GODDESS BLOG
Is it time to re-enchant the world?
Right now, I’m looking into the ancient mystery traditions. The ancient mysteries were secretive rituals. Their purpose was to give people a profound experience of the nature of existence. The central concept? Life and death are two sides of the same coin; death and birth are the same event.
We don’t really know what happened in these rituals because initiates were sworn to secrecy. And most people didn’t break this vow.
We do know that these rituals changed people to their core.
In ancient Greece, the goddesses were central to this ritual.
Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
Annalisa’s Letter
RECENT Journey to the Goddess TV Episodes
Goddess News
What I’m Reading
Feature: Women to Follow
Upcoming Interviews
DON’T FORGET . . .
Is it time to re-enchant the world?
I don’t know about you, but I have always walked through the world with a sense of enchantment.* Life lights me up.
When I lived in NYC, it wasn’t uncommon to find me wandering along my favorite streets from the East Village to the West Village while listening to the Amelie soundtrack. I do anything I can to heighten my experience of enchantment.
In these strange times, it’s been challenging to sustain a feeling of enchantment for life. But, I find that the more I stay engaged with the world of mythology, the easier it is for me to stay immersed in my sense of wonder for the world.
Right now, I’m looking into the ancient mystery traditions. The ancient mysteries were secretive rituals. Their purpose was to give people a profound experience of the nature of existence. The central concept? Life and death are two sides of the same coin; death and birth are the same event.
We don’t really know what happened in these rituals because initiates were sworn to secrecy. And most people didn’t break this vow.
We do know that these rituals changed people to their core.
In ancient Greece, the goddesses were central to this ritual. At Eleusis, the myth of Demeter and Persephone (Kore) dramatized the agricultural cycle of the grain. Demeter was the mature grain, and Kore was the maiden grain traveling into the underground every winter, only to be reborn again in the spring. Their story symbolizes the mystery of life which was revealed through the symbolism of a stalk of grain. This myth was the foundation for the Eleusinian mysteries.
Fun fact: I had the opportunity to visit Eleusis last fall. Despite its ruinous state, I stepped around the site in sheer glee, imagining what it must have been like to have experienced the Eleusinian mysteries.
Rituals that revealed the mysteries of life were an essential part of life for many of our ancestors. They gave people meaning, purpose, and a shared sense of community.
They maintained the enchantment of the world.
I question the accepted idea that time progresses in a linear direction and, with it, the idea that humanity is the most advanced it’s ever been. The reality of life is messier than that.
In fact, in Hindu traditions, time is perceived cyclically as the Yuga cycle. It is partitioned into 4 descending ages, beginning with the golden age and followed by the silver, bronze, and dark ages.
According to this millennia-old tradition, humanity is currently in the Kali Yuga (aka, the dark age). This is the densest and most challenging stage in the cycle. In this age, humanity is at its worst. Endless wars, children killing children with guns, the threat of nuclear annihilation, human trafficking, massive wealth inequality, widespread substance abuse, the mistreatment of animals and the Earth, and the threat of climate destruction exemplify the nature of the Kali Yuga.
Does this mean there is no goodness in the world? Of course not! There is goodness. And it’s growing and expanding. Many people are waking up to see the world with eyes of love and acceptance. It seems, however, that just as love expands, so does our hubris and ignorance. And our hubris and ignorance are accelerating at an incredibly dangerous rate.
The world today is in the midst of a massive existential crisis. I think it’s time to look backward as well as forward. When I look at the ancient past, I can see a world that was far from perfect but knew something about the meaning of life that we are missing today.
They were tapped into the secret mystery of life that made life worth living and preserving.
They saw the world through enchanted eyes.
My dear late friend Justin had a dream to rebuild the ancient mysteries. He felt humanity needed these mysteries for us to become better humans.
I wonder, could his vision for a loving world be realized through modern versions of these ancient mystery rituals and the re-enchantment of the world?
Let me know your thoughts!
🌺Annalisa, PhD
*Inspired in part by Chloe Valdary’s “Enchantment Theory”
Eleusis today. Picture of the sacred well Demeter sat beside during her search for Persephone-Kore. Picture by yours truly.
Recent Episodes:
Who was the real Mother Mary -- the woman behind the story of Jesus?
