Buzz Coil: January 2016

Some recent posts from blogs on our blogroll (please note, we don't knowingly list posts in Buzz Coil that have been published previously by the blogger elsewhere or on the same blog):

The Retiring Mind:  Wendy Griffin's Jan. 13 post,  "The Decolonized Goddess: Brigid of Ireland,"  discusses Brigid  in terms of both  myth and  folktale, and concludes with Brigid's status today.  She begins:
"The distinction between myth and folk-tale isn’t always all that clear. Many myths incorporate folk-tale motifs, and many stories are simply narratives that just happen to have a god or goddess as protagonist. We can see this in Brigid of Ireland, a religious symbol with multi-vocality that links one sphere of reality with others. This shouldn’t be surprising, for it has been said that the Irish nature is rooted in a pagan heart and a Christian soul."

Association for the Study of Women and Mythology: A January 12 post announces: "Dr. Elinor Gadon’s Keynote To Explore “History or Mystery” at the 2016 ASWM Conference: “Seeking Harbor in Our Histories: Lights in the Darkness," April 1-2 in Boston. Gadon is author of  The Once and Future Goddess:  A Symbol for Our Time and Tiger by the Tail: Women Artists of Indian Transforming Culture. She is a resident scholar of the Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center.

WoodsPriestess:  in a Jan. 14 post,  blogger Molly  announces,  Free Mini Course: Womanspirit Wisdom"  beginning  Feb. 1.   Her Jan. 21  post  features her  "Priestess Year  in Review," with pics.

Hecatedemeter:  Blogger Hecate's Jan. 22 post, "Blizzard Potpourri" tells how she is getting through  the blizzard occurring in the Mid-Atlantic states at the time she is writing.

Annelinde's World: During the same snowstorm, a few miles southwest of Hecate, Annelinde's Metzner's Jan.22 post is a poem dedicated to the Goddess "Holle." With snowstorm pic.  

The Goddess House: Frances Billinghurst  takes on the issue, "The Sacred  Feminine or  Goddess Feminism?" in her Jan. 26  post,  first  giving the reasons  for her use  of  "divine feminine " and then quoting from an article by Carol Christ.  

Love  of the Goddess:   In her Jan.  21 post, blogger Tara  writes about  "Nimue,  Lady of the Lake," high priestess of Avalon in Arthurian legend, and sometimes called a Goddess.   In her January 14 post,  " The Highly Sensitive Priestess,"  Tara describes  " sensitivity ,"  and its relationship to energy.   she also  advises how to work  with such energy,  including  how to deal with its problems. 

Works of Literata: Blogger Literata's  Jan. 10 post, "High Priestess and duality," discusses the theological complications of Tarot's High Priestess card.  

Hearth Moon Rising's blog: Blogger Hearth Moon's Jan. 22 post is about "The Celtic Raven Goddess," with a focus on Badb Cath. She also names several other raven/crow goddesses and notes: "Like actual ravens, these goddesses are difficult to distinguish and debate continues over whether they are in fact different appellations for the same goddess."

Mythkenner's Myths: In a Jan. 18 post, "What Freyja Said About Angrboda," Caroline Kenner 's presents a story in the voice of a Goddess.

Large Goddess/Spiritual Feminist 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.

The Motherhouse of the Goddess: Blog affiliated with Motherhouse Podcasts and Mystery School.
The Wild Hunt: Pagan, news-oriented blog that has grown from single blogger to many bloggers.

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

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.

 

UK Historian Looking for Interviewees about Goddess Practices

I've received request from Ruth Lindley, Ph.D, of the Department of History, University of Birmingham, UK, to publish the following information from her here. She is looking for participants based in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Dr. Lindley writes:

"Call for Interview Participants

"I am looking to conduct interviews with women whose spiritual practices focus on, or relate to, ‘the Goddess’, for my PhD research on religion and spirituality at the University of Birmingham. My thesis, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, will challenge current scholarship on religious change in modern Britain, especially in relation to women’s experiences of faith from the 1960s to the present day. 

"Most historians and sociologists claim that women abandoned institutional religions en masse in the 1960s due to the effects of second wave feminism and the sexual revolution. They argue that, in lieu of the Christian dogma of love and self-sacrifice, women then turned to ‘alternative spiritualties’ that provided an outlet for their natural feminine care-giving roles. This scholarship takes up the implicit perspective of religious institutions for whom ‘women’s spirituality’ is casual, unorganised and diluted.

"In collecting oral testimonies, I hope to rescue women’s spiritual experiences from the condescension of this scholarship. I want to find out what faith really meant in the lives of ordinary women in contemporary Britain and, in doing so, reveal something of the rich and textured history of belief in the modern world. I am interested in hearing the perspectives of people rather than institutions.

"Complete anonymity is guaranteed for all participants, if desired. If you are interested in taking part, please email Ruth Lindley on RML033@bham.ac.uk for more information, or to arrange an informal conversation prior to interview."  

Winter-Spring Issue of Goddess Pages Out

Issue 28 of Goddess Pages is out! It opens with the art, "Jubilation" by Ana Heller, and with Geraldine Charles' editorial, "She Changes Everything She Touches," which introduces the issue and announces that the magazine is now also available as a PDF.

Article authors include Isabella Lazlo, Nicole Schwab, Susun S Weed, Marcia Tucker, and Mari P. Ziolkowski. Fiction is by Carolyn Lee Boyd. Poetry is by Lisa Wersal, Susan McCaslin, Sheila Rose Bright, Annelinde Metzner, Daniel McIlvenny-Cox, Frances Roberts-Reilly, Susa Silvermarie, and Atiya Walker Dykes .

Book reviews are The Hidden Camino by Louise Sommer, reviewed by Geraldine Charles, and Fierce Feminine Divinities of Eurasia and Latin America by Malgorzata Oleszkiewicz-Peralba reviewed by Barbara Ardinger.

As last month, I'm unable to write as full a description as I usually do, due to carpal tunnel syndrome. Any typos are the fault of the voice recognition software I'm trying to use ;-)