July 10, 2014October 2, 2019 Mago Work Admin

(Meet Mago Contributor) Claudia von Werlhof

ENGLISH

Claudia von Werlhof, born in 1943, Berlin, Germany, since 1988 full professor for women´s studies and political science, Univerity ogf Innsbruck, Austria. Mother of a son. Empirical research in Latinamerica, co-founder of international women´s studies, the “Bielefeld“-School, activist against neoliberal globalization, founder of „critical theory of patriarchy“, a new paradigm in science, founder of the “Planetary Movement for Mother Earth“.

GERMAN

Claudia von Werlhof, geb. 1943 bei Berlin, seit 1988 Professorin für Frauenforschung und Politikwissenschaft an der Universität Innsbruck. Mutter eines Sohnes. Empirische Forschungen in Lateinamerika, Mitbegründerin der Frauenforschung, Aktivistin gegen die neoliberale Globalisierung, Entwicklung der „Kritischen Patriarchatstheorie“ , Gründerin der „Planetaren Bewegung für Mutter Erde“.

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We Called the Circle and they Came! Creating Magic at a Women’s Gathering by Glen Rogers

Group Circle What a great response for Calling the Circle, our inaugural Sacred Feminine Women’s Gathering in San Miguel de Allende this past November. It was a sold out event with almost 50 women including our Advisory Council and speakers. Women came from within Mexico – San Miguel, Baja, Mazatlán, Lake Chapala and the Yucatan as well as California, Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Indiana, Washington and Canada. With this gathering, we clearly touched a yearning to celebrate the Divine Feminine in her many guises. During this event, we created a Sacred Vessel that we filled with ceremony, collaborative art projects, a diverse line up of speakers, sound healing, meditations, journaling, and sharing in smaller sister circles – three days of Inspiration, Connection and Empowerment. Glen Rogers with Alicia Mayo Everyone felt nurtured as soon as they entered our gorgeous space with towering mesquite trees and lovely plazas. Beginning with blessings and purification, each person was then crowned with a flower garland befitting a goddess. Moving through the sacred landscape, they were offered warm chai from the cauldron and invited to add a personal item to the altar. While each day was filled with magical moments and creative interactions, there was plenty of time to meet and share our personal stories over beautifully catered lunches and afternoon social hours. Gathering and Listening Conversations continued throughout the day inspired by our speakers – all sharing women’s wisdom from the heart. While I talked about my pilgrimages to ancient matriarchal sites and goddess archetypes, archeologist Rossana Quiroz from the local Cañada del la Virgen pyramid discussed Mesoamerican goddesses and their relationship to creation myths. Jyothi Panicker, a South Indian raised in Zambia discussed the early matrilineal traditions in her village as well as Indian goddesses and how she weaves them into her spiritual practice as a yoga teacher. Amber Chand, also born in India, used her storytelling and deeply spiritual practice as artist and life coach to enliven the Sacred Feminine. Dr. Ratka Mira Popovic, initiated Priestess and doctor of Chinese Medicine, talked about how to embody our Divine Feminine by connecting with our ancestral lineage through ritual, meditation and intentional rediscovery. Jyothi Panicker and Butterfly Art installations around our sacred space added a fun, hands-on creative element to the event. For instance, the Butterfly Tapestry at the entrance was a metaphor for transformation with an opportunity to contribute with image and word (and a great photo opportunity!) Artist Lena Bartula invited everyone to weave in their prayers and small objects into her Ritual Chair – to dream a more inclusive new world. My copper vessels representing the 4 elements, were also participatory with an invitation to plant a seed, light a candle, etc. On the 2nd day, we created our vision board/soul collages which are always meaningful and powerful. On Tuesday November 8, we held our private full moon ritual with Crone mother, Alicia Mayo, who has been presiding over full moon rituals at El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Gardens for over 25 years. With her steady drum beat, she called in the Luna energy and invited us to dream our dreams, each throwing copal into the fire, a natural incense used in spiritual ceremonies in Mexico. There was powerful magic in our circle as it was also a lunar eclipse! We ended the ceremony that evening by spontaneously dancing around the fire pit with whoops of joy to celebrate the Goddess. What a blessing! For some, the sound healing with Argentinean Keila Tonello was one of the highlights. The vibrations through her voice and singing bowls were a gift to rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit. For others, it was the smaller sister circles composed of 8 to 10 women that were so very special. These break-out circles provided a safe haven of compassionate sharing and listening. And we know as women – being heard is so important! We also had broader discussions facilitated by some of our Advisory Circle; Bobbi Van, Amber Chand, Dorothy Wallstein, Tayler Friar, Dr. Ratka Mira Popovic and myself: The Untold Story: Maiden, Mother, Crone and a session on Transformation – in the world and in our personal lives. Journaling was a tool used throughout the three days as a way to process and go deeper within ourselves. I think we all left with lasting gifts of new friendships, new spiritual tools, and inspiration and commitment to make life changes. We are excited about our next Calling the Circle event scheduled for November 6 – 8, 2023 at the same beautiful location in San Miguel. As I mentioned in my preliminary article for MAGO [Return to Mago E-Magazine]– women, now more than ever, hunger for the Circle as a way to unite with each other and to ancient goddess wisdom. We are all looking for heart connection and a reclaiming of our spiritual roots to Mother Earth and the Sacred Feminine. Women’s circles are an age-old way to make that magic happen. Zoe, Emily and Lena Bartula (R) with Ritual A portion of the proceeds were donated to Mujeres en Cambio, a San Miguel non-profit that supports women’s education. Visit the website to learn more, get on the mailing list and to register: www.sacredfemininecircle.com Here is just some of the feedback we received: Calling the Circle was one of the most inspiring events I’ve attended! I truly can’t thank you enough for organizing this experience. Your thoughtful efforts to create something that would be special for lots of different people were reflected in every element of the experience. I can’t remember if I have ever participated in such a meticulously planned event. Brava, ladies!!! Thank YOU! And all the organizers and presenters for putting together this very special gathering. I come away enlightened & curious to learn more about matriarchies and the Divine Feminine, empowered to release past burdens that have held me back, and incredibly in awe of the strength, courage, and ability women have to survive, forgive, and excel in life. …
(Poem) Vernal by Donna Snyder

Equinox–the day of equal light and equal dark In the north we know that winter ends yet again Now is the time of miracles Eos wings through a persimmon dawn Astarte strokes her hare Freya dresses in gossamer and wreaths Saraswati holds the lotus blooms Isis restores her lover to life The blood of Cybele’s lover gives us violets before his resurrection Soon it will be the Passion of the Son of Mary of the Sacred Heart It is the time of cleaning and planting Crones stretch fingers no longer cramped by bitterness Seeds planted in the cold dark give birth The time of long light and short night begins yet again
(Poetry) Listen For Me by Kaalii Cargill

I am the Queen of Sheba, more beautiful than all the rest. I am the night-hag, more haggard then your worst fears. Don’t try to hold me still. Things change. Time moves. The coins on my hip girdle ring – like bells – as I move between the worlds. Listen for me. https://www.magoism.net/2014/05/meet-mago-contributor-kaalii-cargill/
(Essay 1) Open, Please!: Persian & Islamic Tales of Women Rescued by Mountains by Krista Rodin, Ph.D.

