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The arts of ritual are as old as humanity, and still have a profound impact on those who witness them.  We’re proud to include in our conference a ritual in progress, Voices of the Mothers, created by Macha NightMare and employing sacred goddess masks especially created for this event by  Lauren Raine.  (See below!)

At the conference you will have a chance to experience portions of this powerful ritual, which combines elements of rhythm, movement, and chant with scientific knowledge.  You will also be able to go behind the scenes to learn about the process or creating of a large public ritual that brings ancient goddesses into the present day.

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.

Charlene Spretnak, Judy Grahn, Ana Castillo, Max Dashu, Miriam Robbins Dexter, Heide Goettner-Abendroth, Ava Park, Luisah Teish, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Macha NightMare, Amejo Amyot, Lauren Raine, Patricia Monaghan, Cristina Biaggi, Sudie Rakusin, Vicki Noble, Lydia Ruyle, Arisika Razak, Mara Keller, Joan Marler, Jennifer Berezan, Annie Finch, Grrrl Brigade!*

What do these great women and girls have in common?  They are some of the speakers and presenters at the ASWM National Conference!

 Panel topics include:  Place Wisdom, Womanism, Cultural Appropriation, Archaeomythology, Matriarchal Studies, Women in Publishing, Visionary Films, Ritual Creation,  Restorative Feminism. 

Conference also features Film Series, Workshops, Networking Luncheon, and Marketplace.

Registration is now open—early bird fees are $190 for members, $235 for nonmembers until April 17, 2012.

Join and register at this Conference Link!

*Note:  Presenters may be subject to change as life intervenes.