Buzz Coil: September 2012

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

My Village Witch: Byron Ballard has some suggestions about how to start or continue more effectively a spiritual practice at this time of year in her Sept. 25 post,"Daily Practice as Samhain Approaches."

Ma Vie en Goddessia: Blogger The Goddessian posted a 2-part series Aug. 30 about the Goddess Wheel of the Year: Part One: The Dianic Wiccan Wheel of the Year, and Part Two: My Personal Wheel of the Year. 

A Crone Speaks Out: In a Sept. 21 post, "Rebuilding a Pagan Community," Rev. Catherine Platine of the Maetreum of Cybele, writes about the Pagan Community beginning in the 1960s counter-culture, and that Paganism "is a community powered path and we lost that and our way as a result. We need to rebuild that sense of community to survive and thrive."

Blog o' Gnosis: Anne Hill writes about "Bullying, Caretaking and Community" in her Sept. 16 post, with a focus on experiences in Pagan groups.

Branches Up: Roots Down: Deborah Oak's Sept. 2 post, "Sticks and Stones," tells about words, stories, and names, specifically her birth and initiatory names, one of which she is "releasing."

Broomstick Chronicles: In her Aug. 31 post, "Stirring the Cauldron," Macha NightMare writes:

"Cauldron-stirring is different from shit-disturbing. The latter aerates stinky stuff and releases noxious odors. No one wants that. The former, however, is a necessary part of the brewing process."

Recalling Reclaiming Dandelion events of the past, Macha sees herself as the "chief stirrer" of the cauldron, and continues,

"Some others are noticing the changes in aroma coming from the cauldron. Others are stepping up to take a turn at stirring. Others are angry that anything is being disturbed...."   

The Magdalene Review: On Sept. 18, in her first post in nearly a year, "The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife," Lesa Bellevie discusses Karen King's announcement of the discovery of a papyrus fragment in which Jesus refers to his "wife." 

Feminism and Religion: This month, a new, unsigned weekly feature, "In the News," which is slated to appear each Wednesday,  included the following: Sept. 26,  " Wives – Silent, Hidden, and Unnamed," without specifically discussing the point made in the title, the post explores some of the issues surrounding Karen King's recent presentation of the Jesus "my wife" fragment; Sept. 19 "An All Women’s City in Saudi Arabia – Liberating or Continuing the Cycle?" about a city being set up for career women; Sept. 12, "Religious, Atheist, and Political Feminists – Unite?  about the role of religion in politics in the U.S. and how it affects women.
Here are some of this month's articles by people on a variety of paths:
In a Sept. 25 post, "A Sea Change Towards Women’s Ordination"   by Mary Ellen Robertson discusses the ramifications of a recent meeting of Catholic and Mormon women at Claremont Graduate University.
Carol P. Christ's Sept. 24 post, "Goddess as Love: From Experience To Thealogy, " describes how being present at her mother's death helped her clarify her thealogy of Goddess.
Deanne Quarrie's Sept. 22 post, "Metamorphosis, "  describes the changes some women experience between the ages of 33 and 55, and her own personal physical-emotional metamorphosis, which occurred around the same time as she became involved in Goddess spirituality.
Daniel Cohen's Sept. 15 post, "The Interpreter; or An Introduction to Hermeneutics," is a story from his book, The Labyrinth of the Heart, with his notes.

Musings of a Quaker Witch:  In her Sept. 18 post, "Edinburgh Solstice Singers, and Singing the Goddess in Edinburgh", blogger Staśa asks her readers, especially those who are or will be in Scotland this fall, to help set a date for a singing workshop she plans to give. She also announces the formation of the Edinburgh Solstice Singers, being formed to sing in  December Winter Solstice celebrations in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

Goddess in a Teapot: In her Sept. 5 post, "Write a Poem and Rethink a New World into Being,"  Carolyn L. Boyd unveils, and gives an example of, a new poetry form she has invented and calls "The Brigid Poem."