Throughout Central Asia there are many legends of women who refused to convert to a new religion or way of life in order to maintain their purity. In some of these stories the woman fled into the barren desert mountains and prayed for refuge within. The mountains opened up, water flowed, and the woman was able to find shelter. The reason for the flight was to avoid persecution and to maintain a traditional religion, though it was also often framed as escaping men in order to remain physically and spiritually pure. While the stories are patterned in the same manner, the religion they wished to protect was different in three of these stories giving rise to an understanding of the perpetual nature of doctrine induced geo-political change in this region and some of the ancient animosities. Today, the locations of these mountain sanctuaries, three in Iran and two near the Iranian border in Turkmenistan, are pilgrimage sites for the sacred traditions they were intended to protect. All of these sites have a Persian heritage and as Herodutus in his Histories pointed out in the 5th C BCE, “It is not their (Persian) custom to make and set up statues and temples and altars but they offer sacrifices on the highest peaks of the mountains.” Each of these sites also has a water source near the sacred cave, which harkens back to the early Persian goddess of fertility and water, Anahita. The generic pattern of the legend gives rise to the merging of boundaries, physical and spiritual, as well as a reversal of traditional hierarchical conquest and gender roles. Nokhur, Turkmenistan It is impossible to put a chronology to the sites as they may have been used for worship since well before Herodotus’ writings. Perhaps, though, the site preserving the oldest tradition is the one found in Nokhur, Turkmenistan. The small village of Nohkur lies about 1,100 m above the Karakum Desert not far from the Iranian border and wandering amid the bare hillsides it is easy to get lost. There are no border markings here, just a sea of tall crusty brown waves of mountain ridges that have been witness to caravan trading since the beginning of human migration and commerce. Time seems to stand still in this tiny hamlet where there is a hallow 2000 year old sacred sycamore tree, 100 year old mud brick and rock houses that are held up with rotting wood posts, and a millennia old cemetery where the graves are marked with posts etched with stair like designs and Urial mountain sheep horns as capitals to protect the dead and ward off evil. The villagers earn their living through sheep herding, agriculture and silk production as they have for centuries. Nokhur Ancient Cemetery The people of this small region of the Kopat Dagh mountains are said to be descendants of Alexander’s army. Their language and traditions are distinct from the rest of Turkmenistan, as they also are with their more closely aligned Iranian neighbors. While they are active practicing Muslims, their traditions remain laced with remnants of ancient animism as seen in the cemetery and the legend of the cave. The greatest additional source of income comes from the tourists who visit the Bibi Qyz Cave. The story of Bibi Qyz is quite similar to that of her neighbor about 80 miles to the north along the main road, Bibi Parau, whose shrine is distinctly Islamic and whose site is the second most famous pilgrimage site in Turkmenistan. The term ‘Bibi’ is used as an honorific title for a woman, similar to ‘Lady’. One of the main differences between the two is the sacred background to the legend. Bibi Parau’s story distinctly Muslim and the ca. 11th C site has a mausoleum. The origin of Bibi Qyz, on the other hand, is lost in time and rather than man-made structures, the site has a sacred tree. The first is officially sponsored and promoted by the governmental tourist association; the second is merely acknowledged. According to the legend recounted at the site, Bibi Qyz was a young girl who wanted to dedicate herself to a solitary spiritual life. Her father, however, insisted she marry. Much like the Tibetan legend of Yeshe Tsogyal or the Catholic St. Barbara, she ran away to the mountains to avoid soiling herself with the physical and mental impurities of marital and everyday life. As her intended husband, accompanied by father, came closer and closer, she prayed to the rock face to bear witness to her pure desires and to open up and give her protection. A small cave opening appeared through which she immediately crawled in and was saved. She remains the woman of the mountain granting to those who seek her wishes that are pure of heart. She is especially called upon by women who have been unable to bear children. They come to ask her to bless them with offspring, and to tie their wishes written on cloth strips onto a special wishing tree that is about 40 feet below the cave. The cave is currently overseen by a caretaker family consisting of the family patriarch, and four women, two of whom are his sisters and two his wives. The oldest woman is also the leading fortune-teller and medium. She offers Bibi Qyz’s blessings on the basis of a balancing stone held on top of the index and middle finger of the right hand. Once the stone is balanced and it turns to the left on its own accord three times, then the blessing has occurred. After the blessing, the seeker is supposed to build a small rock pile to send wishes to Allah along with Bibi Qyz’s blessings. Bibi Oyz’s Cave, Nokhur, Turkmenistan Similar to Bibi Qyz, Bibi Parau (Bibi Paraw) escaped into a small cave in the Kopat Dagh mountains, but her story is a bit more elaborate. According to her legend, she was a very beautiful and virtuous young girl. Other women and girls in the village were jealous of her so when an invading army of infidels came one of the women decided to offer Bibi Parau in exchange for the warriors not attacking the village. Bibi Parau cursed the woman who was subsequently turned into a black stone. As the enemy troops approached, Bibi Parau asked the mountain to protect her and her virtue; the cave appeared and she was …
(Essay) Moon Goddess: Primordial Trinity and Cosmic/Personal Heritage by Glenys Livingstone Ph.D.

[Author’s note: This essay is an evolved version of an excerpt from Chapter 2 of her book PaGaian Cosmology: Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion.] The triple-aspected female metaphor for the Sacred – the Goddess trinity, that has long captured my attention and imagination and lured me into the Search, the sacred journey, has in other times been known as the “Moon Goddess”: that aspect of the Creativity of the Cosmos that manifests in Moon. The phases of Moon have described for and since the first eyes that could recognise it, a pattern; a pattern that at some point was noticed to resonate with the human female menstrual cycle, and indeed, that of all human body cycles, and the cycles of flora and fauna. Moon’s cyclical pattern – of waxing and waning through light and dark – was noticed to be reiterated everywhere. The three distinguishable phases (of the kaleidoscope that it really is) have been known by the ancients of many cultures, and others since throughout the ages: expressed as three qualities of creative power, preserver/protector and destructive power; or represented symbolically – perhaps with grain, sword and snake; perhaps with grain, throne and scorpion; perhaps as poet, physician and smith-artisan; perhaps as three matrons; perhaps as Virgin/Maiden, Mother/Creator, Old One/Crone. There are many variations globally, and each triad is usually complex and multivalent in its expression. A Scots Gaelic prayer describes Moon as “lovely leader of the way”,[1] and so She has been for many humans, who have noticed Her creative cyclical pattern imbued in All, including in the seasons of Earth-Sun relational transitions, which Moon’s origins may have participated in creating, some four and a half billion years ago. Moon has been perceived as a teacher, the Teacher for many. Moon Herself is a Presence often taken as secondary, extraneous, romantic. Yet without Her gravitational pull on Earth, creating the tides – the ebb and flow – much of the biosphere may have never evolved.[2] Moon’s central role in our manifestation, in Earth’s Creativity as we know it, often goes without recognition. The same is true of the role that the female human cycle most likely played in the early development of human consciousness: its role may well, and sens-ibly, have been central, yet in mainstream texts it is rarely mentioned as even a possible factor. This body of conjecture is missing from most of what passes for real story of human beginnings. Rarely has it been thought, as for example researcher Alexander Marshack thought, that the lunar notations found on bone, stone, antler and goddess figures may “have laid the foundations for the discovery of agriculture, the calendar, astronomy, mathematics and writing”.[3] Philosopher/scholar Judy Grahn, who has deeply considered the role of the menstrual cycle in “creating the world”, points out: human perception began, many creation stories say, when we could distinguish between light and dark and that Disciplined separation is clearly a major factor of human culture, and the most complex and fundamental separation practice is that of the first menstruation, or… menarche.[4]
(Book Excerpt 5) On the Wings of Isis: Reclaiming the Sovereignty of Auset, ed. by Trista Hendren et al.

Goddess Isis Joey Morris Soft steps through imprinted sand,A Journey repeats,Stepping into the timeless River,To wash my lashed body,Cleansing water and fallen tears meet,I have been broken andI have been discardedTorn apart from the insideOverthrownI toppled from my own seat,To taste only dust in my mouth,Forgetting who I was,I bathe in my remorse,And stand at the altar of my foolishnessNaked before you, abrupt in my presence,Calling out for your blessed wisdom,I have been parchedAnd my body concaves into its shell,Mustering the resilienceTo hope againThe water evaporates,My lips turn to the burning Sun,Whispering Your name,Seeking Your balm,I have been dismemberedBy not belongingA lack of love shadowed my every step,Left me crumbling,Yet I remain,Bathing in Your light,Memories stretch into view,Threatening cataclysm,As you rest Your palm on my browReminding me to partakeOnly of my holinessAnd where all the cracking joints adjoinI reuniteWith all the wounded parts of myselfI live againBy the breath and grace of She;Isis. (To be continued) Details of On the Wings of Isis are found here. https://www.magoism.net/2013/08/meet-mago-contributor-trista-hendren/
(Essay 4) How Mother Nature Died: The bio-cosmic rupture of European Renaissance by Luciana Percovich

