Cucuteni “Goddess Council,” replicas by Constance Tippett
Constance Tippett
Constance is an artist and creatress of The Goddess Timeline. She also makes graven images and will bring her replica of the famous “Goddess Council” for her presentation.
Women have been meeting in groups since the Paleolithic and they left us archaeological evidence to prove it. From Laussel, France, and Old Europe, to deep in the Amazon jungle, they carved on rocks and created beautiful clay tableaus as a visual language to record their meetings.
Were they deciding the fate of the tribe, synchronizing their moon time, deep in a shamanic experience….or just having fun? We’ll explore the grandmother’s Goddess Council by having our own.
Constance’s presentation, Archaeological Evidence of Ancient Women’s Gatherings, will give women the chance to see and touch her beautiful replicas of the “council” figurines.
I am a native of Chiapas (Mexico), where life is ardent, impetuous and fierce; magic abounds and life swells. Yet, despite being such a lush natural area, the conditions of life can be very hard. Fight-or-flight is much of the daily bread, so I grew up aware of the fragility of life, learning to truly enjoy the present moment. This led me to ponder ways to care for myself and all others, through the cultivation of kindness, wisdom and compassion. I aim to improve the quality of life of all beings, starting by acknowledging and taming my own shadow, and then helping others do the same. I know our conditioning can be transformed to one of cooperation and growth. Through the study of mythology and mysticism, it has become evident to me that a tension between opposites is necessary for creation to arise. My aim is to awaken consciousness to the holiness of everyday life, in order to be of conscious service, respecting the natural world and our natural being, for the benefit of the world we share.
Yuria is a Mexican PHD candidate in mythology and depth psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is a graduate from the Four Year Program in Sustainable Happiness and the Contemplative Psychotherapy Program from the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Sciences.
“To create stories of atonement and empowerment, one has to converge seemingly opposite views of life: suffering and hope, shadow and psychic awareness, abuse and respect.”
Her paper, Tonantzin Coatlicue Guadalupe: Christian Symbolism, Colonization and Social Justice, reconciles these polarizations through the image of the Mexican icon of the Lady of Guadalupe as a symbol of the dispossessed, a shadow of conditioning for colonization, a relation to Aztec goddess Tonantzin Coatlicue, and an emblem for atonement.
Kate Brunner
Kate Brunner
Kate Brunner is a writer, healer, ritualist, & member of The Sisterhood of Avalon, where she currently serves as Hearthkeeper Matron on the Council of Nine. She is also Project Co-Weaver and a permanent contributor at the Feminism and Religion Blog Project. Her writings appear in Paganism 101: An Introduction to Paganism by 101 Pagans and the forthcoming Goddess in America anthology, both from Moon Books. She holds a BA from Tulane University, where she studied Economics, International Relations, & Religious Traditions.
Kate is a presenter for Red Tents & women’s retreats. She also hosts seasonal women’s gatherings, facilitates labyrinth & rite of passage rituals, and leads workshops on an assortment of women’s spirituality topics. During 2016, in addition to presenting at the Association for the Study of Women and Mythology Conference, she will also be teaching at the inaugural Ninefold Festival in Orange, CT.
She will be bringing two of the Ladies of the Mabinogion to life at ASWM this year with a writing workshop, Becoming Branwen the Peaceweaver and a presentation “Rhiannon, Great Queen of the Mabinogi” on the panel, Women’s Spirituality, Transformative Scholarship and Personal Quest.
“Goddess myths endure because of their sustainable relevance to our internal & external lives. Paradoxically, understanding the cultural context that birthed Goddess myths actually helps us to better grasp their relevance to us as modern practitioners of Goddess spirituality, feminism, & activism. Threads of the struggle for social justice run through many of our ancient & medieval Goddess mythologies, patiently waiting for us to spin them out and reweave them back into modern context. These are the sacred texts of our collective Goddess traditions. As such, they deserve careful scholastic exegesis followed by mindful modern eisegesis in order to grasp their full power in the modern age.”