Works of Literata: Literata's Sept 26 post, "The Omphalos Meditation: an alternative grounding and centering visualization" grows out of her difficulty in attaining appropriate visualization when lying down to do traditional grounding and centering meditation based on visualizing oneself as a tree. The new meditation she is developing is based on visualization involving "the navel of the world" and by extension, one's own navel. She writes: "The omphalos represents a point of connection. Just as the navel is a point of connection between mother and infant, the omphalos can symbolize the connection between earth and sky, which nurture each other, or between the spirit world which nurtures and sustains life in this world."  

The Goddess House: In a Sept. l6 post, "Spring Has Arrived at the Goddess House," blogger As't Moon tells about the change of seasons in Australia.

HecateDemeter: Blogger Hecate's Sept. 8 post, "Autumn, When the Light Is Slant and Low," discusses several experiences including "the need to honor my inner Hestia" when coping with large workloads at her dayjob, growing older, and a visit with a younger male in her extended family who was comfortable enough to discuss his views on sex with her and her friends.

Return to Mago: Sept. 17th's post, (Photo Essay) ‘Gaeyang Halmi, the Sea Goddess of Korea’ part 2  by Helen Hye-Sook Hwang discusses and shows iconography of a Korean Goddess, a shamanic ritual, and a visit to a shrine. Wennifer A. Linn's Sept. 24 post, ‘Logbook of a Mother Who Strives for the Mother Earth Sanctuary’   discusses her vision for "creating a sustainable, matristic eco-sanctuary for birthing consciously, balancing body/mind/spirit wholistically, growing food biodynamically, and living communally."

Hearth Moon Rising's blog: In her Sept. 21 post, "The Sacred Fruit of Persephone,"Hearth Moon Rising discusses the relationship of Persephone, the major ceremonies of the Eleusinian mysteries, which took place this time of year, and the pomegranate. The post ends with a humorous video called "How to Peel a Pomegranate in Six Movements." 

Onion Work: In a Sept. 4 post Blogger Ruby Sara writes that she will be closing down this blog "in the next week or so" to concentrate on posting on Pagan Square and another blog. As of Sept. 25, Onion Work was still up.

Novel About Hildegard by Mary Sharratt

Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen by Mary Sharratt, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012, 272 pages, available beginning Oct. 9 in hardcover and as an e-book.

Mary Sharratt’s fascinating historical novel, Illuminations, is written from the first person point of view of Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th century German Benedictine abbess, composer, poet, theologian, herbalist, and scientist, who recognized divinity in nature, opposed mortification of the flesh, and desired more freedom for herself and for her nuns. Ironically to some, her sainthood was made official last May by Pope Benedict XVI, who announced he will elevate her to "Doctor of the Church" on Oct. 7. The release date of this book is set to coincide with this elevation, granted to fewer than 40 saints, only 4 of whom are women. 

Author of four previous novels, the most recent of which is Daughters of the Witching Hill, Sharratt begins Illuminations with a prologue set in the year 1177 when Hildegard is 79. She and her nuns are burying on hallowed ground a runaway monk whom the archbishop has declared an apostate. As Hildegard awaits a decision on whether the burial will result in her being punished by the Church, she is visited by a young monk who apparently hasn’t heard of the controversial burial because it occurred while he was traveling to visit Hildegard. The purpose of his journey is to interview the abbess so he can write her vita. He asks her such questions as "...is it true that you bade your nuns to wear tiaras?" and "....Did I correctly understand that God appears to you as a woman?"

Hildegard ponders how to respond to the monk's questions as the prologue ends and, in Part I ("The Tithe"), the novel flashes back to Hildegard, age 5, the 10th child of a noble but not very wealthy family. Hildegard plays with her dolls, her older sisters, and her brother Rorich, suffers various illnesses, and begins to have visions. In Hildegard's voice, here is the first one described in the novel:
"A shadow passing overhead made me glance up to see an orb come floating out of the sunlight. A ball of spun gold, yet clear as glass. Inside grew a tree adorned with fruits as dazzling as rubies. The tree breathed in and out, as a living creature would."
Hildegard reaches for the orb, but "like a bubble, it burst." After she asks her nursemaid Walburga and her mother where the orb has gone, Hildegard overhears them asking each other whether she is "mad, or simply bad?" Hildegard prays for the to visions stop, but they  persist and some are prophetic. When she is 8, her mother explains that consistent with the custom of tithing 10 percent of one’s income to the Church, she is donating Hildegard, the 10th child, to the Church. This will be accomplished by Hildegard’s accompanying a young noblewoman of a wealthier family, the beautiful but troubled Jutta von Sponheim, to a monastery where they will be "anchorites," walled into a small area called an anchorage beneath the monastery and given to understand that they will never be allowed to leave. In return for this "donation," the Sponheims give Hildegard’s mother dowries for two of her other daughters.