[This essay was presented at Roma Goddess Conference, May 22-23, 2021, under the theme of “Goddess & Environment – Save Mother Earth.”] Francis Bacon “Nature, you are wrong!”, wrote Francis Bacon (1561-1626) and added: “You must dominate her, rape her in order to tear up her secrets”. He was the first to fix the aim of the New Science as Control and Rule over Nature, to legitimize every possible or imaginable manipulation, because: “The salvation of humankind depends on Science and Science is the ensemble of Mechanic arts”. In his Temporis Partus Masculus, Bacon wrote sentences which made history: “Here I am, to bring Nature with all her creatures to your service as a slave … Just follow her, like a hound pursue her, guiding and pushing her wher you want … You must enter her holes and nooks in the search of truth, without any concern”. Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) with his Leviathan applied to political philosophy the same vision of disgregation and dismemberment, reasoning and rationalizing about the way of freeing exploitation also of human individuals: “A Nation is an Artificial order of individual parts united by Fear” Grounding again Starting during the 1960s, a worldwide movement of “consciousness raising groups” of women began to re-unite. Reclaiming the difference of the experience of living in a woman’s body, a widespread and pervasive work of demystifying the neutrality of historical, psychological, scientific, religious etc. narrations, set in motion a radical critique of the entire patriarchal apparatus at all its levels of organization and symbolic representation. Starhawk, The Earth Path, 2004 “For centuries, since the start of the ‘scientific revolution’, Western culture has pursued knowledge by breaking a subject or an object into its component parts and studying those parts … We developed a mechanistic, cause-and-effect model of the universe. Compartmentalization … doesn’t allow us to look at the whole, or at the complex web of relationships and patterns that make up a whole. (But) science itself has moved beyond … and today is likely to describe the world in terms of networks of probabilities and complexities, as interlocking processes and relationships …” “A witch must not only be familiar with the mystic planes of existence beyond the physical realm; she should also be familiar with the trees and plants and birds and animals of her own backyard, be able to name them, know their uses and habits and what part each plays in the whole … In fact, everybody should. Our culture is afflicted with a vast disconnection, an abyss of ignorance that becomes apparent whenever an issue involving the natural world arises. As a society we are daily making decisions and setting policies that have enormous repercussions on the natural world. And those policies are being set by officials and approved by a public who are functionally eco-illiterate”. Every small or great action, Here and Now, gives Form to one of the possible Futures. (End of the Essay) https://www.magoism.net/2013/10/meet-mago-contributor-luciana-percovich/ An Essential Bibliography AA.VV., Diotima. Il pensiero della differenza sessuale, La Tartaruga, Milano 1987. AA.VV., Donne Tecnologia Scienza: un percorso attraverso mito, storia, antropologia, a cura di Joan Rothschild, Rosenberg&Sellier, Torino, 1986 (Machina ex Dea, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1983). AA.VV., Storia dell’Arte, Le Prime Civiltà, Mondadori Electa, Milano 2006. Armonie (a cura di), Il mito e il culto della Grande Dea. Transiti, metamorfosi, permanenze, Atti del Convegno 24-25 novembre 2000, Bologna, 2003. Armonie (a cura di), Dopo la Dea. Religioni come segni e strumenti del patriarcato, ribellioni delle donne come permanenze e rinascite dell’antico culto, Atti del Convegno 21 febbraio 2004, Bologna, 2004. Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, Noi e il nostro corpo, Feltrinelli, Milano 1974 (Our bodies, Ourselves, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1971). Brighton Women and Science Group, Alice attraverso il Microscopio: il potere della scienza sulla vita delle donne, La Salamandra, Milano 1985 (Alice through the Microscope. The power of science over women’s lives, Virago Press, London, 1980). Centro Documentazione Donna, Vivere e pensare la differenza. Incontro sulle pratiche e saperi delle donne, Firenze, 23/24 gennaio 1988. Chodorow Nancy, La funzione materna, psicoanalisi e sociologia del ruolo materno, La Tartaruga, Milano 199 (The reproduction of Mothering. Psychoanalysis and Sociology of Gender, University of California Press, 1978). Mary Daly, Al di là di Dio padre. Verso una filosofia della liberazione delle donne, Editori Riuniti, Roma 1990 (Beyond God the Father: Towards a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation, Beacon Press 1073). Mary Daly, Quintessenza. Realizzare il Futuro Arcaico, Venexia- Le Civette Saggi, Roma, 2005 (Quintessence. Realizing the Archaic Future, Beacon Press 1998). Dinnerstein Dorothy, The Mermaid and the Minotaur: Sexual Arrangements and Human Malaise, Harper and Row, New York 1976. Dashu Max, Streghe e Pagane. Le donne nella religione popolare europea, 700-1100, Venexia, Roma 2018 (Witches and Pagans. Women in European Folk Religion, 700-1100, Veleda Press, 2016). Donini Elisabetta, La nube e il limite. Donne, scienza, percorsi nel tempo, Rosenberg&Sellier, Torino 1990. Donini Elisabetta, Conversazioni con Evelyn Fox Keller, una scienziata anomala, Eleuthera, Milano 1991. Eherenreich Barbara – English Deirdre, Le streghe siamo noi, Celuc Libri/La Salamandra, Milano 1975 (Witches, Midwives and Nurses and Complaints and Disorders, Feminist Press, New York, 1973). Eisler Riane, Il calice e la spada. La nascita del predominio maschile, Pratiche, Parma, 1987 (The Chalice and the Blade: our History, our Future, Harper and Row, New York 1987). Eisler Riane, Il Piacere è Sacro, Frassinelli, Milano 1995 (Sacred Pleasure, Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body, Harper San Francisco, 1995). Federici Silvia, Il grande Calibano. Storia del corpo sociale ribelle nella prima fase del capitale, Derive Approdi, Milano, 2009 (Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body, and Primitive Accumulation, Autonomedia, Brooklyn, NY, 2004). Federici Silvia, Il punto zero della rivoluzione. Lavoro domestico, riproduzione e lotta femminista, Ombre Corte, 2014 (Revolution at Point Zero: Housework, Reproduction, and Feminist Struggle, Common Notions Press, 20012). Federici Silvia, Reincarnare il mondo. Femminismo e politica dei “commons”, Ombre Corte, 2018. Gilligan Carol, Con voce di donna, Feltrinelli, Milano 1987 (In a different voice: Psychological Theory …
(Essay 4) The Myriad Faces, Marvelous Powers, and Thealogy of Greek Goddesses by Mara Lynn Keller, Ph.D.

Available at Mago Bookstore [Editor’s Note: This and the forthcoming sequels are originally published in Goddesses in Myth, History and Culture (2018 Mago Books). Part 4 discusses the Goddesses of pre-Hellenic myths and the Mycenean culture wherein the early matriarchal culture of Crete and the patriarchal Indo-European Mycenean culture coexisted.] The Cultural Shift from Mother Rite to Father Right—In Bronze Age Mycenaean Greece Ecofeminist philosopher Charlene Spretnak has researched and composed pre-patriarchal portraits of various Goddesses, in Lost Goddess of Early Greece: A Collection of Pre-Hellenic Myths.[1] She lyrically relates the sacred stories of Gaia, Pandora, Themis, Aphrodite, Artemis, Selene, Hecate, Hera, Athena, and Demeter and Persephone that emerged during the early matricultural traditions of Greece. These portraits are invaluable, as they allow us to imagine the possibilities for women and girls in non-patriarchal sub-cultures of today, and in a future post-patriarchal world. According to an oral tradition written down by Hesiod during the Archaic Age (circa 800 BCE), the first deity to emerge from Chaos was Gaia, Earth. Gaia, the first deity, who emerged from Chaos in the presence of Love, was the Great Earth Mother, Mother of all Living. She created the Sky as a partner, equal to herself: “And Earth first bare starry Heaven, equal to herself.”[2] She gave birth to all on the land, in the sea, and in the sky, and received back into her womb at death. From Gaia’s partnership with Sky, came the Titan deities. The Titan Goddesses included Rhea, Phoebe, Themis, Nemesis, Mnemosyne (Memory), and Hekate. They held cosmic, cultural, and personal powers: Rhea, another Earth Mother Goddess, in mating with her brother Kronos, brought forth the first of the next generation of Greek deities, who became the Olympian pantheon. She was worshipped in Anatolia Crete, and Greece. The Athenians remembered her as the Mother of all the Gods, and they built an altar to her at their Council House in the Agora. Phoebe was the Goddess of the Moon. The three phases of the waxing, full, and waning moon represented the three stages of female life as Maiden, Mother, and Grandmother-Crone. She was the mother of Leto who birthed the twin deities, Artemis and Apollo. Themis was the Goddess of social order and justice, necessary for the creation of community and social well-being. She was an oracle of the Earth Mother Gaia and the mother of the Fates and the Seasons. She was the conscience of the community. [3] Peoples of Crete celebrated “goodly Themis” and they called upon her sister Diké, Justice “to possess [hu]mankind.”[4] Diké, the primal Goddess of Justice, was a cosmological principle. The Greeks believed that Justice was woven into the fabric of the universe. She was closely related to the Seasons, and closely related among humans to Aleitheia, Truth. Nemesis was the Goddess who blocked a person’s path of error, arrogance, and hubris, standing like a brick wall in the path of the transgressor. Later she was only remembered as a Goddess of retribution. Mnemosyne/Memory was the font of cultural progress. She was the mother of the violet-crowned nine muses, of history, music, comedy, tragedy, choral dance, lyric and erotic poetry, religious hymns and dance, astronomy, and heroic, epic poetry. Hekate was another Great Goddess who held power in the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and the Sea. As Goddess of the Crossroads, she guided those facing divergent, consequential decisions. She was associated with Demeter and Persephone, with Artemis, and the Moon. Like Persephone, Hekate guided the dying into the Underworld. Like the Moon, Hekate was a Triple Goddess, for she incorporated in herself the living experience of Maiden, Mother, and Grandmother-Crone. Indo-European Hellenic clans descended in several waves into Greece during the Bronze Age, 2200-1100 BCE, bringing with them dominating male gods, warrior customs, the patriarchal family, and the horse. The shift from a culture of Mother Rite to one of Father Right can readily be seen in the Bronze Age Myceneans, who dominated the Greek mainland and Aegean Islands, circa 1600 to 1100 BCE. While they continued to worship Goddesses, the Greeks’ dominant religious ideology affirmed Zeus as the chief God of the pantheon that took up residence on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. This historical change-over was most dramatically expressed in the tragedies performed in Classical Athens, in the trilogy of Aeschylus called the Oresteia; in the works of Sophocles, especially Antigone; and by Euripides, in his plays The Bacchantes, Medea, and The Trojan Women.[5] These tragedies vividly relate the key mytho-historical episodes in the violent clash of cultures and values and spiritual/religious beliefs that resulted in the establishment of patriarchal rule in Greece. The Mycenean culture was a mixture of the earlier matricultural, Goddess-centered civilization of Crete and the patriarchal God-centered clans of the Indo-European Mycenaeans, who had the military advantage because of domesticating the horse. Gimbutas describes this mixture of cultures as follows: The art, architecture, and written records of the Mycenaeans reveal a fascinating mixture of Old European and Indo-European elements. There is no doubt about the Indo-European ancestry of the Mycenaeans. They glorified war, and male warriors held prominence in society. Carrying on the Kurgan burial tradition, Mycenaean graves feature a prominent male warrior buried with his weapons, the dagger and sword, as well as with remarkable gold artifacts. Their pantheon featured male warrior deities. At the same time, the archaeological evidence shows that the Mycenaeans retained strong Old-European-Minoan beliefs. Much of the artwork—frescoes, signet rings and seals, pottery, and figurines—is quite similar to the Minoan. … The Mycenaeans represent an important transitional phase between Old European gynocentric culture and the classical Greek culture, where the male element came to dominate almost completely.[6] The Mycenaean era in Greek history, with its ongoing war-faring between city-states, ended with the collapse of civilization into three centuries of what are called the Greek Dark Ages, circa 1100 BCE to 800 BCE. Because of continual war, forests were decimated, communities were reduced to subsistence living, the skills of writing were …
Meet Mago Volunteer Namarita Kathait

