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art by Hettienne Grobler

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Queen of Cups - Our Lady of Regla, Yemaya, Goddess of the Oceans

Queen of Cups in the Tarot Deck of the Mysteries of Mary
www.hergracesacredart.com
www.path-of-divine-love.com

Our Lady of Regla, or the Virgin de Regla

The body is like Mary, and each one of us has a Jesus inside him.  If the pain appears, our Jesus will be born.  If no pain arrives, Jesus will return to origin by the same secret way he cane, and we will be deprived of him and reap no joy – Rumi

Our Lady of Regla is the Queen of Cups in the Tarot Deck of the Mysteries of Mary.  You can read more about my deck that I am working on at the blog Mysteries of Mary, www.hergracesacredart.com

  Each shrine is hand crafted using traditional Catholic statues and symbolism, combining these with the wider vision of the Alchemical Journey of the Inner Child.  By juxtaposing these well-known images onto a different context and by re-interpreting them in terms of myths, legend, fairy tale and stories carried down through the ages, a deeper, more meaningful picture unfolds.

This Black Madonna is revered by thousands.  Tradition tells that her statue was buried under a fig tree to safeguard it against an invasion.  The story goes that the statue of the Virgin de Regla was commissioned by Augustine (354-430) himself and brought by Saint Cyprian,  after the death of Augustine and during the invasion of the Vandals to the southern shores of Spain.  The statue found a new home in the seaport city of Chipiona and was venerated in the local monastery by both Augustinian canons and African hermits.  In the eighth century the invasion of Andalusia by the Saracens forced the statue to go underground.  Indeed, the monks hid the image in a cistern next to a fig tree where she remained until the liberation of the country by Alphonse the Wise in the thirteenth century.  In that period, Our Lady manifested herself to a canon regular from León guiding him to the place where the statue lay hidden.  The rediscovery of the hidden image, chalice, and burning lamp led to the revival of the devotion to the Virgin de Regla. The cistern and fig tree still exist, and the location is called Humilladero.

This Black Madonna has many attributes in common with the African goddess Yemaya.  Her colours are blue for the ocean and silver for the moon.  She is represented by crab, fish and shells.  As is often the case with new religion, it assimilates the culture and religion of the land and many African slaves were brought to Spain, bringing their devotion to Yemaya with them.

And in Our Lady of Regla, we see the Great Mother as the protector of the mariners, seaports, provider of the abundance of the oceans and its tides.

The Black Madonna symbolises the dark matter, of both the Earth, our physical mother, as the darkness of matter in the process of alchemy.  And the white Divine Child is very obvious in this shrine, symbolising the Light which humanity can potentially give birth to through spiritual transformation.

“Lady of Regla’s themes are kinship, protection, kindness, the moon, love, devotion, fertility and relationships. Her symbols are fish, the moon, silver (lunar) or blue items (Her favorite color) and the crab.  This West Indian fish mother swims in with summer rains as the bearer of fertility, family unity, prospective life mate and other traditionally lunar energies. Shown in art looking much like a mermaid, the Lady of Regla is also the patroness of the Cancer astrological sign.

In astrology, those born under the sign of Cancer have a great deal of compassion, desire family closeness and stability and are ruled by the moon, all of which characterize this Goddess’s energies to a tee. How you emphasize those powers depends on what you need. For harmony at home, add blue highlights to our decorating scheme and ear pale blue clothing when having difficult conversations.

Eat fish or crab today to digest a little extra self-love or empathy or to encourage fertility in any area of your life. To spice up this magic, serve the fish with a bit of lemon juice – a fruit that emphasizes devotion to kinship.

If you’d like to dream of future loves or get Lady Regla’s perspective on a difficult family situation, leave Her an offering of yams before going to bed. According to local custom, this invokes Regla’s favor and you will experience helpful night visions – so take notes!”(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)

