Announcements!
Spell Breaking - The Traveling Show!
A fundraiser for the The Ministry of Maåt
GETTING TO KNOW OUR SPELL BREAKERS!
Ximena Alarcón | Rachel Koenig, L.ac, CH | Andrea Gale Goodman
Sangeeta Laura Biagi, Ph.D. | Shirley Parker-Benjamin | Andrea Israel
Pauline Oliveros | Sadee Brathwaite | Julie Winter | Carol Chappell
Lisa Barnard Kelley | Anne Hemenway | Donnaldson K. Brown
A fundraiser for the The Ministry of Maåt
GETTING TO KNOW OUR SPELL BREAKERS!
Ximena Alarcón | Rachel Koenig, L.ac, CH | Andrea Gale Goodman
Sangeeta Laura Biagi, Ph.D. | Shirley Parker-Benjamin | Andrea Israel
Pauline Oliveros | Sadee Brathwaite | Julie Winter | Carol Chappell
Lisa Barnard Kelley | Anne Hemenway | Donnaldson K. Brown
Ximena Alarcón is a dreamer. She is also a Colombian UK-based artist engaged in listening to migratory spaces, and in sonic performance, connecting these to individual and collective memories. She has a PhD in Music, Technology and Innovation from De Montfort University, and is a Deep Listening Certificate holder. She became priestess in the Ministry of Maåt in 2012. She was awarded The Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship 2007-2009, and developed “Sounding Underground,” derived from her research on listening done with passengers of the metros of London, Paris and Mexico DF. She is currently a researcher at CRiSAP in the University of the Arts London. Ximena will be performing telematically in Spell Breaking at The Rosendale Theatre on March 29th.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
Spell Breaking means to me an opportunity to reflect on the web of events in my life where feelings have been trapped for big and small circumstances. Once I’ve identified the patterns and links, I feel I can pull from a string in that web. I can disentangle the moment, liberating it from its trapped energy during my childhood. I can shake up the moment and its space in time with compassionate awareness as an adult. This, amazingly, has benefits both for myself and for the others who were co-participants. When I pull the string and shake the mental and physical space, I am breaking the spell!
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
I found myself sitting in a café in Leicester, England where I was teaching at the time, and writing and writing and writing freely, without the heavy weight of academic writing. It was a liberation in itself, breaking the spell of my fears of writing in English.
It was such a special moment to locate a photo matching the time of the events when the spells were created. The photo of me on my tricycle is my most special image of my early years. I can remember how sad I felt that day and how my sister Malala took me for a ride and bought a lollipop for me. I can feel the drying tears on my cheeks.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women's Mysteries Community?
The Women’s Mysteries community is my free space in which I can express what I am, how I feel, and experience that the community cares for me in return. It is supportive, creative, and magical. I have shared with these women my deepest fears, sadness and deepest achievements. I have been part of the circles since 2007, and it has been my support for very hard moments in my life. It re-invigorates everyday my artistic experience as a creative woman.
Has your writing about your experience of Spell Breaking been received in Colombia?
Not really, I am probably still shy and distant from a Colombian audience for it. One of my Spells is “privacy”, and it probably still is haunting me. Only one Colombian friend living in the UK has read it. And she appreciates it very much. The day will come. The first ones I would like to read it in Colombia are my sisters.
You speak of yourself a "Migratory Artist". Can you tell us a little about what that means to you?
IONE expressed spontaneously once that I was a “Migratory Artist”. I found it fascinating because I was struggling with labels to define my art and found that to be a Migratory Artist involves me as the maker of the art, and not necessarily as the medium I use for my art. My art emerges from the experience of migration, and I feel distinct and liberated calling it in such a way.
The Cuban artist Ana Mendieta’s work has been analysed as the reflection of “in-between-ness in exile”. It is also the case of the art made by the contemporary London-based Serbian performance artist Natasha Davis.
I recently came across an article by Lyubov Bugaeva analysing the experience of Émigré Artists: “Moved into the space of emigration, the émigré artist projects her or his insight onto the outer world, and the natural forms of the world become the mirror of insight and the place of projections.”
In my case I situate myself in an acoustic environment. The experience of in-between-ness in sonic terms is both intimate and public as I express myself with languages and voices born of a mixture of internal spaces and memories.
