March 4, 2020March 2, 2020 Mago Work AdminLeave a comment

(Essay) From Gaia and Dionysus to Jesus and Mary Magdalene by Harita Meenee

“How would you like to be interviewed for a book that questions the historical existence of Jesus?” asked Minas, a journalist, editor, and old-time friend of mine. “I’d love it Read More …

(Poem) A Post Card For Peace by Louisa Calio

“Skies Upon Skies” @ Louisa Calio 2023 For all peoples in war and suffering Love has become my political act. I send it to you from this beautiful spot beside the warm, blue-green waters of the Caribbean Over and through the airwaves Beyond time and space Directly into your heart Newly shot with hope for peace I pray you will receive Teleported with the deepest love A kiss that heals comforts all pain and suffering with such a tenderness offering profound relief. Beauty endures. Beauty cures. Though I know my request that you become my guest I accede may never be physically met May you nevertheless Feel this passionate invisible kiss, my hot breath blown from open lips to yours Reaching and filling your life Resuscitating all existence A tender love A postcard for peace. https://www.magoism.net/2015/06/meet-mago-contributor-louisa-calio/
(E-Interview) Susan Hawthorne and Renate Klein by Helen Hye-Sook Hwang

https://www.spinifexpress.com.au/blog/start-your-radfem-library-with-these-must-have-books It is an honor and a privilege for me to e-interview Dr. Susan Hawthorne and Dr. Renate Klein, co-founders of Spinifex Press. Spinifex Press has published feminist books since 1991. I personally became aware of Spinifex Press or rather the book, Radically Speaking: Feminism Reclaimed (Spinifex 1996) for the first time in 1996. Mary Daly, U.S. radical feminist thinker, recommended this book to me, when I was in Korea preparing for an admission to a graduate school in the U.S. It was the first feminist anthology written in the English Language, which I purchased through an international post service. I absorbed its articles like a clean sponge sucking water. And this was the book that I continued to read and cited in my term papers during my graduate courses for a long time. For the last decade, I grew to learn more about Spinifex Press through Susan Hawthorne who has been one of the substantive contributors to Mago Work projects (Return to Mago E-Magazine, Mago Academy, Mago Books, and the peer-review S/HE journal). Helen Hwang: What is Spinifex Press about? Susan Hawthorne: Spinifex Press is about making radical feminist ideas available. It is an independent Australian feminist press which publishes controversial and innovative feminist books with an optimistic edge. The optimistic edge is important because, although we publish books that are often difficult, such as books about violence against women, pornography, prostitution, as well as books that highlight racism, sexism, ableism, agism and the torture of lesbians, we still try to include seeds of hope. Our books also delve into the origins of patriarchy around the world. We have published books by Indigenous writers from Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, North America and Africa. Our list includes a significant number of lesbian writers, as well as writers living with a disability or coming from a migrant or working-class background. Diversity has become a fashionable word in recent years, but we at Spinifex have been publishing diverse voices since we began in 1991. Hwang: When and how did it come about? Hawthorne: In the Australian summer of 1990, Renate Klein and I had a holiday in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory. A beautiful area with a long Indigenous history and a great deal of rock art. As we slowed down from a hectic year, we began to talk about whether we had enough knowledge to start a small feminist press. We decided that we did, with Renate having a long background in international non-fiction publishing (the Athene Series) and as an academic journal editor in Women’s Studies (Women’s Studies International Forum and Issues in Reproductive and Genetic Engineering). I had four years’ experience as an editor of mostly fiction and poetry at Penguin Australia as well as an organiser of a nine-day feminist writers festival. We therefore had good contacts in Australia and internationally. We decided to jump into this adventure and so I left my job as Acquisitions Editor at Penguin while Renate continued in her teaching position in Women’s Studies at Deakin University in order for us to have a regular income. In our first year, we published four books, an anthology, Angels of Power, a crime novel, Too Rich, a women’s health book and a quiz book. By the second year we published seven books including one by an international writer and a book of cartoons. We were off. Each year we have published books that reflect the concerns of feminists during that period. Because the mainstream is always well behind what feminist are talking about, we are always ahead of the cultural curve. https://www.spinifexpress.com.au/blog/discover-our-african-titles Hwang: Tell us about your feminist commitment. Hawthorne: Our feminist commitment is very deep. For around 50 years we have each worked in different ways and in different parts of the Women’s Liberation Movement. I joined the Women’s Liberation Movement in 1973 and quickly became active in Melbourne’s first Rape Crisis Centre. I advocated for courses in Women’s Studies and Feminism and wrote about the Ibu women’s war in Nigeria, about the Australian writer Miles Franklin and in my final year in Philosophy wrote a thesis ‘In Defence of Separatism’ that was finally published in full in 2019. I travelled overseas and was especially taken by what I saw in Crete and was soon reading prehistory, myth and studying first Modern Greek then Ancient Greek. During this time, I wrote several long essays which were subsequently published, one on the Greek philosopher, Diotima and another on the Homeric Hymns to Aphrodite and Demeter. I was soon embarking on writing my novel. The Falling Woman, organising several writers’ festivals and then moving into publishing. Since beginning Spinifex, I have worked teaching Creative Writing at universities, I completed a PhD in Women’s Studies, Wild Politics, and I joined two women’s circuses and learnt to be an aerialist. I have also continued to write fiction, poetry and non-fiction and have been lucky enough to get three residencies in India, Italy and Turkey that allowed me time out to write. You can see many of my books here. Renate Klein: After having worked as a neurobiologist at Zürich University, Switzerland, and a chemistry and zoology high school teacher for a few years, I desperately felt I needed a big change in my life. I started teaching biology in the Women’s Studies Program at Berkeley University, USA, and ended up studying for a BA (Hons) in Women’s Studies because I realised that, as a scientist, my world was very narrow-minded. I then went on to get my doctorate at London University on the Theory and Practice of Women’s Studies in an international context and began working as the European Editor of Women’s Studies International Forum and an editor of The Athene Series. I also got heavily involved in the radical feminist resistance to reproductive technologies and genetic engineering by editing books, a journal and being a co-founder of FINRRAGE (Feminist International Network of Resistance to Reproductive and Genetic Engineering). Eventually, I ended up in Australia doing research …
Imbolc/Early Spring – a Season of Uncertainty by Glenys Livingstone Ph.D.

Traditionally the Seasonal transition of Imbolc/Early Spring, celebrated in early February in the Northern Hemisphere, and in early August in the Southern Hemisphere, has been a time of nurturing the new life that is beginning to show itself, around us and within. It is a time of committing one’s self to the new life and inspiration – in the garden, in the soul, and in the Cosmos. We may include in our celebrations and contemplations of this Season the beginnings of the new young Cosmos as She was, that time in our cosmic story when She was only a billion years old and galaxies were forming; and also the new which has continually emerged throughout the eons, and is ever coming forth. The flame of being, as it has been imagined by many cultures, within and around, is to be protected and nurtured: the new being requires dedication and attention. In the early stages of its advent, there is nothing certain about its staying power and growth: it may flicker and be vulnerable. There may be uncertainties of various kinds. There is risk and resistance to coming into being. The Universe itself knew resistance to its expansion when it encountered gravitation in our very beginnings, in the primordial Flaring Forth[i]. The unfolding of the Universe was never without creative tension. The Universe knows it daily, in every moment: and we participate in this creative tension of our place of being. Urge to Be budding forth Imbolc/Early Spring can be a time of remembering personal vulnerabilities, feeling them and accepting them, but remaining resolute in birthing and tending of the new, listening for and responding to the Urge to Be[ii]of the Creative Universe within. Brian Swimme has said (quoting cultural anthropologist A.L. Kroeber) that the destiny of the human is not “bovine placidity” but the highest degree of tension that can be creatively born[iii]. many flames of being, strengthening each other These times are filled with creative tension, collectively and for most, personally as well; there is much resistance, yet there is promise of so much good energy arising. We may be witness to both. This Season of Imbolc/Early Spring may encourage attention, intention and dedication to strengthening well-being: in self, and in the relational communal context, and opening to our direct immersion in the Well of Creativity. We may be strengthened with the joining of hands, as well as the listening within to the sacred depths, in ceremonial circle at this time. NOTES: [i]As our origins (popularly named as “the Big Bang”) are named by Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme in The Universe Story. [ii]As I name this determined Virgin quality in PaGaian Cosmology. [iii]The Canticle to the Cosmos, DVD #8, “The Nature of the Human”. References: Livingstone, Glenys. PaGaian Cosmology: Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion. NE: iUniverse, 2005. Swimme, Brian and Berry, Thomas. The Universe Story: From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era. New York: HarperCollins, 1992. Swimme, Brian. Canticle to the Cosmos. DVD series, 1990.
(Art) Santa Florés—Spanish Saint of Flowers by Sudie Rakusin