A Blessed Candlemas and Imbolc

February 2 is one of the great cross-quarter days which make up the wheel of the year. It falls midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and in many traditions is considered the beginning of spring. Awakening the Ground In Western Europe, this was the time for preparing the fields for the first planting.    Pamela Berger has written a book, The Goddess Obscured: Transformation of the Grain Protectress from Goddess to Saint, about the rituals celebrated at this time of year, when the ground is first awakened and the seed placed in the belly of the earth. This is a significant moment in a community which depends on the earth for sustenance. The fields were purified and offerings were made to the goddess. This medieval Anglo-Saxon plowing charm, recorded by Berger, was said by the farmer while cutting the first furrow. Whole be thou Earth Mother of men. In the lap of God, Be thous as-growing. Be filled with fodder For fare-need of men. The farmer then took a loaf of bread, kneaded it with milk and holy water and laid it under the first furrow, saying: Acre full fed, Bring forth fodder for men! Blossoming brightly, Blessed become; And the God who wrought the ground, Grant us the gifts of growing, That the corn, all the corn, may come unto our need. The promises of the return of the light and the renewal of life which were made at the winter solstice are now becoming manifest. It's the dawn of the year. It's the time when a woman who is pregnant begins showing. It's time to creep out of the hibernation of winter, cautiously, like the Ground Hog who supposedly emerges on this day to check his shadow. It's the time of germination. This is a traditional time for new beginnings. Covens of witches usually initiate new members at this time.     St. Brigid, the Grain Goddess In Ireland, this holy day is called Imbolc and begins at sunset on February 1 continuing through sunset February 2nd. There are several different derivations offered for the name Imbolc: from Ol-melc (ewe's milk) because the ewes are lactating at this time, from Im-bolg (around the belly) in honor of the swelling belly of the earth goddess, and from folcaim (I wash) because of the rites of purification which took place at this time. All of these explanations capture the themes of this festival. February 1st is the feast day of St. Brigid, who began her life as a pagan goddess and ended up a Christian saint. She was a fire and fertility goddess. In her temple at Kildare, vestal virgins tended an eternal fire. On her feast day, her statue was washed in the sea (purification) and then carried in a cart through the fields surrounded by candles. The legends about the goddess, Brigid, gradually became associated with (the somewhat spurious) Saint Brigid who founded the first convent in Ireland (where else?) at Kildare. To celebrate St. Brigid's day, people put out a loaf of bread on the windowsill for the Saint and an ear of corn for her white cow, offerings for the grain goddess like the loaf buried in the first furrow. A small quantity of special seeds are mixed with those to be sown. Wheat stalks are woven into X-shaped crosses to serve as charms to protect home from fire and lightning. In the HIghlands, women dress the corn doll or last sheaf (from Lammas or the autumn equinox) in a bridal gown and put her in a basket, which is called the Bride's bed. A wand, candle or other phallic object is laid across her and Bride is invited to come, for her bed is ready. Purification The Catholic Church, as it was wont to do, found an opportunity to superimpose a Christian holiday on this pagan festival. Jewish women went through a purification ceremony 40 days after the birth of a male child (80 days after the birth of a female child). So in the 6th century (according to J.C. Cooper in The Aquarian Dictionary of Festivals,February 2 (which falls 39 days after Christmas) was declared the feast of the Purification of Mary. The theme of purification remained a link between the two holy days. Like many miraculous babies, Jesus is recognized as a future hero from the time of his infancy. One of these recognitions occurs in Luke 2:21 when he is being presented in the temple (at the time of Mary's purification ) and a holy man, Simeon, recognizes him as the Christ, calling him “a light for revelation.” This is the ostensible reason given for the custom of bringing candles to church to be blessed by the priest on February 2nd. They are then take home where they serve as talismans and protections from all sorts of disasters. This custom is the origin for the name Candle-mass. In Hungary, according to Dorothy Spicer in The Book of Festivals, February 2nd is called Blessing of the Candle of the Happy Woman (Gyertyazsenteio Boidog Asszony). In Poland, it is called Mother of God Who Saves Us From Thunder (Swieto Matki Boskiej Gromnicznej). Actually, this festival has always been associated with fire. In ancient Armenia (writes Spicer), this was the date of the pagan spring festival in honor of Mihr, the God of fire. Originally, fires were built in his honor in open places and a lantern was lit which burned in the temple throughout the year. When Armenia became Christian, the fires were built in church courtyards instead. People danced about the flames, jumped over them and carried home embers to kindle their own fires from the sacred flames. Since Lent can sometimes begin as early as February 4th, some Candlemas customs became associated with Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) and the beginning of Lent, which is a time of purification. Celebrating Candlemas Candles and Christmas Greens The main element of your decorating scheme for Candlemas is fairly obvious: candles. You can gather all the candles in your home in one room and light them from one central candle. Or place a candle in each window (but watch them carefully). Candlemas is one of the traditional times for taking down Christmas decorations (Twelfth Night, on January 6th, is the other). If you are very careful (because they are tinder dry), you can burn them. Or, better yet, return them to the earth mother by using them for compost or mulch. Certain foods are traditional for Candlemas, including crepes, pancakes and cakes, all grain-based foods. Pancakes and crepes are considered symbols of the sun because of their round shape and golden color. If you have a fireplace, clean out your hearth and then light a new fire. Sit around the fire and reflect on your hopes for the coming year. What do you hope to accomplish? What are you passionate about? What seeds do you wish to plant? Discuss these ideas with others or write them down in a journal but make them concrete in some way so that on Lammas (August 2nd, the festival of the first harvest), you can look back to see what progress you’ve made. Brigid is the goddess of creative inspiration as well as reproductive fertility. This is a good time for sharing creative work, or, if you don't think of yourself as especially creative, an idea that worked or a plan that materialized. Thank the Goddess for her inspiration, perhaps by dedicating a future work to her. Making Pledges and Commitments Since Candlemas is a time of new beginnings, this is a good day to ritually celebrate all things new. Plan a ceremony to name a new baby, officially welcome a new person into a family or plight your troth to your beloved. Make a commitment to a goal (like a New Years resolution): this would be an especially powerful thing to do in a group. In San Francisco, the Reclaiming Collective sponsors a big public ritual called Brigid, which focuses on political commitment. After acknowledging despair over the events of the past year, the participants reflect on the source of their own power and then make a pledge in front of the community about the work they intend to do during the coming year. During this ritual, the flames in a cauldron represent Brigid's Sacred Flame, the fire of inspiration and passion, while a punch bowl filled with waters gathered from all over the world represents Brigid's Holy Well, the source of healing and purification. If you plan your own ceremony, use these two powerful symbols: fire and water. For instance, wash your hands and bathe your face in salt water, which is especially good for purification. Light a candle as you make your pledge. Incorporate the third symbol of the holiday — seeds — by planting a seed or bulb in a pot to symbolize your commitment, or by blessing a bowl or packet of seeds that you will plant later. Purification and Renewal Have you ever given anything up for Lent? If not, you might consider it. You don’t have to be Catholic to gain spiritual benefits from the voluntary surrender of something you cherish. You can give up something frivolous or something serious, but it should be something you will notice. Folk wisdom says it takes six weeks (or approximately the 40 days of Lent) to establish a new habit, so you may end up with a lifestyle change. Since Candlemas is often considered the beginning of spring, you can perform another ritual act of purification: spring cleaning. This would be a good time to do a thorough house cleaning, sweeping the floors with salt water, banishing the gloom of winter and creating a sparkling, shiny new setting for spring.   This wonderful article is extracted from www.schooloftheseasons.com. In the Southern Hemisphere the 2 February is celebrated as Lammas, the harvest of the first fruits.

 

Maria in the history of the motherland Africa

Collage by Young Ju

Mother Africa

....African monarchs are defined as children of the Sun (Ra) or the Moon (Ma or Maia) or the union of the two (Mara or Maria). They worshipped the Goddess of Heaven and Earth, also known as Nomukhubulwane, Kore or Mohale.

www.adsoftheworld.com

'African female leaders were not only political and military leaders, but also priestesses who acted as intermediaries between the nation and the Queen of Heaven and Earth called Mohale,

Nwalinkulunkulu or Nomukubulwane.  The successive Mudjadji Rain Queens were regarded as the incarnation of this goddess.  The 'temporary' replacement of a female Monarch with a male regent is a serious disruption of the relationship between the Balobedu Kingdom and its spiritual and cultural roots.  Thus the restoration of female leadership in Bolobedu is critical for the spiritual and cultural wellbeing of Balobedu and related communities who recognize the Rain Queen as their spiritual and cultural leader.'

These are the words of Prof. Mathole Motshekga, Director and Founder of Kara Heritage Institute, contained in a paper read on the Restoration and Advancement of Cultural and Traditional Governance in democratic South Africa.  The complete paper is available at www.kara.co.za and various books by Prof Motshekga on African spirituality, religion, philosophy and history.

Prof Motshekga explains that the African society was a matriarchal society based on gender equality, but that through the destruction of the African past, identity, culture and religion, the spiritual philosophy and cosmology of the African people has been lost.

The following extracts are from the papers written and presented by Prof Motshekga.

'Indigenous African leaders were divine monarchs (Fura or Faro)...This land of the people is also known as the land of the Sun (Kara/Langa) perceived as the King (Fura or Faro) or God (Ntura).

....African monarchs are defined as children of the Sun (Ra) or the Moon (Ma or Maia) or the union of the two (Mara or Maria).  They worshipped the Goddess of Heaven and Earth, also known as Nomukhubulwane, Kore or Mohale.  The children of this Goddess bear the dynastic title of child (mwana/umtwana) and its variants.

