Monday, April 25, 2011

Buzz Coil: April '11

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

Washington Post "On Faith": Earlier this month, this WaPo blog took up the issues of women and religion. Jason Pitzl Waters’ contribution on April 13, "The god women need" begins with the famous Queen of Heaven quote from Jeremiah 44. Jason then points out "how dangerous the idea of female empowerment is within the world of faith and belief." No, he doesn't think it's dangerous, but he gives examples of other people who do. He goes on to discuss the relationship between Goddess beliefs and legal access to abortion and contraception. A must read! The rest of the posts on the topic "A woman’s role?" can be found here. Yes, this is the same Jason Pitzl-Waters who writes The Wild Hunt blog.

American Witch: In her April 10 post, "Choice Among the Goddesses or How I Finally Wrote About My Abortion," Annie Finch blogs about her most recent book of poetry, Among the Goddesses: An Epic Libretto in Seven Dreams, to which she appended a post-abortion ritual that she feels has increased in its importance to the work. Annie originally wrote this post as a guest on another blog.

The Village Witch: In her April 11 post in the Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times, "My Annual Earth Day Rant," Byron Ballard writes that she considers Earth Day "the 9th holy day in the Wheel of the Year" and that her group started celebrating an Earth Day ritual, "Litany for Home" in 2008. This year the group planted "a small garden" near the Mothergrove Goddess Temple offices. She also speculates about the significance of Earth Day’s coinciding with Good Friday this year.

Veleda: Max Dashu writes:


I can’t stand it. For some time I’ve been thinking that something needs to be said about the the toxic femininity scripts creeping into "Goddess" imagery, mass-media contamination, and all in the name of women’s empowerment. These posed, stilted, playmate-like "goddesses", sticking their breasts out and pouting like lipstick models are all over the net.
Her April 14 post, "A Gallery of Toxific and Pornified Goddesses" goes on to give examples (with links to pics) of what she’s talking about. In 3 other posts also dated April 24, she discusses a very different topic: shamanism in Central America.
 
Hecate: "Why Did You Do That?" Hecate asks on April 9 in another of her terrific posts aimed at helping Pagans know how to (and decide whether to) talk to reporters. If you haven’t been reading these posts, you’re missing some knowledgable and important stuff that just may come in handy—at any moment.

Pagan Space: In her March 10 post, "My Thoughts of Goddessia*/Making Goddessian My Own ," blogger fawn puts her spin on the terms "Goddessian" and "Goddessia" and at the end references my "Goddessian" post .(In that 2007 post I wrote that a Google search had turned up 60 links for "Goddessian." I just repeated that search and found more than 4,000!)

Pagan Godspell: Ruby Sara starts her April 6 post, "Rootwater Paganism: A Not-Thing Thing" telling about some of her new Pagan-related projects. She then affirms her previous posts about her discomfort with the term "Pagan":

I maintain that the term "Pagan," used as a marker for a specific religion, is problematic and misleading.
She also says that its use as an "umbrella category for a whole host of religions is suspect. . ." So she is "experimenting" with calling her practice "Rootwater Paganism"and she tells what this term means to her. In her April 21 post, "Sun and Sabbatical," she announces that she's taking a break from Pagan Godspell, and probably won’t be blogging there again until July.

Weaving and Magic: Robur D’Amour's extensive April 7 post is "Asherah, Eve and the Shekhinah." Much of it is based on a recent BBC series. according to Amour. It includes lots of really big and excellently reproduced pics, many of them from the BBC series.

Queen of Heaven: Carisa Cegavske compares Mother Mary’s grief over her crucified son with the grieving of Isis, Demeter, Inanna, and other goddesses in her April 21 post, "Weeping for Tammuz: The Queen of Heaven and the dying god."

Branches Up, Roots Down: In her April 18 post, "Spring Spell," Deborah Oak writes about (and shows) the psyanky eggs she’s been making around this time of year for more than 40 years. Though these eggs are made in the Ukraine today to celebrate Easter, Deborah says they actually predate Christianity.

Mary Magdalene Within: In her April 9 post, "Wedding of Mary Magdalene" Joan Norton claims that viewing Mary Magdalene as wed to Jesus gives her more authority than being considered just as the First Apostle. The authority she gains by being bride and Queen, Norton writes is "embodied authority."

Driving Audhumla: Victoria Slind-Flor writes about "Wars of religion at my house" in her April 14 post. She looks back at her childhood in a Catholic-Protestant marriage with an abusive parent. She compares the experience to material in a book trilogy she read recently and to her current Goddess ethics.