After the rite of anchorage on All Souls Eve, Hildegard compares her situation of being hidden away both to "being sealed in a tomb" and to that of "women in the glittering harems of the East." As Jutta, who is a few years older than Hildegard, sinks deeper into starvation and other forms of masochism, Hildegard daydreams about escaping, possibly with the help of her brother. And she continues to have visions, which she keeps secret. The first night in the anchorage she sees a golden pulsing orb containing "a face like Walburga’s but not Walburga’s. A face bathed in tenderness, the Mother of my deepest longing...." who tells her, "....When the time is ripe, I will set you free...."
 During Advent, Hildegard remembers Walburga’s stories about the customs of her ancestors who were heathen and observed the Twelve Nights of Yuletide, "a time out of time when fate hung suspended...the Old Ones roaring across the midwinter skies: the Wild Hunter...in pursuit of his White Lady with her streaming hair and starry distaff...." As a winter storm rages outside, a vision comes to Hildegard:
"... a white cloud bursting with a light that was live, pulsing and growing until it blazed like a thousand suns. In that gleaming I saw a maiden shine in such splendor that I could hardly look at her....Her mantle, whiter than snow, glittered like a heaven full of stars. In her right hand she cradled the sun and the moon. On her breast, covering her heart, was an ivory tablet and upon that tablet I saw a man the color of sapphire. A chorus rose like birdsong on an April dawn—all of Creation calling this maiden ‘Lady’. The maiden’s own voice rose above it... I bore you from the womb before the morning star."
The vision fades but the voice continues, telling Hildegard she is here for a purpose she does not yet understand. Then another vision, in which Hildegard is in "a greening garden so beautiful it made me cry out." She hears the Lady’s voice again, this time whispering:
 "See the eternal paradise that has never fallen." Hildegard then sees
 "a great wheel with the all-embracing arms of God at its circumference, the Lady at its heart. Everything she touched greened and bloomed."
 Another vision follows on Christmas night, in which the image in the orb appears as Mother rather than Maiden; Hildegard calls this Mother, God. She speaks to Hildegard, saying,
"I am the supreme fiery force who kindles every living spark. I flame above the beauty of the fields. I shine in the waters. I burn in the sun, moon, and stars. With the airy wind, I quicken all things...."   

Hildegard's relationship with Jutta, her magistra (superior, teacher), is a very difficult one. Jutta teaches her to read and write in German and Latin and to play the psaltery, but her magistra also becomes increasingly distant as her health declines, apparently due to her fasting, along with damage to her body caused by her hair shirt and self-flagellation. A few years pass as Hildegard develops a crush on a kind young monk, Volmar, who brings her fabric for a less irritating garment to replace her hair shirt, books on herbalism, and plants for her to nurture. But alas, Volmar is smitten with Jutta, and we have an unrequited love triangle.

When she is about 15, Volmar introduces Hildegard to a female hermit of the peasant class who has come to see Jutta. Jutta has a large following as a holy woman but isn’t particularly anxious to talk with this woman. The hermit tells Hildegard that she has prophetic visions, and insists on seeing Jutta to tell her of a vision she had about her. After impudently asking Volmar for a mug of beer, the hermit at last gets her audience with Jutta. Hidden, Hildegard overhears the hermit’s prophecy, which includes her. The hermit also tells Jutta that Hildegard has visions. Hildegard, frightened that this discovery will bring punishment, retreats to her pallet and receives a vision in which a "pale blue woman, crowned in majesty" descends in a cloud, calling herself  "Eclessia, the true and hidden church." Hildegard then sees in Ecclesia’s arms, "a company of consecrated virgins," who weren’t veiled or starving but whose hair flowed freely and wore not hair shirts, but royal garments in bright colors. One of them, beautiful with long black hair, smiles at Hildegard, saying, "Have courage and endure. One day I shall come to you."