For instance :

Mwana in Mwanamutapa (Zimbabwe)

Mani in Manikara (Sudan)

Mene in Meneptah (Egypt)

These monarchs also worship the Sun God Kara (Greek Krios) or Hara (Greek Horus).'

www.ancientypythoness.com

'The Queen Mother and the Monarch are reflections of the Queen of Heaven (Mara or Maria) and the Son Hara (Greek Horus) symbolised by the falcon God known as Shiri ya Mwari (or Bird of Mohale), popularly known as the Bird of Zimbabwe.  The Goddess Mwari, Mohale or Mwalinkulunkulu is worshipped by the African peoples as a whole.  This Goddess was worshipped at Maphungubwe and other spiritual centres in Southern Africa.'

African culture and religion has at its centre axis the Divine Light.  It also follows the Khemetic maxim (later known as the Hermetic maxim) of As Above, So Below. 'Everything came out of the One that we call God and the Mother thereof is the moon (Ma) and the father thereof is the Sun (Ra) or the union (Ma + ra = Mara) of the two. This Khemetic or Hermetic doctrine is the basis of African Culture and religion. More specifically, this doctrine is based on the Solar Trinity as follows :

The Sun (Ra) is the physical manifestation of the Divine Light (Kara) that we call God. Like the Mind (Atum) of God Ptah, the Sun (Ra) is a male/female principle that split into the mother (Mara) principle. The Mara principle is also a female/male principle made out of both Ma (the mother) and Ra (the Father).  The mother (Ma + Ra = Mara) is represented by the planet Venus (Nehanda).

The mother (Mara) principle gave birth to the Divine Light (Kara) which is represented by the planet Mercury (Kara). Thus the Solar trinity consists of The Sun (the father principle), the planet Venus (the mother principle) and the planet Mercury (Child principle).

The fatherhood and motherhood of the Sun symbolised by the Solar disc or five pointed star mounted on a lunar crescent is called

Ma + ra = Mara

Maia + ra = Maria

The relationship of the Queen of Heaven and Earth (Mara/Muhale) and her son, the word of the Divine Light or Mind/Intellect of the First Cause (Ptah) is symbolised by a baboon carrying a solar disc, mounted on a Lunar Crescent, on its head. This baboon is squatting on a Cube (Kaba) representing the earth (Tamara/Kumara).

The names Tamara and Kumara consist of:

Ta meaning land

Kumara/Tamara meaning the Queen of Heaven and Earth

The Virgin of Montserrat

Thus the earth (Tamara/Kumara) means the earthly mother or land of the Queen of Heaven and Earth. The exposition of the Solar trinity fore grounded the centrality of the mother principle. The spiritual mother (Mara/maria) is known as the Queen of Heaven and Earth. The name Mara/Maria has the following variants:

• Mari (Karanga/Rozwi)

• Mwari (Karanga/Shona)

• Mwarinkurunkuru (Karanga/Shona)

• Mwali (Rozwi/Lozwi)

• Mwalinkulunkulu (Nguni)

• Muali (Lozwi/Khelobedu)

• Muhali (Lozwi/Khelobedu/Venda)

• Mohale (South Sotho)

• Mogale (North Sotho)

• Nwari (Tsonga)

• Nwali (Venda)

• Meri (Ancient Ethiopia and Egypt)

• Meru (Burundi/Rwanda)

• Meroe (Ancient Ethiopia)

The Egyptian and Ehtiopian Coptic churches applied the name Mari/Meri to Mary the mother of Yeshua (Greek Jesus) the Nazarene. Those are the various names by which southern African people call the Queen of Heaven and Earth.

The Queen of Heaven and Earth was worshipped at Great Zimbabwe, Matopo hills, Maphungubwe, Lwandali (now Tshiendeulu), Makonde, Maulwe and various other places in Southern Africa.

The Queen of Heaven and Earth (Muhale or Nwali) is the mother of the Mind or Word of the First Cause (Ptah) known as Mbekira, Mberaka or Mbire. 

Goddess Mawu by Lisa Iris

African pilgrims went to these religious heritage sites to worship Mwari (or Muhale), the Queen of Heaven and Earth who was worshipped as Kore, Mari or Sabanyadatja. Thus devotees of African Religion were also called Sabians. Uptill this day devotees of African religion, indegeneous African Christian Churches and politicians still pay homage to Mwari of Matomboni who appears in the form of an eagle (Raluvhimba/Ralebepe) or a star at Masisi, Mberengwa in Southern Zimbabwe and Makonde in the Vhembe district. The symbols of this Goddess are the python (Domba/Demba) biting its tail and a baboon (Soko Mbire) that moves from Luonde to Mashau and Nahakwe at Ha Mamaila Kolobetona.



Goddess creator, mother of all people, Nyame in Africa

image from http://journeyingintothegoddess.wordpress.com

 



The concept of Goddess Creator, mother of all people, is common throughout Africa, although Her name may vary according to place. For example, in southern Ghana, during their early history when society was organized on a matrilineal basis, Nyame was their most important deity. She was worshipped as the creator goddess who made humans out of water, the supreme deity of the Ashanti people. She is the vital force of creation whose female nature appears as the Moon and whose male aspect takes the form of the Sun. It is as the Moon goddess, that Nyame is the mother of the Cosmos.

Nyame had numerous symbols—each aspect of her had one or more. The triangle, denoting Her power over the heavens, the earth, and the underworld, was Her symbol as creator and Supreme Being. The Full Moon, a circle, symbolized the Great Mother. Nyame is all knowing, all powerful. Her permission must be asked before a grave can be dug, for the earth is her body. It is Nyame who gives the soul its life and destiny and lovingly receives Her children when they die.

In many areas of Africa, carved ceremonial figures of the Nyame reveal the widespread reverence for Her, and She is invoked to open a new field before planting. 

 

- with thanks to http://reclaimingthedarkgoddess.blogspot.com 

Nkosazane, Goddess of Africa

“African Spirit Series II” by Ricardo Chávez-Méndez

 

 

Inkosazana is the personification of nature, the African goddess of agriculture. She is sometimes referred to as Nomkhubulwane and Her dwelling place is in the rivers and the forests surrounding them. She is a very popular and much loved goddess who is known by Her people as Lady Heaven who rules the celestial bodies and the lives of women and girls. She is always young because She has not children of Her own. She is responsible primarily for cereal grains which is an important element of the Zulu diet. And, as the rain goddess, She is often associated with rainbows.

In fact, She can manifest as a rainbow, a snake, a mermaid, a beautiful white woman, or as the life-giving rain, but She is not commonly seen. It is said that the primitive men knew her. No one existing at the present time ever saw her...or perhaps they did and knew it not. As the deity of agriculture, She is called upon in the Spring to bring fertility to the land; as the sender of rains for the growing crops and protects the women and girls who hoe the fields, but for the season to go well it is necessary when hoeing the field of Inkosazana for the women to get rid of any ill feelings they may have towards others.