I was born in Poland, and spent my childhood both in Warsaw and in Montevideo, Uruguay, visiting many other countries in Europe, Africa, and Latin America. During my adult years I lived in Poland, Peru, and New York, with extensive stays in Brazil, Mexico, and Spain, and for the last 20 years I have resided in San Antonio, teaching at the University of Texas. Thus, since childhood I have been exposed to different cultures and languages that became the subject of my cultural and linguistic studies and my passion. My cross-cultural, women-centered interests have been reflected in my numerous presentations and articles around the world in six languages, as well as in my two recent books, The Black Madonna in Latin America and Europe: Tradition and Transformation (UNMP) and Fierce Feminine Divinities of Eurasia and Latin America: Baba Yaga, Kali, Pombagira, and Santa Muerte(Palgrave). I am proud to have been able to bridge the rigors of academia with my research centered on the divine feminine, and to have recently been promoted to Full Professor as the first female faculty member ever at the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at UTSA.
Malgorzata’s presentation is entitled, Liminality, Transgression, and Feminine Empowerment: The Case of Kali and Pombagira:
“Kali–an Indian goddess—and Pombagira—a female trickster entity from the Brazilian Umbanda religion–are surprisingly similar. They both represent the concepts of liminality, outsiderhood and structural inferiority, embodied in the divine feminine. They are strong, independent, unrestrained, and full of magical powers, including power over sexuality, transformation, and death. In fact, they are the opposite of what has been promoted as the model for western females in the last millennium, with traits such as motherliness, docility, humility, passivity, and obedience. Conversely, they are untamed feminine divinities that are powerful, fiercely independent, childless, courageous, and wise.”
Ingrid is an “irreverent wise woman.” Her work as an author, teacher and ritualist is deeply rooted in the wisdom traditions of pre-Christian, Northern Europe. Ingrid is dedicated to reawakening connection with our ancestors and the neglected myths of indigenous Norse and Germanic tribes. Her latest book, The Runes Revealed – an (un) familiar journey, challenges its readers to remove the distorted lens of patriarchal interpretation and start viewing history, archeology and mythology with new eyes.
In order to find refuge in our histories we need to hear our stories told in our own voices, not in the voices of men.In order to find safe harbor in our stories they must be meaningful and relevant to the lives we live today.
Ingrid’s presentation for the 2016 conference is entitled “Playing By Your Own Rules When The Gods Cheat: The Saga Of Skadi – How A Strong-willed, Independent Norse Giantess Found Safe Harbor By Claiming What Was Rightfully Hers”
“The saga of Skadi is both ancient and modern. It’s the tale of a giantess who was willing to rebel against the system, demand retribution for injustice and lay claim to her rightful inheritance. She made choices that were strategic and far-sighted and choose divorce rather than settling for anything less than her own happiness. Skadi is an example of freedom and independence, and yet there are parts of her story that beg to be reexamined and retold. ”
Meagan Miller
A few years ago a doctor friend mentioned to me that 90% of all women are unhappy with their breasts. Although I knew I was part of that percentage, the magnitude of the number stunned me. My thoughts immediately went to the women in my life who were struggling with their breasts.
Some had body image issues, others grappled with breastfeeding woes, and still others had cysts or cancer. Suddenly I realized that what I had been thinking of as strictly personal was actually a large-scale issue. It was therefore essential that the women feel they had nothing to hide, and that they feel connected to their bodies.
My goal for The Breast Archives was to invoke women’s wisdom regarding their breasts, to invite it out of hiding.
Meagan Murphy is a firm believer that social transformation can be achieved through courageous storytelling. With 25+ years of experience in film and broadcast, Meagan has earned a Communicator’s Award for her work with teens and a Medical Journalism Fellowship through Blue Cross Blue Shield. While at PBS-WGBY, she contributed to and oversaw several award-winning series. Her film repertoire includes Night Deposit, Fathers & Sons, and Victor’s Big Score. She also completed a 2-year women’s spirituality program and is trained as a girls’ mentor. In 2012, Meagan formed Deliberate Healing Productions LLC in order to The Breast Archives, a film about body-based wisdom and the complex, un-discussed relationship women have with their breasts. Ms. Murphy is a member of the Easthampton Arts Council, Women in Film & Video, The Independent Documentary Association, eWomen and Women Business Owners Alliance.