When Hildegard is 17, Jutta requests and receives new oblates, ages 11 and 5. Hildegard watches as the girls undergo the ceremony of entombment on All Soul’s Eve. The wall entombing the anchorites is to be knocked down so that the new anchorites can enter. The entire group will then be re-walled in. During the brief opportunity when the wall is down, Hildegard plans to escape with the help of her brother, a priest rising in the Church hierarchy, who is present at the ceremony along with other important men of the Church.
And I’ll leave the plot there, about a third of the way into the book.

Sharratt brings to life Hildegard and the other characters in a realistic, down to earth writing style, while imparting to passages such as Hildegard's visions an appropriate but not overwritten inspirational quality. This is the kind of writing that you don't think about while you're reading because it allows the story to shine. With great enthusiasm I recommend Illuminations, whether you presently know a little or a lot about Hildegard.

In the book’s Afterword, Sharratt discusses the sources she used, the discrepancies in historical accounts, and why she chose some accounts over others. She writes that she has "taken some liberties with the timeline." In an interview provided by the publisher, Sharratt discusses some of the controversies surrounding Hildegard. Regarding the claim, made most famously by neurologist Oliver Sacks, that Hildegard’s visions were part of the migraine headache syndrome, Sharratt points out that critics of this theory counter that although Hildegard describes migraines in her medical treatise Causae et Curae, she doesn’t write that she herself had migraines (in Illuminations, Hildegard’s mother has headaches that can be intepreted as migraines). Further, the "rings" that Hildegard sees in some accounts and on which Sacks bases his claim because he says they resemble the aura preceding migraines, are from illustrations drawn by artists other than Hildegard. Sharratt says that to her "the migraine theory remains speculative." Regarding whether Hildegard and one of her nuns, Richardis, had a lesbian relationship, Sharratt says, "I don’t believe their relationship was sexual. Hildegard made no attempt to hide her love for Richardis, I don’t believe that she thought their love was in any way shameful." In the Afterword, Sharratt lists the music composed by Hildegard that she listened to while writing Illuminations. I’ll close by sharing with you the music of one of Hildegard’s songs, "Veridissima Virga" ("Greenest Branch"), whose unconventional first performance is described in the novel. Here it is performed in the 20th century by the musical group, Sequentia:

Hildegard von Bingen To Be Elevated to "Doctor of the Church"

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), a German Benedictine abbess who interests not only Roman Catholics, but also today's spiritual feminists of many paths, will be elevated to "Doctor of the Church"  on Oct. 7. Hildegard's Feast Day is Sept. 17, the day of her death.

Hildegard's interest to spiritual feminists revolves around her teachings that include a closeness to nature; opposition to self-flaggellation, hair shirts and other RC customs of the time based on denial of embodied life as sacred; imaging the divine as feminine/female; as well as her emergence in an time of misogyny as an influential abbess, composer, poet, herbalist, and scientist.

Pope Benedict XVI announced Hildegard's forthcoming elevation to "Doctor of the Church" last May 12  when he also  declared her a saint, making official a title first sought for her centuries ago, and conferred on her by millions of people for just as long, but delayed due to problems in the process of canonization beginning hundreds of years ago . Pope Benedict's declaration of Hildegard's sainthood is known as an "equivalency canonization," according to a May 29 post on catholicism.org. "Doctor of the Church" is a title the Roman Catholic Church gives to saints whose teachings it considers valid for all time. Hildegard will be only the fourth woman to be given this title, while thirty male saints have been so elevated. (John of Avila will also be elevated to "Doctor" on Oct. 7.)

I am currently reading an advance copy of Mary Sharratt's historical novel about Hildegard, Illuminations, scheduled to be released October 9, and plan to post a review sometime before then. You may also be interested in my 2010 review of "Visions," a film about Hildegard's life.