 

- with thanks to http://reclaimingthedarkgoddess.blogspot.com

 



The Harvest Moon Festival of the Mother of the Earth 2008

International Goddess Conference 2008

The Harvest  Moon Festival of the Mother of the Earth   

    

       Friday 21 March to Sunday 23 March 2008

             Full Moon Autumn Equinox Mabon Weekend

                                          

International Goddess Conference 2008

The Harvest  Moon Festival of the Mother of the Earth       

       Friday 21 March to Sunday 23 March 2008

             Full Moon Autumn Equinox Mabon Weekend

                                           Artemis in Franschhoek                                                             

The time has come to bring Her home; to bring Her symbols and message back to the awareness of the people of Africa, the cradle of mankind, the womb of all humanity.  The Conference is an opportunity to explore the Goddess path, to learn more about the Goddess Within and Without, and to experience her nurturing and healing nature.  Share in the joy and pure fun of celebrating with a Goddess community!

KoKo Newport, Priestess of Avalon, Glastonbury will present a workshop on how to create your own ceremonial girdle  - Shirley Watchow,facilitator of the Woman of the Land™ workshops which focus on the empowerment of women - Helen Schuck, creatrix of the Sacred Goddess Labyrinth of Nemetona and author of Zenzile, A Child of Africa, will lead us in our sacred quest under the full moon into the labyrinth of Artemis,  - LindieLila – Goddess of the Moon, Sacred Dance and Song Workshop and creatrix of the song Mama Gaia – Shakti Malan offer Shakti, the Goddess in all Her sexual power, Marguerite van der Merwe,  author of Eve-lution, Hettienne Grobler on the relevance of the Goddess path today, and others.  Sacred hikes and ceremonies with Dean Liprini of Sunpath Tours, participate in ritual, ceremony and chants.  Sacred temple drama, ecstatic dance, full moon labyrinth walk, scatter your offerings at the various Goddess shrines, ancient wheat dolly making ritual, carry the image of Goddess onto Her sacred lands, come dressed in goddess finery and ceremonial clothing!!  An abundance fair will offer cloaks, headdresses, Goddess rosaries, Goddess icons and statues, ceremonial knives, Goddess music.

INTERNATIONAL GODDESS CONFERENCE

ARTEMIS, FRANSCHHOEK, SOUTH AFRICA

Thursday 20 March to Monday 24 March 2008

The Full Moon Harvest Festival of the Great Mother took place during the Full Moon Autumn Equinox/Mabon weekend of 20 - 24 March 2008.

We, as men and women, are faced with healing the feminine wound and with a return to balance, both within and without. Those on the goddess path of consciousness find our healing through a wholistic spiritual experience, through embodiment of the Goddess and her Divine Beloved, God. As women and men, living in a patriarchal society, we have been confronted with God in only a male body.  Through the years of patriarchy, women's bodies did not belong to themselves, but to their husband or king or church.  We learned to hate our bodies unless it conformed to a male ideal.  We learnt to 'curse' our female body cycles and our experiences became steeped in shame and guilt. We were effectively cut off from our bodies, separated from a Divine Feminine Model, who could lead us as inner guide and teacher.   We reclaim our feminine souls and the sanctity of our inner lives through recognition of the goddess as a symbol of holiness of the immanent world, the physical, the here and now and the passion of the soul.

By reclaiming the Lost Feminine and Her sanctity, we restore the sanctity of women and womanly values.

The goddess forces us to embrace the natural cycles of birth, death and rebirth with its inevitable rhythm.  She does not allow us to escape, nor do we need to run away;  She liberates us into a new life in which we are free to experience every moment in its fullest, without fear of failure.

The goddess is so much more than mere myth or archetype in the feminine psyche.  The Divine Mother is a living experience of love, nurture and compassion.  She can be experienced in a direct and personal way.

The image of goddess as a feminine image of the Divine, evokes the web of life that connects every living being to both nature and the supernatural.  The image of deity as feminine Goddess is the oldest known religious image.  Religion refers here to the internal understanding of that which binds us to a greater power and not the external authority of dogma and structure. And indeed, that is what Goddess 'religion' epitomizes for me :  a holistic world view and an embodied understanding of the world and our place in it. 

A feminine image of the Divine, alongside a masculine image,  brings balance back to our world view.  It restores to our consciousness the value of women and their womanly ways of doing things.  It gives power to the feminine aspects of our being, both men and women.  

The symbols and rituals of a goddess practice bring the original understanding of our connectedness and interrelatedness to one another and the Divine, back to our consciousness.  Goddess practice implies embodied love as the ground of all being.  Nature is a living, conscious, intelligent being and all those who live on her, share in this interdependent relationship.  Thus the Goddess path calls for the incorporation and development of greener and holistic practices of thriving on her soil.  Goddess is indeed the body of the earth.  She is also nature, natural and Divine.

By accepting the Goddess back into our consciousness, and allowing Her to guide and lead us, and following Her ways of wisdom, we are led into the Sacred Inner Garden of regeneration and ultimately, we are led to the One.

On the first day we entered Her Temple.  A sacred space filled with the sound of bare feet, soft Goddess chants in the background and the perfume of sacred incenses : a sensual and loving womb space.  Proudly in place were the Dogon Sheela-na-Gig that found her way back to Africa.  The Sheela-na-Gig is a wooden carving, probably the door of a female bleeding hut used for retreat for women during their menses, by the Dogon people in their villages in Africa.  This Sheela-na-Gig was brought back to Africa by Koko Newport, Priestess of Avalon.

In the corner the image of the Mother of the Harvest quietly stood.  She was covered in silks and rich cloths, carrying a basket of the last fruits of the harvest.  By the end of the Conference she wore the many prayers and amulets of those who offered the blessing of their participation.

Inside the Temple of the Full Moon Harvest Festival

\

The Sealskin Story by Storyteller Koko

Making of the Corn Brides

Sacred Goddess Icon Banners by Lydia Ruyle decorated the Temple and the Conference Venue.  Lydia created each one these divine images of Goddess and lovingly chose the most appropriate ones for the Goddess Conference in South Africa.  Visit Lydia's website atwww.lydiaruyle.com

       

 

The full moon rising over the ritual in labyrinth

Calling in in the light of the Full Moon

Priestesses in the Sacred Grove

PORTRAITS

KUNDALINI STAVAH by VALENTINO LEO

Full Moon Harvest Festival of the Great Mother

Let my every word be a prayer to Thee

Every movement of my hands a ritual gesture to Thee

Every step I take a circumambulation of Thy image

Every morsel I eat a rite of sacrifice to Thee

Every time I lay down a prostration at Thy feet;

Every act of personal pleasure and all else that I do,

Let it all be a form of worshipping Thee.

