Getting to Know the Goddess
We all carry in our genes the memory of our one great ancestral Mother, born in Africa an unimaginable 150,000 years ago. In truth, then, are we all sisters and brothers, both women and men related in bone and blood, in our very cells.
Just so is the Great Goddess alive today, deep inside each one of us but also in the Earth herself, in the highest mountains and deepest oceans, in our deserts and marshes and even in our teeming cities.
More and more women and men are becoming aware of Her presence in our age. Loved and adored in ages past, She makes Her presence known again today and we seek to know more about Her.
How long will the course take?
There will be four lessons, each in two quite long parts – the whole course should be taken over a minimum of five or six months to gain the full benefit. A full year would be better as that will give the opportunity to experience all the changes in Her nature throughout the course. We will be learning a great deal about and, more importantly, experiencing the Goddess in our lives and getting to know Her better. I’m assuming no previous knowledge and many students will find they are already familiar with some of the material; however the exercises will still be beneficial for everyone.
Who should take this course?
The course would be a useful starting point for people attracted to the Priestess path, but who feel they don’t have enough knowledge and aren’t sure where to start. It will also be a useful stand-alone course for people who want to get to know and experience the Goddess on a deeper level.
Will there be more courses?
I had originally planned this as a much longer course to include sections on creating and maintaining sacred space and also on landscape and the Goddess but felt the course was too expensive and covered too much ground - literally! If you'd like to know more about the projected course, tentatively called Sacred Space, click on the words. I'm also working on a more general follow-on to Getting to Know the Goddess, but it is early days yet ....
How will the course be taught?
A mixture of words (stories, poems and explanatory text) and art will help describe the Goddess. There will also be links to web sites for paintings in various galleries throughout the world and for other information. Reading lists will be included.
The lessons will be passworded web pages, but I would encourage you to save them to your computer's hard drive if possible, so you can access the material without needing to be connected to the internet if you're not on broadband. You should also be able to download the lessons in PDF format. However in either case you would need to go online to look at any included links to external web sites.
I work from a Feminist philosophical and political basis, also pointing out where recent scientific/archaeological discoveries support and underline our deep knowing. I will use Goddesses from different cultures as examples, to make the course as international as possible. There will be “case studies” of individual Goddesses, but I will show similarities to other examples wherever I can.
Will there be assignments or homework?
“Homework” and other assignments can be in a mixture of the written or spoken word, photographs, sound files and other mixed media. I want to leave this as open as possible, to allow for maximum creativity but also because I would like the course to be as open of access as possible, so that students of varied talents can take part.
You will also need to keep a journal throughout the course and extracts from this will help to give me feedback on your progress and what I can do to help with your particular journey.
How will assessment be done and how will I contact my tutor?
I will be available for email correspondence throughout the course and will (if required) also set up an email group for students to talk to each other - with their permission, of course!
There will also be a web space, if there appears to be a demand for this, where students can post photographs, pictures of artwork and other files.
What does the course cost?
The price is set as low as possible, at £140 - payment is by PayPal and most major currencies are accepted, with the conversion into sterling done automatically.
When can I start?
The course began with the waxing moon in May 2004, you can sign up at any time now. If take-up is very high I may temporarily limit numbers so that proper attention can be given to every student.
Who is my tutor?
I have studied Goddess for over thirty years and dedicated myself to Her in the 1980s; I also initiated as a Priestess of the Goddess some years ago and am a founder member of the Glastonbury Goddess Temple and a former Goddess Conference ceremonialist. In addition, I have a first-class degree in the Humanities and am an experienced trainer. I write articles and poems and even the occasional song and (in my spare time!) have been and am currently web designer for the Glastonbury Goddess Conference, the Temple and many more sites. I am also a trained counsellor and a former director of the Isle of Avalon Foundation, with which organisation this course was originally developed as part of a programme of well-designed correspondence courses to offer to students who have difficulty attending classes held in Glastonbury. The Foundation is no longer offering correspondence courses, but as this online course is so popular, I have decided to continue to offer it.
What you will need to take this course:
Access to a computer with internet access and an email account. A book to keep your journal in (or of course you can do this electronically if you prefer).
Lesson Outlines
Lesson 1 – The Mother
Part 1
Images of the archetypal Mother Goddess abound, from our very earliest history up until today. She is present everywhere and we will learn to recognise Her not only in Palaeolithic cave paintings and more recent statuary, but also in unexpected places!
In every lesson, we will deepen our understanding with visualisations, which will be simple and relaxing.
Part 2
There will follow a “case study” of the story of Demeter, taken directly from the beautiful poem by Homer, allowing the story to work in our hearts towards a deeper understanding of the Great Mother.
Lesson 2 – The Maiden
Part 1
Modern patriarchal religions often put a high value on the Maiden, on virginity. But what does the Maiden Goddess really mean to us today?
We will look at some Maiden Goddesses and will also think about the stories and mythology which have grown up around the Virgin Mary and the Magdalen.
Part 2
We will also look at a “case study” of Inanna, again using original material and letting our hearts understand the poetry, imagery and beauty of Her story.
Lesson 3 – The Crone
Part 1
The wheel of the year turns endlessly; relentlessly we move from summer into the darker times of autumn and winter. But how does this work in tropical regions, where there may not be a summer and winter as such? Or in the arctic circle?
We will study the Crone, Her ways and mysteries, Her depths and many beauties.
Part 2
As before, there will be a “case study”, this time of Kerridwen.
Lesson 4 – The Goddess Today
Part 1
It should be clear by this stage that the Goddess isn’t just a great idea from history or the symbol of a vanished matriarchy but a real presence, right here, right now.
We will look at how the Goddess manifests Herself in the world today and use everything we have learned so far to make a ceremony to honour Her – this is the real creative challenge to ourselves. We may choose a ceremony to dedicate ourselves to Her, for example, or one of asking Her for blessings, for ourselves or for loved ones. There is no set formula, no limit to what we can do.
Our creativity, our imaginations and our love are the best gifts we can offer Her.
Part 2
Throughout the course, we will have created altars and given thought to sacred space, as its creation and maintenance is one of the responsibilities of priestesses. But how far does this go? Are we all Her priests and priestesses, and if so, what are our responsibilities to the Goddess and to our Mother Earth?
In conclusion
I would like to offer some additional options to the course - first of all, if you can make it to Glastonbury during or within a year of taking the course, it would be great to meet up, and we may be able to arrange a tour of Avalon and other local sacred sites.
We could also arrange a more formal "intensive" in Glastonbury, with accommodation, workshop(s) and, if requested, a ceremony of initiation or dedication to the Goddess for yourself, perhaps in the Goddess Temple or at Chalice Well. A fair amount of notice would be needed for Chalice Well, as the gardens have to be booked out of hours. Private access to Stonehenge (usually at the crack of dawn!) can also be arranged, and of course Avebury is still free to access, as is West Kennet Long Barrow.
Fees for both the above options would be negotiable, depending on your requirements.
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