Goddess in a Teapot: In her April 9 post, "Inviting Goddess to Your Tea Party," Carolyn L. Boyd writes about the close connection between goddesses and tea and other herbs.

Blog o’Gnosis: In her April 17 post, "Standing in Spirit - Centeredness Through Change," Anne Hill writes of her return to teaching after many life changes.

The Wild Hunt: On April 25, Jason Pitzl-Waters posted the lastest "Update: Town of Catskill vs Maetreum of Cybele."

Talk with the Goddess: This is the blog of the Goddess Temple Inc. Of Lakewood, Ohio. In its April 13 post, "Sitting with the Goddess" Gini Judd writes that the Temple’s Room is now "devoted full-time as a worship space" and asks Temple members to take turns being present there.

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

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Friday, April 15, 2011

Events Coil: April 16 - May 31

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-May and will include events listed here that haven't yet happened, plus new events through late June . 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.

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 22-24, Earth Day Celebration with Luisah Teish and Leilani Birely, Daughters of the Goddess, Petaluma CA

April 22, 2 p.m.
Temple Dressing for Beltane, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND

April 24, 11 a.m. Goddess Service honoring Eostre, with Amazon Priestess Tribe, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

April 29, doors open 7 p.m., ritual 8 p.m. Beltane, North East Pagan Fellowship, Newcastle Upon Tyne ENGLAND

April 29, 7 p.m. Transformational Poetry, Invocations, and Prayers, Mother Grove Goddess Temple, Asheville NC

April 29-May 1, Beltane Weekend and Full Moon Circle, Circle Sanctuary near Mt. Horeb WI

April 30-May 1 May Day Celebration, Maetrum of Cybele, Palenville NY

April 30, Kl.1700, Beltane Frojdefest, Gudinnetemplet, Soderhamm HELSINGLAND (SWEDEN)

April 30 7:30 p.m. Beltane Ceremony, Glastonbury Goddess Temple
, Glastonbury ENGLAND

April 30, time tba, Beltaine Sabbat, Caya Coven Berkeley CA

May 1, doors open 13.00 uur, ceremony begins 14.00 uur, Beltane Ceremony, Nederlandse Goninnen Tempel, Hillegom NEDERLAND


May 1, 7:30 p.m. Goddess Temple Moonlodge, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND


May 1, gather 11:30 a.m., ritual Noon, Beltane/MayDay, Connect DC, Washington DC
May 1, 12.30 p.m., 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


May 2, time tba, Wiccan-style New Moon Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY


May 2, 7:45 p.m. gather near White House, 8 p.m Pagan Coming Out (of broom closet) Day Public Ritual, Open Hearth Foundation, Washington DC
 

May 3, 2 p.m
.
New Moon Healing, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND

May 3, time tba, Cybeline-style New Moon Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY

May 7, 7 p.m. Samhain, PaGaian Moon Court, Blue Mountains NSW, AUSTRALIA

May 6-8, Kl.19.00, "Freya i kuinnan" Gudinnetemplet, Soderhamm, HELSINGLAND (SWEDEN)

May 6-8, Beltane:
Feast of the Blooming Maiden, Sisterhood of the Sacred Circle, Boulder Creek NV

May 7, 5 p.m.
Goddess Meetup, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY

May 7, time tba
,
Dancing Flowers Ritual, Amazon Caya, San Francisco CA


May 12-15,
International Conference on Matriarchy, St. Gallen SWITZERLAND


May 13-15, Annual Women's Retreat, Woman BEing, Murphysboro ILMay 14, 5 p.m. 
Feminist Meetup, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY

May 14, time tba, Full Moon Ritual, Grove of Artemis, Caya, San Francisco CA


May 16, 7 p.m.
Full Moon Celebration, Circle Sanctuary, near Mt. Horeb WI

May 16, time tba,
Wiccan-style Full Moon Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY

May 17, time tba,
Cybeline-style Full Moon Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY

May 19, Midwest Symposium, Association for the Study of Women and Mythology, Madison WI


May 20-22, Gathering of Priestesses and Goddess Women with Jade River, Lynnie Levy, Patricia Monaghan, Sid Reger and other presenters, Re-Formed Congregation of the Goddess International, Wisconsin Dells WI
May 20, 7:30 p.m.
Treasures of African Women Part II, with Max Dashu, Temple of Ravenmoon, Long Beach CA

May 21, 7 p.m.
Ancient Spain: Shamans, Ancestors, Priestesses and Godesses, with Max Dashu, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

May 27-29, Sacred Woman Retreat, Pomegranate Grove, Nelson, Victoria, AUSTRALIA

May 27-29, Beltane Retreat: Discover Rhiannon, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND

May 29, 11.00 - 16.00 uur,
Workshop with Maria Circle, Nederlands Godinnen Tempel, Hillegom NEDERLAND

May 31, doors open 13.00 uur, ceremony begins 14.00 uur,
Dark Moon Ceremony, Nederlandse Godinnen Tempel, Hillegom NEDERLAND

Ongoing


GREAT BRITAIN
Glastonbury: Most days except Mondays, Noon-4, Temple Open for personal Prayers; Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Belly Dancing; Thursdays, 7 p.m. Temple Ritual Dance Class, Priestess/Priest of Avalon Training Program, both in Glastonbury (Avalon) and by correspondence. Glastonbury Goddess Temple.