I invite other “migrants” to join the experience of in-between-ness by improvisatory interactions through Deep Listening, dream and body work, and also Telematic Performances. Inner an outer experiences overlap within local and distant spaces, present and past times. I am fascinated with the bi-directionality offered by telecommunication systems, in real-time. I am interested in actions born from the experience of the present, the experience of being together with others who are listening.
How would you describe your artistic process at this time in your life?
I feel I am gaining a maturity in my artistic process. I am making a distinction between my own expression and my desire to articulate it.
I am also working with improvisatory voice, figuring out journeys between languages and feelings. There are words trapped in-between my two spoken languages, and perhaps words that don't even exist in my consciousness. Technology provides me with a space to listen immediately to my most recent expression and reflect on that by voicing. This is an intimate work.
Is there a special message you would like to share with others at this time- concerning women's well-being?
We need to embrace our freedom and be responsible for ourselves. Develop awareness of who we are: powerful creators of life, and make sure that people who surround us know it.
Spell Breaking means to me an opportunity to reflect on the web of events in my life where feelings have been trapped for big and small circumstances. Once I’ve identified the patterns and links, I feel I can pull from a string in that web. I can disentangle the moment, liberating it from its trapped energy during my childhood. I can shake up the moment and its space in time with compassionate awareness as an adult. This, amazingly, has benefits both for myself and for the others who were co-participants. When I pull the string and shake the mental and physical space, I am breaking the spell!
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
I found myself sitting in a café in Leicester, England where I was teaching at the time, and writing and writing and writing freely, without the heavy weight of academic writing. It was a liberation in itself, breaking the spell of my fears of writing in English.
It was such a special moment to locate a photo matching the time of the events when the spells were created. The photo of me on my tricycle is my most special image of my early years. I can remember how sad I felt that day and how my sister Malala took me for a ride and bought a lollipop for me. I can feel the drying tears on my cheeks.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women's Mysteries Community?
The Women’s Mysteries community is my free space in which I can express what I am, how I feel, and experience that the community cares for me in return. It is supportive, creative, and magical. I have shared with these women my deepest fears, sadness and deepest achievements. I have been part of the circles since 2007, and it has been my support for very hard moments in my life. It re-invigorates everyday my artistic experience as a creative woman.
Has your writing about your experience of Spell Breaking been received in Colombia?
Not really, I am probably still shy and distant from a Colombian audience for it. One of my Spells is “privacy”, and it probably still is haunting me. Only one Colombian friend living in the UK has read it. And she appreciates it very much. The day will come. The first ones I would like to read it in Colombia are my sisters.
You speak of yourself a "Migratory Artist". Can you tell us a little about what that means to you?
IONE expressed spontaneously once that I was a “Migratory Artist”. I found it fascinating because I was struggling with labels to define my art and found that to be a Migratory Artist involves me as the maker of the art, and not necessarily as the medium I use for my art. My art emerges from the experience of migration, and I feel distinct and liberated calling it in such a way.
The Cuban artist Ana Mendieta’s work has been analysed as the reflection of “in-between-ness in exile”. It is also the case of the art made by the contemporary London-based Serbian performance artist Natasha Davis.
I recently came across an article by Lyubov Bugaeva analysing the experience of Émigré Artists: “Moved into the space of emigration, the émigré artist projects her or his insight onto the outer world, and the natural forms of the world become the mirror of insight and the place of projections.”
In my case I situate myself in an acoustic environment. The experience of in-between-ness in sonic terms is both intimate and public as I express myself with languages and voices born of a mixture of internal spaces and memories.
I invite other “migrants” to join the experience of in-between-ness by improvisatory interactions through Deep Listening, dream and body work, and also Telematic Performances. Inner an outer experiences overlap within local and distant spaces, present and past times. I am fascinated with the bi-directionality offered by telecommunication systems, in real-time. I am interested in actions born from the experience of the present, the experience of being together with others who are listening.
How would you describe your artistic process at this time in your life?
I feel I am gaining a maturity in my artistic process. I am making a distinction between my own expression and my desire to articulate it.
I am also working with improvisatory voice, figuring out journeys between languages and feelings. There are words trapped in-between my two spoken languages, and perhaps words that don't even exist in my consciousness. Technology provides me with a space to listen immediately to my most recent expression and reflect on that by voicing. This is an intimate work.
Is there a special message you would like to share with others at this time- concerning women's well-being?