Namarita is an aspiring writer with a master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Westminster. Having done her graduation in English Literature from University of Delhi, India, she undertook the journey to foreign lands to understand ‘Home and World’ from a many-folds-removed reality. She is currently experiencing Content and Social Media Marketing arena as a part of her profession. Growing up in a traditional society, she likes to question present value system (especially that aspects women) as much as she enjoys the art of poetry. There is the world in one’s mind that’s beyond the physical realm and she spends her free time traveling through those borders.

(Special Post Mother Teresa 2) A Role Model for Women? by Mago Circle Members

[Editorial Note: The following is an edited version of the discussion that took place spontaneously on Mago Circle from March 1, 2013 for about two weeks. It was an extensive, heated, yet reflective discussion, now broken into four parts to fit the format of the blog. We thank each and all of the participants for your openness, generosity, and courage to stand up for what you believe and think! Some are marked as anonymous. As someone stated, something may have been “written in the heat of the moment” and some might like to change it at a later time. So we inform our readers that nothing is written in stone. As a matter of fact, the discussion is ongoing, now with Magoism Blog readers. Please comment and respond as you wish.] Part II: We Disagree! Stand up for what you believe but be open-minded! Naa Ayele Kumari: I am going to step away from the common responses and say this… Binary is only no in betweens if you choose sides and can’t see the whole. I have been a part of black consciousness movements and women’s movements and both have the capacity for progress as well as extreme viewpoints. Both have the capacity to become so hypercritical that the movement itself transcends common human compassion and understanding. Mother Teresa was a human being with flaws and goodness. She had a public image and private fears and insecurities.. l like all of us. She lived her life the best way she knew how.. Like all of us. She made mistakes.. misjudgments.. Like all of us. But she also DID help and inspire others to help too. It is this dualistic thinking that forces people to feel like they have to assign the label of good or bad and no in between. None of us are all good or all bad.. so it seems to me that to label her has an evil traitor who let people die is no better than labeling her an Angel of god who did no wrong. She was a woman who lived her life and managed to come to worldwide fame and inspire others to love at a time and in an institution that was highly patriarchal and women were not raised up at all. Mother Goddesses in Africa were known for great nurturing and care symbolized by carrying a baby and also carried a machete on the other side for justice. This was the fine balance of wholeness…she was the gentle rain and the storm.. This was binary, but not one or the other but both.. Opposite ends of the same pole. [H]: I’m having a powerful visceral effect from this conversation. I feel as if I’m going to vomit violently. Mother Teresa comes to me in dreams and meditations. Makes me wonder what kind of person I’m seen as if I attract her energy. I have always felt so much love for her. Naa Ayele Kumari: If she comes in your dreams and it has been healing for you… Allow it/ her to continue to be healing for you. Its all about love and anything that is not love… Leave it be.. Vomiting is rejecting something that doesn’t belong with you. Embrace love my sister. Antonia McGuire: I think we may all agree that all belief systems initially began to promote a sense of goodness or fairness to some degree, but over time they are corrupted and produce both advantages and disadvantages. Donna Snyder: Yes, Gandhi, too. Back in the 90’s when I was in a band/performance art troupe called Central Nervous System, I shocked all the guys in the band coming out with an improv in response to a melody played on a banjo tuned like a sitar, called exactly that-Yes, Gandhi. Now make no mistake, he is one of my heroes, devoid of the falsified sentimentality that clings to MT. Gandhi’s work was for the world, for the masses, not for the appropriately humbled. Yet I spoke out about his sexual practices, his use of female bodies. Telling the truth about a hero requires courage. Retreating into a blind defense of a myth is a form of ethical cowardice. Anne Wilkerson Allen: Strangely I had a discussion with someone about the “hero’s journey” moving from metaphorical to physical being part of the problem…..when the “demons” are human instead of our own flaws, there seems to be a tendency to point the finger (and gun barrel) elsewhere. [B]: Fascinating & thought-provoking conversation, all. I think the biggest stumbling block I have with MT is how her acceptance of the dogma of the Catholic church blinded her to seeing and then being moved by the suffering of others enough to do something to alleviate & not vicariously celebrate it. No wonder she “suffered a lack of connection with the Divine”. This crisis with her spirituality seems to have been divorced from her and others’ body wisdom. Self-abnegation (perhaps not the same as “sacrifice”) ultimately backfires because some small part of us insists, “I am worthy!” To which I say, “We are all worthy!” [H]: I do not see or feel that she vicariously celebrated the suffering of others. I feel that she devoted her life to deeply loving and serving the poorest of the poor. I have not been to Calcutta and I have also seen some unimaginable poverty in India that is not like anything that I’ve been exposed to before. I truly believe that she had a very deep way of working with suffering that is not necessarily visible to those more accustomed to modern medical intervention and the resources available for such. I have participated in a very small amount of poverty medicine and the resources that we take for granted are just not readily available to MANY. I learned very powerfully from my experience how blessed and fortunate and often very careless we really are with our precious resources. This discussion has been a learning experience for me. I am trying to not take the critical comments […]
(Special Post 1) Multi-linguistic Resemblances of “Mago” by Mago Circle Members