Santa Florés inspires us to remember that from seed to blossom there are many stages before the brillance of full flower. Be patient, as we are always where we need to be. All flowers originate from tiny beginnings. The journey from seed to blossom follows a natural and necessary order. The unformed flower begins life inside its protective shell, roots creeping into the ground to seek sustenance, quietly garnering energy before burgeoning forth into the light of day. Only after a patient season of germination does the triumphant bud bloom, trumpeting its arrival. There are many species of flowers, and all require different care to coax their unique brilliance into being. A blooming desert cactus and the daffodil may not flourish in the same conditions or place, but reach full flower when and where their majesty is richest. Artist’s Note: The natural flow in my Feminist practice and Spiritual belief was to become an ardent and dedicated spokeswoman for animals and the environment. I am a vegan. My decision to stop eating meat was always an ethical and spiritual one. I cannot take another life for my subsistence. I believe animals have their own reason for being and they have the right to live out their purpose, not one we impose upon them. My art reflects my passion and love for animals as well as my respect and appreciation for the Earth. I paint, draw, and sculpt the world I dream of inhabiting. A place where the natural world is treated with deference and there is no hierarchy among humans and animals. In my world, we all walk the Earth in harmony. My art is the best way I know to express these feelings. www.sudierakusin.com (Meet Mago Contributor) Sudie Rakusin.
(Art & Prose 1) Making the Great Mother by Frances Guerin

Last week I awoke in fright from a dream of a thousand outstretched dark hands, and voices that cried out, “We are making the Great Mother” I wandered downstairs, made coffee and went to the studio. The great mother, who is making her? To begin, I am and perhaps anyone today who is engaged in making ceramic containers that hold food and liquids. Who do the thousand dark hands belong to? The mere quantity of hands indicates the importance of the symbol for myself psychologically and to be conscious of my own feminine self, and remembering to reclaim what has been extinguished by patriarchy within me. The working title of this body of ceramic work is, What does being a woman mean to you? Asking this question of friends has been most revealing of their identity as a woman. The first pot I made looks a little like an Aztec vessel and the Venus of Willendorf. I made the pot in order to have a large surface to paint on with underglazes. Pottery is earth transformed by water, air and fire. I handle the clay in the same way as our Palaeolithic ancestors who invented the first vessel to hold food somewhere around the time of the discovery of fire The Palaeolithic Europeans made some of the earliest figures of the ancient mother usually with large pendulous breasts. It is speculated that figurines were made to invoke fertility which was vital for survival during the ice age. The earliest clay figurine, as distinct from ivory, or limestone, was fired in the oval earthen kilns of Dolni Vestonice, in a pit at temperatures up to 1,500 °F along with figurines depicting Ice Age animals such as lions, rhinos, and mammoths. The first pottery wheel is considered an invention of Mesopotamia. The ceramic history of China and Asia is vast and extraordinary, dating also from the Paleolithic, and is a whole study on its own that I claim no knowledge of it apart from Chun and Shino glazes and the jewel of porcelain clay body. The Great Mother in the history of ceramics is universal and I marvelled at this plate depicting Mago and a deer painted exquisitely with onglazes, caught my eye and reminded me of Artemis, the Goddess with the hind or stag who protects women. There is even something similar in their posture of the rod or arrow. It is worth examining this further, if it hasn’t already been done. Porcelain dish with overglaze decoration depicting Magu, deity of longevity, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, Qing dynasty, c. 18th century, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. The Diana of Versailles statue of the Roman goddess Diana (Greek: Artemis) with a deer. It is currently located in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. It is a Roman copy (1st or 2nd century AD) of a lost Greek bronze original of Artemis attributed to Leochares, c. 325 BCE The great mother is the earth, and the importance of her vitality rises again in people’s minds and hearts from her destruction from exploitation in the biblical era. But more than this, the voices of women, sounding loud and clear at this time of the climate crisis and the refugee crisis has galvanised people worldwide to act. People experience the essential interbeing and dependence on earth’s vitality for life. The hope generated by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adhern’s handling of the mosque shooting was felt world- wide and her leadership continues to give me hope in the bleak right wing leadership in Australia which still promotes coal mining and water rights to large companies draining the rivers dry for ordinary people and farmers. Her compassionate gesture was streamed world wide, touching many hearts, bridging the gulf between religious groups with such a long history of war and she has lead a government to a bipartisan agrreement to address climate change. The second clear female voice is Greta Thunberg, who in speaking her truth fearessly has bought the crisis to a head globally and doors opened to her at the highest levels. On the surface of this ceramic pot I painted Greta’s face looking furious as she spits out her passionate words, how dare you, on one side and the face of innocence on the other. Malala, shot by the Taliban on the bus to school demonstrates such courage and capacity for leadership that inspires respect worldwide. These pots are the first I have made in preparation for an exhibition on International Women’s Day in the Hepburn Shire, and then will exhibit it again at the gallery space Queen Victoria Women’s Centre in Melbourne later in 2020. I intend to make up to twenty more… whew! (Meet Mago Contributor) Frances Guerin.
(Poem) Mother is Water by Alex Purbrick

“Healing Water,” photo work by Alex Purbrick SHE is my Mother. SHE welcomed me to her desert home and offered me an oasis when I was parched and alone. “Come into my arms, bathe with me, let my hot water heal your pain, your sadness, your loss.” she whispered. Her water was hot. SHE made me sweat as I sat in her arms but her touch was like silk. SHE wrapped herself around me, comforting and soothing me. My tears fell on her body, they became one with her, my salt merging with hers. I cried and cried as I spoke to her of my grief, my longing for my mother, for a love that would soothe my pain. “Sing to me”, SHE would whisper, “so I can hear your sweet voice and the love from your songs.” I sang melodies, chants, harmonies and tunes, all from my heart. No words just sounds. SHE enjoyed my songs. “Keep singing”, SHE would say, “your voice will heal you.” For four years I bathed in her body and drunk her sweet nectar, her water of life. SHE was my sanctuary. The bath house was her womb where I could be one with her and all my pain washed away in the heat of minerals and salt water. SHE became my mother. The mother I had lost whose heart now returned. Returned to me as the water, Returned life to my lost soul. I wanted to stay in her arms forever. Now I had found her, I didn’t want to lose her again. But one day SHE sang a song to me in words I did not recognise. “Ishq ana poo” Those three words SHE sang and sang in repetition, a melody that seemed beautiful but also confusing to my ears. “ishq ana poo”, “ishq ana poo” “Mother I do not understand,” I cried. “What is your song?” “Go home,” SHE sighed. “Go home to the waters of Danu.” “Carry my songs, my love to your home. Danu needs your prayers. Her waters are lonely, she sings alone.” I wrestled with her song. I denied her truth, refused to believe SHE wanted me to leave. Leave her watery womb, return to the bleakness and isolation of a land I had desperately tried to escape from. But deep down in my heart I knew she was singing a truth as I started to hear a different song blowing in from over the ocean calling me home, to northern lands, far away from hot southern desert. Danu is singing. Her people no longer hear her voice. SHE is also my mother and she is alone. I return to moorland, wind, rain and grey, heavy skies. Danu’s waters are cold in dark, mysterious lochs and bubbling, winding streams. I sing songs of the desert, of heat, life and prayer And Danu is now my mother SHE nestles me in heather and moss, her clear, healing waters springing from underneath my feet Cleansing me with her heavy rains, her gift from the heavens that brings new life to my soul. Her salty waves crashing around me welcoming me to my new island home. Water is life. Danu’s songs are mine but they are also yours Come sing with me to Danu “ishq ana poo” Let her songs call you home.(Meet Mago Contributor) Alex Purbrick https://www.magoism.net/2015/07/meet-mago-contributor-alex-purbrick/
(Essay 5) From Heaven to Hell, Virgin Mother to Witch: The Evolution of the Great Goddess of Egypt by Krista Rodin

