“The Tlacuache (Opossum), a protector and guardian of humankind“

with Verónica Iglesias

Thursday,  September 4, 2025 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time  

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In this presentation, we will talk about the opossum, as a guardian of human beings, and its symbolism within the Mesoamerican worldview. Opossums are one of the few marsupials that exist in the Americas, and because of the care they provide for their young, they have been symbolically considered the great mother,  guardian and protector. There are myths where the opossum was the one who brought fire to humans, even though it had to sacrifice its tail when doing so. In general, the opossum was a very important animal; it was considered an ancient, wise, cheerful, and mischievous being.

It is also said that it was the one who brought knowledge to humans. Along with tobacco and liquor, and together with fire, they made human life more bearable and gentle. In its role as guardian, the opossum has been considered a being that cares for small children, especially babies. As the guardian mother, it was sometimes left next to the sleeping baby for protection. In myth and in reality, the opossum is a being that has greatly supported humanity, even against the will of certain deities or higher beings.

Verónica Iglesias was born in Mexico City, Mexico. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Library Sciences and a Master’s Degree in Mesoamerican Studies from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México). She studied ancestral medicine with different indigenous healers in Mexico, learning about the temazcal (“steam house”), plants, minerals, rituals and ceremonies. She has been initiated as a priestess of Ix´Cheel, the Mayan deity of medicine. She is the author of 6 books, two of them about Medicinal Plants. She is co-creator of the Jade Oracle, a deck of 52 cards with Mesoamerican deities and symbols.

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Upcoming Scholar Salon (3pm Eastern Time):

September 18, 2025:  “Tanit: her mother- and sister- lines. A foray into the mythological and linguistic relations of the Phoenician-Carthaginian goddess” with Dr. Miriam Robbins Dexter

This Salon recording will also be available to members when processed after the event. 

“Inanna’s Return: Re-Embodying Menstrual Sacrality in ‘The Descent of Inanna’ “

with Dr. Annalisa Derr

Thursday,  August 21, 2025 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time  

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Despite decades of effort cultivating menstrual equity, activism, and sacrality, a 2023 Thinx report found that up to 60% of adult women in the US still feel embarrassed by their periods. It is not surprising when dominant Western cultural menstrual narratives and practices continue to reinforce shame, secrecy, and fear about our periods. For example, the menstrual suppression movement increasingly equates women’s empowerment with liberation from one’s own menstruating body. These misguided cultural narratives perpetuate a long history in which the devaluation and control of women’s bodies has been used to justify our marginalization. A building body of research indicates the vital role the menstrual cycle plays in a woman’s overall well-being, revealing that these approaches are not only flawed and potentially harmful, but ultimately reinforce menstrual stigma and sexism.

Creating affirming menstrual narratives grounded in empowering goddess archetypes is an antidote to this cultural void. The Sumerian goddess Inanna is one such goddess who can help women cultivate menstrual reverence. While Inanna is most recognized as a goddess of erotic love and war that inspires women to embody sexual agency and ferocious strength, She is also a living goddess—an indwelling presence within the female body. Her myths can help women awaken to the deep feminine power latent in their bodies, especially the menstrual cycle.

In this presentation, Annalisa will illustrate how she re-imagines “The Descent of Inanna” as a sacred menstrual narrative, offering a framework for contemporary women’s empowerment. She envisions Inanna as a myth model who guides women to shed internalized sexism and menstrual stigma; cultivate sacred menstrual stories, symbols, and practices; and ultimately experience the goddess’ erotic aliveness as the vital feminine force coursing through the menstrual cycle.

Annalisa Derr, Ph.D., is an independent goddess scholar, sacred feminine embodiment facilitator, and ritual theatre creatrix. She earned her doctorate in Mythological Studies with Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute and holds a BA in theater, with specialized training in international masked and physical performance.  Seeking embodied approaches to her research, Annalisa created “She Bleeds the World into Existence,” a site-specific, goddess-centered, menstrual art performance series. Her forthcoming book with Inner Traditions reimagines the Sumerian myth, “The Descent of Inanna,” as an affirming sacred menstrual narrative—offering a transformative lens to liberate women from internalized menstrual stigma and reawaken them to their deep feminine power. Annalisa also hosts “Journey to the Goddess TV” on YouTube, where she interviews experts in goddess scholarship and sacred feminine spirituality.

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Upcoming Scholar Salons (at  3pm Eastern Time )

September 4, 2025: “The Tlacuache (Opossum), a protector and guardian of humankind”  with Verónica Iglesias

September 18, 2025: “Tanit: her mother- and sister- lines. A foray into the mythological and linguistic relations of the Phoenician-Carthaginian goddess” with Dr. Miriam Robbins Dexter

This Salon recording will also be available to members when processed after the event. 

“Flourishing Kin: Loving the World in Complex Times”

with Dr. Yuria Celidwen

Thursday,  June 26, 2025 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time  

REGISTER HERE

Our world faces crises that require a focus on community and planetary health and well-being. Still, the Western emphasis on individual self-improvement has resulted in mental health struggles leading to isolation and environmental exploitation. How can Western and Indigenous sciences work together to recalibrate current practices in the service of global well-being? Dr. Yuria Celidwen shares insights from her recent book Flourishing Kin: Indigenous Wisdom for Collective Well-Being to cultivate sustainable collective well-being. Through poetic expression and authentic truth-telling, Celidwen invites a path that meets the world’s complexity with reverence and joyous participation in the flourishing of all living beings.

“From Indigenous scholar Yuria Celidwen comes a first-of-its-kind book about our aspiration for sustainable, collective flourishing through Indigenous wisdom, traditions, and practices that bridge Indigenous and Western knowledges and ways.”

Yuria Celidwen, PhD: I am a native of the Indigenous Nahua and Maya Bats’il K’op lineages from the cloud forests of Chiapas, Mexico. I am of Earth; my heart is on fire. My family comprises mystics, healers, poets, and explorers of the soil and the soul, embodying life’s strength, tenderness, and fragility. I grew up with one wing in the wilderness and another in the magical realism of Indigenous dreamlands and stories. My elders’ songs enthralled my childhood, enhancing my mythic imagination and emotional intuition: the fertile Lands where the seeds of reverence, play, and wonder dig their roots. I am a Truth-bearer, trickster dreamer, and culture-shifter. As a scholar, I research Indigenous forms of contemplation and the transcendent experience embodied in prosocial behavior (reverence, ethics, compassion, and a sense of awe, love, and sacredness).‎ I refer to my broader research statement as the “Ethics of Belonging,” which encourages awareness, intention, and relational actions toward planetary flourishing and a path of meaning and participation rooted in honoring Life.

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Upcoming Scholar Salon (at  3pm Eastern Time ):

August 21 2025:  “Inanna’s Descent: Re-wombing Menstrual Sacrality” with Dr. Annalisa Derr

Save these Salon dates: September 4, September 18

This Salon recording will also be available to members when processed after the event.