Grace Nono, Ph.D., an ethnomusicologist and scholar of Philippine shamanism, explores the embodied voices of Native Philippine ritual specialists popularly known as babaylan, including as special guests women practitioners whose work preserves traditional culture.
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Lydia Ruyle was an internationally recognized artist, scholar and author researching the Divine Feminine. Her most well-known body of work were her monumental series of goddess icon banners, or as she affectionately called them the “girls.” She started birthing and creating them when she was 60 years old – and worked on them right up until her death at 80, in February 2016. Creating the Goddess banners became her mission; she was devoted to telling a new story, “a new HERstory in a visual way with representations of the Divine Feminine from across the globe.” There are now over 300 banners in the collection, and they have literally flown all over the world from Machu Picchu to Ephesus to Tibet to her hometown in Greeley, Colorado.
Lydia was an artist scholar emeritus of the Visual Arts Faculty of the University of Northern Colorado, where the Lydia Ruyle Room for Women Artists was dedicated in 2010. In April of 2013, the University presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Lydia’s unforgettable smile
One of ASWM’s founding advisors, Lydia led workshops and panels on a wide variety of goddesses, and consulted generously with Sid and Pat during ASWM’s creation and growth. From the time of our earliest events, Lydia brought her banners to set the tone for conferences. ASWM’s Brigit Award for Excellence in the Arts, given to Lydia in 2013, summarized her work this way:
“Few artists can claim to have profoundly expanded and improved contemporary images of women. Lydia Ruyle is beloved around the globe for her stunning presentation of multicultural goddesses and symbols of divinity. This award recognizes not only this great body of work but also Lydia’s dedication to scholarship in researching these diverse, inspiring images.”
This celebratory Salon answers the question so many people are asking: Where are Lydia’s “girls” now?
Katie Hoffner with ‘the girls”
Katie Hoffner, Lydia’s niece and journey-mate, is the guardian of her Aunt Lydia’s collection of goddess banners. Katie is a community leader and social change maker focused on protecting the environment and improving the lives of women. Katie will share stories of the travels of the banners, with a special focus on how relevant and important elevating the sacred feminine is today. Katie will take us through a short odyssey of the places Lydia’s banners have appeared since her beloved YaYa “changed addresses,” and will give us a glimpse into future plans for “the girls” and the preservation of Lydia’s legacy. And she leaves us with Lydia’s observation about beloved family: “I consider my title, Aunt Lydia, a noble one. If you believe you choose your parents when you are born into this world, then I must also believe you choose your aunts too.”
Lydia Ruyle and Katie Hoffner on the road
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Save the date for this special upcoming ASWM Salon:
November 30, 2023 at 3:00 PM
“Shapeshifting Lands of Lāhainā, Maui: Mo’o and Moku’ula”
with Mahealani Ahia
This Salon presentation replaces the originally scheduled event that had technical issues.
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Following a holiday break, Salons will resume next year:
January 11, 2024
“Matriarchal Societies of the Past and the Rise of Patriarchy”
with Heide Goettner-Abendroth
The Salon recording will also be available to members after the event.
Shâmaran is an important figure in mythology and folklore of cultures of the Middle East, including Kurdish, Turkish, and Armenian. She is portrayed as a dual-headed creature with heads of a woman and a serpent, with a crown on each head. A version of her story appears as The Queen of the Serpents in the Thousand and One Nights. This Salon presents Dr. Deniz’ research into the ancient roots of Kurdish myth:
“This study and presentation delve deeply into a significant facet of Kurdish culture: a myth featuring a unique image, part snake and part woman, which has left an indelible mark on Kurdish heritage. After five years of extensive research, it is clear that this entity represents one of the earliest depictions of the Mother Earth Goddess, a highly revered deity whose worship extended across a wide geographical expanse.”
“In this context, my research reveals the enduring traces of her legacy, encompassing myths and cultural practices that have persisted over time within Kurdish communities. This work stands as one of the pioneering studies of its kind, providing comprehensive documentation of the Mother Earth Goddess faith within an existing culture.
“I contend that the myth supplies us with important information on the missing part of the unwritten history of Goddess worship, which is still being fervently recorded through the circulation of this myth and the image. Thus, the myth of Shaymaran can therefore be considered as a counter-philosophical narrative to post-colonial monotheistic history and philosophy, the one forged by the oppressed.”
Dr. Dilşa Deniz
Dr. Dilşa Deniz, a Kurdish anthropologist and visiting scholar at Harvard University Divinity School, was dismissed from her position in Turkey in 2016 for signing a peace petition. She has been a prominent activist in the women’s movement and co-founded the first two Kurdish feminist magazines in Turkey.Her research primarily focuses on gender, culture, politics, and religion within Kurdish Alevi communities, exploring topics such as sacred geography, Alevi myths, and eco-spirituality. She also investigates environmental challenges and racism faced by Kurds and Kurdish Alevis, particularly in Dersim, a significant Alevi center. Her monograph is a pioneering study of Kurdish Alevism. Her research also delves into the impact of internal colonization policies and advocates for decolonization within Kurdish Alevism. Hence, she strongly opposes the classification of Alevism as a mere sect of Islam and instead views it as an independent Iranian/Arianic religion.
With a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology, Dilşa has authored numerous articles, book chapters, and books; her book on Shâmaran is forthcoming.
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Save the date for this upcoming ASWM Salon:
Thursday November 16 at 3 PM Eastern Time
“The Legacy and Art of Lydia Ruyle”
with Katie Hoffner
Following a break, Salons will begin again on January 11, 2024.
The Salon recording will also be available to members after the event.
This salon will focus on cult life and rites of passage of the women who worshipped Artemis through the lens of academic research and my private collection of film and images.
For too long the Goddess Artemis has been defined under the limited term of ‘maiden huntress.” Often viewed as a young adult (sometimes teen) who frolicked in the woods with her nymphs, spent most of her days chasing deer or running with dogs. While this depiction is part of her character and tradition, the Goddess Artemis is a force of nature, a Mistress of Animals, a Mother to all, and the embodiment of women’s matriarchical herstory.
Much of the rituals and worship practiced at her temples is still a mystery. In this salon I will share some rare temple stories and traditions that have been brought to light through archeological discoveries and supported by Pausanias’ travel ‘blog’ in the 2nd century CE. Using both ancient artifacts and this ancient primary source, I will will present a selection of exceptional Artemis rituals and practices in places such as ancient Sparta and other cities in the Hellenic world.
Dr. Carla Ionescu is one of the leading researchers in the worship and ritual of the goddess Artemis, both in the Greek world and the Near East. She spends most of her time teaching in the field of Ancient History and Mythology and developing The Artemis Research Centre. She travels regularly to Europe and the United States as a guest lecturer; she also leads workshops and retreats in the field of Ancient Mythology and World Religions. Carla is the author of She Who Hunts: Artemis, the Goddess Who Changed the World; she is currently working on a second book about Artemis.
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Save the date for this upcoming ASWM Salon:
Thursday October 19 at 3 PM Eastern Time
“A Women’s Psychology: The Wheel of the Year”
with Kim Duckett and Barb Lutz
Upcoming Salons are on November 2 & 16, 2023, and beginning again on January 11, 2024.
The Salon recording will also be available to members after the event.
“The Great Huntress – Rare Rituals of the Goddess Artemis” with Carla Ionescu Thursday, October 12, 2023 at 3 PM Eastern Time This salon will focus on cult life and rites of passage of the women who worshipped Artemis through the lens of academic research and my private collection of film and images. For too …
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