Introductory Words
Title: The Nine Maps the Sono-Numerological DNA of Mativersal Soteriology by Helen Hye-Sook Hwang
Summary: We moderns have forgotten the Nine. The ancient world across cultures bequeathed the legacy of Nine Sisters, Nine Mothers, Nine Mountains, Nine Villages, Nine Worlds, Navratri, and Novena, to name a few. Nine signifies Matriversal Soteriology; The Matriverse (Maternally Perceived Universe) is a sono-numerological organism of LIFE, represented by Mago, the Creatrix. Salvation lies in knowing and honoring the nine-fold sonic force of the Matriverse, the Cosmic Music. Nine conveys the consanguineous matriversal ontology of ALL. ALL are on the homecoming journey (causal becoming) to the Cosmic Mother by way of the birthing, evolving, and transforming force of the Cosmic Music. The Cosmic Music for which I coined “Sonic Numerology,” a ceaseless interplay of sonically charged nine numbers, summons the Reality of WE/HERE/NOW. Nine numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) represent all that have forms. The ninth number is a mother number, the Creatrix, which interweaves the other eight daughter numbers manifest as myriad forms.
Biography: Dr. Hwang is a philosopher, researcher, author, publisher, and advocate of Magoist Cetaceanism, the matriversal consciousness of cetacean veneration embodied in the socio-historical-cultural expressions of traditional Korea and beyond. After earning her MA and Ph.D. in Religion with emphasis on Feminist Studies from Claremont Graduate University, CA., she pursued M.A. degree at UCLA, CA. Having founded The Mago Work and Mago Community, Hwang has recently launched the S/HE Conference and the S/HE Forum. Hwang’s publications include Reader: Toward Magoist Cetaceanism, S/HE: An International Journal of Goddess Studies, Celebrating Intercosmic Kinship of the Goddess, Goddesses in Myth, History and Culture, Mago Almanac, The Mago Way, She Rises trilogy, Celebrating the Goddess series, She Summons Volume 1, The Budoji Workbook, and Return to Mago E-Magazine.
Contribution to the She Rises trilogy: Co-editor and contributor of all three volumes.
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Presentations
“Rising Together” by Molly Remer (Brigid’s Grove)
Summary: It might seem simple on the surface, but gathering the women and calling the circle is a radical and subversive act. A revolutionary act. In my work with women’s circles and priestessing, I am repeatedly reminded that gathering with other women in a circle for ritual and ceremony is deeply important even though it might just look like people having fun or even being frivolous, it is actually a microcosm of the macrocosm—a miniature version of the world we’d like to see and that we want to make possible. In this presentation, I will briefly summarize the contents of my essay, Making Our Stand, and add some reflections about our work together over the years since it was written.
Biography: Molly Remer, MSW, D.Min, is a priestess, mystic, and poet in central Missouri. Molly and her husband Mark co-create Story Goddesses at Brigid’s Grove. Molly is the author of many books, including Walking with Persephone, Whole and Holy, Womanrunes, the Goddess Devotional, and 365 Days of Goddess. She is the creator of the devotional experience #30DaysofGoddess and she loves savoring small magic and everyday enchantment.
Contributions to She Rises trilogy: Volume 3.
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“(Story) The Unfolding of a Gynocentric Cosmology Within Which I Could Be” by Glenys Livingstone, Ph.D.
Summary: I will speak to my contributions to the She Rises Trilogy Vol 1 and 2, two of which were originally written in the late 1990’s, relating them to my journey into developing a cosmology that situated me (and others) in a place to Be – what that is, something of what it has taken and given, and my understanding of its relevance now, the current work I am able to do now.
Biography: Glenys Livingstone Ph.D. has been on a Goddess path since 1979. She is the author of PaGaian Cosmology: Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion, which fuses the indigenous traditions of Old Europe with scientific theory, feminism, and a poetic relationship with place. She was born and lives in country Australia, where she has facilitated Seasonal ceremony, taught classes, and mentored apprentices. Her new book A Poiesis of the Creative Cosmos: Celebrating Her within PaGaian Sacred Ceremony documents the synthesis of her work over the past decades. She is now an independent scholar making videos of her work. Her website is http://pagaian.org.
Contributions to She Rises trilogy: In Volume 1, “In Mother Three, Sister Water: a conference paper written in 1997, Now Recognising Her in Me.” In Volume 2, “Celebrating Her/My/Our Everyday Sacred Journey Around Sun.”
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“A Pocketful of Stardust (short story)” by Amy Barron Smolinski
Summary: Fairy tales teach us whom to trust and how to keep ourselves and our ways of life safe. Inspired by a walk with my own “wolfish hound” I developed this version of the Little Red Riding Hood story to subvert the idea that girls and women are helpless victims waiting for men to rescue them. Dedicated to my god-daughters.