“Ma” in “Mago” and “Ma-Gaia” Mother Goddess, ca.7250-6700 BCE, Catal Huyuk Turkey [Conversation between Carol P. Christ, Ph.D. and Helen Hye-Sook Hwang, Ph.D.] Carol P. Christ (CPC): Below is culled from “Gaia” in Wikipedia: The Greek word γαῖα (transliterated as gaia) is a collateral form of γῆ (gē, Doric γᾶ ga and probably δᾶ da) meaning Earth, a word of uncertain origin. R. S. P. Beekes has suggested a Pre-Greek origin. In Mycenean Greek Ma-ka (trans. as Ma-ga, “Mother Gaia”) also contains the root ga-. Helen Hye-Sook Hwang (HHH): “Mago” and “Goma” are closely linked. Gom or Goma means the bear and Magoist shaman queen of the late fourth millennium BCE. She is also related with the Big Bear constellation. “Go” is used as a modifier referring to Mago or the Goddess in various texts of East Asia. “Mago” is related with “magi,” whose singular form is “magus” or “magos.” Will have to check for more details and the source. CPC: My intuition is that “ma” and “na” are baby talk for mother. In other words, preceding any language. Mycenean is IE language, “Pre-Greek” is not IE. CPC: Below is “Mother” from Wikipedia: Synonyms and translations The proverbial “first word” of an infant often sounds like “ma” or “mama”. This strong association of that sound with “mother” has persisted in nearly every language on earth, countering the natural localization of language. Familiar or colloquial terms for mother in English are: Aama, Mata used in Nepal Mom and mommy are used in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Philippines, India and parts of the West Midlands including Birmingham in the United Kingdom. Mum and mummy are used in the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong and Ireland. Charles, Prince of Wales publicly addressed his mother Queen Elizabeth II as “Mummy” on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. Ma, mam, and mammy are used in Netherlands, Ireland, the Northern areas of the United Kingdom, and Wales; it is also used in some areas of the United States. In many other languages, similar pronunciations apply: Maa, aai, amma, and mata are used in languages of India like Assamese, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu etc. Mamá, mama, ma, and mami in Spanish Mama in Polish, German, Russian and Slovak Māma (妈妈/媽媽) in Chinese Máma in Czech and in Ukrainian Maman in French and Persian Ma, mama in Indonesian Mamaí, mam in Irish Mamma in Italian, Icelandic, Latvian and Swedish Māman or mādar in Persian Mamãe or mãe in Portuguese Mā̃ (ਮਾਂ) in Punjabi Mama in Swahili Em (אם) in Hebrew A’ma (ܐܡܐ) in Aramaic Má or mẹ in Vietnamese Mam in Welsh Eomma (엄마, pronounced [ʌmma]) in Korean In many south Asian cultures and the Middle East, the mother is known as amma, oma, ammi or “ummi”, or variations thereof. Many times, these terms denote affection or a maternal role in a child’s life. HHH: The name for Goddess seems as ancient as the language itself. [“Ma” being the first intentional word to be spoken by a baby.] Helen Hye-Sook Hwang: Scholars and mythologists agree that “ma” means both one’s mother and the Goddess, I quoted it in my dissertation written in 2004. Judy E Foster: Brilliant discussion, Helen and Carol! So many revelations… hard to keep up! But do continue, its fascinating – makes so much sense. (To be continued)Join the discussion of this and other topics in The Mago Circle, Facebook Group.
(Special Post Mother Teresa 1) A Role Model for Women? by Mago Circle Members

[Editorial Note: The following is an edited version of the discussion that took place spontaneously on Mago Circle from March 1, 2013 for about two weeks. It was an extensive, heated, yet reflective discussion, now broken into four parts to fit the format of the blog. We thank each and all of the participants for your openness, generosity, and courage to stand up for what you believe and think! Some are marked as anonymous. As someone stated, something may have been “written in the heat of the moment” and some might like to change it at a later time. So we inform our readers that nothing is written in stone. As a matter of fact, the discussion is ongoing, now with Magoism Blog readers. Please comment and respond as you wish.] Part I: Why are we talking about Mother Teresa? [The conversation began among Anne Wilkerson Allen, Helen Hwang, and Wennifer Lin in a personal message and editor’s group. We agreed that Mother Teresa’s Western (Albanian) identity is hardly taken into consideration in the public perception of her as a secular and religious leader. Then, we decided to bring the topic to the Mago Circle.] Anne Wilkerson Allen: [A] posted this today and I think it is discussion worthy. Mother Teresa: Anything but a saint… scienceblog.com The myth of altruism and generosity surrounding Mother Teresa is dispelled in a paper by Serge Larivée and Genevieve Chenard of University of Montreal’s Department of Psychoeducation and Carole Sénéchal of the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Education… http://scienceblog.com/60730/mother-teresa-anything-but-a-saint/#IdkpoWrDtMAAVCAg.99 Anne Wilkerson Allen: It is not my desire to bash the Church – I think everyone here is fully aware of the evils of patriarchy and the way the Church has used women, abused and killed women…but Teresa is an icon in the West, in particular, of saintliness. Even non-Catholics love her. Why? And is what she did really worthy of role modeling? Anne Wilkerson Allen: This was also on the thread. Not a huge fan of Hitchens, and I think calling her work a “death cult” is extreme, but I am interested in your opinions please. Christopher Hitchens – Mother Teresa: Hell’s Angel [1994] In 1994, three years before her death, journalist Christopher Hitchens made this documentary asking if Mother Teresa’s reputation was deserved… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76_qL6fiyDw Anne Wilkerson Allen: I would also like to talk about altruism and some of the areas we have touched on before…at what point is my “help” an imposition in a third world country? Is my desire to “help” spurred by years of programming or heart? I honestly don’t know anymore. Anne Wilkerson Allen: There is also a part of me that wonders if this deflection of blame and highlighting of Teresa’s faults now is yet another “Let the women take the fall” action. Anne Wilkerson Allen: NOT that I find her blameless – her advocacy against contraception and abortion is decidedly anti-female, but there is so much focus on the Pope and the priests now….I keep wondering when the abuses of the nuns is going to come to light. Anne Wilkerson Allen: I think Ireland recently had something in the news about this… Ireland apologizes for Catholic laundry scandal Ireland’s premier has issued a state apology to the thousands of Irish women who spent years working without pay in prison-style laundries run by Catholic nuns. Former residents of the now-defunct Magdalene Laundries have campaigned for the past decade to get the government to apologize and pay compensation to an estimated 1,000 survivors of the workhouses. Two weeks ago the Irish government published an investigation into the state’s role in overseeing the laundries. It found that more than 10,000 women worked in 10 laundries from 1922 to 1996, when the last Dublin facility closed down… http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57570107/ireland-apologizes-for-catholic-laundry-scandal/ Anne Wilkerson Allen: One of my friends was one of these girls. [Z]: I have wanted to bring attention to this issue for a long time but did not have a chance or was biting my time. Now Anne is pointing out some of the crucial issues about her, Mother Teresa, I am so thankful for this opportunity for us to sort out and think collectively. Thank you Anne! [Z]: Yes, the Catholic Laundry Scandal was shared here too!!! Anne Wilkerson Allen: It’s hard. She is iconic for many women. I did not know the sordid details or the horrors – not that it excuses anything….but when I was young, I saw her as someone to emulate….and thus became immolated…. [Z]: I have been thinking all along the way that she should not be a role model for women. Can you believe that I did even as a once Catholic Sister?!!! I know that many religious women out there will agree with me too. [Z]: My critique is not much on her as a person. But the fact that she represents morality for especially women makes me mad. Oh, there seems a lot more about reasons why we should debunk the mystique of Mother Teresa. Anne Wilkerson Allen: One of the things Hirchens pointed out was that it made Westerners feel good that this wonderful white woman was helping the poor in Calcutta….though she rarely seemed to be in Calcutta. Another friend told me that he knew one of the sisters of charity and that she told him they were encouraged to flog themselves on a regular basis….sick sick sick Anne Wilkerson Allen: This is why I have a problem with the mentality that says evil exists to teach us something…..that suffering exists to highlight our joy….there is just something WRONG with that. Anne Wilkerson Allen: We are all dark and light and in-between. [Z]: I am not surprised. Yes, definitely. What a waste of time and intelligence if not already damaging many turning the navigation backward!!! [Helen Hwang calls out the individual names to join the discussion, and is responded by what follows.] [B]: In Minneapolis there is a charity founder, Mary Jo Copeland, who helps the homeless & hungry. She just received an award from the President. She seems selfless, like Mother Teresa did (at least in […]

