Tag Archives: mythology

“Exploring Myth” Symposium

Posted on May 31, 2012 by | 1 Comment

Exploring Myth: Culture, Theory, Practice

August 31-September 2, 2012, Santa Barbara, CA

The first Symposium for the Study of Myth Co-sponsored by the Joseph Campbell Foundation, Opus Archives and Research Center, and Pacifica Graduate Institute. The Symposium will be held at Pacifica’s Ladera Lane Campus.

This interdisciplinary gathering will pay tribute to the fact that myth is a changing, elastic landscape that flourishes in surprising ways. Symposium themes are organized around three broad areas of inquiry and action: Myth in Theory, Myth in Culture, and Myth in Practice, and will include a blend of self-selecting energies and traditional formats. There will be roundtable discussion sessions, paper panels, keynote lectures by luminaries in the field of myth studies, and special events that include media presentations and performances.

For more information:  studyofmyth.org

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Events

Tagged , , ,

Featured Speakers for ASWM Conference: Judy Grahn

Posted on March 17, 2012 by | Leave a comment

We are fortunate to be able to offer excellent keynote presenters at the 2012 Conference!  Watch for updates in the coming days.

Judy Grahn is an internationally known poet, writer, and social theorist.  Her work underpins several movements, including Gay, Lesbian, and Queer; Feminist/Woman-Centered; and Women’s Spirituality, but it has spread far beyond any of these.  She currently serves as Associate Core Faculty for the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, California, in their Women’s Spirituality Master’s Program.

Her presentation is titled:  Goddess Is Alive! But How Do We Know…?

We have gathered the images and myths, the rock art and the archeological speculations, the myriad clues in ancient literature and contemporary ritual. Practitioners from living traditions have surfaced to teach and demonstrate. Many if not most of us have felt the presence of a living goddess energy at some time in our lives, and maybe we have students who hunger for this or have experienced “something” from a different dimension. How do we track these occasions, how do we teach methods for recording and analyzing rare happenings, how do we know, “this time it’s real—?”   And just what is “real”? Some thoughts on Organic Inquiry methods, art-based research, teaching divination as a method of gathering data. 

To learn more about Judy’s work, see her web site.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Conferences and Symposia

Tagged , , ,

Christine Downing Dissertation Fellowship for 2012

Posted on November 10, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Christine Downing Dissertation Fellowship for 2012

OPUS Archives and Research Center is announcing the Christine Downing Dissertation Fellowship for 2012.

This Fellowship carries the name of Professor Downing in acknowledgement of her contribution to the fields of depth psychology and mythology, her many years of teaching at Pacifica Graduate Institute, and her gift to OPUS of her own archival materials. The purpose of the Downing Fellowship will be to award an annual scholarship to dissertation students of any accredited graduate level institution in the fields of depth psychology and mythology. Once awarded, the winning student must use the collections at OPUS for a significant amount of her or his dissertation research.

The archival collections available for research at OPUS include Joseph Campbell, Marija Gimbutas, James Hillman, Jane and Joseph Wheelwright, Christine Downing, Marion Woodman, Adolf Guggenbühl-Craig, and Katie Sanford. Visit our website for more information at http://www.opusarchives.org

GUIDELINES

Applicants must demonstrate the necessity of substantial on-site use of OPUS’ collections.

Eligible Candidates. Students in doctoral programs writing within the fields of depth psychology and mythology whose proposal and /or first two chapters of the dissertation has been accepted by their dissertation committee. Further, the student must plan to use the collections at OPUS for a significant amount of their research. The fellowship will be awarded September 15, 2012.

Amount and Duration of Fellowship. The fellowship award is $5000. These funds are for one (1) year of research to be conducted between October 1, 2012 and October 1, 2013.

Dates and Deadlines:

Deadline for Submission: June 30, 2012 Notification of Awarded Grants: September 15, 2012

Selection Committees. Proposals will initially be screened by OPUS staff. Final selection will be made by the Fellowship committee which includes Christine Downing, David Miller, Richard Tarnas and Lyn Cowan.If You’re Interested. Please visit our website and review the application and instructions – http://www.opusarchives.org. If after reviewing these pages you have further questions, please email cddf@opusarchives.org

OPUS Archives and Research Center is a non-profit research center that houses the archives of Joseph Campbell, Marija Gimbutas, James Hillman, Jane and Joseph Wheelwright, Christine Downing, Marion Woodman, Adolf Guggenbühl-Craig, and Katie Sanford. In addition to safeguarding these important resources, OPUS works to foster ongoing research in the fields of depth psychology and mythological

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Research and Scholarship

Tagged , , ,

Seeking Proposals for 2012 ASWM Conference

Posted on September 21, 2011 by | 6 Comments

Chalice (and hand) by Susan Minyard

CREATING THE CHALICE:  

Imagination and Integrity in Goddess Studies

The Association for the Study of Women

and Mythology

Biennial National Conference

San Francisco May 11-12, 2012.