From verse 27 of Shri Aadi Shankara's Saundaryalahari

                                                      

 

 

International Goddess Conference

 Friday  21 to Sunday 23  March 2008

Fringe happening on

 Thursday 20 and Monday 24 March 2008

The Harvest  Moon

Festival of the Mother of the Earth

                  

The first ever international Goddess Conference in South Africa will be hosted

 during the Full Moon Autumn Equinox weekend in March 2008, on Artemis, Franschhoek, Cape, South Africa.. 

    

Goddess, Feminine Mystical Trinity, All That Is

Goddess is All That Is.  She is matter and spirit.  She is body, mind and soul.  She is Ma. 

She gives birth to us.  She nurtures, suckles, provides.  She sanctifies matter and materializes spirit. 

She is our Wholeness, our reason for being.  She is the redeeming innocent maiden, the fierce passionate mother and the dark wise crone within.  She is the phases of the moon, reflected in the cycles of our bodies, she is the dark night sky, she is the earth and she is the heavens.  She is the Great Cosmic Mother.

The image of Goddess as a feminine image of the Divine, evokes the web of life that connects every living being to both nature and the supernatural.  The image of deity as feminine Goddess is the oldest known religious image.  Religion refers here to the internal understanding of that which binds us to a greater power and not the external authority of dogma and structure. And indeed, that is what Goddess 'religion' epitomizes for me :  a holistic world view and an embodied understanding of the world and our place in it.

 

A feminine image of the Divine brings balance back to our world view.  It restores to our consciousness the value of women and their womanly ways of doing things.  It gives power to the feminine aspects of our being, both men and women.  It places emphasis on nurturance, rather than war;  it honours cooperation more than competition;  it joins rather than divide.  A feminine image of the Divine restores value and dignity to women and their natural physical cycles.

Thealogy (Thea - Goddess and logos - meaning) is not the intellectual study of Goddess and Her implications, but rather a way of living and experiencing your natural life.  This is indeed the difference between Theology and Thealogy.  The masculine one is indeed an action of the mind;  the feminine one an embodiment.

The symbols and rituals of Goddess practice bring the original understanding of our connectedness and interrelatedness to one another and the Divine, back to our consciousness.  Goddess practice implies embodied love as the ground of all being.  Nature is a living, conscious, intelligent being and all those who live on her, share in this interdependent relationship.  Thus the Goddess path calls for the incorporation and development of greener and holistic practices of thriving on her soil.  Goddess is indeed the body of the earth.  She is also nature, natural and Divine.

She is the One that gives birth to all life;  She is also the One that ends life.

It is to have the freedom and understanding to call God both Mother and Father.

The Conference will honour Goddess as Mother of all. 

We will make our pilgrimage to the Mother in

Her many splendid

forms as Table Mountain, the Full Moon, the spiral of the Labyrinth,

a sacred circle of cypress trees and in Her power of

Sacred Drama, myth, poetry, art and sound.

We will celebrate Her abundance, Her nurturance, Her limitless Love

We will honour the Mother that we have forgotten in Africa

and we will re-member Her ancient history.

 The main colours for the conference are gold, brown and orange.

You are invited to wear these colours during the duration of the Conference.

Ceremonial clothing are welcome.

The Conference is an opportunity to explore the Goddess path,

to learn more about the Goddess Within and Without,

and to experience her nurturing and healing nature.

It is an opportunity to make a pilgrimage to sacred sites

dedicated to Her aeons ago and now being re-newed.

It is also an opportunity to make your own sacred pilgrimage to

Goddess and to re-dedicate yourself to Her principles of

Love, Acceptance, Transformation, Grace and Healing.

 Share in the joy and pure fun of

celebrating with a Goddess community!

Full programme and bookings is now open on this website.

BOOK AND PAY BEFORE 30 NOVEMBER 2007 AND RECEIVE A BEAUTIFUL GODDESS ROSARY.

                                                                                    
                               International Goddess Conference 2008

Harvest Moon Festival

 Great Mother of the Earth

Main Conference Friday 21 March to Sunday 23 March 2008

Fringe Thursday 20 March and Monday 24 March 2008

Artemis, Franschhoek, South Africa

The Conference is hosted by Her Temple, priestesses and initiate priestesses of the Great Mother, Goddess loving men and women, poets, artists, dancers and those committed to the expression of Her beauty and wisdom through Sacred Imagination, Art, Myth and feminine spirituality.  You are invited to join us in a pilgrimage to the ancient and sacred site, Artemis, nestled in the cauldron of the Franschhoek Valley, guarded by two statuesque images of the pregnant Mother and the birthing Mother in the mountains.

The Goddess Conference is a spiritual event and pilgrimage, open to all Goddess loving women and men. The Harvest Moon Festival offers you the experience of entering Her Temple and priestessing Her Presence through participation in ceremony,  ritual, song and dance.  You will be able to celebrate the Goddess in a sacred space dedicated to Her,  offer prayers in her temple, take part in procession and ceremony, walk the Artemis labyrinth in the light of the Harvest Full Moon, join in a Sacred Drama, learn ancient Sacred Priestess Dances, participate in a night of Ecstatic Dance, make Corn Dollies as an ancient traditional harvest ritual and receive Her Love and nourishment through the beauty of Art.

These celebrations are an opportunity for you to learn about Goddess and Her aspects, to explore the relevance of Her path in today's modern world, to renew your commitment to your essence of love and to enjoy yourself in the company of like-minded Goddess loving people.

Join us in this magical event as we bring Her back to Africa, the continent of the Dark Mother and anchor Her Love into our land. Koko Newport, Priestess of Avalon, will hand over to Her Temple, an ancient Sheela Na Gig carving of the African Goddess.  As Women and Men of the Land we will walk across the landscape, chanting Her ancient songs, invoking Her in all Her aspects and giving thanks through drumming and dance.

 

FULL PROGRAM GODDESS CONFERENCE 2008

COSTS :  
Main Conference Ticket Friday 20 to Sunday 23 March 2008        R1000/$140/£70 
Extra Three Hour Workshops (choose 2)                                                                    R200/$28/£14 
On the Fringe : 
Thursday 20 March - Autumn Equinox Sunrise Hike and ceremony - Dean Liprini - R200/$28/£14 
Monday 24 March - Full day hike and ceremony at Motherstone - Dean Liprini-R400/$56/£28 
  
Friday 21 March 2008  
Morning 9 to 11.30 am.  Registration for the Conference. Enter Her Temple adorned with magnificent paintings by Andrea Desmond-Smith, goddess banners by Lydia Ruyle and other Goddess art displays.  Time to offer your sacred offerings at the four main altars, light prayer candles at the shrine,  and add your personal offering to the image of the Harvest Moon Goddess. Immerse yourself and fill your senses with Her image and beauty.  This space is crafted to take you out of everyday time and routine and where you may re-emerge through the veils, empowered by your experiences, nurtured and strengthened, brimming over with grace. Also time to admire all the wonderful art works on display, meander through the sacred landscape, visit the labyrinth in your own time and spend some reflective time in the outdoor shrines. 