[Author’s Note: This series based on a chapter in Goddesses in Culture, History and Myth seeks to demonstrate how many of the ideas behind the Ancient Egyptian goddesses and their images, though changing over time and culture, remain relevant today.] Isis Tricks Ra, the Sun-God Isis is perhaps the most popular of all the Egyptian goddesses because she had temples across the Roman Empire from England to Hungary and throughout North Africa and the Middle East. Cleopatra saw herself as the living incarnation of the goddess. The Roman army and traders who dealt with Egyptian artifacts carried images of the goddess and the Egyptian Holy Family throughout the Empire. Museums in London, Paris, Vienna, Budapest, and Rome as well as Tunis and Egypt have statues of her, which were discovered within their nation’s geographical boundaries along with those that had been taken from the Nile Valley. Her temple in Philae was among the last of the pagan temples to be destroyed by the Christians in the 6th century. Isis, the Mother of the god Horus, with him sitting on her knee, who had miraculously conceived him from a father who was beyond earthly existence, was not to be ignored, but to be respected, and for those who wanted to establish a new religion, feared and/or demonized. Isis, like Hathor, was not meek and mild. She was smart and cunning; traits that the Abrahamic faiths are not fond of portraying as positive feminine characteristics. One of the early stories of Isis describes how she tricked father Sun-god Ra, often spelled Re, into giving her his secret name. There are a number of translations of the legend, but a version that is most revealing comes from Ancient Egyptian Legends by M. A. Murray.11 In it, Isis is depicted as curious and power-hungry. She wants the Sun-god’s power to rule over the earth and humankind. He rules through the power of his secret name. A personal name was sacred and one of the key elements needed for reincarnation in Ancient Egyptian religion. Many sacred traditions believed that knowing the name of a god or person gave them power of it. The Hebrews never called YHWH by his name as that was considered sacrilegious.12 In Genesis 1:26-27 and 2:19-20, God gives Adam the right to name the creatures of the earth, thereby giving him ‘dominion’ over all other creatures. Even today many traditions give new names to those who are initiated into a particular faith, e.g., baptismal names, the Pope takes on a new name when he is consecrated, a guru gives the initiate a new name when s/he is ready to receive it, and traditionally Native American tribes often gave youth new names after they had gone through an initiation process, to cite just a few examples. A secret name contains the essence of the being. A name, as any word, is made from sounds that form vibratory patterns; knowing the secret name means having the power to use those sound wave patterns. In the legend, Isis wants the power of the great god who ruled the night and the day; to get it she must know his name. As nothing he has created can harm him, Isis mixed earth and her saliva into the image of a hooded snake, the symbol of many great goddesses, such as the Egyptian serpent-mothers Iusaset and Wadjet, or the Indian Ananta and the Southeast Asian Nagas. The snake was, therefore, a part of Ra himself rather than something he had created. She took the molded figure, breathed life into it, as she was the Goddess of the Breath of Life, and set it on the path Ra was to take as he crossed from the eastern to western horizon, i.e. from day to night. The snake’s “fangs sank into the flesh of Ra, and the fire of its poison entered the God, for the divine substance was in the serpent.”13 Ra was immediately writhing in severe pain. When he could speak, he called all the gods and goddesses together to find someone who could heal him. They all failed until Isis came. She reminded him that only by having the power of his name could he be healed. At first he gave her all the names by which he was known, including: “I am the Maker of heaven and earth, I am the Establisher of the mountains, I am the Creator of the waters, I am the Maker of the secrets of the two Horizons, I am Light and I am Darkness, I am the Maker of Hours, the Creator of Days, I am the Opener of Festivals, I am the Maker of running streams, I am the Creator of living flame. I am Khepera in the morning, Ra at noontide, and Atum in the evening.”14 Isis was not fooled, however, and insisted that she could not stop his pain until he revealed his secret name so that she could apply the appropriate healing magic. Ra sent the others away and leaned over to Isis: “When the Name came forth from the heart of Ra to pass to the heart of Isis, the goddess spoke to Ra and said, ‘Bind thyself with an oath, O Ra, that thou wilt give thy two eyes unto Horus.’ Now the two Eyes of Ra are the sun and the moon, and men call them the Eyes of Horus to this day.”15 Isis proved herself to be: “the great One, Mistress of the Gods, Mistress of magic, she is the skillful Healer, in her mouth is the Breath of Life, by her words she destroys pain, and by her power she awakes the dead.”16 Through the legend, it is clear that Isis was not a goddess to be taken lightly. She could ‘take away the pain of the world’ as the plea to the Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic tradition requests. Through her son’s eyes granted by the Sun-god father, she influences the sun and the moon, i.e., time, and therefore, life. She gives the Breath of Life, which was a person’s unique identity and personality, their ba. Her sister, Nephthys, was associated with the person’s ka, or communal soul/universal spirit. Both are needed and both are to be protected after a person dies. The sisters …
(Prose) Gratitude Expressed by Deanne Quarrie

We are all experiencing troubled times. Many are moaning and groaning, crying and screaming out. Both sides are bringing such huge negative energy to our world. For just an hour – a day – if you can sustain it – practice gratitude and appreciation. If we can all turn our emotions to the good in our lives, to the love in our lives and take all that energy and place it there – well, no telling what can come of that! We have had out Thanksgiving meals and are well into the leftovers – the turkey sandwiches and if you are lucky, you still have some dressing and gravy. That’s my favorite part! Here is an exercise I do whenever I feel troubled by negativity around me. Take of some paper and pencil – or open a new document in your computer (which is what do). Begin to make a list of all the things you are grateful for. It shouldn’t be hard. Most of us did some of this a couple of days ago. As you think of things, they will prompt you to think of other things. Soon a good memory will come up followed by more. Feelings of loving appreciation will begin to flow toward those who participated in the good times with you. You may even find some forgiveness welling up for yourself and others for the bad times. Keep writing until you have it all out there in front of you. Most of us could easily have fifty things on that list. As you are writing these things out, if you are like me, you will feel your heart lighten and brighten with good feelings – loving feelings. This is gratitude. This swelling up of feeling inside us – this is our awareness of feeling blessed. This gratefulness feels lovely. However, we need to do more. Appreciation. Appreciation is gratitude expressed! Look over your list. Where in that list is an opportunity to express appreciation? Are there events that included others – others who are still present in your life? Can you tell them how much they mean to you? What about family members, friends, co-workers, even your boss at work – are there feelings of gratitude there that can be expressed? We so often find these feelings of gratitude, but do we express them? Can we use our feelings of gratitude and express them to those who helped in those memories? Who participated in that event or who are those who make each day of our lives better? Can we go to them and let them know how we feel? Can we write to them, email or even better, pick up the phone and call them? It seems to me that just feeling our gratefulness is only half the process. How wonderful if we can take our gratitude and share it with anyone on our list who contributed to creating these warm, loving feelings. We can all be participants in a brave new world, one in which we are kind to each other. A world where we express love and kindness and where we acknowledge our debt to each other and express our thanksgiving, first in our hearts and then outwardly with our words and deeds. Our gratitude and the showing of appreciation has the power to change lives. The opposite of gratitude and appreciation is like a disease that steals away our contentment and fills our life with emptiness and despair. We all have a choice in how we wish to use our energy. We can contribute to the negative in the world. We can criticize, moan, groan and complain when we can be grateful. We can appreciate what truly brings us joy and then take our positive energy out into the world and make a difference. This energy is needed RIGHT NOW. We can be voices. We can be agents of change. None of that has gone away but let us do it with love and gratitude and by support others. Let us be strong in the face of anything we perceive of as evil. Let us be there for our Muslim neighbors and friends. Let us be there for any who feel threatened in the LGBT community. Let us be there for those of color, the poor, the hungry. Let us be love, let us bring that energy to the world and support all that we see as good. Let us stand for whatever we see as right. Use these feelings of gratitude and actions of appreciation to continue making differences in our lives and of others. Love moves mountains! Meet Mago Contributor, Deanne Quarrie
Police Reform is a Direct Threat to the Patriarchy by Francesca Tronetti, Ph.D.