Biography: Amy Barron Smolinski holds an MA from Union Institute and University, where she studied under the late Dr. Patricia Monaghan. Amy’s thesis explored re-emerging Goddess manifestations in the lives of contemporary women. She is the Managing Artistic Director for the largest US Army Community Theatre program in Europe, and an award-winning actress, director, and voice artist. She worked for ten years as an advocate for breastfeeding military families serving as the Executive Director of the Global Military Lactation Community and as the Board Treasurer for the United States Breastfeeding Committee. She resides in Germany with her husband and four sons.3. Title of your presentation (indicate the genre)
Contributions to She Rises trilogy: Volume 1
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“Where are we now, 9 years on?” by Dr Kaalii Cargill
Summary: I became involved with the Mago Work from a desire to connect more widely with others engaging Goddess. Helen and the Mago Work offer a gateway for many of us to enter an international community of people committed to Goddess in our world and our lives. The contributions to the She Rises anthologies have heartened me even while I am challenged by the ongoing destructiveness of patriarchal systems. My presentation is really more of a question about where we are now and where to from here.
Biography: Kaalii has been engaging Goddess in her life and work for 40 years. This has taken the form of women’s circles, ritual practices, art work, writing, and teaching. With Helen Hye-Sook Hwang, Kaalii co-edited the first She Rises anthology.
Contributions to She Rises trilogy: Co-editor of She Rises, Volume 1.
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“Goddess Feminism as Restorative Justice” by Trista Hendren
Summary: Goddess Feminism is critically important to both our own well-being as women and the development of our daughters, nieces, granddaughters and other young girls in our lives. Goddess is the beginning; and it is only by returning to Her that we get to the root of the problem. Embracing Goddess Feminism is a powerful form of restorative justice.
Biography: Trista Hendren founded Girl God Books in 2011 to support a necessary unraveling of the patriarchal worldview of divinity. Her first book—The Girl God, a children’s picture book—was a response to her own daughter’s inability to see herself reflected in God. Since then, she has published more than 50 books with hundreds of contributors from across the globe. Originally from Portland, Oregon, she now lives in Bergen, Norway with her family. You can find out more about her work at www.thegirlgod.com.
Contributions to She Rises trilogy: Volumes I and II. I have been involved in some capacity since the beginning of this project.
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“Exploring Female Cosmology and the Electric Universe” by Leslene della-Madre
Summary: I will discuss how my experience as an independent feminist scholar for many years took me in a direction where I was introduced to the Electric Universe Theory which maintains that all things are connected by electricity. I felt that as a cousin of Einstein, I think something in my lineage drew me to this work. I was deeply inspired by this material and felt compelled to learn as much as I could. I then began to piece together how female cosmology was connected to this view and how much Electric Universe Theory is much more female oriented than the big bang. I was encouraged by the co-founder of the Thunderbolts Project to write a book about the Goddess and the EU. I will read some excerpts from my recent book, She Who Spins the Coils of Creation.
Biography: Leslene is a mother, grandmother, author, shamanic practitioner, death midwife, artist, and ritualist. She has taught feminist shamanism for forty years and works with unique sacred healing techniques that nurture spiritual growth and well-being. She has conducted workshops on Death Midwifery in Europe, Mexico, Australia, Holland and The Netherlands.
Contributions to She Rises trilogy: Volume 1
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“My journey of Goddess Spiritual Activism” by Elizabeth Chloe Erdmann
Summary: My poem “The Black Goddess” (volume 2) I wrote in my early 20s and is a slightly surprising combination of my impressions of femme fatales in the Russian literature I was absorbed in reading at the time and boundary crossing wisdom Goddesses I was delving into research about. It contained my desire for wisdoms from Goddesses that are powerful, sovereign, deep, complex and multifaceted and multicultural. I wanted to see women, and women identified, had representations like themselves and myself that were often suppressed, hidden or forgotten or traded in for only the domesticated versions. Since writing that poem in my 20s, that was published in She Rises Volume 2 later on, I feel I have been on a journey that has taken me to different places to learn the complexity of what it means to do embodied “Goddess Spiritual Activism” for me and my understanding of how that is defined. I will discuss this further in my presentation. Thank you.
Biography: Elizabeth Chloe Erdmann is a passionate theorist on “Nomadic Theology”—with a deep affinity for Goddess-related history. Erdmann holds a Master of Theological Studies from Boston University, served as a fellow at Amarkantak Tribal University in India, and is currently pursuing a doctorate researching Contemporary Feminist Goddess Worship & Thealogy from University College Cork, Ireland. She is a published author and regular speaker on culture, religion, and leads historical tours in Salem, Massachusetts about the Salem Witch Hysteria of 1692. She is a curious woman in love with the mysteries of the world.
Contributions to She Rises trilogy: Volume 2
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