SWEDEN

Solderhamm, weekdays, Noon-6 p.m,Godinne Templet Open; Mondays 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
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 p.m. Services, Women's Temple: In Her Name. 
Carson City, NV, Mondays 6 p.m., Women's Spirituality Studies with Mama J, Sisters of the Sacred Circle.
Concord MA, 1st Monday 7-9 p.m.Women's Circles' other ongoing groups include Demeter & Persephone's Circles for mothers and daughters, Council of Mother Dears; Menopause as Spiritual Journey; Menarche for mothers and daughters; Goddess Groove Drum Circle, at Women's Well.

Geyersville CA, Sunday Services 2-4 p.m.Temple of Isis
.
Irvine CA, Sunday Services, 1st service at 9:30 a.m., inward meditation; 2nd servie at 11 a.m.; see dates for gues 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, Goddess Rosary, Ebenezer Lutheran Church.

ONLINE, WORLD WIDE WEBCourse: Alternate Fridays, "Celebrating Cosmogenesis," for people in both Southern and Northern Hemispheres, with Australian author Glenys Livingstone, originates in NSW, Australia.

Podcasts:times tba, "Talking to Goddess," interviews, music, and more from Gaia's Garden, originates in Melbourne, Australia.
Podcasts: Wednesdays 6 p.m. PT, "Voices of the Sacred Feminine," interviews with well-known Goddessians and Pagans hosted by Karen Tate, Blog Talk Radio. Originates in California.

Podcasts: 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'd be happy to add your Goddess and spiritual feminist events (and those you know about that are open to th
e public) no matter where in the world they are. Please leave a comment giving: Name of event, sponsoring organization (if any), town, state (if in US), country (if outside of US) 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 eamil addresses. People should go to the website for that info.

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Monday, April 04, 2011

What Do You Think of This from 'Conscious Men?'

This video, "Dear Woman," was posted on You Tube by a group called Conscious Men. It includes reference to the "divine feminine." I'm interested to know what you think of it.


They also have a "Manifesto" with sentiments similar to those in this video.

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Sunday, April 03, 2011

Study Guide Available in Ebook Formats

A study and discussion guide to the four Kabbalah chapters in my award-winning book, Goddess Spirituality for the 21st Century, is now available as a low-priced ebook, titled Exploring Re-Visioned Kabbalah: Study Guide for the 4 Kabbalah Chapters in Goddess Spirituality for the 21st Century from Kabbalah to Quantum Physics. (Yes, it's a long title; I wanted to be clear about exactly what the ebook is.)

Something happened while I was working in PhotoShop on the ebook that might be considered sychronicity or fortunate coincidence. I think of it as Goddess guidance. Probably many of us working in creative fields experience something like this fairly often. I was trying to come up with art for the "cover" and was going to use art I had posted on
Cafepress and Zazzle in the past, showing, among other things, the design that the re-envisioning I did of the Tree of Life forms among the Tree's round areas (known as sefirot). The lavender and rose-gold connecting lines were a little hard to see computer-sized against the green background I had used previously for the art (behind which was a black background) so I turned off the green layer. Wow! says I to myself, the whole thing looks great against the black. And so it is.

The new study/discussion guide is in addition to the shorter study guide for all chapters of the book included in its Combined Second Edition. The new, separate, ebook guide is meant for readers, teachers, and discussion leaders who want a more extensive guide to the book's chapters 2-5 describing and giving the history of Jewish Kabbalah and Hermetic Qabalah, and proposing a more egalitarian kabbalistic Tree of Life. The new guide is available as
a Kindle E-Book, a NOOKbook, and at Diesel eBook Store, Sony Ebook Store, Smashwords in multiple formats, and at other ebook vendors. Its intended U.S. price is $2.99, and hopefully it's comparatively priced elsewhere. BTW, if you like the black background design, I've put it on Zazzle (on t-shirts and posters) but I haven't gotten around to putting it on Cafepress yet. Somebody remind me...LOL

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