Advancing our scholarship involves the evolution and refinement of our methods.  Suggested topics for this exciting conference might include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • What are new paths for the field of Women’s Spirituality and Goddess Studies?  How creative can we be?  Are we inventing, reconstructing, or using creative license to reawaken and bring the past into the present?  How do we evaluate this work?  How can we use this creative work together with more “traditional’ approaches to advance our scholarship?
  • What are new models and methods for our scholarly inquiry?  Can we develop and advance our scholarship with methods such as Organic or Heuristic inquiry?  What is Spiritual Autobiography, and how can this be useful?  Sacred geography?  What else?  How shall our new methods be evaluated?  What are our criteria for solid scholarship using these new models?
  • What are the complexities around issues of Cultural Appropriation?  How do we understand and address the tensions around rootedness and local culture on the one hand, and issues of lineage and history on the other?  Are there new models of scholarship that honor history and culture while simultaneously enriching our scholarship?

Proposals for papers, panels, and workshops addressing these topics will be given preference, but other subjects will be considered.  Papers should be 20 minutes; up to four papers on a related topic may be proposed together.  Workshops (limited to 90 minutes) should be organized to provide audience interaction and must clearly address theme.

Presenters from all disciplines are welcome, as well as creative artists and practitioners who engage mythic themes in a scholarly manner in their work.  Presenters must become members of ASWM prior to conference.

Send 250-word abstract (for panels, 200 word abstract plus up to 150 words per paper) to aswmsubmissions@gmail.com by January 15, 2012.  Include bio of up to 70 words for each presenter, as well as contact information including surface address and email.

About the chalice:  see Susan’s work at www.SweetwaterPottery.biz

→ 6 Comments

Posted in Calls for Submissions, Conferences and Symposia, Events

Tagged , , , ,

A Modern Mythmaker in Wyoming

Posted on May 14, 2010 by | 6 Comments

A Woman to Match A Mountain: Neal Forsling and Crimson Dawn.

Film review by Sid Reger, Ed. D.

Neal Forsling

Are myths and legends only available from ancient sources?  This charming biographical film proves that it’s possible for a modern woman to single-handedly build a myth tradition that continues to thrive in Wyoming 80 years after its creation.  Neal Forsling was herself the stuff of legend, a young woman who divorced in the 1920s and moved with her two girls to homestead on a mountaintop in the rugged land near Casper.  There she not only defied convention as a writer and artist, but in 1930, at her Summer Solstice party, she started a living myth tradition: the Witches of Crimson Dawn.

Witches and lanterns, N. Forsling

Through telling and enacting stories for the children of the mountain, Neal and her friends created an ongoing celebration of fairies, witches, and other mythic characters.  She maintained that the Crimson Witch approached her when she moved to the land, and told her to protect the beautiful mountain and pass its stories on to willing visitors. As the Bohemian group of artists in Casper grew, so did the energy for creating the stories of the witches, (benevolent spirits) elves, and woodcutters. Continue reading →

→ 6 Comments

Posted in Reviews

Tagged , , , ,

Frog Mysteries Class Online

Posted on April 21, 2009 by | Leave a comment

The frog prince (or princess) tale occurs in many cultures across Europe, Asia, and beyond.

Birthing Frog Goddess

Birthing Frog Goddess

Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Classes and Workshops

Tagged , , , ,

The Bee Goddess and ASWM

Posted on October 28, 2008 by | Leave a comment

This gold plaque from Rhodes (7th Century BCE) portrays a powerful goddess of the natural world.  Myths and reality converge in the mysteries of bees.  The facts of their life cycles and behaviors provide the basis for stories of communication, prophecy, healing, and rebirth.  The founders of ASWM have chosen this image to represent the rich harvest to be gathered when women collaborate and communicate to promote understanding of women’s ancient myths.  The Bronze Age bee goddess also reminds us of our essential connection with the stories of all creatures, and our need to ensure their continued survival.

Bee Goddess of Rhodes

Bee Goddess of Rhodes

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Articles

Tagged , , , , , ,