In her book, “Conversations with Mother Mary,” Mikki Baloy asks, “Does anyone have ownership over Mary or her story?” This question hit me like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, the Mary in my mind went from an archetypal all-compassionate, yet docile, grieving mother, to a fully formed, human woman! In Mikki’s account, Mary is fierce yet gentle, her body shows the wear and tear of a life spent working with her hands, rearing many children, and loving her husband.
Through Mikki’s account, we receive Mother Mary’s sage guidance for troubled times.
Have you ever read a book and felt a visceral energetic sensation course through your body? Almost like an energetic transmission? (This is a phenomenon called shaktipat said to happen in some Hindu lineages).
Well, for me, this is one of those times. It’s not the first time I’ve experienced a transmission from a book, but it was the most immediate and thorough.
And this time there was no mistaking the source of this energy: It was Divine Feminine energy touching my heart through Rajashree Maa’s words.
This transmission has been a gift from a true Maestra of her lineage— Kali-Ki Reiki. It was a pleasure to have Rajashree (Joan) Dittrich, PhD, on Journey to the Goddess TV to discuss Kali-Ki, the Divine Feminine Reiki lineage revealed to her by Goddess!
We discuss:
The healing power of Reiki.
Kali-Ki Reiki, the Divine Feminine Reiki lineage and how it was revealed to her.
Why Divine Feminine Reiki healing is needed now on the planet.
She guides us through an easy yet powerful Kali-Ki breathing practice.
I first encountered SIMRAN’s wisdom teachings at Barnes and Nobel many years ago when it was still cool to purchase magazines.
Her 11:11 magazine changed my life. It helped me delve deeper into my newly budding spiritual path. In essence, stumbling upon 11:11 magazine was a sign that initiated me into spiritual teachings that have left an impact on my soul to this day.
I’m delighted to share my latest episode with you, a conversation with SIMRAN: “How to Uncover the Sacred Signs to Living a Meaningful Life.”
**BONUS: Simran guides us through a Sacred Signs meditation midway through the episode**
Goddess News
Details Below
Details for July 2023 journeY @
One of the Tribe Journeys
“This magical 11-night, 12-day journey into the heart and soul of the Ecuadorian Amazon is for those who have felt the call of the wild. It’s for those who want to further explore their connection to nature, to the Earth, and to themselves. To heal and learn from the forest, the mountains, the rivers, and the indigenous wisdom keeper custodians of these lands, who generously share their deep knowledge and connection to the earth with us.
The jungle calls to you at exactly the right time, so if you are hearing the call, come!” — From Zoë
FEATURED GUEST on The Mindspace Podcast!
Host and psycholinguist, Boban Dedovic, and I discuss “The Descent of Inanna.” We look at the importance of depth psychology and meaning-making, Inanna as a myth model and an exemplar of female agency, and my unorthodox interpretation of the myth as it relates to female bodily power. Listen to our conversation here.
FEATURED GUEST on TruHealth!
I have the pleasure of sitting with Kasara D'Elene, M.A., and discussing why a return to sacred feminine consciousness matters for the well-being of women and the world! Listen to our conversation here.
Register for the 2023 Fates and Graces Mythologium conference, “Myth and the Heart.” https://mythologiumconference.com/
Mythologium Conference is July 28th - 30th, 2023
What I’m Reading
The Ancient Mysteries:
A Sourcebook of Sacred Texts
“The Ancient Mysteries”
is a great read for anyone interested in learning more about the meaning behind these ancient secret rituals. Marvin Meyer provides a very concise and easy-to-digest introduction to these sacred rites. This includes an overview of the similarities across cultures, while also providing information on the uniqueness of each tradition. It’s a great book if you want factual information about ancient mystery traditions.
Feature: Women to Follow
Enheduanna
Priestess to the moon god Nanna, poet, and the world’s first author (ca 3rd millennium BCE)
Annalisa at the “She Who Wrote” exhibit featuring the works of Enheduanna.
Pictured with the funeral attire of the infamous Mesopotamian Queen, Puabi.
Enheduanna was a priestess and the world’s first-known author who lived well over 4,000 years ago. She doesn’t have her own Instagram page, but she’s currently having her moment of mass recognition. She is the original influencer from the dawn of written history and her page is a clay tablet.
I recently attended the “She Who Wrote” exhibit at the Morgan Library in NYC and fell in great appreciation for such a powerful and visionary woman.