11.30 to 12.30  Welcome Circle for all.  Introductions and Opening ceremony.  Join in the ancient ceremony of invoking the Goddess in Her aspects to bless this conference and celebrations.   Hettienne Grobler - What is the relevance of Goddess today? 


12.30 to 2 pm Lunch - bring a picnic lunch or buy a healthy, organic light lunch to carry with you into the olive grove. Enjoy your meal in the beautiful landscape (remember your blanket and camping chair - see notes below).  Lunch will also be served at the Goddess Eaterie, right next door to the Temple.  Prepare to be seduced by Robert and his fire food. 


Afternoon 2 pm to 5 pm  Extra Workshops - choose one - R200,00
Helen Schuck - Opening The Seven Seals of Consciousness - A Sacred Labyrinth Walk 
Marguerite van der Merwe - Grace and Power - restoring Presence and Body Awareness 
Lindie Lila - Goddess of the Moon, Sacred Dance and Song Workshop 
Sheri Parks - Fierce Angels:  The Divine Dark Feminine in Daily Life 


5 to 7.30 pm Supper - Dine under the starlight sky in the al fresco restaurant specially created for this event by our chef Robert. 


Evening 7.30 pm till late Opening Ceremony with participation for all.  LindieLila will enchant us with a Goddess song specially written for and dedicated to this Harvest Moon Festival and the Moon Goddess. Bring your musical instruments and join us in ancient Goddess chants and songs.  Hettienne will teach some of the ancient dances sacred to Goddess and as danced in her temples and then guide you into a night of absolute bliss as experienced through Ecstatic Dance dedicated to Goddess Within.


Saturday 22 March 2008 


Breakfast will be served at the Goddess Eaterie from 7.30 am. 


Morning 9 to 12.30 am Processional ceremony carrying the image of the Harvest Moon Goddess and consecrated Goddess banners into the landscape.  Participate in abundance and blessing ritual led by Priestesses.  Ceremonial handing over of Sheela na Gig by Koko, Priestess of Avalon.  


Poetry as Praise Song to the Goddess by Marguerite van der Merwe. 

“Come into my garden,” whispered the Goddess as we slid gently into Her earthly creation – as we live and move and have our Being – as we slide into one moment and out into the next. In the Garden of the Goddess is all that is. Those that lean close to Her heartbeats are the poets of all time, responding in language and song to convey the essence and soul of what they experience.

   In an interactive journey we will meet a collage of poets who have walked with Goddess/God and given us glimpses and praise-songs of Her reality.

Goddess chants and music for participation by all. 


Shirley Watchow - Woman of the Land™  will speak about her passion : the empowerment of women. 


12.30 to 2 pm Lunch - bring a picnic lunch or buy an organic, fresh, meal from the Goddess Eaterie. 


Afternoon 2 pm to 5 pm Extra Workshops - choose one - R200,00 
Rachel McCann - Gaia's Wisdom, Listening to the voice of our mother earth 
Shakti Malan - Shakti, the Goddess in all Her sexual power 
Natalia Baker - The marriage of sexuality and spirituality 
Koko Newport - Join Koko in making your own personal sacred dedicated Goddess girdle.  Should you book for this workshop, you will be supplied with a list of what to bring along. 


Dinner will be served al fresco, at a beautiful Goddess Eaterie, specially created for this event, by chef and Vedic Astrologer Robert and his staff.  Eat by candle light under the full moon and be prepared to be seduced by Robert's fire food and Mabon Harvest. 


Evening 7.30 pm till late  MABON CEREMONY Celebrate the Harvest Moon Festival with us in an ancient ritual, giving thanks for the abundant harvest of the Mother.  Participate in a Sacred Drama - a re-enactment of one of her mythical journeys, with a full cast of witches, wizards, journeys to the underworld, with a great deal of fun!! or participate in the Full Moon Labyrinth Walk led by Helen.  By invoking the energies of Nemetona, the Divine Goddess of the Nemeton, we will be offered the opportunity to re-awaken and re-connect to our divine feminine nature.  This Divine Mother of the Labyrinth and "She of the Sacred Grove" will infuse us with wisdom and compassion and assist in our re-birth. Join us around the bonfire and dance, chant and drum till late. 


Sunday 23 March 2008    


Breakfast will be served at the Goddess Eaterie from 7.30 am. 
 Morning 9 to 12.30 am Dean Liprini takes us on a powerful visual pilgrimage to the Southwestern tip of Africa.  With spectacular photography, he will unveil such mysterious phenomena as the 'sacred light grid' that surrounds Table Mountain - a network of sacred springs, caves and stone giants, geometrically-aligned to interact with the major solar and lunar events. 
Sheri Parks, Ph.D.  We are all Fierce and Nurturing : The Dark Mother Within. The Dark Mother represents the potential of women to be both fierce and nurturing.  Her role in everyday life has been preserved through the life roles of dark women.  The emerging recognition of the Dark Mother has implications for all women.  This session investigates the roles that the Dark Mother plays in popular mythologies. 
KoKo Newport - On being the bad mother?! 


12.30 to 2 pm  Lunch - bring a picnic lunch or buy a beautiful, fresh organic meal from the Goddess Eaterie, catered by Robert, Vedic Astrologer and Chef. 


Afternoon 2 pm to 5 pm Participate in the ancient sacred ritual of making Harvest Blessing Dollies with wheat ceremoniously harvested on local land. Blessing ritual of Dollies.  Take your dolly home with you and carry the seed for next year's conference.  
Blessing circle - blessing of candles and passing on the Flame of Avalon, Eternal Flame of Brigid, Glastonbury Goddess Conference flame and Harvest Moon Blessing Flame of South Africa!  Take your candle home with you and pass the flame on. 
Closing ceremony.


