Buzz Coil: May 2014

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

Annelinde's World: Annelinde Metzner's May 16 post is a beautiful poem, It's May! With pics of wonderful May flowers.

HecateDemeter: Gemmy's back! Blogger Hecate posted Chapter 34 of her fiction saga, "A Place Without A Witch," on April 30. Chapter 35  was posted on May 13, and Chapter 36 on  May 20 . 

My Village Witch: In a May 6 post, Working Backwards, Byron Ballard writes of her experience honoring ancestors with others at an event called "Wordfest" in Asheville NC.

The Motherhouse of the Goddess: In her May 21 post, Remembering My First Steps Into “Alternative” Spirituality  Tracey Paradiso recalls how she dealt with certain  problems when she first became involved in shamanism and asks if you'd like to share in a blog comment "your first steps into a non-traditional spiritual realm." Kimberly Moore, in a May 25 post, Elliot Rodgers and the Altar of Male Entitlement, first writes about what she feels are motivations for continuing violence against women and then points out the relationship between these actions, the demonization of Goddesses and women, and related doctrines and practices in various cultures and religions. 

The Wild Hunt: Jason Pitzl-Waters' May 25 post, Opinion: Goddess in Times of Horror, examines the recent Isla Vista CA shooting massacre with an explanation of why he became a Pagan, as well as Goddess feminism's response to misogyny. He quotes Starhawk and Naomi Goldenberg (among others) and also refers to Carol Christ, Margot Adler, and Margaret Atwood. Jason then writes of the massacre:
 "In the face of such horror, is the only sane reaction a radical re-embrace of female divinity? In a time when hate towards women seems at a fever pitch, do we not need to answer with: that which you hate and try to destroy is sacred."

Panthea: In her May 6 post, Your Mother Knows Who Your Father Is, blogger Lisa comments on blogger Athana's April 24 post on Radical Goddess Thealogy, which she found through last month's "Buzz Coil" on this blog. Lisa writes:
"I read it [Athana's post] gleefully, taking in all the Goddessy goodness until this point: 'It’s the female body AND the female body alone, with its magnificent, mysterious, magical holy powers, that manufactures life'."
Then Lisa tells why she takes issue with Athana's point of view.

Radical Goddess Thealogy: Blogger Athana's May 17 post, Dirt Happens, Clean It Up, tells why she thinks switching spiritual affiliation to pre-patriarchal "peace goddesses" would be more effective in cleaning up "today's dirty world" than switching to "peace gods."  (She defines the "dirt" as "fighting, meanness, stinginess, etc., etc., etc.")

Glenys's Blog: In her May 29 post, Solstice – Winter/Summer @ EarthGaia, Glenys Livingstone discusses how the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere and the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere reflect each other. She then issues an invitation to the upcoming Winter Solstice Celebration at MoonCourt on June 20 at 7 p.m. local time in the Blue Mountains of Australia. 

The Goddess House: Preparing for the winter in Australia, in her May 16 post, Journeying With the Dark Goddess, blogger As't Moon gives background on working with  "dark" deities and writes: "On Saturday, 14 June 2014, I will be inviting people to journey with me into the Underworld in order to meet three of these wonderfully powerful and often grossly misunderstood Goddesses....It is envisioned that a workshop on the "dark" aspects of the God (the divine masculine) will be held in 2015."

Hearth Moon Rising's blog: In a May 2 post, Hearth Moon Rising discusses Ianuaria, Celtic Goddess of Music, her shrine in Burgundy, France, and her relationship to turtledoves. With a pic and a turtledove video. 

Tamis Hoover Renteria: Tamis advocates more dancing and other "sensual spiritual experience" in her May 17 post, The Problem With Too Much Thinking in Religion. She discusses various Jewish, Christian, and Pagan thinking and less-thinking practices.

Queen of Heaven: Beginning with the Michelangelo pieta (with pic) in the Christian tradition, blogger Carisa in her May 3 post, Weeping for Tammuz: The Queen of Heaven and the dying god, goes on the give background on the grieving goddesses Isis and Demeter, and the dying god, Tammuz, who is associated with Ishtar, who she relates to Inanna, Astarte, and others.   

Fellowship of Isis Central: A May 6 post gives us a Festival Report for Beltaine with a description of an observance on May 3 presented by members of the Fellowship Priesthood and the Circle of Brigid at the Foundation Centre.

Casa della Dea: Several posts about Brigid grace this month's offerings at this Italian language blog. For example, the May 13 post Viaggio a Kildare: le sorgenti sacre  ("Travel in Kildare: the sacred springs," according to Google Translate), tells about traveling to Ireland and how to get to Brigid's well. 

Large Group Blogs

Because of the large number and variety of bloggers and posts on these blogs, we are now suggesting that you visit them and select the posts that interest you most.

Return to Mago:  A Goddess-centered blog whose administrator/owner is Helen Hye-Sook Hwang.

Feminism and Religion: Many bloggers from many different religions and paths.

Pagan Square: This blog of many mostly-Pagan paths is sponsored by BBI Media and includes SageWoman blog posts.

Posthumous Book by Patricia Monaghan

Encyclopedia of Goddess and Heroines, Revised Version, by Patricia Monaghan Ph.D. (New World Library 2014), paperback, 9.6 x 8 x 1.5, 448 pages (also available as an e-book).

