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GODDESS IS ALIVE
SPRING 2005 LECTURE SERIES
Six Lectures Exploring the Rich Tradition
of the Sacred Feminine
March 11, 18 April 1,8,15, 22
Friday Evenings: 7 to 9:30 PM
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Meet the Sacred Feminine in all her aspects as presented
by leading women scholars, authors, artists, and ritualists. Join
us as we explore the rich tradition of the Sacred Feminine which is
grounded in history, archaeology, anthropology, mythology, psychology,
literature and philosophy. Many of the guest speakers have spent decades
gathering images, information, stories, fact, theories, translations,
theologies, films, slides, dances and ritual. Their work has profoundly
changed, connected and deepened not only their personal relationship
to the Sacred Feminine, but the relationship of many others who have
been touched by their work. |
| Fri., 3/11 |
Vicki Noble — New Moon Introduction
to the Goddess : Revisioning History to Include Women.
This slide presentation shows the long lineage of the Sacred Female
around the world and through the millennia. Vicki Noble has dedicated
her life to raising the consciousness of women as well as revisioning
women's history through her writing and teaching. She has been a teacher,
healer, and international public speaker for 30 years, including four
years as founder, director and head teacher of the Motherpeace School
for Shamanic Healing (1987-1991) in Oakland, CA. Her books include
Shakti Woman, Feeling our Fire, Healing Our World; Motherpeace:
a Way to the Goddess Through Myth, Art and Taro; and
The Double Goddess: Women Sharing Power. (www.motherpeace.com)
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| Fri., 3/18 |
Joan Marler — An Archaeomythological
Investigation of the Gorgon.
This presentation will explore the mythical figure of the Gorgon Medusa,
slain by the Greek hero Perseus, who has lived in the Western imagination
for more than 2,500 years. Joan Marler is an independent researcher
and the founder and Executive Director of the Institute of Archaeomythology.
Marler was a close colleague of Marija Gimbutas and was chosen by
Gimbutas before her death to edit and continue her work. Marler is
the editor of Maria Gimbutas’ The Civilization of the Goddess;
and she conceptualized and edited the retrospective, From the
Realm of the Ancestors: An Anthology in Honor of Marija Gimbutas.
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| Friday, 4/1 |
Chief Luisah Teish — The Laughing
Goddess: Stories and Rituals of the Healing Goddesses
and the Power of Laughter as a
Healing Modality.
Chief Luisah Teish, a woman chief in the Ifa/Orisha tradition of Southwest
Nigeria and the founder of the School of Ancient Mysteries and Sacred
Arts Center, is the author of the witty, provocative and highly-acclaimed
Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms
and Practical Rituals, Carnival of the Spirits and Jump
Up!
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| Friday, 4/8 |
Dianne Jenett, Ph.D. —
Cooking Up Equality: Pongala at Attukal Temple, Kerala,
South India.
Each spring over a million Hindu, Christian and Moslem women line
the streets of Trivandrum with their pots to cook porridge for the
Kerala goddess Bhagavati on behalf of their families and communities.
This multi-media presentation explores the contemporary women's ritual
from the viewpoint of the South Indian women who participate and American
women who have been priviledged to join them. They are performing
a ritual which is deeply rooted in ancient Kerala mythology and cultural
tradition but which also seems to have special meaning for women today.
Pongala embodies and provides insight into some of the personal and
cultural beliefs and values of Kerala, a "model" Indian state studied
by scholars from many disciplines because of its high quality of life
with low resource use, tolerance of religious diversity, and equitable
treatment of women. Dianne Jenett, Ph.D. is Co-Director of the Women’s
Spirituality Masters program at New College of California. She is
also co-author of Organic Inquiry: If Research Were Sacred
and her work has been published in the U.S. and India. Her research
focus is on women-centered rituals in Kerala, India, qualitative research
methods and women's psycho-spiritual development. She is co-founder,
along with Dr. Grahn, of Serpentina,
which sponsors cutting edge women's research.
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| Friday, 4/15 |
Deborah J. Grenn, Ph.D. — Lilith's Fire:
The First Woman as a Symbol of Empowerment.
Who was Lilith? How can she and her counterpart/sister
Ishtar serve as role models to help us reclaim our true voices and
the suppressed parts of our Selves? How can we co-create a culture
which once again honors the Sacred Feminine and our erotic lifeforce?
When viewed as natural instead of threatening, these energies fuel
our inner strength and creative juices, enriching our intellectual
and spiritual lives. Deborah Grenn is the founder and director of
The Lilith Institute and author of Lilith's Fire: Reclaiming
Our Sacred Lifeforce. The Institute was founded in 1997
as a Center for the Study of Sacred Text, Myth and Ritual and works
to plant seeds for spiritual change, social action and greater cross-cultural
understanding. Grenn serves as lead faculty in the Women's Spirituality
MA Program at New College and also serves as adjunct faculty at
Napa Valley College and California Institute of Integral Studies.
Deborah's "Honoring the Sacred Feminine" segment aired last Fall
on KVON Radio, Napa, where she also co-produced Voice of the Spirit,
a women's spirituality/study series. In addition Deborah serves
on the Domestic Violence task force of the Napa Interfaith Council.
(www.lilithinstitute.com)
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| Friday, 4/22 |
Max Dashu — Icons of the Matrix: A Global
View.
Primeval art shows deep continuities across time and space.
This stunning visual presentation surveys recurrent images of the
most ancient religions: female figurines, vulva stones, ancestral
megaliths and ceremonial pots shaped like women or breasts. Max
Dashu founded the Suppressed Histories Archives in 1970.
She has photographed over 14,000 slides and created ninety slideshows
on global women's history, including Women's Power,
Goddess Cosmologies, Mother-Right and Gender
Justice, and Witch Hunts. A freelance educator,
she has presented hundreds of slide talks at universities, community
centers, bookstores, schools, libraries, prisons, museums, festivals
and conferences around North America. (www.suppressedhistories.net)
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Location:
Unitarian Universalist Congregation (co-sponsors)
300 E. Santa Inez, San Mateo (near Poplar)
650-342-5946
Directions: http://www.uusm.net/
Time: Friday evenings: 7 to 9:30 PM
Admission Purchases
Admissions will be sold at the door prior to the event.
Those who have purchased admissions via paypal will be
checked off at the door.
Individual Admissions: $20 General Public and $15 Students and
Seniors
Series Packages (all six evenings): $100 General Public and $85
Students and Seniors
On-line Purchases
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General Public
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Students and Seniors
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Individual Admissions
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$20
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$15
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Series Packages (all
six evenings)
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$100
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$85
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Tickets can be picked up at Will Call the evening of the event.
Co-sponsors: Serpentina, New College of California's
Women's Spirituality MA Program and Unitarian Universalist Congregation
of San Mateo
Vision
- To present a lecture series that honors the Sacred Feminine around
the globe.
- To educate others about the rich tradition of the Goddess that is
grounded in history, diverse cultures, archaeology, anthropology, linguistics,
ethnography, mythology, psychology, literature and the arts.
- To explore the varied ways the Devine Feminine is still present and
“alive” in the world today.
- To explore the relevance of the Sacred Feminine to our daily lives.
Dianne Jenett and Judy Grahn have generously provided
space on their website, Serpentina, for
the Goddess Is Alive lecture series.
For further inquiries contact Joy Reichard at jreich14@sbcglobal.net
or phone: 650-692-6165
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