A demonstrator protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling is detained by law enforcement near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. July 9, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman [Author’s Note: I looked at how the police act as an arm of patriarchy. The image is of Ieshia Evans facing down police officers before being arrested on July 9 during a protest over the shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, La. Photo credited to Jonathan Bachman/Reuters.] Can we, the people, restore American trust in the police? Can the cops rebuild the faith of the society, minorities, the powerless, if there continues to be no oversight of police departments and no repercussions for officers who protect corrupt cops? These questions have been asked for decades. And the past few weeks, they have become even more relevant and are shaping the presidential election conversation. The answer we have been told has always been to restructure the existing system. To tweak it a little bit with civilian oversight committees, mandatory body cams, and town halls with police officials. However, none of these proposals will solve the underlying problem which plagues the system. There are corrupt cops. Officers who refuse to take a citizen’s report after they have been harassed or attacked by an off-duty policeman. Officers who ignore reported rapes, even of children, and downplay or dismiss the allegations. Officers who smile and joke when women they have detained are crying or having panic attacks. It is funny to them because if a fellow officer approached them, they would not be handcuffed and searched before any questions were asked. They would not be forced to sit on a curb, a position where you cannot quickly escape from if an attack comes. Cell phone recordings and YouTube channels make videos of police interactions easy to find, and this has made us sit up, with jaws open, shaking our heads, asking what the hell is going on. It is the callousness and the easy excuses that are used to justify the actions — the lip service civilian oversight boards that might as well not exist for all the authority they have to change things. Why is this? There have been decades of effort made to clean-up police departments. Millions of dollars spent on training, advisors, and consultants. So why does nothing change? A simple explanation is because the police, from their inception, have been the physical tool of patriarchy and all it entails: racism, discrimination, sexism, harassment, oppression of minorities, and those without power. That is the heart of patriarchy, it is a hierarchy of abuse, and the more privilege you have, the less violence you will experience. But that will change the second you oppose the system. Stand with Black Lives Matter or protest at Standing Rock and very quickly the whitest, most middle-class person will be hit with tear gas and rubber bullets. Early police departments were not meant to protect the rights of average citizens. They were meant to protect the property of the wealthy. Police rounded up people who were suspected of crimes, and immigrants and minorities were easy scapegoats. These scapegoats were the source of social ills. The bonds of brotherhood bound the all-white, all-male departments. All white, all-male juries listened to white lawyers, were instructed by white judges, and rendered verdicts on people of color. Working-class whites were largely left alone by police departments because their crimes could be blamed on blacks or did not interfere as much with the hierarchy. However, the formation of the unions brought white working-class men and women into direct conflict with the police. Unions were against a capitalist slave system. I should correct that; slave owners had an investment to protect, factory owners could always find another body to throw into the mill. But these unions were a problem for those in power in the city or state. They agitated in the streets and disrupted the working day. They gave a face and a voice to the hierarchy, the patriarchy, which was oppressing the non-white community; and allowing some alliances to form between whites and people of color. Unions were a direct threat to the patriarchy. If one group could end their oppression, so could others. The Coal and Iron Police, which eventually became the Pennsylvania State Troopers, were formed solely to break up unions and intimidate union leaders and agitators. Homes of union members were broken into, possessions destroyed, lists of members stolen, men arrested, and held for weeks but never charged. Due to the perseverance of the working-class unions were established, though many still had racism and sexism built into them. Many unions banned women and people of color from becoming members. Then, most of the people were satisfied, the hierarchy readjusted itself, and things went back to normal. The 1960s saw the anti-war and civil-rights movements, the Hippies, the Black Panthers, the Socialists, and other groups agitating for change. These groups protested for a major shift in the county. They fought against a government that used the police to control the people. Police used tape to hide their badge numbers, so they could not be identified. Staged arrests led to murders; zero-tolerance laws were created to incarcerate people of color in higher numbers. Calling someone a socialist was akin to calling them a terrorist or traitor. For white America, there was absolute trust in the police and palpable fear of those who opposed the established order, Now in the 21st-century, technology allows the public a front-row seat to the actions of the police. People being detained by police for refusing to show their ID, when they are not legally required to show ID, are arrested for resisting an unlawful arrest. This same technology shows us a child being shot within 2 seconds of police arriving, like a drive-by except the cops parked on the sidewalk. The videos show African American men calmly talking to officers and following their directions, only to be shot as they did what the …

(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) Laurie Baymarrwangga, Senior Australian of the Year 2012

Posted with permission in Return to Mago on ‘Australia Day’, 26 January 2014 (Australian time), in recognition of the ill-treatment and misunderstanding of Aboriginal people that was set in train when, in 1788, white people first settled in the land now known as Australia.
(Special Post 4) Multi-Linguistic Resemblances of “Mago” by Mago Circle Members

[This is a summary of discussion that took place around 2014 in The Mago Circle, Facebook group.]Helen Hye-Sook Hwang: I am writing an entry on “Mago” for the Glossary of my book, The Mago Way: Re-discovering Mago, the Great Goddess from East Asia:Mago (麻姑): East Asian word for the Great Goddess. Read “Ma” as in “Mama” and “Go” as in “to go.” The logographic characters are pronounced/romanized as Mago in Korean, Magu in Chinese, and Mako in Japanese. When it is used in historical contexts, “Mago” refers to the Great Goddess AND HER cultural matrix, Magoism (Magoist shamans/priestesses/rulers and/or the bygone mytho-history of Old Magoist Korea). S/HE represents Ultimate Reality as One Undividable Unity. The Great Goddess embodies the Creatrix, the cosmic sonic system of Life. Through HER, we enter the view of the whole, the consciousness of WE/HERE/NOW. Also known to have originated from the Big Dipper (Seven Stars) in lore—part of the Big Bear constellation—the Guardian of the Polaris, S/HE is the Guardian of the solar system. S/HE causes the stabilization of the solar system. In that sense, S/HE is the Sun Deity or Heavenly Deity. Self-emerged with Mago Stronghold (Earth) and two moons of the Earth through the sonic movement of Pal-ryeo (Eight Tones), the Great Goddess oversees the cosmic music of Yul-ryeo (Rhythms and Tones), another term for the sonic movement of the universe. Mago gives birth to two daughters (Gung-hui) and (So-hui) parthenogenetically. Thus, they form the Mago Triad (Samsin). S/HE delegates HER two daughters to oversee the cosmic music of Oeum-chiljo (Five Pitches and Seven Tunes). Gung-hui and So-hui respectively give birth to four daughters parthenogenetically. The Primordial Mago Clan forms the Nine Magos, the archetype of Gurang (Nine Goddesses). Mago delegates eight (grand)daughters to oversee the cosmic music of Pal-ryeo (Eight Tones). S/HE causes the self-evolution of the Earth through which all terrestrial beings are brought into existence. In that sense, S/HE is the Earth Deity. As Samsin Halmi (Triad Grand-Mother), S/HE controls the birth and illness of children. Mago allows the Early Mago Clan in the paradise of Mago Stronghold to procreate progenies and entrusts them to take in charge of the terrestrial acoustic equilibrium. Revered as the Cosmogonist, Progenitor, and Ultimate Sovereign, Mago delegates the Mago Descent, the entirety of the divine, human ancestors, and humans, to oversee the acoustic harmony of the Earth in tune with the cosmic music. Hereupon, the paradisiacal Home of Mago Stronghold is established. S/HE is called by many names. Among them are Samsin (Triad Deity), Cheonsin (Heavenly Deity), Halmi (Grandmother/Goddess), Nogo (Ancient Goddess), and Seongo (Immortal Goddess). Also referred to as Mugeuk Nomo (None-Polarized First Mother) or Musaeng-nomo (Non-birthed First Mother) in Daoism. Mago appears resembling many Goddesses from around the world by way of such mythemes as the triad, parthenogenesis, cosmic music, animal companions, and the cosmogonist. “Mago” is linguistically identical or similar with “Mago” in Italian and Portuguese, “Magus/Magi” in Latin, “Magos” in Greek, “Maka” in Mycenaean Greek, “Magus” in Old Persian, and “Ma Guanyin” in East Asian languages, to name a few. Brian Kirbis: Funny, despite my fondness for language, I never made the connection. Though I have explored the lineage potential between naga and Nuwa 女娲. Helen Hye-Sook Hwang: What did you find the linkage between naga and Nuwa, Brian? There is sometimes linguistic linkage relevant and other times mythological linkage… Brian Kirbis: Linguistic, iconographic, and mythological links are all available to us within a broad cross-cultural frame. My own analytic tendency is to see such mirror-image male-female representations as matrilineal and patrilineal essences which, in Chinese energy theory, reside in the kidneys (ancestral qi).Consider the Adam and Eve myth, for instance, with the figures on either side of the tree (spine, cosmic pivot, Milky Way), within which is contained the serpentine energy. There is ample information extant on such Tree of Life symbolism, all of which illustrates the inner energy body. The nagini-naga / Nuwa-Fuxi conjoint images in India and China absorb the serpent iconography into the human – an internalization of Kundalini energy.As you know, my area of interest is in the underlying cultural complex of tea-growing peoples located in Southwest China and upland Southeast Asia, an area replete with serpent mythology. Brian Kirbis: Comparison of Indian and Chinese representations of the Naga-Nagini and Fuxi & Nuwa. Helen Hye-Sook Hwang: Yes, indeed, there is similarity between the two. Interesting! Thanks for sharing them. Lizzy Bluebell: Brian Kirbis – fascinating – any idea what kind of tool each is holding in the sculpture? I see a chevron or M to the right of the Nagini’s head; (M and MA are fairly universal root symbols for Mother; Latin M encodes breasts, mounds, mountains, paps, tophets, etc. plus a general historical dispute over the importance of hills versus valleys.)I also note the inversion of right/left positions in the Nu Wa image.In terms of your statement – “The nagini-naga / Nuwa-Fuxi conjoint images in India and China absorb the serpent iconography into the human – an internalization of Kundalini energy.” — My thought: Have you ever considered it otherwise – that humanity has actually EXTERNALIZED chi energy into the form of the snake as a means of expressing it in non-vocal (sonic) symbolism which also manifests form via means of visualization as opposed to sonic/vocalizations or cymatics which creates form via RESONANCE.Helen – note that the tails are knotted – very important symbolic notion of ‘tying things’ as in the Shen Ring and Ankh – a masonic motif – related to measuring and containing within an Ouroborus SYSTEM which is closed, not cyclic or spiraling vis a vis Nature’s Way. It is the CLOSED CIRCLE as Plato’s “perfect form” which traps us in the flaws of re-peating and re-petitioning any ‘his-story’ we follow which does NOT HONOUR AND REVERE MAGO or hold her values close to HEART, as HEARD, in the HERD.Your original post (O/P thereafter) is fascinating and revealing and provides much to discuss on the topic of Zoroaster/Zarathustra and the Persian/Arabic/Semitic invention of Algebra and Astrology. In […]

Summer Solstice Poiesis by Glenys Livingstone Ph.D.