Samhain: Stepping Wisely through the Open Door by Carolyn Lee Boyd

Day of the Dead altar, via Wikimedia Commons According to Celtic tradition, on Samhain (October 31 for those in the north and April 30 for those in the south) the doors between the human and spirit worlds open. Faeries, demons, and spirits of the dead pour out of the Otherworld to walk the Earth. In the past, some would try to hurry ghosts past their houses or ward off evil spirits by setting jack o’lanterns in their windows. They avoided going outside, especially past cemeteries, lest they be snatched away to the Otherworld. In ancient times, some offered sacrifices to propitiate deities. However, others have invited in the souls of friends and family who have passed away. In Brittany, according to W.Y. Evans-Wentz’s Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries, people would provide “a feast and entertainment for them of curded-milk, hot pancakes, and cider, served on the family table covered with a fresh white tablecloth, and to supply music” which “the dead come to enjoy with their friends” (p. 218). Other cultures also have such welcoming traditions. In Korea, as so beautifully described by Helen Hye-Sook Hwang in her posts about her family’s mourning for her father (Part I and Part II), in Mexico on the Day of the Dead, and elsewhere, food and flowers are brought to cemeteries to honor those no longer in the realm of the living. Many of us live in a society where death is pushed out of sight and Samhain’s sacred traditions have devolved into Halloween, a commercialized children’s holiday. Still, it seems to me that the pandemic, climate catastrophes, and war have made death much more present in our everyday thoughts over the past couple of years than before, so perhaps this year’s Samhain offers us the opportunity to re-examine Celtic and other practices of the past and present to see what insights and meaning they may have for us. Jack o lanterns: By Mihaela Bodlovic, via Wikimedia Commons All these ancient practices respect the spirit world and its power. Whether you believe that the Otherworld can wreak havoc on us at Samhain or not, the realm where spirits dwell clearly has power. Its allure can take us away from focusing on mundane, daily challenges or, more positively, open our eyes to the value of relating to forces that can give richness and meaning to our lives. At the same time, we must remember that each domain has its own power. We can use our physical bodies in beneficial ways that those in the Otherworld cannot. We must respect the power of the Otherworld as well as our own. Some kinds of healing are only possible when we welcome those from the Otherworld into our lives in a healthy way, whether through holiday visits or every day through remembrance, meditation, prayer, or other means. I’m of an age when many of my beloveds are in the Otherworld and so I am beginning to find that the idea of being able to sit with someone I have lost is cause not for fear, but rather joy and comfort. Perhaps those who have longstanding wounds from the past can heal by remembering those we have lost at Samhain and forgiving them or ourselves or realizing that we are no longer bound to those who have hurt us and are now gone. Samhain can also reassure us of the truth of our intuitive sense that our beloveds who we grieve are with us still, in some way, on this night and throughout the year. When we participate in the celebration of Samhain’s opening of doors to the Otherworld, if only for a day, we are honoring our own participation into the great cycle of life, death, and rebirth. We are expanding our vision of ourselves to be more than our bodies on the Earth and experiencing ourselves as connected to many realms, seen and unseen, spirit and human. We are accepting that at some time we will also become ancestors, with all the responsibility that entails and the fulfillment of taking our place in the complex matrix of being that is our universe. When we interact with the souls of those we have lost in ways that are healthy for us, however we may choose and believe that happens, we can also better celebrate the realm of the living. Just as we may listen in various ways for positive messages from those whom we have lost, we can ensure that we are expressing important guidance to those who will come after us by who we are and how we live our lives. We can express that life is worth living, even with all its traumas, and that we respect both the boundaries and the doors between the worlds so that we may continue living fully in our physical bodies on our beautiful, awe-inspiring Earth. I hope my message to my descendants will be: Love your lives. Build on what we have done and do better. Leave behind what we left you that no longer serves. If you feel alone, remember that you have thousands of generations of mothers sending you unconditional love and also generations of women coming after you eager to pick up where you left off. According to Mary Condren in The Serpent and the Goddess, in the most ancient times, “Samhain had been primarily a harvest feast celebrating the successful growth and gathering of the fruits of the past year” (p. 36). While we in the north are coming into the season of death, those in the south are experiencing Beltane, the first moments of spring when the doors between the worlds are also open. The eternal cycle of life, death, and regeneration turns again. Whether you are celebrating Samhain or Beltane, know that this holy time offers us all a chance to enter into the task of maintaining harmony with those we have loved before and for bringing balance between life and death, winter and summer, and the realm of the living and …
(Book Excerpt) Held in the Womb of the Wheel of the Year by Glenys Livingstone Ph.D.

This essay is an excerpt from the Introduction of the author’s new book A Poiesis of the Creative Cosmos: Celebrating Her within PaGaian Sacred Ceremony. Meditation cushion in circle of decorated stones My ancestors built great circles of stones that represented their perception of real time and space, and enabled them to tell time: the stone circles were cosmic calendars.[i] They went to great lengths and detail to get it right. It was obviously very important to them to have the stones of a particular kind, in the right positions according to position of the Sun at different times of the year, and then to celebrate ceremony within it. I have for decades had a much smaller circle of stones assembled. I have regarded this small circle of stones as a medicine wheel. It is a portable collection, that I can spread out in my living space, or let sit in a small circle on an altar, with a candle/candles in the middle. Each stone (or objects, as some are) represents a particular Seasonal Moment/transition and is placed in the corresponding direction. The small circle of eight stones represents the flow of the Solstices and Equinoxes and the cross-quarter Moments in between: that is, it represents the “Wheel of the Year” as it is commonly known in Pagan traditions. I have found this assembled circle to have been an important presence. It makes the year, my everyday sacred journey of Earth around Sun, tangible and visible as a circle, and has been a method of changing my mind, as I am placed in real space and time. My stone wheel has been a method of bringing me home to my indigenous sense of being. Each stone/object of my small wheel may be understood to represent a “moment of grace,” as Thomas Berry named the seasonal transitions – each is a threshold to the Centre, wherein I may now sit: I sense it as a powerful point. As I sit on the floor in the centre of my small circle of stones, I reflect on its significance as I have come to know the Seasonal transitions that it marks, over decades of celebrating them. I sense the aesthetics and poetry of each. I facilitated and was part of the celebration and contemplation of these Moments in my region for decades. It was always an open group that gathered, and so its participants changed over the years but it remained in form, like a live body which it was: a ceremonial body that conversed with the sacred Cosmos in my place. We spoke a year-long story and poetry of never-ending renewal – of the unfolding self, Earth and Cosmos. We danced and chanted our relationship with the Mother, opened ourselves to Her Creativity, and conversed with Her by this method. All participants in their own way within these ceremonies made meaning of their lives – which is what I understand relationship to be, in this context of Earth and Sun, our Place and Home in the Cosmos: that is, existence is innately meaningful when a being knows Who one is and Where one is. Barbara Walker notes that religions based on the Mother are free of the “neurotic” quest for indefinable meaning in life as such religions “never assumed that life would be required to justify itself.”[ii] I face the North stone, which in my hemisphere is where I place the Summer Solstice. From behind me and to my right is the light part of the cycle – representing manifest form, all that we see and touch. From behind me and to my left is the dark part of the cycle – representing the manifesting, the reality beneath the visible, which includes the non-visible. The Centre wherein I sit, represents the present. The wheel of stones has offered to me a way of experiencing the present as “presence,” as it recalls in an instant that, That which has been and that which is to come are not elsewhere – they are not autonomous dimensions independent of the encompassing present in which we dwell. They are, rather, the very depths of this living place – the hidden depth of its distances and the concealed depth on which we stand.[iii] This wheel of stones, which captures the Wheel of the Year in essence, locates me in the deep present, wherein the past and the future are contained – both always gestating in the dark, through the gateways. And all this has been continually enacted and expressed in the ceremonies of the Wheel of the Year, as the open, yet formal group has done them, mostly in the place of Blue Mountains, Australia. PaGaian Cosmology altar/mandala: a “Womb of Gaia” map Over the years of practice of ritually celebrating these eight Seasonal Moments – Earth’s whole annual journey around Sun, I have been held in this creative story, this Story of Creativity as it may be written – it is a sacred story. Her pattern of Creativity can be identified at all levels of reality – manifesting in seasonal cycles, moon cycles, body cycles – and to be aligned with it aligns a person’s core with the Creative Mother Universe. I have identified the placing of one’s self within this wheel through ceremonial practice of the whole year of creativity, as the placing of one’s self in Her Womb – Gaia’s Womb, a Place of Creativity. All that is necessary for Creativity is present in this Place. All may come forth from here/Here – and so it does, and so it has, and so it will. NOTES: [i] See Martin Brennan, The Stones of Time: Calendars, Sundials, and Stone Chambers of Ancient Ireland (Rochester Vermont, Inner Traditions, 1994). [ii] Barbara Walker, The Woman’s Encyclopaedia of Myths and Secrets (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1983), 693. [iii] David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous (New York: Vintage Books, 1997), 216. REFERENCES: Abram, David. The Spell of the Sensuous. New York: Vintage Books, 1997. Brennan, Martin. The Stones of Time: Calendars, Sundials, and Stone Chambers of Ancient Ireland.Rochester Vermont: Inner Traditions, 1994. Walker, Barbara. The Woman’s Encyclopaedia of Myths and Secrets. San Francisco: …
(Poetry & Photo Essay) Pongal by Susan Hawthorne