Meagan will participate in our Film and Filmmakers Roundtable at the conference, bringing the trailer for The Breast Archives. You will also see her videotaping the keynote presentations and authors’ panel.
Forty years ago, the Second Wave Feminist Movement was in full swing in America. Radical women began to question the very concept of God as male, with “man in his image,” and from this revolutionary brew, the Women’s Spirituality movement was born. Just as foam-born Aphrodite arose from the sea, the revolutionary Goddess movement arose to inspire women around the country and the world to begin researching ancient worldwide Goddess-based cultures and to create spontaneous circles of women’s ritual and Goddess worship.
On Friday evening of our conference, we will hold a special session to honor these foremothers. On hand to read from their personal stories will be these amaziMiriam women:
There is much to be learned from these stories of strong women leaders. Now as then, the personal continues to be political. Hearing these voices reinforces the collective memories of women who grew during that Second Wave. And more important is that they strengthen connections across generations, to speak to the bold young women working now to bring their spiritual values into the cultural mix.
Miriam Robbins Dexter says, “One of my goals with this book is to inspire the next generation of women who are active in women’s spirituality to bring that vision of the divine into the world,”
Yemanjá: Wisdom from the African Heart of Brazilis a documentary exploring ethics, social justice, racism, ecological sustainability and power of community and faith, via the stories of four extraordinary elder female leaders of the Afro-indigenous Candomblé spiritual tradition, in Bahia, Brazil.
This is a beautiful, stirring film by Donna Roberts (producer/co-director, Donna Read (co-director, editor) and narrated by Alice Walker.
”It is so overwhelmingly powerful!….Not since viewing the photographs of the late Sylvia Ardyn Boone’sRadiance from the Waters and watching the film Daughters of the Dust have I seen such compelling visual images of Black women as institution builders, knowledge experts, and authoritative leaders(meaning not solely figureheads) in an African or African diasporic context.” -Dr. Dianne M. Stewart, Associate Professor of Religion and African American Studies, Emory University
During the trans-Atlantic slave trade, slavery’s brutal history was transformed into a vibrant religio-cultural tradition in Brazil, the world’s largest Catholic country. Candomblé is a brilliant example of resilience, profound dedication to one’s heritage and the forces of nature that sustain us all.
The film’s story is told primarily through the voices of women leaders of Candomblé. The eldest is Mãe Filhinha de Yemanjá-Ogunté, 109-years-old when last interviewed during her terreiro’s annual 3-day celebration to Yemanjá.
These women are not only keepers of the wisdom of this largely oral tradition, but also vital references in the wider communities in which they live. They create and support social and environmental campaigns and causes; they write books and public policy; they are sought after wise women within their spiritual communities and throughout their regions.
Through their voices and those of others, we come to know a tradition – thriving in metropolitan Salvador – which holds nature and community, elders and Orixás as sacred. The city’s annual Festa de Yemanja is a huge popular ritual and party, second only to Carnaval, with thousands from all backgrounds offering flowers and other gifts to honor the great Mother Goddess.
The film’s narrator, Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker, says of this film, “When I look into the faces of these great teachers, who have kept the faith the world, now in its direst hour, most needs, I am humbled and, yes, amazed. For this is what Truth means. No matter how hidden or abused, how enslaved and denied, It survives.”
Yemanjá will be presented on Saturday night of our conference.
I am a native of Chiapas (Mexico), where life is ardent, impetuous and fierce; magic abounds and life swells. Yet, despite being such a lush natural area, the conditions of life can be very hard. Fight-or-flight is much of the daily bread, so I grew up aware of the fragility of life, learning to truly enjoy the present moment. This led me to ponder ways to care for myself and all others, through the cultivation of kindness, wisdom and compassion. I aim to improve the quality of life of all beings, starting by acknowledging and taming my own shadow, and then helping others do the same. I know our conditioning can be transformed to one of cooperation and growth. Through the study of mythology and mysticism, it has become evident to me that a tension between opposites is necessary for creation to arise. My aim is to awaken consciousness to the holiness of everyday life, in order to be of conscious service, respecting the natural world and our natural being, for the benefit of the world we share.
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