Enheduanna was a devotee of the great Sumerian goddess, Inanna. She composed at least three powerful poems in praise of Inanna, including the Exaltation of Inanna. She also held a position of great prestige in a culture that was slowly chipping away at women’s rights and sovereignty.
Book suggestion: “Inanna, Lady of the Largest Heart” by Betty de Shong Meador
Upcoming Interviews:
Speaker, Teacher, & Scholar and practitioner in Indigenous contemplative science.
Professor, Author, Artemis Expert & Founder of the Artemis Research Centre
Writer, Sacred Feminine researcher and educator, community builder, initiated priestess in the 13 Moons Lineage, and the host of the Home to Her podcast.
Finding Home, a Journey Back to Myself 🌻
Finding Home, a Journey Back to Myself 🌻
One year ago today, my Godmother left her body and went home. When I got the call from her caregivers, it occurred to me that I wanted to honor her transition from life to life-after-death with a ritual. Immediately, I had the idea to decorate her body with flowers.
But, which flowers would she want me to use for this ritual? Believing that she could hear me across the veil, I asked her, “What color flower would you like me to use?” “Yellow!” I heard her exclaim with glee. Her answer caught me by surprise; I thought for certain my Godmother would have preferred purple flowers—after all, historically, purple is the color of royalty— and she was nothing less than royalty!
As it turns out, I’m glad I followed this instinct . . .
JOURNEY TO THE GODDESS
Finding Home, a Journey Back to Myself 🌻
One year ago today, my Godmother left her body and went home. When I got the call from her caregivers, it occurred to me that I wanted to honor her transition from life to life-after-death with a ritual. Immediately, I had the idea to decorate her body with flowers.
But, which flowers would she want me to use for this ritual? Believing that she could hear me across the veil, I asked her, “What color flower would you like me to use?” “Yellow!” I heard her exclaim with glee. Her answer caught me by surprise; I thought for certain my Godmother would have preferred purple flowers—after all, historically, purple is the color of royalty— and she was nothing less than royalty!
As it turns out, I’m glad I followed this instinct. Several days after my Godmother’s passing, I shared with my mother the story of how I came to choose yellow flowers for the ritual. She gasped and looked at me, surprised, before saying, “Yellow was Michele’s favorite color.”
Shortly after gathering every yellow flower I could find in the store’s paltry flower section, I arrived at my Godmother’s adult family home. For nearly an hour I decorated her head and torso with luminous, scented yellow flowers. Sweet daisies, regal roses, and gargantuan sunflowers embraced the contours of her head and shoulders, emanating a golden glow. When I placed the last rose over her heart, I stepped back and realized I had encapsulated her head in a golden flower crowned halo.
In the stillness of this moment, I was taken aback by the serene glow that was spread across her face. I knew in my heart that she had finally found peace in her final moments. I also knew that she had made it home.
🌻
Throughout much of my adult life, I have been preoccupied with finding my home, primarily driven by geographical location. While finding one’s “home” in a physical space IS important, for many wanderers and seekers such as myself, I’ve discovered that the search for “home” is actually much more complex. “Home” has deep psychological, symbolic, and spiritual meanings equally worthy of exploration. After all, “home is where the heart is.”
Several years ago, seeking advice, I shared a story with my godmother about a man in my life. With rapt attention, she waited until I was finished, pointed to my womb, and told me that the interaction occurred in that way because deep down “he recognized home.” That was the first time I truly understood that home was not just a building with four walls and a roof.
Home is relational.
Home is embodied.
Home is within me because I have a womb. Now, as I recount this story, I realize what a great honor—but also what a great responsibility—it is to have a womb, to embody “home” in such a literal and symbolic way.
Of course, the womb is not the only meaning of home.
In fact, you may have other interpretations. For example, home might be another person. It could even be a beloved pet, or perhaps a favorite tree, lake, or mountain.
For others, home is the location from which their ancestors originated.
Still, I’ve discovered that home can demarcate different life stages. For example, Seattle is my original home, the place where I was born and raised, whereas I consider New York City to be my artistic home. Pacifica Graduate Institute, the place where I received my Masters and PhD, is the home that helped me deepen into my womanhood.
These days I am completely enthralled with exploring what it means to be a woman, especially outside of enculturation. How do we, as women, find our inner home and sense of self as embodied females when society has given us inadequate definitions of “woman”?