An example of Hildegard's music, performed by the group, Sequentia:

Events Coil: Sept. 8 - Nov. 4

As far 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 unless otherwise noted. Events lasting more than 1 day are bolded. When listing events for the same date we try 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 and events that occur on a regular day each month or week are listed after the dated events. 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.
 
Sept. 8, 13.00 h., Cercle, Ordre de Dea, Montreal CANADA

Sept. 8, 7 p.m. Moon Lodge, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND

Sept. 15, time tba, New Moon Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY

Sept. 15, 7 p.m. Women's New Moon Sharing Circle, Temple of Goddess Spirituality Dedicated to Sekhmet, Indian Springs NV

Sept. 16, doors open 13.00 uur, ceremony begins 14.00 uur, Herfst Equinox, Nederlandse Godinnen Tempel, Hillegom, NEDERLAND

Sept. 16, 2  p.m. New Moon Healing, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND

Sept. 21, time tba, Celebrate Fall Equinox & Hawaiian Goddess Kiha Wahine, Daughters of the Goddess, San Francisco CA

Sept. 22, 4 p.m. Spring Equinox ritual, Pagaian Moon Court, Blue Mountains AUSTRALIA

Sept. 22-23, Fall Equinox Weekend Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY

Sept. 22, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Welcome Fall, Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve, near Barneveld WI

Sept. 22, gather 11:30 a.m., ritual Noon Mabon/Autumn Equinox, Connect DC, Washington DC

Sept. 22, 3 p.m. Mabon Harvest celebration, Mother Grove Goddess Temple, Asheville NC

Sept. 22, gathering 3 p.m, Equinox ritual 7 p.m., Harvest Gathering, Goddess Temple of Staten Island, Staten Island NY

Sept. 22, 1 p.m. Autumn Equinox ritual, Golden Gate Park, SF Reclaiming, San Francisco CA

Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m.  Fall Equinox, Circle of Aradia, Topanga CA

Sept. 22, 7 p.m. Fall Equinox Ceremony, Temple of Goddess Spirituality Dedicated to Sekhmet, Indian Springs NV

Sept. 22, doors open 6:30 p.m., ritual 7 p.m. Mabon/Autumn Equinox, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. Autumn Equinox Ceremony, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND

Sept. 23, 3 p.m. Mabon Service & Potluck, Cleveland Metroparks, Goddess Temple Inc., Lakewood OH

Sept. 23  doors open 3:30, ritual 4 p.m., Mabon/Fall Equinox ritual, North Bay Reclaiming, Sebastopol CA

Sept. 27-30 Third Iberian Goddess Conference, Madrid ESPAÑA

Sept. 27, doors open 6 p.m., ritual 7:30 p.m., Samhain/33rd Annual Spiral Dance, SF Reclaiming, San Francisco CA

Sept. 28-30, Autumn Dreamtime Retreat, Sisterhood of the Sacred Circle, High Sierras CA

Sept. 28, 7 p.m. Full Moon Circle: Harvest Home, Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve, near Barneveld WI

Sept. 28, doors open 6:30 p.m., ritual 7 p.m. Full Moon Ceremony, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

Sept. 29, 7 p.m. Full Moon Ceremony, Temple of Goddess Spirituality Dedicated to Sekhmet, Indian Springs NV

Sept. 29, time tba, Full Moon Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY

Sept. 29, time tba, Full Moon Circle, Grove of Artemis (CAYA), Berkeley CA

Sept. 29, time tba, Full Moon Circle, Grove of Hecate (CAYA), Campbell CA

Sept. 30, 5 pm Liturgy of the Lady to Heide/Demeter, Fellowship of the Spiral Path, Berkeley, CA

Oct. 2, 7:30 p.m. Circle of Craft, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

Oct. 6, 5 p.m., Goddess Meet-Up, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY

Oct. 13, 12-2 p.m. Decorate for Hallows, Goddess Temple of Orange County, Irvine CA

Oct. 15, time tba, New Moon Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY

Oct. 15, 7 p.m. Women's New Moon Sharing Circle, Temple of Goddess Spirituality Dedicated to Sekhmet, Indian Springs NV

Oct. 19-21, Australian Goddess Conference: The Transformation, The Gold Coast, AUSTRALIA