Seasonal Wheel of Stones Both Summer and Winter Solstices may be understood as particular celebrations of the Mother/Creator aspect of the Creative Triplicity of the Cosmos (often named as the Triple Goddess). The Solstices are Gateways between the dark and the light parts of the annual cycle of our orbit around Sun; they are both sacred interchanges, celebrating deep relationship, communion, with the peaking of fullness of either dark or light, and the turning into the other. The story is that the Young One/Virgin aspect of Spring has matured and now at Summer Solstice her face changes into the Mother of Summer. Summer Solstice may be understood as a birthing place, as Winter Solstice may also be, but at this time the transiton is from light back into dark, returning to larger self, from whence we come: it is the full opening, the “Great Om”, the Omega. I represent the Summer Solstice on my altar wheel of stones with the Omega-yonic shape of the horseshoe. I take this inspiration from Barbara Walker’s description of the horseshoe in her Woman’s Encyclopaedia of Myths and Secrets, as “Goddess’s symbol of ‘Great Gate’[i]”; and her later connection of it with the Sheil-na-gig yoni display[ii]. Sri Yantra. Ref: A.T. Mann & Jane Lyle, p.75 Summer Solstice is traditonally understood as a celebration of Union between Lover and Beloved, and the deep meaning of that is essentially a Re-Union: of sensed manifest form (the Lover) with All-That-Is (the Beloved). This may be understood as a fullness of expression of this manifest form, the small selves that we are, being all that we may be, and giving of this fullness of being in every moment: that would be a blissful thing, like a Summerland as it was understood to be. The boundaries of the self are broken, they merge: all is given away – all is poured forth, the deep rich dark stream of life flows out. It is a Radiance, the shining forth of the self which is at the same time a give-away, a consuming of the self.In traditional PaGaian Summer ceremony each participant is affirmed as “Gift”[iii]; and that is understood to mean that we are both given and received – all at the same time. The breath is given and life is received. We receive the Gift with each breath in, and we are the Gift with each breath out. As we fulfill our purpose, as we give ourselves over, we dissolve, as the Sun is actually doing in every moment. The “moment of grace”[iv]that is Summer Solstice, marks the stillpoint in the height of Summer, when light reaches its peak, and Earth’s tilt causes the Sun to begin its “decline”: that is, its movement back to the South in the Northern Hemisphere (in June), and back to the North in the Southern Hemisphere (in December). Whereas at Winter Solstice when out of the darkness it is light that is “born”, as it may be expressed: at the peak of Summer, in the warmth of expansion, it is the dark that is “born”. Insofar as Winter Solstice is about birth, then Summer Solstice is about death, the passing into the harvest. It is a celebration of profound mystical significance, which may be confronting in a culture where the dark is not valued for its creative telios; and it is noteworthy that Summer Solstice has not gained any popularity of the kind that Winter Solstice has globally (as ‘Christmas’). The re-union with All-That-Is is not generally considered a jolly affair, though when understood it may actually be blissful. Full Flowers to the Flames Summer is a time when many grains ripen, deciduous trees peak in their greenery, lots of bugs and creatures are bursting with business and creativity: yet in that ripening, is the turning, the fulfilment of creativity, and it is given away. Like the Sun and the wheat and the fruit, we find the purpose of our Creativity in the releasing of it; just as our breath must be released for its purpose of life. The symbolism used to express this in ceremony has been the giving of a full rose/flower to the flames. Summer is like the rose, as it says in this tradition[v]– blossom and thorn … beautiful, fragrant, full – yet it comes with thorns that open the skin. All is given over. All is given over: the feast is for enjoying With the daily giving of ourselves in our everyday acts, we each feed the world with our lives: we do participate in creating the cosmos, as many indigenous traditions still recognise. Just as our everyday lives are built on the fabric of the work/creativity of all who went before us, so the future, as well as the present, is built on ours, no matter how humble we may think our contribution is. We may celebrate the blossoming of our creativity then, which is Creativity, and the bliss of that blossoming, at a time when Earth and Sun are pouring forth their abundance, giving it away. In this Earth-based cosmology, what is given is the self fully realized and celebrated, not a self that is abnegated – just as the fruit gives its full self: as Starhawk says, “Oneness is attained not through losing the self, but through realizing it fully”[vi]. Everyday tasks can be joyful, if valued, and graciously received: I think of Eastern European women singing as they work in the fields – it is a common practice still for many. We are the Bread of Life Summer Solstice celebrates Mother Sun coming to fullness in Her creative engagement with Earth, and we are the Sun. Solstice Moment is a celebration of communion, the feast of life – which is for the enjoying, not for the holding onto. We do desire to be received, to be consumed – it is our joy and our grief. Brian Swimme says: “Every moment of our lives disappears into the ongoing story of the Universe. Our creativity is energising the whole[vii]”. As it may be ceremoniously affirmed: we are (each is) …
Lammas/Late Summer within the Creative Cosmos by Glenys Livingstone Ph.D.

This essay is an edited excerpt from Chapter 10 of the author’s new book A Poiesis of the Creative Cosmos: Celebrating Her within PaGaian Sacred Ceremony. Southern Hemisphere – Feb. 1st/2nd, Northern Hemisphere – August 1st/2nd These dates are traditional, though the actual astronomical date varies. It is the meridian point or cross-quarter day between Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox, thus actually a little later in early February for S.H., and early August for N.H., respectively. a Lammas/Late Summer table 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, to celebrate She Who creates the Space to Be. Lammas is a welcoming of the Dark in all its complexity: and as with any funerary moment, there is celebration of the life lived (enjoyment of the harvest) – a “wake,” and there is grieving for the loss. One may fear it, which is good reason to make ceremony, to go deeper, to commit to the Mother, who is the Deep; to “make sacred” this emotion, as much as one may celebrate the hope and wonder of Spring, its opposite. If Imbolc/Early Spring is a nurturing of new young life, Lammas may be a nurturing/midwifing of death or dying to small self, the assent to larger self, an expansion or dissipation – further to the radiance of Summer Solstice. Whereas Imbolc is a Bridal commitment to being and form, where we are the Promise of Life; Lammas may be felt as a commitment marriage to the Dark within, as we accept the Harvest of that Promise, the cutting of it. We remember that the Promise is returned to Source. “The forces which began to rise out of the Earth at the festival of Bride now return at Lammas.”[i] Creativity is called forth when an end (or impasse) is reached: we can no longer rely on our small self to carry it off. We may call Her forth, this Creative Wise Dark One – of the Ages, when our ways no longer work. We are not individuals, though we often think we are. We are Larger Self, subjects within theSubject.[ii] And this is a joyful thing. We do experience ourselves as individuals and we celebrate that creativity at Imbolc. Lammas is the time for celebrating the fact that we are part of, in the context of, a Larger Organism, and expanding into that. Death will teach us that, but we don’t have to wait – it is happening around us all the time, we are constantly immersed in the process, and everyday creativity is sourced in this subjectivity. As it is said, She is “that which is attained at the end of Desire:”[iii] the same Desire we celebrated at Beltaine, has peaked at Summer and is now dissolving form, returning to Source to nourish the Plenum, the manifesting – as all form does. This Seasonal Moment of Lammas/Late Summer celebrates the beginning of dismantling, de-structuring. Gaia-Universe has done a lot of this de-structuring – it is in Her nature to return all to the “Sentient Soup” … nothing is wasted. We recall the Dark Sentience, the “All-Nourishing Abyss”[iv] at the base of being, as we enter this dark part of the cycle of the year. This Dark/Deep at the base of being, to whom we are returned, may be understood as the Sentience within all – within the entire Universe. The dictionary definition of sentience is: “intelligence,” “feeling,” “the readiness to receive sensation, idea or image; unstructured available consciousness,” “a state of elementary or undifferentiated consciousness.”[v] The Old Wise One is the aspect of the Cosmic Triplicity/Triple Goddess that returns us to this sentience, the Great Subject out of whom we arise. We are subjects within the Great Subject – the sentient Universe; we are not a collection of objects, as Thomas Berry has said.[vi] This sentience within, this “readiness-to-receive,” is a dark space, as all places of ending and beginning are. Mystics of all religious traditions have understood the quintessential darkness of the Divinity, known often as the Abyss. Goddesses such as Nammu and Tiamat, Aditi and Kali, are the anthropomorphic forms of this Abyss/Sea of Darkness that existed before creation. She is really the Matrix of the Universe. This sentience is ever present and dynamic. It could be understood as the dark matter that is now recognized to form most of the Universe. This may be recognized as Her “Cauldron of Creativity” and celebrated at this Lammas Moment. Her Cauldron of Creativity is the constant flux of all form in the Universe – all matter is constantly transforming. We are constantly transforming on every level. a Lammas/Late Summer altar These times that we find ourselves in have been storied as the Age of Kali, the Age of Caillaech – the Age of the Crone. There is much that is being turned over, much that will be dismantled. We are in the midst of the revealing of compost, and transformation – social, cultural, and geophysical. Kali is not a pretty one – but we trust She is transformer, and creative in the long term. She has a good track record. Our main problem is that we tend to take it personally. The Crone – the Old Phase of the cycle, creates the Space to Be. Lammas is the particular celebration of the beauty of this awesome One. She is symbolized and expressed in the image of the waning moon, which is filling with darkness. She is the nurturant darkness that may fill your being, comfort the sentience in you, that will eventually allow new constellations to gestate in you, renew you. So the focus in ceremony may be to contemplate opening to Her, noticing our fears and our hopes involved in that. She is the Great Receiver – receives all, and as such She is the Great Compassionate One. Her Darkness may be understood as a Depth of Love. And She is Compassionate because of …
(Mago Almanac Excerpt 7) Introducing the Magoist Calendar by Helen Hye-Sook Hwang