Thus, with all of its potential meanings, the quest to find “home” may just be the most meaningful journey of a person’s life. The spiritual teacher Ram Dass was right when he said, “We’re all just walking each other home.” That is, the quest for home is the journey, the only journey each any of us is actually on.
Now it’s your turn. Search within yourself, search your heart, and let me know what home means to you.
🌻 Annalisa, PhD
In Loving Memory of Michele Chelenza
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
Current Journey to the Goddess TV Episodes
Goddess News
What I’m Reading
Feature: In Memoriam
Upcoming Interviews
DON’T FORGET . . .
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Latest Episodes:
“Each of us longs for home. More than a physical space, we each desire the sense of feeling at home. But where do we find that? Why do some places feel more like home than others? How do we create home when we live far away from what feels familiar?” — Jan Peppler, PhD
Check out my conversation with Jan Peppler, PhD to learn about the psychological and archetypal underpinnings of “home” and how to feel at home wherever your are.
It’s easy for creative people to get stuck and bogged down in perfectionism and never quite get their creative visions off the ground. So how exactly can you materialize your creativity? Join me in conversation with Maia Wilde as she offers radically honest advice to those wanting to get out of their own way and take action on their creative visions!
How do myth and eco-consciousness intersect? Find out in this conversation with Fates and Graces cofounders, Dr. Stephanie Zajchowski and Dr. Joanna Gardner.
Goddess News
Featured Speaker at the Mary Magdalene Studies Association annual event. Free of charge!
When: Mary Magdalene’s Feast Day, July 22nd. 8:30am - 5:30 pm Eastern Time Zone.
Where: Live On Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87530708993
Title of Presentation: “Finding Mary Magdalene: Pilgrimage as Homecoming for the Soul” (Scheduled for 1:15pm Eastern)
Featured Speaker at Fates and Graces Mythologium
When: July 29-31st 2022.
Title: “Ecological Empathy: Grief in the Age of the Anthropocene”
Registration is open through July 25th!
In May, I was invited to speak on Maia Wilde’s podcast, “Dirt Road Less Travelled,” to discuss abortion and the recent decision by SCOTUS (draft opinion at the time) to overturn Roe v. Wade. Drawing on my doctoral research, we did a deep dive into the historicity of male-centered societies and their control of women’s reproductive bodies and how this has continued into present-day America. LISTEN to our conversation.
What I’m Reading:
“Goddess Durgā and Sacred Female Power”
This book is a great beginners guide to the history and beliefs of Shakta Tantra. Laura Amazzone combines personal narrative of her first hand account of goddess pilgrimage in Nepal with a deeply researched history of goddess worship in the Hindu and Buddhist Shakta Tantra traditions.
I was excited to learn that this tradition focuses on achieving enlightenment or liberation through the body. More specifically, in this tradition, the female body is the vehicle toward enlightenment! Needless to say, sacralizing the female body is key.
I can’t recommend this book enough to those (especially women) who want to feel empowered in their body.
Feature: In Memoriam
Pearl Means & Rosemary Ruether
Pearl Means
was a film maker, Indigenous Diné activist, and author. (Photo Credit: Mark Gerke. Posted on Native News Online).
Rosemary Ruether
was a feminist theologian, scholar, and eco-feminist. She was a prolific writer, authoring several influential books including, “Gaia and God: An Ecofeminist Theology of Earth Healing.”
This book was pivotal to my understanding of how the Christian religion has justified the domination of women and nature (both codified “feminine”) through mythologies that exalt male divine power while suppressing feminine divine power.
(Photo from: Feminismandreligion.com)
Upcoming Interviews:
Dr. Joanna Kujawa
Scholar. Spiritual Detective. Author of:
“The Other Goddess: Mary Magdalene and the Goddess of Eros and Secret Knowledge”
Dr. Megan Rose
Transformational Psychologist. Pagan Scholar. Ecospiritual Priestess. Holistic Healer. Author of:
“Normalizing the Paranormal: Helping Highly Sensitive People to validate, ground & cultivate their extraordinary gifts & experiences”
Krishna Rose
Oracle of the Grail. Prophetess. Priestess of the Magdalene. Author of:
“Woman in Red: Magdalene Speaks”
“The Other Goddess: Mary Magdalene and the Goddess of Eros and Secret Knowledge”