I am a secularist rather than a ritualist, but I can’t help but be drawn into the celebrations that people make when they honour the passing of the seasons. Even as a child I felt the disconnect between Christmas and the hot dusty days of summer. When Christians invaded and colonised Australia they brought their holidays but did not consider changing the dates to match the seasons. I was in India recently, invited as a speaker at the Hindu Lit For Life Festival in Chennai where I had lived ten years ago. The last day of the festival was the first day of Pongal. A friend, feminist economist Devaki Jain, who had grown up in Chennai eighty years earlier invited me to join her in a car ride to see Pongal celebrations in the streets. This is a Tamil festival dating back at least a thousand years, a sun festival, welcoming the next six months of the sun’s journey, also a harvest festival. During this time many women produce beautiful drawings, known as kolam. In my book Cow I wrote a poem about kolam which I think says more than I can explain here. what she says about kolam where they are drawn and when is all important early morning is auspicious it sets the shape of the day the hard ground is cleaned points of white grain sprinkled she works quickly she knows her design for the day runs the powdered grain from point to point it is a mandala a yantra a sign so the forces of the universe align themselves with her intentions Back to Pongal. The festival goes for four days. On the first day, which is called Bhogi, people are on the streets with the fruits of harvest, piles of tumeric and stacks of sugar cane tied in bunches. My friend, Devaki, bought flowers to take back to her room in the hotel. The second day, called Thai Pongal, I was invited to a harvest lunch at the house of my friend Mangai who is a playwright, theatre director and human rights activist. The word ‘pongal’ means ‘boiling over’ or’ overflow’ and I saw this in the cooking of the sweetened rice dish into which each of the twelve people present poured some water and milk as it almost overflowed the pot. This sweet rice dish was added to the collection of other dishes on the table. I cannot tell you what they were, but the meal was delicious. After lunch everyone relaxed, someone sang, we talked and caught up on news. The third day, is called Maatu Pongal, and cattle are at the centre of celebrations on that day. I don’t know if this line up of cattle had anything to do with the day’s celebration but there they were tied up alongside a very busy main road. These were not cows and I did not see any cows with decorated horns and flowers on their heads. on that day as I have on other occasions. On the fourth day, Kaanum Pongal, things begin to wind down. One of my co-speakers at the festival said she would be visiting family members on that day. The kolams are drawn again, sugar cane is consumed and people go back to their daily lives. What I liked about being in Tamil Nadu during the Pongal festival is that it felt absolutely right. The time of the year, the connection with harvest, so I did not feel the discomfort I so often feel in the midst of the out-of-season commercialised holidays as they are celebrated in Australia. Susan Hawthorne’s book Cow is available worldwide from distributors in USA, Canada, UK, from all the usual online retailers or from Spinifex Press. http://www.spinifexpress.com.au/Bookstore/book/id=215/ © Susan Hawthorne, 2019 (Meet Mago Contributor) Susan Hawthorne.
Imbolc: Through Goddess Eyes by Carolyn Lee Boyd

Photo by Carolyn Lee Boyd In times past, Creation’s Winter cupped me in her icy hand of sanctuary Gathered in, I sucked dormant life, and slumbered Till Earth’s rebirthing groans awakened my new body Now, older and full of life’s weeping and wondering awe At all that has happened in my decades on Earth I must shake myself into consciousness My seed’s opaque, blinding hull disintegrates and Bodyless, at last I can see through Goddess eyes I ache as my blood paints each flower petal I spin the whirlwind that cannot stop creating abundance I push the seasons through the year that mortals believe revolve of their own accord. Through Goddess eyes I can see me, I inhabit Winter’s hand as my own. I make the cold to slow creation of outside of me To gather the seed into fertile stillness within. That burgeons in my own time. https://www.magoism.net/2016/08/meet-mago-contributor-carolyn-lee-boyd/
(Video) Autumn Equinox/Mabon Poetry by Glenys Livingstone Ph.D.

The Autumnal Equinox occurs each year in the range of March 20-23 in the Southern Hemisphere, and in the range of September 20 -23 in the Northern Hemisphere. Autumn Equinox is a point of sacred balance: it is the point of balance in the dark part of Earth’s annual cycle. Sun is equidistant between North and South as it was/is at Spring Equinox, but in this dark phase of the cycle, the trend is toward increasing dark. Henceforth the dark part of the day will exceed the light part: thus it is a Moment of certain descent … and a sacred Moment for feeling and contemplating the grief and power of loss, for ceremoniously joining personal and collective grief and loss with the larger Self in whom we are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcZflKLkvP8 Below is the text of the video. It is based on the traditional poetry for PaGaian Autumn Equinox/Mabon ceremony[i]. This is the Moment of the Autumnal Equinox in our Hemisphere – the moment of balance of light and dark in the dark part of the cycle. The light and dark parts of the day in the South and in the North of our planet, are of equal length at this time. We feel for the balance in this moment – Earth as She is poised in relationship with the Sun … breathing in the light, swelling with it, letting our breath go to the dark, staying with it. In our part of Earth, the balance is tipping into the dark. We remember the coolness of it. This is the time when we give thanks for our harvests – all that we have gained. And we remember too the sorrows, losses involved. The story of Old tells us that Persephone, Beloved Daughter, is given the wheat from Her Mother – the Mystery, knowledge of life and death. She receives it graciously. But she sets forth into the darkness – both Mother and Daughter grieve that it is so. Demeter, the Mother, says: “You are offered the wheat in every moment … I let you go as Child, most loved of Mine: you descend to Wisdom, to Sovereignty. You will return as Mother, co-Creator with me. You are the Seed in the Fruit, becoming the Fruit in the Seed. Inner Wisdom guides your path.” We give thanks for our harvests – our lives they are blessed. We are Daughters and Sons of the Mother. Yet we take our Wisdom and all that we have gained, and remember the sorrows – the losses involved. We remember the grief of the Mother, of mothers and lovers everywhere, our grief. Persephone descends. The Beloved One is lost. Persephone goes forth into the darkness to become Queen of that world. She tends the sorrows. The Seed represents our Persephones, who tends the sorrows – we are the Persephones, who may tend the sorrows. We go out into the night with Her and plant our seeds. Persephone blesses us with her fertile promise: “You have waxed into the fullness of life, And waned into darkness; May you be renewed in tranquility and wisdom[ii].” These represent our hope. The Seed of life never fades away. She is always present. Blessed be the Mother of all life. Blessed be the life that comes from Her and returns to Her. We tie red threads on each other: we participate in the Vision of the Seed – of the continuity of Life, that continues beneath the visible. The Mother knowledge grows within us. Our hope is in the Sacred Balance of the Cosmos – the Thread of Life, the Seed that never fades away: it is the Balance of Grief and Joy, the Care that we may feel in our Hearts. NOTES: [i] Glenys Livingstone, PaGaian Cosmology, p. 239-247. [ii] Charlene Spretrnak, Lost Goddesses of Early Greece, p. 116. REFERENCES: Livingstone, Glenys. PaGaian Cosmology: Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion. NE: iUniverse, 2005. Spretnak, Charlene. Lost Goddesses of Early Greece: a Collection of Pre-Hellenic Myths. Boston: Beacon Press, 1992/1978.
Lammas/Late Summer in PaGaian tradition By Glenys Livingstone Ph.D.