Mago Almanac: 13 Month 28 Day Calendar (Book A) at Mago Bookstore. YEARLY LEAP DAY AND EVERY FOURTH YEAR LEAP DAY Each Sa includes a Dan of the big Sa. A Dan is equal to one day. That adds to 365 days. At the half point of the third Sa, there is a Pan of the big Sak (the year of the great dark moon). A Pan comes at a half point of Sa. This is of Beopsu (Lawful Number) 2, 5, 8. A Pan is equal to a day. Therefore, the fourth Sa has 366 days. Each year has a leap day (Dan), which makes a total of 365 days. Every fourth year is a leap year that has a leap day (Pan), which makes a total of 366 days. The Dan day comes before the New Year in the winter solstice month. And the Pan day comes before the first day of the summer solstice month in the fourth year. The above, however, does not indicate when the New Year comes. Logographic characters of Dan and Pan each suggest their meanings. While each year includes the Dan day (the morning), every fourth year has the Pan day. A unit of four years makes the Big Calendar. Dan (旦 Morning) Leap day for every first three years Pan (昄 Big) Leap day for every fourth year I have postulated that the year begins on the Dan day (one leap day), a day before New Year that comes in the month of Winter Solstice in the Norther Hemisphere. And the Pan day comes on the day before the first day of the 7th month that has Summer Solstice in the fourth year in the Norther Hemisphere. Years Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Months Dan Dan Dan Dan 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 Pan 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 11 12 12 12 12 13 13 13 13 Days 365 365 365 366 The Magoist Calendar’s intercalation involves one leap day every year and one leap day every four years. That is, each year has one extra day to make it 365 days. Every fourth year has an extra day to make it 366 days. Four years has a total of 1461 days (365×3+366), which makes the mean of 365.25 days. Considering that the month is following the sidereal period rather than the synodic period, it is inferred that the year also follows the sidereal year rather than the solar year. In fact, Magoist Calendar’s one year is very close to today’s 365.25636 days of the sidereal year compared to 365.24217 days of the solar year or the tropical year. Given that, as seen below, the Budoji mentions the tiniest discrepancy of one leap day for 31,788,900 years, the discrepancy between 365.25 and 365.25636 (0.00636 day) can be explained that the year was actually 365.25 days at the time of Budo circa 2333 BCE, 4440 years ago. In other words, there is a discrepancy of 0.12375936 seconds between 2017 CE and 2333 BCE. Regarding Lawful Numbers 2, 5, 8, it is involved as follows: 365 days (3+6+5=14, 1+4=5) Lawful Numbers 2, 5, 8 refers the unit of 365 days (364 days with one intercalary day). Further dynamics are unknown. The sidereal year refers to the time taken by the Earth to orbit the sun once with respect to the distant stars. In contrast, the solar or tropical year means the time taken by the Earth to orbit the sun once with respect to the sun. The sidereal year, 365.25636 days, is about 20 minutes and 24 seconds longer than the mean tropical year (365.24217 days) and about 19 minutes and 57 seconds longer than the average Gregorian year of 365.2425 days. The difference occurs primarily because the solar system spins on its own axis and around the Milky Way galactic center making the solar year’s observed position relative. Time is no independent concept apart from space and the agent. The very concept of time is preceded by the agent bound in a space. It is always contextualized. In Magoism, both calendar and time are born out of the cosmogonic universe, the universe that is in self-creation. Like calendar, time is to be discovered or measured. It is a numinous concept. The very concept of time testifies to the reality of the Creatrix. Time proves the orderly movement of the universe into which we are born. Calendar patterns time, whereas time undergirds calendar. How can we measure time? We are given the time of the Earth that comes from its rotation, revolution, and precession in sync with the moon and the sun (and its planets). One type of time is the solar time. The solar time is a calculation of time based on the position of the sun. Traditionally, the solar time is measured by the sundial. The solar time is, however, specific to the Earth only. It is valid only for the-same-observed-location. It is not made to be used for the time of another celestial body. For example, Mars’ solar time has to be measured independently based on its own rotation and revolution rates. The solar time is an isolated time. It is static and exclusive, not made for the time of other celestial bodies. By nature, it is unfit for connection and communication across celestial bodies. The second type is the sidereal time. The sidereal time is a time scale based on the rate of Earth’s rotations measured relative to the distant stars.[29] Because the observed position is in the far distant stars beyond the solar system, the sidereal time may as well be called an extrasolar stellar time. We can think of the observer’s position of an imaginary cosmic bird far out there, infinitely far beyond not only the solar system and …
(Prose & Photography) Equinox Reflection by Sara Wright

Photography by Sara Wright I gaze out my bedroom window and hear yet another golden apple hit the ground. The vines that hug the cabin and climb up the screens are heavy with unripe grapes and the light that is filtered through the trees in front of the brook is luminous – lime green tipped in gold – My too sensitive eyes are blessedly well protected by this canopy of late summer leaves. The maples on the hill are losing chlorophyll and are painting the hollow with splashes of bittersweet orange and red. The dead spruces by the brook will probably collapse this winter providing Black bears with even more precious ants and larvae to eat in early spring. I only hope that some bears will survive the fall slaughter to return to this black bear sanctuary; in particular two beloved young ones… Mushrooms abound, amanitas, boletes morels, puff balls, the latter two finding their way into my salads. The forest around my house is in an active state of becoming with downed limbs and sprouting fungi becoming next year’s soil. The forest floor smells so sweet that all I can imagine is laying myself down on a bed of mosses to sleep and dream. The garden looks as tired as I am; lily fronds droop, yellowing leaves betraying the season at hand. Bright green pods provide a startling contrast to fading scarlet bee balm. Wild asters are abundant and goldenrod covers the fields with a bright yellow garment. Every wild bush has sprays of berries. My crabapple trees are bowed, each twig heavy with winter fruit. Most of the birds have absconded to the fields that are ripe with the seeds of wild grasses. The mourning doves are an exception – they gather together each dawn waiting patiently for me to fill the feeder. In the evening I am serenaded by soft cooing. One chicken hawk hides in the pine, lying in wait for the unwary…Just a few hummingbirds remain…whirring wings and twittering alert me to continued presence as they settle into the cherry tree to sleep, slipping into a light torpor with these cool September nights… Spiders are spinning their egg cases, even as they prepare to die. I can still find toads hopping around the house during the warmest hours of the day. Although the grass is long I will not mow it for fear of killing these most precious and threatened of species. I am heavily invested in seeing these toads burrow in to see another spring. My little frogs sit on their lily pads seeking the warmth of a dimming afternoon sun. Soon they too will slumber below fallen leaves or mud. I am surrounded by such beauty, and so much harvest bounty that even though I am exhausted I take deep pleasure out of each passing day of this glorious month of September, the month of my birth. Unlike many folks, for me, moving into the dark of the year feels like a blessing. Another leave -taking is almost upon me, and I am having trouble letting go of this small oasis that I have tended with such care for more than thirty years… I don’t know what this winter will bring to my modest cabin whose foundation is crumbling under too much moisture and too many years of heavy snow. In the spring extensive excavation will begin. A new foundation must be poured and this work will destroy the gardens I have loved, the mossy grounds around the south end of the house that I have nurtured for so long. In this season of letting go I must find a way to lay down my fears, and release that which I am powerless to change. Somehow… I have no idea what I will return to except that I have made it clear that none of my beloved trees be harmed. I am grateful that Nature is mirroring back to me so poignantly that letting go is the way through: That this dying can provide a bedrock foundation for another spring birth. As a Daughter of the Earth I lean into ancient wisdom, praying that this exhausted mind and body will be able to follow suit. (Meet Mago Contributor) Sara Wright.
(Poem) Samhain by Annie Finch

In the season leaves should love, since it gives them leave to move through the wind, towards the ground they were watching while they hung, legend says there is a seam stitching darkness like a name. Now when dying grasses veil earth from the sky in one last pale wave, as autumn dies to bring winter back, and then the spring, we who die ourselves can peel back another kind of veil that hangs among us like thick smoke. Tonight at last I feel it shake. I feel the nights stretching away thousands long behind the days, till they reach the darkness where all of me is ancestor. I turn my hand and feel a touch move with me, and when I brush my young mind across another, I have met my mother’s mother. Sure as footsteps in my waiting self, I find her, and she brings arms that hold answers for me, intimate, waiting, bounty: “Carry me.” She leaves this trail through a shudder of the veil, and leaves, like amber where she stays, a gift for her perpetual gaze. From Eve (Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2010) (Meet Mago Contributor) Annie Finch
(Book Excerpt) Imbolc/Early Spring within the Creative Cosmos by Glenys Livingstone Ph.D.