We need to embrace our freedom and be responsible for ourselves. Develop awareness of who we are: powerful creators of life, and make sure that people who surround us know it.
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Rachel Koenig Photo by Jo Andres
Rachel Koenig, L.ac, CH is a practitioner of Oriental Medicine specializing in holistic Women’s Health, Fertility, and Pediatrics. She is currently in a Fellowship sponsored by the American Society of Endobiogenic Medicine and Integrative Physiology, based on the pioneering work of French physicians Drs Jean Claude Lapraz and Christian Duraffourd. Founder of Aurora Healing Arts in Brooklyn, New York, she has treated families in community for over 20 years. Co-author of the first published collection of Interviews With Contemporary Women Playwrights (1987), her forthcoming novel, set in Prague during three eras, is entitled The Ravens’ Bridge. She is the ninth priestess ordained in the Ministry of Maåt.
What does "Spell Breaking " mean to you?
Spell Breaking for me has various manifestations. One is a dynamic activity~~the act of cutting through obscurations, such as cultural and personal conditionings, ideas, mythologies that keep us from simply "Being" . We are that natural presence, love and spontaneity and we all adore and recognize it in the beauty and wilderness of nature and animals-- we cherish it in babies and children, in great artists and in spiritual masters. Spell Breaking invites us to release ourselves from all that binds or paralyzes us. It can be an effortful and gradual process, or, in many instances, it can arise completely spontaneously.
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
I wrote the essay in the very charged days following Hurricane Irene. I had stayed in my little beach house, alone, that night, and really went through some deep initiations. The experience drove me to include my sense of place, my deep connection to the ocean and to Earth Herself. Over the years many people and many of my patients had asked me about my path as a healer, and somehow writing the essay was a way to expose the journey, in all of its mystery and magic.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women's Mysteries Community?
Over a decade ago I was brought into the Women's Mysteries Community through Andrea Goodman, with whom I was studying Mythic Astrology and voice. After several years of working with her I attended my first Women's Mysteries Retreat. It was like coming home. I was so moved by the process, by the sophistication and heartfulness of the teachings, by the sheer energetic presence of the women, of all ages, cultures, vocations...Over the years, I witnessed real change, deep transformation, in myself, and in others. My life force is sustained by and inseparable, really, from the energy and support we have continued to bring to one another...I feel we are simply re-creating what has always been...we are reweaving community...healing many diasporas...dissolving separation...breaking many spells...
Future creative plans for you ?
I am part of a beautiful medical community, seeding the work of Endobiogeny in this country, a form of herbal medicine, "phytotherapy" that was founded in France by Drs Jean Claude Lapraz and Christian Duraffourd. Endobiogeny has the capacity to address many complex disharmonies in adults and in children.
Is there a special message you would like to share with others at this time- concerning women's well-being?
Ione's teachings on Be-ing, have been a great inspiration in my work with women and wellness. I try in every way to harmonize and strengthen women in my practice so that they can meet the enormous demands of their magnificent lives and still maintain a sense of inner space.
You write vividly about your early years in the pioneering field of women's health care. Do you feel that some of the old "spells" may have been broken and that things have changed today for many women?
Well, that is a challenging question. I could practically write a book just about that! I feel that some old "spells" have broken. For example, it is okay to breastfeed, we take reliable birth control for granted, menopause is no longer a taboo subject~~on the other hand, in our megalithic health care system, it is extremely difficult for women to find continuity with their caregivers. Women are also under extreme biological stress as mammals, considering the environmental toxins we are exposed to, the food chain...we all know too well the enormity of our particular human moment. Additionally, the vast majority of women do have to return to work after only three months pregnancy leave, so many many women feel stressed and torn, as they must be wage earners to sustain themselves and their families, and yet in their hearts, they would choose to stay home for a year or more. We say that we support women and women's health, but the system is brutal.
We understand you are working on a novel that takes place in Prague. Can you tell us a little about it? For example. Is there a relationship to the concept of Spell Breaking?
The Ravens' Bridge is in many ways a Women's Mysteries novel. The book takes place in three layers of time, before during and after Hitler's occupation of Prague, and the story follows the lives of many extraordinary women, as well as a mythic descent into Prague, Underground. I had started it decades before meeting Ione, but when I had travelled to Prague to research the book, Prague was under Soviet occupation, this was before the Velvet Revolution, so I found myself in a labyrinth of ghosts, my research was dead-ended. Many years later, I mentioned the novel to Ione, who was intrigued and asked me to bring her the initial chapters. Honestly, I did not even know if I had kept them, I had been through so many moves! But I did locate the first 100 pages, and with Ione's support (as well the support of many creative women in our circle), I managed to return to Prague, and to complete the manuscript. I would say, that in itself, was a spell breaking.