FRINGE EVENTS 
with Dean Liprini of Sunpath Tours 


Thursday 20 March 2008 
Autumn Equinox - Sunrise Ceremony - Fertility Stones of Little Lion's Head 
Time : 5.30 am to 8.30 am    Meeting place : parking area below the Suikerbossie restaurant in Hout Bay  Bring warm clothes, a torch for the ascent, a snack, water, tea to share, any prayers or intentions for yourself, humanity and our planet 
We will ascend a short distance to a sacred shelter and alignment to capture and experience this amazing day of balance - Equal Light and Dark!     
Cost R200,00                     


Monday 24 March 2008 
Day Hike to The Great Motherstone  
Come and explore this magical place of ritual where Earth, Sea and Sky meet.    Honoured by the ancients as the sleeping place of the sun. Where the Sun symbolically died.  Here are caves and shell middens used by ancient people.  This is an easy walk.  We will share with you what archaeologists found and lead you safely through these sacred caves, still steeped with the spirit of ancestors, we also experience the power and beauty of the Great Motherstone.              
Duration : start at 10.30 am, picnic lunch is included, end with a sunset meditation at 7 pm.
Bring along : sensible shoes, a hat, water, something warm to wear. 
Cost : R400,00                                                
  
DESCRIPTION OF WORKSHOPS 


Marguerite van der Merwe - Grace and Power - restoring Presence and Body Awareness 

We are born in Beauty, Truth, Love. Gifted with an instrument of superb design and functioning.   As we cultivate Awareness and Consciousness in this workshop, we will rediscover our rightful inheritance in the Grace, Power, Strength and Ease of the fundamental and basic activities of daily life. We will re-learn to move, sit, stand, bend and walk effortlessly, without tension – and uncover and let go of habits that interfere with this perfection.  The secrets of Relaxedness and skilful, healthy, joyful ‘Being and Doing’    A profound yet simple restoration of heightened awareness and skilfull living. Coming deeply in touch with who we are.

Lindie Lila - Goddess of the Moon, Sacred Dance and Song Workshop                                                                                              
 The time is ripe to explore.  Sensation's wild, don't ignore.  The moon shines bright on my skin. I feel a drumbeat from within.  Let's do the moondance And let us see what the moondance Brings out in me!  Tune into your Sacred Self by using dance and song, in a safe and nurturing environment.  Rediscover your essence nature, with no pressure to be perfect.  We are constantly bombarded with outside opinions and ideas of what we should be, how we should look, and how we should be woman.  In this workshop you have the opportunity to reconnect to the sacred female energy lying dormant and suppressed in most of us.  Learn the Moondance Ritual.  Learn to tone and chant through sacred singing.  Discover your own passion, freedom and fire within!  Connect to the Moon Goddess - the sacred feminine divine. 
  
 Sheri Parks - Fierce Angels:  The Divine Dark Feminine in Daily Life
 The Dark Feminine is the oldest archetype in the world. After being pushed to the margins of recognized religious life, she has nevertheless  continued to be manifest in mainstream popular cultures and in the daily and spiritual lives of people around the world. As the  interested and redemptive stranger, the knowing guide through chaos, as the last friend and rescuer, as the oracle of God or the feminine face of God, she appears in film, television, novels, art and theatre. In many cultures, she is the only female who is celebrated as being both fierce and nurturing. Dark women have preserved the role, often unselfconsciously, in their daily lives and continue to use their connection to the power and the reverence for survival and social change.
  


Shakti Malan - Shakti, the Goddess in all Her sexual power 
The ancients knew that there is power in women’s sexuality… the kind of power that can give birth to the worlds, and that can open us into god(dess) consciousness. For some millennia now, humanity has needed to forget about this power a little, and focus on developing the masculine. But we are at a new time now, a time when the meeting of masculine and feminine in their full power is needed for the opening of the unconditional love. And for this, the rediscovery of the power of female sexual energy is a powerful vehicle. You are invited to an exploration of the power of female sexuality, which is also an introduction to Tantra. The themes of the workshop will be:

• A brief look at the sexual history of humankind – from matriarchy to patriarchy and beyond
• Into the dark forest: ways of exploring what is hidden/ unknown in your awareness through sexuality
• Here I am: some gentle experiences of being totally present, in all your senses, in your sexuality, here and now
• On female sexuality: an introduction to some little known mysteries about how sexual energy can move through women… on our own, or in acts of transcendence with another.
• Giving blessing: How you can bless the world with the power of your sexuality.

This will be a day of dancing, listening, story telling, acting, and much sharing… so that we, men and women on this planet may come to embody the goddess in her full glory.

  


Koko Newport - Priestess of Avalon - Make your own Goddess girdle.                                                                      
We will create a Goddess Girdle reflecting the beauty and sovereignty of our true selves. Journeying together to collect, heal and empower our priestess selves we will honour our beauty and  dance our power selves.
Using cord magic we will weave our girdles with power, healing and joy. Please bring rattles for journey work.
Any pieces of old jewellery, shells, feathers or artifacts of significance to sew onto your girdle.
  
  

Harvest Moon Festival of Great Mother

2008

Contributors to our first ever Goddess Conference in South Africa!

HETTIENNE GROBLER
Lives in Durbanville, Cape, South Africa.  She has been exploring feminist spirituality and Goddess consciousness, since she had her first vision of Goddess at the age of fourteen.  Being a natural psychic and medium, her life journey has been to understand and live out that which she senses and perceives on other levels of existence. Her search has taken her on many spiritual pilgrimages to ancient countries and shrines; exploring the ritual and liturgy of different religions and cultures.  Finally, standing in Rome, looking at the Temple of the Vestal Virgins, did she understand the words of the call and answered.  Her understanding and teaching of Goddess is based on her personal relationship with the Feminine Within.  Having attended the Goddess Conference in Glastonbury, organized by Kathy Jones, for a number of years, the vision of having an International Goddess Conference in South Africa, was born during an ecstatic dance.  She returned home and established Her Temple - a sacred space serving as a chalice for the energies of the Great Mother and the spiritual nourishment of all women and men who visit this space.  She leads a group of women in Ecstatic Sacred Dance, where communion with the Divine becomes an everyday event.  Her message is that a return of the Mother is happening and that we, both as men and women, need Her in our psyche and hearts.  


Koko Newport


Lives in Glastonbury, United Kingdom and is a Priestess of Avalon.  She runs a priestess house  in Glastonbury, the Isle of Avalon.  Spending time with Koko is a real magical experience:  you may cry to release, you will laugh,   you will be touched deeply in your heart.
Koko is a true gift of the Goddess to this world : a great teacher and initiator of the Lady's mysteries.
She has done extensive training in the shamanic arts and many healing modalities with a thriving practice for many years.     She works as a Spiritual Guide in the magical land of the ancients and holds a safe space for pilgrims to visit.  She is a world traveller and a traveller of worlds.


SHAKTI MALAN
Shakti, the Sanskrit name for the Goddess who embodies the power of female sexual/creative energy.   It also means blessing.  Many moons ago, on a vision quest in the Little Karoo, Shakti came to visit me, gave me Her name and told me my work is about 'what it means to be a woman'.  This has led me on to an awesome journey of awareness and into Tantra, the ancient art of Sacred Sexuality.  Shakti is a Tantra teacher and Tantrika and member of the SA Advait School of Tantra Yoga.  It is her passion and devotion to share the sexual wisdom of the Goddess - the feminine in her totality - with men and women.  Through the power of dancing, story telling, acting and listening, Shakti guides others through their journey to claiming their sacred sexuality.  Her workshop at the conference will be   Shakti - the Goddess in all Her sexual Power.        