This essay is an excerpt from Chapter 6 of the author’s new book A Poiesis of the Creative Cosmos: Celebrating Her within PaGaian Sacred Ceremony. Traditionally the dates for Imbolc/Early Spring are: Southern Hemisphere – August 1st/2nd Northern Hemisphere – February 1st/2nd though the actual astronomical date varies. It is the meridian point or cross-quarter day between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, thus actually a little later in early August for S.H., and early February for N.H., respectively. Some Imbolc Motifs In this cosmology Imbolc/Early Spring is the quintessential celebration of She Who is the Urge to Be. This aspect of the Creative Triplicity is associated with the differentiation quality of Cosmogenesis,[i] and with the Virgin/Young One aspect of the Triple Goddess, who is ever-new, unique, and singular in Her beauty – as each being is. This Seasonal Moment celebrates an identification with the Virgin/Young One – the rest of the light part of the cycle celebrates Her processes. At this Moment She is the Promise of Life, a spiritual warrior, determined to Be. Her purity is Her singularity of purpose. Her inviolability is Her determination to be … nothing to do with unbroken hymens of the dualistic and patriarchal mind. The Virgin quality is the essential “yes” to Being – not the “no” She was turned into. In the poietic process of the Seasonal Moments of Samhain/Deep Autumn, Winter Solstice and Imbolc/Early Spring, one may get a sense of these three in a movement towards manifest form – syntropy: from the autopoietic fertile sentient space of Samhain, through the gateway and communion of Winter Solstice to differentiated being, constant novelty, infinite particularity of Imbolc/Early Spring. The three are a kaleidoscope, seamlessly connected. The ceremonial breath meditations for all three of these Seasonal Moments focus attention on the Space between the breaths – each with slightly different emphasis: it is from this manifesting Space that form/manifestation arises. If one may observe Sun’s position on the horizon as She rises, the connection of the three can be noted there also: that is, Sun at Samhain/Deep Autumn and Imbolc/Early Spring rises at the same position, halfway between Winter Solstice and Equinox, but the movement is just different in direction.[ii] And these three Seasonal Moments are not clearly distinguishable – they are “fuzzy,”[iii] not simply linear and all three are in each other … this is something recognised of Old, thus the Nine Muses, or the numinosity of any multiple of three. Some Imbolc/early Spring Story This is the Season of the new waxing light. Earth’s tilt has begun taking us in this region back towards the Sun. Traditionally this Seasonal Point has been a time of nurturing the new life that is beginning to show itself – around us in flora and fauna, and within. It is a time of committing one’s self to the new life and to inspiration – in the garden, in the soul, and in the Cosmos. We may celebrate the new young Cosmos – that time in our Cosmic story when She was only a billion years old and galaxies were forming, as well as the new that is ever coming forth. This first Seasonal transition of the light part of the cycle has been named “Imbolc” – Imbolc is thought to mean “ewe’s milk” from the word “Oimelc,” as it is the time when lambs were/are born, and milk was in plentiful supply. It is also known as “the Feast of Brigid,” Brigid being the Great Goddess of the Celtic (and likely pre-Celtic) peoples, who in Christian times was made into a saint. The Great Goddess Brigid is classically associated with early Spring since the earliest of times, but her symbology has evolved with the changing eras – sea, grain, cow. In our times we could associate Her also with the Milky Way, our own galaxy that nurtures our life – Brigid’s jurisdiction has been extended. Some sources say that Imbolc means “in the belly of the Mother.” In either case of its meaning, this celebration is in direct relation to, and an extension of, the Winter Solstice – when the Birth of all is celebrated. Imbolc may be a dwelling upon the “originating power,” and that it is in us: a celebration of each being’s particular participation in this power that permeates the Universe, and is present in the condition of every moment.[iv] This Seasonal Moment focuses on the Urge to Be, the One/Energy deeply resolute about Being. She is wilful in that way – and Self-centred. In the ancient Celtic tradition Great Goddess Brigid has been identified with the role of tending the Flame of Being, and with the Flame itself. Brigid has been described as: “… Great Moon Mother, patroness (sic … why not “matron”) of poetry and of all ‘making’ and of the arts of healing.”[v] Brigid’s name means “the Great or Sublime One,” from the root brig, “power, strength, vigor, force, efficiency, substance, essence, and meaning.”[vi] She is poet, physician/healer, smith-artisan: qualities that resonate with the virgin-mother-crone but are not chronologically or biologically bound – thus are clearly ever present Creative Dynamic. Brigid’s priestesses in Kildare tended a flame, which was extinguished by Papal edict in 1100 C.E., and was re-lit in 1998 C.E.. In the Christian era, these Early Spring/Imbolc celebrations of the Virgin quality, the New Young One – became “Candlemas,” a time for purifying the “polluted” mother – forty days after Solstice birthing. Many nuns took their vows of celibacy at this time, invoking the asexual virgin bride.[vii] This is in contrast to its original meaning, and a great example of what happened to this Earth-based tradition in the period of colonization of indigenous peoples. An Imbolc/Early Spring Ceremonial Altar The flame of being within is to be protected and nurtured: the new Being requires dedication and attention. At this early stage of its advent, there is nothing certain about its staying power and growth: there may be uncertainties of various kinds. So there is traditionally a “dedication” in the ceremonies, which may be considered a “Brigid-ine” dedication, or known as a “Bridal” dedication, since “Bride” is a derivative of …

(Budoji Essay 1) The Magoist Cosmogony by Helen Hye-Sook Hwang

“The Great Goddess Myth is the first and last revelation to humankind. Where the Primordial Mother is, there is Home!” Part 1 Introduction When I first read the Budoji (Epic of the Emblem City), the principal text of Magoism, my life journey took an unexpected turn. The power of the Magoist cosmogony began to work on me, and suddenly I was returning Home with/to/in Mago, the Great Goddess! Before, “Home” had seemed an unreal destination, a mirage that lured voyagers to its abyss of nowhere. I had been stripped of “Home.” The Magoist cosmogony gifted me with a vision of what I had been seeking as a feminist voyager. I meant to return Home. In Mago, I felt no longer free-floating, but this was not without its price. My radical feminist searches brought me no material benefits; rather, to become Myself was the reward. Layer after layer of patriarchal deception had to be peeled off. And for women who, like me, came from the non-Western, formerly colonized world, reversing the reversals required a deeper analysis of racism, ethnocentrism, and colonialism. I underwent the process of becoming Me, a process which also led me to WE. Personally, Homecoming means an integration of myself within the mytho-historical-cultural context of Magoism. However, Homecoming in the Great Goddess can never be an isolated individual act. Magoism unfolds the Primordial Home wherein all beings are kindred. The Primordial Home is for everyone. Everyone is destined to return Home in the Great Goddess because She is Here for us all. She will be Here for as long as humanity survives. Homecoming is a harbinger; it signals the arrival of WE, a very old concept that was misconstrued if not tabooed in patriarchy. The nature of my life has changed. “I” is no longer in the way of “WE.” “I” and “WE” do not stand against each other. Furthermore, “I” is transformed by “WE,” just as are all things in the universe. Scalar turns to vector. Chaos yields to order. The labyrinth leads to the Source. My feminism is rewarded with gynocentrism, the Goddess Matrix in which the female principle by far surpasses patriarchy. As many admit, Myth, the story of the divine, is etiological, meaning it explains the origin of things. I hold that only the gynocentric cosmogonic myth can be fully etiological, shedding light on the primal beginning. Myth is inherently gynocentric, for it is derived from the perception of the Primordial Mother, the oldest divine in human history. Put differently, Myth tells us that the Divine is She, that Female is the original divine. Myth is ultimately inseparable from the Great Goddess. The Primordial Mother is the macrocosmic translation of a mother. She is the Metaphor for life-giver and life-raiser. Divinity issues from Her. In Her, everything, including the God, is endowed with divinity. The etiological and metaphoric nature of Myth is fully illumined only in the story of the female beginning. The Goddess Myth told to/by us testifies to what patriarchy can’t or doesn’t tell. It is a language distinguished from that of patriarchy, dominating if not violent. The nature of Its language is persuasive and pacific. The truth It tells awakens one to Home. It is intrinsically soteriological, and herein lies the urgency of Myth: It shows the Way that humanity needs to know and follow in order to survive and flourish. The Great Goddess Myth is the first and last revelation to humankind. Where the Primordial Mother is, there is Home! Mago is not necessarily the “creator” of things. In the Magoist cosmogony, there is no one who created or creates anything alone. (I have used the term “cosmogony” in place of “creation” to avoid the conflation of Magoist thought with the origin-stories of patriarchal religions.) Instead, all things are interdependent and the power of auto-genesis is embedded within the universe itself. In explaining that, the Magoist cosmogony does not employ a magical or a logical jump. In the time of beginning, cosmic rays dance in accordance with the law of nature. Mago and primordial matter are self-born through the movement of cosmic music. Mago is, above all, the Cause of human existence. All things on Earth are indebted to Mago for She initiated the process auto-genesis of the Earth itself. In short, She is the Source of Life on Earth. Without Her, nothing is possible for us.
(Mago Essay 3) Toward the Primordial Knowing of Mago, the Great Goddess by Helen Hwang

