Chapter 4: The Mother of All Gods
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Tonight’s fire explores stories; the power of story to empower or silence, to inspire or subordinate. Tonight we talk about the two lineages of stories; the ones that serve the dominant culture’s prioritization of profit and the ones that serve the vast and beautiful expression that is this Earth and all its beings. Tonight we introduce one of the oldest living stories from our female heritage; a story that reminds us that as women, we are endowed with the power to lay down the foundation of another world cycle.
Action Steps:
Tell five women about the OneWoman Movement and OneWoman Radio. We will succeed if enough of us wake up and stand together. Together, we can accomplish the unimaginable.
Join us for these free monthly calls, ‘Reweaving Women’s Community’ designed to support you to create and sustain a vibrant woman’s group.
Join our sister organization, Dark Mountain Project, they are, “walking away from the stories that our societies like to tell themselves, the stories that prevent us seeing clearly the extent of the ecological, social and cultural unravelling that is now underway. We are making art that doesn’t take the centrality of humans for granted. We are tracing the deep cultural roots of the mess the world is in. And we are looking for other stories, ones that can help us make sense of a time of disruption and uncertainty.”
Begin to read about our silenced and stolen women’s history and the rich mythology and stories of our heritage (see the Bibliography & Resources section).
Engage in ancestral lineage healing work to heal your family lines and cultivate relationships with your well ancestors, remembering the unique wisdom and blessings nested in your blood and bones – wisdom and blessings the world requires for its wellness.
This is the most subversive Action Step. But it could easily be misunderstood. This is not meditation as we have been taught to meditate. This is deep listening. Set aside 15 minutes in your day to be quiet, inviting awareness of, and permission for, your authentic emotional, soulful experience; listen to your deeper thoughts and connect with the wild world around and within you. This is essential, as unspecific as it may sound. If we cannot quiet ourselves – slipping beneath the cultural noise with its erroneous, deadening narratives – we will not rekindle the wisdom ways that are the antidote to our current human dilemma.
Bibliography & Resources:
Max Dashu’s Suppressed Histories Archive at www.suppressedhistories.net
Dashu, M, Witches And Pagans, Veleda Press, 2016
Griffin, S, The Roaring Inside Her, Sierra Club Books, 1978
Atwood, M Strawberries, an essay
Walker, B, The Women’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, Harper Collins, 1983
Walker, B, The Women’s Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects, Harper Collins
Yuknavitch, Lidia; The Book of Joan, Harper, 2017
Livingstone, G., Hendren, T., & Daly, P.; Re-Visioning Medusa: from Monster to Divine Wisdom, www.girlgod.com, 2017
Garber, M. & Vickers, N.; The Medusa Reader, Routledge, 2003
Gratitude & Appreciation:
The deepest gratitude and appreciation go to the ancestors, to the ancient ones, the blood and bone ancestors and the Earth ancestors of place, of person, the ones who are the keepers of the true stories, the beauty and possibility that human culture has largely forgotten; the ones who have never stopped loving or believing in us. May we awaken, remember and return to the central fire of our responsibility to cherish and tend all Life.
OneWoman Radio Show Production Credits:
Narration written and spoken by Christiane Pelmas
Musical score composed, engineered and mastered by Henry Giebler
All logos, artwork, layout and technology by Alyssa Morin (Alyssa.a.morin@gmail.com)
Grandmother illustration for OneWoman by Kelly Green Porterfield of www.KellyGreenGallery.com
OneWomanRadio Theme Song Credits:
Composed by Henry Giebler
Ancestral Chant created and sung by Angela Blueskies, www.AngelaBlueskies.com
Opening Invocation channeled and spoken by the Reverend Teri D. Ciacchi, www.LivingLoveRevolution.com
Spoken word vocals contributed by:
Maria Bailey
Laure Emlen
Helena Palmquist
Alyson Lanier
Chris Muse
Jolene Monheim
Kai Ping Wu
Julie Daley
Kassandra Brown
Margot Hawk
Feliz Tilek
Adriana Giammaria
Michele Pimenta