Some might think that to be a healthcare practitioner and creative writer is an unusual combination. How do you manage these worlds?
Through our studies of the ancient female archetypes, I have come to an amazing understanding that we are multidimensional beings! The ancients understood that it was perfectly natural for a woman to be a healer, a mother, a lover, an artist, a dancer, a musician, a priestess, a poet, a weaver, a midwife, an architect, an astrologer....it has been miraculous, really, to be part of a community of women who are multidimensional. It takes away the unnecessary struggle of feeling one has to choose. This ancient understanding of Spell breaks big time that old myth, "jack of all trades, master of none!' which honestly keeps many people from exploring the fullness of their creativity. Once I realized this, even time has become more fluent, and I have discovered that when we are not in resistance to creativity that we in many ways have all the time in the world. In my work on The Ravens' Bridge, I also discovered how women, under occupations, and even in concentration camps, were secretly creating. I take strength in witnessing the art of women through the centuries, witnessing women who create in many extenuating circumstances. It is my deepest prayer, the bodhisattva prayer that all women, all beings, be free from suffering and the causes of suffering, and that they find happiness and the freedom to Be.
What does "Spell Breaking " mean to you?
Spell Breaking for me has various manifestations. One is a dynamic activity~~the act of cutting through obscurations, such as cultural and personal conditionings, ideas, mythologies that keep us from simply "Being" . We are that natural presence, love and spontaneity and we all adore and recognize it in the beauty and wilderness of nature and animals-- we cherish it in babies and children, in great artists and in spiritual masters. Spell Breaking invites us to release ourselves from all that binds or paralyzes us. It can be an effortful and gradual process, or, in many instances, it can arise completely spontaneously.
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
I wrote the essay in the very charged days following Hurricane Irene. I had stayed in my little beach house, alone, that night, and really went through some deep initiations. The experience drove me to include my sense of place, my deep connection to the ocean and to Earth Herself. Over the years many people and many of my patients had asked me about my path as a healer, and somehow writing the essay was a way to expose the journey, in all of its mystery and magic.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women's Mysteries Community?
Over a decade ago I was brought into the Women's Mysteries Community through Andrea Goodman, with whom I was studying Mythic Astrology and voice. After several years of working with her I attended my first Women's Mysteries Retreat. It was like coming home. I was so moved by the process, by the sophistication and heartfulness of the teachings, by the sheer energetic presence of the women, of all ages, cultures, vocations...Over the years, I witnessed real change, deep transformation, in myself, and in others. My life force is sustained by and inseparable, really, from the energy and support we have continued to bring to one another...I feel we are simply re-creating what has always been...we are reweaving community...healing many diasporas...dissolving separation...breaking many spells...
Future creative plans for you ?
I am part of a beautiful medical community, seeding the work of Endobiogeny in this country, a form of herbal medicine, "phytotherapy" that was founded in France by Drs Jean Claude Lapraz and Christian Duraffourd. Endobiogeny has the capacity to address many complex disharmonies in adults and in children.
Is there a special message you would like to share with others at this time- concerning women's well-being?
Ione's teachings on Be-ing, have been a great inspiration in my work with women and wellness. I try in every way to harmonize and strengthen women in my practice so that they can meet the enormous demands of their magnificent lives and still maintain a sense of inner space.
You write vividly about your early years in the pioneering field of women's health care. Do you feel that some of the old "spells" may have been broken and that things have changed today for many women?
Well, that is a challenging question. I could practically write a book just about that! I feel that some old "spells" have broken. For example, it is okay to breastfeed, we take reliable birth control for granted, menopause is no longer a taboo subject~~on the other hand, in our megalithic health care system, it is extremely difficult for women to find continuity with their caregivers. Women are also under extreme biological stress as mammals, considering the environmental toxins we are exposed to, the food chain...we all know too well the enormity of our particular human moment. Additionally, the vast majority of women do have to return to work after only three months pregnancy leave, so many many women feel stressed and torn, as they must be wage earners to sustain themselves and their families, and yet in their hearts, they would choose to stay home for a year or more. We say that we support women and women's health, but the system is brutal.