Patricia Monaghan finished her work on this revised version of what has become a classic and indispensable Goddess book shortly before her death in 2012. The book has been available in various forms since 1979. The most recent versions preceding this one include a two-volume hardcover set published in 2009 by Greenwood Publishing Group, priced over $100 (not surprisingly for a hardcover its size and for an academic publishing house). The next previous edition, now out of print, titled New Book of Goddesses and Heroines, was published in paperback by Llewellyn in 1997 as a single volume in its third edition.

New World Library is the first to make the book available in multiple e-book formats in addition to the large paperback printed on 100% post consumer-waste recycled paper, which is consistent with Patricia’s deep commitment to the environment. NWL is a “Gold Certified Environmentally Responsible Publisher,” as certified by the GreenPress Initiative.

The NWL edition doesn’t have the “Symbols and Associations” and “Approaches for Study of Goddess Myths and Images” sections of some previous editions. The information these contained has been incorporated into other parts of the book and can be looked up in its thorough index. Also, illustrations in previous versions are absent from this one. An NWL spokesperson describes the reason for this as “an editorial decision” by the publisher.

The aim was to make the book a size that could be printed in one volume. NWL succeeded in this, and also in keeping the list price of the large paperback below $30. In addition to the NWL staff and the author, according to Dawn Work-MaKinne, both she and Tim Jones took part in the final editing of the text. In a personal communication which she gave me permission to quote here, Dawn writes: “NWL gave Patricia a word count that needed to be cut before they could publish it in a one-volume paperback version. Tim finished the cutting, at Patricia's request, when she was feeling like she was fading and the job felt too big for her. He felt unsure, and that he may have cut things that were necessary for content comprehension. So then Michael [Patricia’s husband] asked me to edit the whole manuscript, from the point of view of a Goddess scholar which I did. Tim is a professional writer that Patricia trusted, but not a Goddess scholar.”

With information on more than 1,000 Goddesses and heroines and background information on their place in numerous cultures worldwide, the book is an essential resource for students, teachers, libraries, and really all people interested in this subject. As Dr. Monaghan writes in the book’s Introduction:
 “This volume shows the breadth of possibilities associated with the feminine through many ages and cultures. Some figures will be familiar to the general reader….Others are obscure….Nor would all be called ‘goddesses’ by the people who told their stories, for that word generally refers to divine or supernatural beings. Between such figures and mortal women exists a category this work calls ‘heroines.’ Some were originally human woman who attained legendary status….Others represent a halfway category between human and divine….Finally, monotheistic religions often have female figures who function in goddess-like ways….these figures are listed in this work because such figures are often submerged goddesses or powerful goddess-like beings. Where such figures are included, the view of worshippers from that religion is clearly stated.”

The book has two columns per page, which makes for easier reading in its large format. Each section, which comprises a large geographical area, has its own introduction followed by pantheons for that area. Some of the sections are subdivided into more specific geographical areas, which also have introductions. The goddesses and heroines are presented alphabetically in each section or sub-section. The sections and pantheons are: Africa (pantheons: African Egyptian, African Diaspora); Eastern Mediterranean (pantheons: Eastern Mediterranean, Christian & Jewish); Asia & Oceania with sub-sections China & Korea, Circumpolar North, India, Southeast Asia & Indonesia, Japan, and Pacific Islands & Australia (pantheons: Chinese, Mongol, Taiwanese; Korean, Circumpolar North, Hindu & Buddhist of India, Nepal & Tibet, Southeast Asian & Indonesian, Japanese & Ainu, Pacific Islands, Australia); Europe with subsections Baltic, Celtic, Finno-Ugric, Greek, Rome, Scandinavia, Southeastern Europe, Slavic (pantheons: Baltic, Continental Celtic & Breton, Irish & Scottish, British & Manx, Welsh, Cornish, & Authurian, Finno-Agric, Greek, Roman & Italic, Etruscan, Scandanavian, Southeastern European, Slavic; and The Americas with subsections North America, Mesoamerica, South America & the Caribbean (with one pantheon each).

Each discussion of a specific goddess or heroine ends with names of sources in parentheses. Further information on these sources can be found in the extensive bibliography in the back of the book.

And then there's the beautiful cover with its reproduction of art titled “Perdita” by 19th century artist Frederick Sandys, which was inspired by a heroine in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.  Translated from the Italian, Perdita means “loss.” To me "Perdita" is both an allusion to our loss of Patricia and a spiritual portrait of the red-haired author who has restored in this book so much of the history we had lost.

Thanks to Goddess for Patricia Monaghan’s life and work, which continues to enrich and inspire.
What is remembered lives.

Morning Glory Zell, 1948-2014

We join the Pagan community in mourning the passing of Morning Glory Zell (aka Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart), a founder with her husband Oberon of the Church of All Worlds and a creator and editor of  Green Egg Magazine, both founded in the mid 20th century. According to her Facebook page, she died May 13 at 5:42 p.m. For more information, see The Wild Hunt and her FB page.

May she rest in the arms of the Goddess and be renewed.

Hear Me in Online Interview on Goddess Alive Radio

I am scheduled to be interviewed and present a New Moon meditation on Tuesday, May 27, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time live on Goddess Alive Radio, a program of Blogtalk Radio. The program, hosted by Kimberly F. Moore and Tracey Paradiso of the Motherhouse of the Goddess, will also be available on the show's archives (listed under Laughing Woman Media) after the live airing on Blog Talk Radio. For more information, go to the Goddess Alive Radio link above. Carol P. Christ will be interviewed on the show on May 22 at 11:30 p.m. ET. Margaret Starbird will be interviewed on May 24 at 8 p.m. ET (the usual time for the show). Max Dashu was interviewed on the program on May 10. Her interview can be now heard in the program archives.