of the Goddess, San Francisco CA April 16, times tba, Full Moon Ritual Circle, Grove of Artemis, Caya Coven; Full Moon Ritual Circle, Brotherhood of the Moon, CAYA Coven, Berkeley CA April 22, 2 p.m. Temple Dressing for Beltane, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND April 23, 11 a.m. Ceremonial Healing Day, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND April 29, doors open 7 p.m., ritual 8 p.m., Beltane, North East Pagan Fellowship, Newcastle Upon Tyne, ENGLAND April 29- May 1, Beltane Weekend and Full Moon Circle, Circle Sanctuary, near Mt. Horeb WI April 30-May 1, May Day Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY April 30, 7:30 p.m., Beltane Ceremony, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND April 30, time tba, Beltane Sabbat, CAYA Coven, Berkeley CA May 1, doors open 13.00 uur, ceremony begins 14.00 uur; Beltane Ceremony, Nederlandse Godinnen Tempel, Hillegom NEDERLAND May 1, 7:30 p.m. Goddess Temple Moonlodge, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND Beltane, San Francisco Reclaiming, Golden Gate Park, SF CA May 1, 4 p.m. Beltane, North Bay Reclaiming, Sebastopol CA May 2, doors open 13.00 uur, ceremony begins 14.00 uur; Dark Moon Ceremony, Nederlandse Godinnen Tempel, Hillegom NEDERLAND Ongoing Australia Perth (White Gum Valley): Mondays, 17:30, Chalice Ceremony, Daughters of Ishtar. Belgium Gent, most days 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Goddess Temple open for personal prayers. Canada Hamilton: Saturdays, 4 p.m. Open Classes ; gather 7 p.m. Open Circles , Hamilton Temple, Wiccan Church of Canada. Great Britain Glastonbury: Priestess/Priest of Avalon Training Program, both in Glastonbury (Avalon) and by correspondence, Glastonbury Goddess Temple. Glastonbury: Most days except Mondays, Noon-4 p.m. Temple Open for personal prayers; Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Belly Dancing; Thursdays, 7 p.m. Temple Ritual Dance Class, Glastonbury Goddess Temple. Sweden Soderhamn, Gudinne Temple Open weekdays Noon-6 p.m. Mondays, 7-9 p.m., meditation prayer, conversation. USA Annapolis MD: Friday of each month closest to Full Moon, 7 p.m. Women's Full Moon Circle, UUCA. Arlington VA: 3rd Sunday of month, time tba, ritual Moonfire. Asheville NC: Sundays, 10 a.m drumming, 10:30 a.m. Service, Morning Devotionals, Mother Grove Goddess Temple. Berkeley CA: last Sunday of month, 5 p.m., East Bay Goddess Rosary, University Lutheran Chapel. Canton CT: Sundays, 10:30 a.m. Services, Women's Temple: In Her Name Carson City NV: Mondays 6 p.m. Women's Spirituality Studies with Mama J, Sisterhood of theThe Sacred Circle. Charleston SC: 1st Tuesday of month, Women's Circle with Carolyn Rivers, The Sophia Institute Geyersville CA: Sunday Services 2-4 p.m. Temple of Isis Grants Pass OR: Sunday Services; doors open 10:45 a.m., service starts 11 a.m., doors lock 11:10 a.m. Southern Oregon Temple of the Goddess Houston TX: Sundays, 10 a.m. Magdalene Community, Rothko Chapel; 1st & 3rd Fridays at Noon, Group studying Gospel of Mary, Brigid's Place, Christ Church Cathedral. Irvine CA: Sunday Services, 1st Service at 10 a.m. inward, meditative; 2nd service at 11 a.m., dancing, drumming, singing; see dates for guest speakers, Goddess Temple of Orange County Palenville NY: Saturdays, 5 p.m. training sessions; Sundays 4-6 p.m, open classes, 7 p.m. Pagan Circles, Maetreum of Cybele. San Francisco CA: Wednesdays, Christian Goddess Rosary, Ebenezer Lutheran Church; Fridays evenings at various locations, Woman's Spirituality group. St. Sandy UT: second Saturday of each month, 4:30 p.m., Isis Devotionals, Iseum of Muth/Lyceum of Auset and Heru em Aakhuti Washington DC: 2nd Sunday of month; gather Noon, ritual 12:15 p.m., National Arboretum, Becoming DC. 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 Spiritual Journey; Menarche, for mothers and Daughter, Goddess Groove Drum Circle, at Women's Well. World Wide Web Online, "Celebrating Cosmogenesis" a course for people in both Southern and Northern Hemispheres, with Australian author Glenys Livingstone. Online, Alternate Fridays, see website for times of live Podcast:"Talking to Goddess," interviews, music, & more, from Gaia's Garden, Kew East, Victoria, Australia. Online, Wednesdays, 6 p.m. PT "Voices of the Sacred Feminine" interviews with well-known Goddessians and Pagans, hosted by Karen Tate, Blog Talk Radio. Originating in California. Online, Sundays, 11 a.m. PT, "Creatrix Media Live" roundtable discussions include guests and phone-in audience participation, co-hosted by Jayne DeMent and Anniitra Ravenmoon, Blog Talk Radio. 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 giving: Name of event, sponsoring organization (if any), town, date, time (if known), and, required: url of website where person can get more info (no pdf pages, no password-protected pages). (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.

Google's IWD Centenary Participation

Kudos to Google for featuring the celebration of the 100th International Women's Day on its logo today and for linking that logo to the "Join Women on the Bridge"event taking place today worldwide. That link includes a map of where the bridges are so you can take part in an event near you, and links to charities benefiting women.

Layne Redmond To Receive ASWM Award

The first Brigit Award for Excellence in the Arts given by the Association for the Study of Women and Mythology will be bestowed upon Layne Redmond, frame drummer and author of When The Drummers Were Women, at ASWM's East Coast Symposium March 12-13 in Philadelphia, according to a Feb. 28 announcement on ASWM's blog. Panelists and presenters of papers and seminars at the symposium listed in the Symposium program include Miranda Shaw, Patricia Monaghan, Sid Reger, Lydia Ruyle, Sheila Shiki y Michaels, Rav Kohenets Jill Hammer and Holly Shere, H.E. Chief Aina Olomo, and others.

Good News About Maetreum of Cybele Legal Case

The Maetreum of Cybele has received a favorable decision from the Greene County Supreme Court in their 5-year legal battle with the town of Catskill, NY. A property tax exemption denial based on accusations that the religious group doesn't meet the legal definition for a tax-exempt status is one of the issues in this case. The 2011 tax exemption decision is expected soon. The Maetreum says:

if we are once again denied we will proceed directly to Federal Court and file the action with the State AG’s office which should trigger a full scale investigation into the Town of Catskill.

Thanks to Jason Pitzl-Waters this info (and more!) in his post on The Wild Hunt yesterday.