We understand you are working on a novel that takes place in Prague. Can you tell us a little about it? For example. Is there a relationship to the concept of Spell Breaking?
The Ravens' Bridge is in many ways a Women's Mysteries novel. The book takes place in three layers of time, before during and after Hitler's occupation of Prague, and the story follows the lives of many extraordinary women, as well as a mythic descent into Prague, Underground. I had started it decades before meeting Ione, but when I had travelled to Prague to research the book, Prague was under Soviet occupation, this was before the Velvet Revolution, so I found myself in a labyrinth of ghosts, my research was dead-ended. Many years later, I mentioned the novel to Ione, who was intrigued and asked me to bring her the initial chapters. Honestly, I did not even know if I had kept them, I had been through so many moves! But I did locate the first 100 pages, and with Ione's support (as well the support of many creative women in our circle), I managed to return to Prague, and to complete the manuscript. I would say, that in itself, was a spell breaking.
Some might think that to be a healthcare practitioner and creative writer is an unusual combination. How do you manage these worlds?
Through our studies of the ancient female archetypes, I have come to an amazing understanding that we are multidimensional beings! The ancients understood that it was perfectly natural for a woman to be a healer, a mother, a lover, an artist, a dancer, a musician, a priestess, a poet, a weaver, a midwife, an architect, an astrologer....it has been miraculous, really, to be part of a community of women who are multidimensional. It takes away the unnecessary struggle of feeling one has to choose. This ancient understanding of Spell breaks big time that old myth, "jack of all trades, master of none!' which honestly keeps many people from exploring the fullness of their creativity. Once I realized this, even time has become more fluent, and I have discovered that when we are not in resistance to creativity that we in many ways have all the time in the world. In my work on The Ravens' Bridge, I also discovered how women, under occupations, and even in concentration camps, were secretly creating. I take strength in witnessing the art of women through the centuries, witnessing women who create in many extenuating circumstances. It is my deepest prayer, the bodhisattva prayer that all women, all beings, be free from suffering and the causes of suffering, and that they find happiness and the freedom to Be.
Andrea Gale Goodman is an author and a vocalist/composer of visionary, metaphoric music. Her book, Lightning Holds My Hand, A Woman's Journal of Guidance was published in 2008. Andrea was a principal performer with the Meredith Monk Vocal Ensemble, 1974-1991, including world-wide theater and concert touring, and her voice, which can be heard on five albums. She is the composer and lyricist as well as actress/singer for Nightingale with Figures of Speech Theatre. Andrea resides on the Maine coast in an old farmhouse, surrounded by gardens and forest, overlooking a tidal river. Here she has established Ruby-Throated Spirit, Studio, Sanctuary and Labyrinth, where she teaches, mentors and welcomes women for circles and retreats. A Minister of the Ministry of Maåt, Inc., she creates and conducts original ceremonies and offers spiritual counseling. Her daily communion with nature, tending flowers and walking her Labyrinth, nourishes her creative spirit, which in turn nourishes the creative spirits of others. Andrea will be performing in Spell Breaking at The Rosendale Theatre on March 29th.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
It suggests waking up from a an unnatural state, a “spell” in a fairy-tale sense, that keeps one from one’s true reality. To break the spell, one must first understand that one is under a spell, that the perspective can be shifted and things understood from a different premise. As I say in my essay, I first realized I was under a spell when I read Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex. She describes a pervasive societal spell that sees women as secondary to men. Breaking this spell is still ongoing in the world at large, but one by one, consciousness has shifted.
It suggests waking up from a an unnatural state, a “spell” in a fairy-tale sense, that keeps one from one’s true reality. To break the spell, one must first understand that one is under a spell, that the perspective can be shifted and things understood from a different premise. As I say in my essay, I first realized I was under a spell when I read Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex. She describes a pervasive societal spell that sees women as secondary to men. Breaking this spell is still ongoing in the world at large, but one by one, consciousness has shifted.
How would you describe your artistic process at this time in your life?
I am allowing myself to write and sing spontaneously with the and pleasure of it as primary, trusting that it will be of help to others as well. In other words, I am pleasing myself and creating joyfully, rather than trying to please an external authority (real or imagined). When I open myself, words or music come through me and surprise me. Most of my singing is intuitive or improvisational, fulfilling a clear intention, whether privately as healing or publicly in performance. Writing feels similar, in that I experience it as coming to me, whether as poem or transmission. I open, listen and trust what comes. That is the process.