MARGUERITE VAN DER MERWE
is an internationally-accredited teacher of the Alexander Technique with 20 years experience, widely studied in the fields of body, mind and spirit - bringing to her teaching a gentle, open, practical, holistic approach.  Aware of the negative influences of our Age on personal serenity, health, wellbeing and poise, she has focused on integrating scientific, psychological and spiritual understanding into the realms of the Body to build overall health in a natural, intelligent, gentle but effective way.  She has delivered many talks on her field of experience, conducted workshops in America, many workshops locally as well as retreat/workshops combining Alexander Technique with T-ai Chi, Meditation, Walking, yoga and writing.  She is the author of 'EVE-OLUTION - Enrichment of Feminine Consciousness and Body Awareness', being particularly interested in work with Women.     Join her talks and workshops entitled, The Goddess Speaks... and Grace and Power - restoring Presence and Body Awareness.                      

LINDIE LILA
Music that sounds like the breath of mystical mountains, feels like the heat of a middle earth fire and affects you like an ancient ritual.  It would definitely taste like chili chocolate if you could taste it!  The hypnotic drones are filled with soul shaping passion.  Her music has the ability to initiate you into the unknown ...  Lindie Lila is a singer/songwriter/middle eastern dancer and acoustic performer, with a soulful and intimate style of music.  She is accompanied by her band called Bayembi Spirit, which means 'Spirit of the Musician'.  She has a background of studying jazz and becoming a professional middle eastern dancer.  She owned her own dance school and in this time she started writing her own music.   Her band members include a gifted musician from the Congo, Jason Tamba and Ronan Skillen, a gifted Indian Table and Didgeridoo percussionist.  Since 2005 she has performed professionally and shared the stage with people like DNA Strings, Jan Blom, Karin Zoid, Malaika and Arno Carstens.  She has performed at many music festivals, like Innibos in Mpulalanga,   Aardklop and she took a production to KKNK in 2007 with great success.  With the production of her cd MOONDANCE, she entered into a personal journey and dance with the Great Goddess.  She is bringing the Goddess of the Moon, Sacred Dance and Song Workshop to the Conference.    


SHERIPARKS                                                                                                                                                                
Sheri Parks, Ph.D. is honoured to have inherited her family and community traditions of wise and strong black women, which she has traced back to the time of slavery in the American South.  She is an associate professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, USA, where she follows manifestations of cultural myth in popular culture and ordinary life.  She is a longtime media host and public intellectual and interviews with her have appeared in national and international forums, including the BBC, CNN, Newsweek Magazine, The New York Times and The Washington Post.  Currently, she is writing a book,   Fierce Angels:  The Mythology of the Strong Black Woman in American Life, to be published in early 2009 by the One World imprint of Random House Publishers.

SHIRLEY WATCHOW
Shirley Watchow is facilitator of the Woman of the Land™  workshops which focus on the empowerment of women.  She is passionate about teaching women the importance of living their lives fully.  She has been facilitating these workshops for the past two years.  Shirley has been involved in transformation and personal development for the past 17 years, facilitating on workshops of up to 100 people with male and female participants of all ages.  After leaving a 13 year relationship Shirley considered her options and what direction her new life would take her.  After visiting the Eastern Cape she was moved by the plight of the women she saw and the idea of the Woman of the Land™  was born.  Parts of the workshop were drawn from her own personal experiences and her learning's from them.


DEAN LIPRINI
Dean Liprini is an independent researcher and geomancer who has spent the last 17 years researching sacred sites at the southern tip of Africa.  In his work, he brings together many fields of inquiry - archeology, astronomy, sacred geometry, geology and history - and links these academic studies to the metaphysical and to the mythology and legends of the Khoi and San peoples of southern Africa.  He has mapped out the many sacred sites, burial caves and rock art of the ancient peoples of Southern Africa.  With spectacular photography, he will unveil such mysterious phenomena as the 'sacred light grid' that surrounds Table Mountain Goddess - a network of sacred springs, caves and stone giants, geometrically-aligned to interact with the major solar and lunar events.  He works intimately with the chakra system of the Table Mountain Goddess.  Dean has compiled a thesis and his recently published book 'Pathways of the Sun' brings together these fields of enquiry and he has researched the healing potential of these sacred sites.  Dean runs the company Sacred Tours and leads spiritual tours and ceremony for those who are involved with individual/collective process work, light grid work, planetary healing and all round raising of human consciousness.       
Andrea Desmond-Smith
Andrea Desmond-Smith is a mytho-poetic artist combining elements of myth and fantasy with a deeply felt concern with the destruction of our planet. The themes that permeate her work are metamorphosis, resurrection and the four elements of Western alchemy: water, earth, fire and air. Her work is in public and private collections in South Africa and in Europe.  Andrea and her partner Kobus, are the creator and creatrix and keeper of the sacred piece of land called Artemis - ancient Greek goddess of the moon and untamed places, guardian of our imagination and wild natures.
 
KOBUS STANDER
Kobus and Andrea are the keepers of the sacred piece of land called Artemis.   Kobus is a blacksmith and woodwright. Apart from their own work, they often find their talents overlapping, and combined works will be born. These are displayed in the barn, or are made specifically to order.  In 2000 a labyrinth was constructed to give thanks for Kobus returning to good health once more. It was decided to orientate the axis of this labyrinth on a special mountain which Andrea calls “Mother Mountain” and the lowest point of the Franschhoek pass as it went over the mountains to Villiersdorp. Later, when Kobus checked the orientation using a G.P.S. it was found to be on an axis that was EXACTLY East/West! The barn has also been found to have a special relationship to the labyrinth. Andrea and Kobus walk the labyrinth with a group every year at the summer solstice 21st to 23rd December. Everyone is welcome, and they always have something extra as well, to enlarge appreciation of life and the living of it. In fact the whole of Artemis is a celebration of the abundance of living with nature and the imagination.

GODDESS ICON SPIRIT BANNERS BY LYDIA RUYLE
Lydia Ruyle  is an artist/scholar in the United States who has been pursuing Goddess research for several decades.  As an artist, she creates icons, sacred images of the divine feminine from the many cultures of the world.  Since 1995, the icons have become spirit banners which fly around the globe weaving the sacred energies of the divine feminine. She has published a beautiful book on her work, entitled Goddess Icons, Spirit Banners of the Divine Feminine.  These beautifully crafted spirit banners will be joining our temple and festival for the duration of the Conference!!