This essay is an edited excerpt from Chapter 5 of the author’s book PaGaian Cosmology: Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion. Traditionally the dates for this Seasonal Moment are: Southern Hemisphere – Feb. 1st/2nd Northern Hemisphere – August 1st/2nd however the actual astronomical date varies. See archaeoastronomy.com for the actual moment. Lammas table/altar Lammas, as it is often called[1], is the meridian point of the first dark quarter of the year, between Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox; it is after the light phase has peaked and is complete, and as such, I choose it as a special celebration of the Crone/Old One. Within the Celtic tradition, it is the wake of Lugh, the Sun King, and it is the Crone that reaps him. But within earlier Goddess traditions, all the transformations were Hers[2]; and the community reflected on the reality that the Mother aspect of the Goddess, having come to fruition, from Lammas on would enter the Earth and slowly become transformed into the Old Woman-Hecate-Cailleach aspect …[3] I dedicate Lammas to the face of the Old One, just as Imbolc, its polar opposite on the Wheel in Old European tradition, is dedicated to the Virgin/Maiden face. The Old One, the Dark and Shining One, has been much maligned, so to celebrate Her can be more of a challenge in our present cultural context. Lammas may be an opportunity to re-aquaint ourselves with the Crone in her purity, to fall in love with Her again. I state the purpose of the seasonal gathering thus: This is the season of the waxing dark. The seed of darkness born at the Summer Solstice now grows … the dark part of the days grows visibly longer. Earth’s tilt is taking us back away from the Sun. This is the time when we celebrate dissolution; each unique self lets go, to the Darkness. It is the time of ending, when the grain, the fruit, is harvested. We meet to remember the Dark Sentience, the All-Nourishing Abyss, She from whom we arise, in whom we are immersed, and to whom we return. This is the time of the Crone, the Wise Dark One, who accepts and receives our harvest, who grinds the grain, who dismantles what has gone before. She is Hecate, Lillith, Medusa, Kali, Erishkagel,Chamunda, Coatlique – Divine Compassionate One, She Who Creates the Space to Be. We meet to accept Her transformative embrace, trusting Her knowing, which is beyond all knowledge. Lammas is the seasonal moment for recognizing that we dissolve into the “night” of the Larger Organism of whom we are part – Gaia. It is She who is immortal, from whom we arise, and into whom we dissolve. This celebration is a development of what was born in the transition of Summer Solstice; the dark sentient Source of Creativity is honoured. The autopoietic space in us recognizes Her, is comforted by Her, desires Her self-transcendence and self-dissolution; Lammas is an opportunity to be with our organism’s love of Larger Self – this Native Place. We have been taught to fear Her, but at this Seasonal Moment we may remember that She is the compassionate One, deeply committed to transformation, which is actually innate to us. Whereas at Imbolc/Early Spring, we shone forth as individual, multiforms of Her; at Lammas, we small individual selves remember that we are She and dissolve back into Her. We are the Promise of Lifeas was affirmed at Imbolc, but we are the Promise of Her- it is not ours to hold. We identify as the sacred Harvest at Lammas; our individual harvest isHer Harvest. We are the process itself – we are Gaia’s Process. Wedo not breathe (though of course we do), we borrow the breath, for a while. It is like a relay: we pick the breath up, create what we do during our time with it, and pass it on. The harvest we reap in our individual lives is important, andit is for us only short term; it belongs to the Cosmos in the long term. Lammas is a time for “making sacred” – as “sacrifice” may be understood; we may “make sacred” ourselves. As Imbolc was a time for dedication, so is Lammas. This is the wisdom of the phase of the Old One. She is the aspect that finds the “yes” to letting go, to loving the Larger Self, beyond all knowledge, and steps into the power of the Abyss; encouraged and nourished by the harvest, She will gradually move into the balance of Autumn Equinox/Mabon, the next Sesaonal Moment on the year’s cycle. References: Durdin-Robertson, Lawrence. The Year of the Goddess.Wellingborough: Aquarian Press, 1990. Gray, Susan. The Woman’s Book of Runes.New York: Barnes and Noble, 1999. Livingstone, Glenys. PaGaian Cosmology: Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion. NE: iUniverse, 2005. McLean, Adam. The Four Fire Festivals. Edinburgh: Megalithic Research Publications, 1979. Notes: [1]See note 3. [2]Susan Gray, The Woman’s Book of Runes,p. 18. This is also to say that the transformations are within each being, not elsewhere, that is the “sacrifice” is not carried out by another external to the self, as could be and have been interpreted from stories of Lugh or Jesus. [3]Lawrence Durdin-Robertson, The Year of the Goddess, p.143, quoting Adam McLean, Fire Festivals,p.20-22. Another indication of the earlier tradition beneath “Lughnasad” is the other name for it in Ireland of “Tailltean Games”. Taillte was said to be Lugh’s foster-mother, and it was her death that was being commemmorated (Mike Nichols, “The First Harvest”, Pagan Alliance Newsletter NSW Australia). The name “Tailtunasad” has been suggested for this Seasonal Moment, by Cheryl Straffon editor of Goddess Alive! I prefer the name of Lammas, although some think it is a Christian term: however some sources say that Lammas means “feast of the bread” which is how I have understood it, and surely such a feast pre-dates Christianity. It is my opinion that the incoming Christians preferred “Lammas” to “Lughnasad”: the term itself is not Christian in origin. The evolution of all these things is complex, and we may evolve them further with our careful thoughts and experience.

(Essay 1) The Magoist Calendar: Mago Time inscribed in Sonic Numerology by Helen Hye-Sook Hwang

[Author’s Note: This is my latest research that has led me to restore the 13-month, 28-day Mago Calendar, which will be included at the end of its sequels. See Mago Almanac: 13 Month 28 Day Calendar (Book A), published in 2017.] Magoist Calendar is the inter-cosmic genealogical chart of the Creatrix in which all is found kindred. It unfolds the one standard unified time, which I call the Cosmic Mother’s Time or the Mago Time, wherein all beings in Our Universe from microcosmic quarts to macrocosmic celestial bodies are perceived in continuum. The Cosmic Mother’s Time is an inclusive time in which everyone is re-membered and celebrated. It is revelatory for its numinous nature, which some may call a mystery. The Mago Time is happening
(Essay 1) Making the Gynocentric Case: Mago, the Great Goddess of East Asia, and Her Tradition Magoism by Helen Hwang

Making the Gynocentric Case: Mago, the Great Goddess of East Asia, and her Tradition Magoism[i] This study documents and interprets a substantial body of primary sources concerning Mago [麻姑, also known as Magu or Mako] from Korea, China, and Japan. Much of this material has never been brought to light as a whole. In working with these various and sundry data including folklore, paintings, arts, literature, poetry, toponyms, rituals, historical and religious records, and apocryphal texts, I encountered an organic structure that relates these seemingly unrelated materials and named it Magoism. Magoism refers to an anciently originated gynocentric cultural and historical context of East Asia, which venerates Mago as supreme divine. Although “Magoism” is my coinage, its concept is not new. Magoism is referred to as the Way of Mago, the Origin of Mago, the Event of Mago, Reign of Mago, Heavenly Principle, or simply Mago in historical sources. In the West, its partial manifestation is known as the cult of Magu within the context of Daoism. One of the earliest verified records, the Biography of Magu (Magu zhuan) written by Ge Hong (284-364) dates back to proto-Daoist times.[ii] Nonetheless, “Mago” remains largely forgotten and misrepresented to the world especially in modern times. More incisively, her sublime divinity is made invisible despite strong evidence. No scholarship in the West has treated Mago as a topic in her own right. Mago’s multiple identities ranging from the cosmogonist to a grandmother, from the progenitress to the Daoist goddess, from the sovereign to a shaman/priestess in Korea, China, and Japan remain unregistered in modern scholarship. When mentioned, her transnational manifestation is not recognized cogently. She is often lumped together with other parochial goddesses from China. Other times, she is fetishized as a Daoist goddess of immortality. She is also known, among other representations, as the giant grandmother (goddess) who shaped the natural landscape in the beginning of time among Koreans. In any case, Mago is not deemed on a par or in relation with Xiwangmu (the Queen Mother of the West in Chinese Daoism) and Amaterasu, (the Sun Goddess of the Japanese imperial family), both of who represent the East Asian pantheon of supreme goddesses to the West. I hold that the paramount significance of Magoism lies in the fact that it redefines the female principle and proffers a gynocentric utopian vision to the modern audience. Its utopian cosmology is no free-floating abstract idea but imbedded in the mytho-historical-cultural reality of East Asia. I suggest Magoism as the original vision of East Asian thought. Put differently, Magoism is an East Asian gynocentric testimony to the forgotten utopian reality. In the sense that Magoism presents an East Asian gynocentric symbolic system, this study is distinguished from Western and androcentric discourse. In other words, its gynocentric universalism should not be subsumed under the discourse of Western or patriarchal universalism. Magoism prompts an alternative paradigm of ancient gynocentrism that redefine major notions of the divine, human, and nature in continuum. Mago, the great goddess, is the unifying and at the same time individualizing force in this system. Magoism enables a macrocosmic view in which all individualized parts are organically co-related and co-operating. As a religious system, it is at once monotheistic and polytheistic. That is, Mago is the great goddess in her multiple manifestations. Underlying the patriarchal edifices, the Magoist principle is the Source from which the latter is derived.
(Budoji Essay 5) The Magoist Cosmogony by Helen Hye-Sook Hwang

Part 5: Magoist Cosmology “The primary aim of Magoist cosmology lies in lifting up the conceptual veil in people’s mind so that they can see what is given at birth.” [This is a translation and interpretation of the Budoji (Epic of the Emblem City), principal text of Magoism. Read the translation of Chapter 1 of the Budoji.] Magoist cosmology: Magoist cosmology, knowing of the female principle of Magoist cosmogony (story of the Female Beginning), reconstitutes, heals, and maintains the original vision of gynocentric soteriology. Its primary function is to guide humanity according to the law of nature whereby all things are born and evolve into their greatest potential. In short, Magoist cosmology is a gynocentric mode of thinking that shows the Way of all beings. By extension, it is an inherent principle of nature- and women-honoring civilizations. I suggest Magoist cosmology, underpinning of the Magoist cosmogony, as an antidote to the detriments of patriarchal consciousness. Its female principle restores the original unity among all entities, which has been thwarted by patriarchal cosmologies. Comprising the most foundational program of human consciousness, so constitutive that no one is born without it, Magoist cosmology is ever active and accessible to people. Nonetheless, it is made dormant in the conscious mind of people under patriarchal cultures. Thus, the primary aim of Magoist cosmology lies in lifting up the conceptual veil in people’s mind so that they can see what is given at birth.