[The following sequels including this one are a modified version of my paper presented to Daoist Studies, the American Academy of Religion (AAR) in 2010.] Part 3 Daoist Rendition of Mago, the Great Goddess Being the creatrix, progenitor, and ultimate sovereign, Mago has been addressed by many names. Her derivative names include Samsin Halmeoni (Triad Grandmother/Goddess), Cheonsin (Heavenly Deity), Daejosin (Great Ancestor Deity), Nogo (Crone/Grandmother), Gomo (Goddess Mother), Magui (Devil), Seogo (Auspicious Goddess), Seonnyeo (Female Immortal), Seonja (Immortal Person), and simply Halmi (Grandmother/Crone/Goddess) especially in Korea. To say the least, these names, respectively embedded in a particular cultural and historical background, reflect a complex and enduring feature of Magoism. One may wonder: How is it possible to assess that these goddesses with different names refer to the same goddess, Mago? While such a query is legitimate, its answer entails a prolix explication of inferences based on the comprehensive analysis of a large volume of data, a technique that requires all human faculties, not just rationality. Foremost, the name “Mago” is the primary defining factor to identify Her transnational manifestations in East Asia. This name crisscrosses otherwise seemingly unrelated data including folklore, arts, literature, poetry, and religious and historical records. Such toponyms as Mt. Mago, Rock of Mago, and Cave of Mago presently extant in Korea, China, and/or Japan further substantiate the coherence of Magoism in East Asia. Having established the patterns and styles of Mago stories, the researcher is able to identify a common motif that is shared by the stories and place-names of the goddesses with derivative names. In short, these stories are organically interconnected, reflecting the universality and particularities of Magoist theism. As with Her many names, the researcher or art historian requires the same technique to assess a broad range of Her visual representations. One can begin with a good number of paintings whose colophons designate Mago. Two of the most conspicuous colophons are “Magu gathering medicinal herbs” and “Mago presents longevity.” However, many icons including sculptures and embroideries do not have such an indication. In that case, one can tell the Mago icon by its pictorial themes recurring in the images that are identified as Mago. That said, there is no doubt that the Mago icon stands as the prototype of its numerous variations, which are beyond my documentation at this point. A large portion of Mago visual representations I have documented is casually referred to as “The Immortal Magu (麻姑仙, Magu Xian or Mago Seon)” by moderns. As such, it is assumed that She is a Daoist goddess. Would the Daoist appropriation of Mago’s visual images be accurate? I hold that the Daoist rendition of Mago is a specious stopgap, leaving many issues unattended. When B is derived from A, B alone can explain neither A nor B. Not only Her pre-Daoist origin but also Her supreme divinity as the Great Goddess remains unexplained. Furthermore, Daoism has offered no framework to explain the transnational dissemination of Magoist material culture in Korea, China, and Japan.
(Essay 2 Part 3) Why Do I Love Korean Historical Dramas? by Anna Tzanova

Part 3 UNIVERSAL APPEAL The worldwide success of Korean historical drama began in 2004, when Dae Jang Geum (대장금), “The Great Jang Geum”, or “Jewel in the Palace”—a Sageuk relating a compelling story about the life of the legendary first woman who became a supreme royal physician in 16th century Joseon—was aired in over 60 countries around the world. Since then, the number is much higher, not taking into consideration DVD sales, pirated DVDs, plus the millions who have seen the drama globally via the Internet. In Iran, Dae Jang Geum was so popular that reports claim Iranians began organizing their mealtimes so as not to interfere with the show’s broadcast. In India, after seeing the series one prisoner wrote an open letter to the broadcast company in Korea saying, “This serial has been of great influence in my personal life, as well adding a lot to my positive approach towards life. I dare say it is not a motivation for only people like me, but for everyone.”[i] In Zimbabwe, the audience protested to a TV station and requested the airing of Dae Jang Geum instead of the Olympic Games when the two timetables clashed.[ii] To me, “Jewel in the Palace” is not just a very beautiful and inspirational piece of art. Seeing it from a personal angle, it is a great reminder of all that is wrong with our medical science, health care, and industrialized food production. How science needs to be as much cerebral as cordis. All the good that can come of turning our eyes and respect back to Mother Earth and all her sentient beings. The importance of not only quality food, but also the way the ingredients are grown, nurtured, collected and stored; the way food is prepared; the thoughts and feelings food is infused with, and how it affects not only the taste, but also the health of those who would consume it. The true holistic approach to health and well-being, as well as how titles and following institutional protocols, doesn’t secure quality of care. The natural curve in the onset and development of every disease, and how its abrupt interruption leads to dire consequences in the long run. The compassion and inner qualities of character a true healer should pursue and cultivate. Korean historical drama offers layers of meaning and understanding. The viewers are not only gently guided to open their hearts and feel, but also to think. Stories are not only well told; internalization by the audience is encouraged. Thus, the experience becomes very personal, and a deep connection between the creators and the spectators is established. Hwang Seongbin quotes a science and technology researcher who shared his opinion on Korean period drama when they met at an international conference reception: “I like Korean historical drama, because the story is told from the perspective of the people, rather than from that of those in power.”[iii] The transnational issues we all face, such as greed, corruption, deceit, conspiracies, abuse, and war, are depicted in their cruelty as shared experiences. Through that and the exploration of universal themes like love, kindness, loss, yearning, overcoming adversities, following one’s passion, achieving one’s dream, and many more, our global communality is fortified. Another trait worth noting is the depiction of traditionally oppressed women. It is a growing tendency in Sageuk to give center stage to heroines. Even when they are not the protagonist, they play significant roles supporting or guiding the protagonist’s efforts: creating nurturing environments, serving as examples of right action, and assisting the protagonist in his growth. There is a fascination, respect, honor, and affection that female leads are surrounded by or treated by the hero. Women in Korean historical drama are strong in a graceful way, using skill and genuine power as opposed to aggression and brutal force. They are persistent in their efforts and courageous in their actions. Despite being sidetracked by hindrances, they never lose focus on their goals. Ultimately, they are never deterred from accomplishing their dreams, transforming or inspiring everyone else in the process. In that regards, women in Sageuk serve as great initiators of change. They embody the most pliable element of all—water—nourishing, never stagnant, unstoppable, constantly adaptable, following its course through and around obstacles, cleansing, reshaping, and renewing. In the words of Clair Webber: “Undoubtedly, there is something inexplicable about K-pop and K-dramas. Whether it is the courage of civil disobedience in North Korea, peace in the Middle East, or female empowerment in Pakistan—South Korean cultural imports have the uncanny ability to foster hope in some of the most seemingly hopeless situations.”[iv] This is what “soft power”, a term coined in 1990 by Harvard political scientist Joseph Nye[v], truly is. “They fight with arms, but we—with our hearts,” states Empress Ki in the Sageuk with the same name. I’d love for humanity to hear this message and finally learn how to avoid or deal with conflicts. I am not going to quote or start analyzing different dramas one-by-one. I will leave you to find your own point of view and preferences. Signing up for Mago Academy’s Korean Historical Drama course would be a good place to start. I hope you will consider joining and experiencing first-hand everything I mentioned above, and much more. Korean culture has a specific flavor that distinguishes it from other Asian cultures. It is humble, but resilient. It is charming, heart-centered, perceptive, thoughtful, and caring. It has a lot to offer. Give it a try. But I have to warn you, it might be addicting. (Read Essay 1, Essay 2 Part 1, Essay 2 Part 2) Notes: [i] Busis, Hillary, Korean Dramas: A Beginner’s Guide, Entertainment Weekly, (April 11, 2014) [ii] Gowman, Philip, The Redemptive Power of Lee Young-ae, London Korean Links, (January 13, 2008) [iii] Voluntary Agency Network of Korea blog, Hallyu Report III – Korean Drama, Friendly Korea, My Friend’s Country, (01/09/2013) http://korea.prkorea.com/wordpress/english/2013/01/09/hallyu-report-ii-korean-drama/ [iv] Weber, Clair, K-Pop, K-Dramas, Hallyu – South Korean Culture Around the Globe, About Education, (2015) [v] …