Oct. 19-21, Hallows Gathering, Re-Formed Congregation of the Goddess-International, Wisconsin Dells WI

Oct. 26-28, Samhain in Salem, Goddess Temple of Staten Island, event in Salem MA

Oct. 26-28, Samhain Festival, Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve, near Barneveld WI

Oct. 26, 7 p.m. Ancestor Vigil, Mother Grove Goddess Temple, Asheville NC

Oct. 26, time tba, Annual Women's Spiral Dance, Daughters of the Goddess, San Francisco CA
 

Oct. 27, time tba, Samhain ritual, CAYA, San Francisco CA
 

Oct. 28, 7 p.m. Full Moon Circle: Samhain Ancestors, Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve, near Barneveld WI

Oct. 27, 5 p.m. Halloween Circle for Women, RSVP Sisterhood of the Sacred Circle, Carson City NV

Oct. 27, 6:30 p.m.  Crone Encounter, Circle of Aradia, Topanga CA

Oct. 28, lecture 11 a.m., ritual Noon, Samhain, Connect DC, Washington DC


Oct. 28, 5 pm Spiral Liturgy to the Crone, Fellowship of the Spiral Path, Berkeley, CA

Oct. 29, time tba, Full Moon Celebration, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY

Oct. 29, 7 p.m. Full Moon Ceremony, Temple of Goddess Spirituality Dedicated to Sekhmet, Indian Springs NV

Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m. Samhain Ceremony, Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Glastonbury ENGLAND

Oct. 31, time tba, Halloween, Maetreum of Cybele, Palenville NY

Oct. 31, time tba, Halloween/Feast of Shadows, RSVP, Sisterhood of the Sacred Circle, Carson City NV


Nov 3, 4 p.m. Beltaine Ritual, Pagaian Mooncourt Blue Mountains, NSW, AUSTRALIA

Nov. 2-4: HerConference 2012, herchurch, San Francisco CA

Nov. 4, doors open 13.00 uur, ceremony begins 14.00 uur,  Samhain Ceremonie, Nederlandse Godinnen Tempel, Hillegom, NEDERLAND


Nov. 4, doors open 6:30, ritual 7 p.m. Samhain ritual, North Bay Reclaiming, Sebastopol CA

ONGOING

AUSTRALIA

Adelaide, 2nd Tuesday of month, 7:30 p.m. Goddess Devotional Service, The Goddess House.

GREAT BRITAIN

Glastonbury: Most days except Mondays, Noon-4, Temple Open for personal Prayers; 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.
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 and 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.
Geyserville CA, Sunday Services 2-4 p.m.Temple of Isis.
Irvine CA, Sunday Services, 1st service at 9:30 a.m., inward meditation; 2nd service at 11 a.m.; see dates for Goddesses being honored, guest speakers, and other information about individual services; Wednesdays 6-8 p.m. "Spiritual Services: Goddesses and Heroes," Spiritual Life Club . Saturdays 12-5 p.m. Temple Open for Women's Meditation, Goddess Temple of Orange County.
Palenville NY, Sundays 5 p.m.training sessions; Sundays 7 p.m. Pagan Circles, Maetreum of Cybele.
San Francisco CA, Sundays 10:30 a.m. Liturgy of the Divine Feminine; Wednesdays 7 p.m. Goddess Rosary Meditation Ebenezer/HerChurch Lutheran .
Seattle WA, 2nd Sunday, doors open 10 a.m., Goddess Service 10:30 a.m., Gaia's Temple.
Staten Island NY, closest Saturday to full moon 7 p.m. Women's Full Moon Drumming; 3rd Saturday 7 p.m. Goddess devotional service; Goddess Temple of Staten Island.

ONLINE, WORLD WIDE WEB
Course: "Celebrating Cosmogenesis," for people in both Southern and Northern Hemispheres, with Australian author Glenys Livingstone, originates in NSW, Australia. Join online at any time.
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.
Podcasts: Tuesday 8 p.m. CT, Circle Craft with Selena Fox, Circle Sanctuary, Blog Talk Radio

We would 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. 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 email addresses. People should go to the website for that info.