I am allowing myself to write and sing spontaneously with the and pleasure of it as primary, trusting that it will be of help to others as well. In other words, I am pleasing myself and creating joyfully, rather than trying to please an external authority (real or imagined). When I open myself, words or music come through me and surprise me. Most of my singing is intuitive or improvisational, fulfilling a clear intention, whether privately as healing or publicly in performance. Writing feels similar, in that I experience it as coming to me, whether as poem or transmission. I open, listen and trust what comes. That is the process.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women's Mysteries Community?
My relationship to the Women’s Mysteries Community goes back to before there was one. I met Ione in 1983 and attended her journal and dream workshops for several years before the first Women’s Mysteries circle in 1988. I was in that original group that met every week for a year and culminated in a trip to Egypt. Ione had also produced a concert of my original song-stories in 1987 and had asked me to teach sound-healing at a retreat the year before. I did astrology readings for her and we shared many profound spiritual experiences. After I moved to Maine in 1989, Ione invited me to come teach astrology and sound-healing at Women’s Mysteries Retreats for a number of years. Eventually she realized we needed a container as a spiritual organization and incorporating the many years of creative workshops and Women’s Mysteries teachings she founded the Ministry of Maat in 1996. I was present at the Ministry’s inception and I am a member of the Board of Trustees with Ione, Pauline Oliveros, Rachel Koenig and Antonio L. Bovoso so you might say my relationship to the community is as a fundamental presence at its core. Ione and I have co-facilitated many retreats over the years and share a common vision for the spiritual authority and creative freedom of women. I am available to support each woman’s spiritual resonance, with my astrological perspective and understanding of Cosmic Harmony.
My relationship to the Women’s Mysteries Community goes back to before there was one. I met Ione in 1983 and attended her journal and dream workshops for several years before the first Women’s Mysteries circle in 1988. I was in that original group that met every week for a year and culminated in a trip to Egypt. Ione had also produced a concert of my original song-stories in 1987 and had asked me to teach sound-healing at a retreat the year before. I did astrology readings for her and we shared many profound spiritual experiences. After I moved to Maine in 1989, Ione invited me to come teach astrology and sound-healing at Women’s Mysteries Retreats for a number of years. Eventually she realized we needed a container as a spiritual organization and incorporating the many years of creative workshops and Women’s Mysteries teachings she founded the Ministry of Maat in 1996. I was present at the Ministry’s inception and I am a member of the Board of Trustees with Ione, Pauline Oliveros, Rachel Koenig and Antonio L. Bovoso so you might say my relationship to the community is as a fundamental presence at its core. Ione and I have co-facilitated many retreats over the years and share a common vision for the spiritual authority and creative freedom of women. I am available to support each woman’s spiritual resonance, with my astrological perspective and understanding of Cosmic Harmony.
Future creative plans for you?
I have two or three writing projects that I would like to bring out to the world. One is a collection of poems entitled Compass, which I would dearly love to publish. Another involves the piece I wrote 40 years ago that I mention in Spell Breaking, “Turning From Beggars.” I am adding a section in which my current crone-self speaks to the girl I was then, telling her what I now know about the mythic dimension of our/her/my life and the support of the Goddesses for healing. Musically, I will be collaborating with Figures of Speech Theatre in 2015, serving as music director for “Little Match Girl”, singing David Lang’s “Little Match Girl Passion.” This year, I am also writing a monthly series of articles on astrology for Sibyl Magazine.
I have two or three writing projects that I would like to bring out to the world. One is a collection of poems entitled Compass, which I would dearly love to publish. Another involves the piece I wrote 40 years ago that I mention in Spell Breaking, “Turning From Beggars.” I am adding a section in which my current crone-self speaks to the girl I was then, telling her what I now know about the mythic dimension of our/her/my life and the support of the Goddesses for healing. Musically, I will be collaborating with Figures of Speech Theatre in 2015, serving as music director for “Little Match Girl”, singing David Lang’s “Little Match Girl Passion.” This year, I am also writing a monthly series of articles on astrology for Sibyl Magazine.
Is there a special message you would like to share with others at this time- concerning women's well-being?
There are many things I could say, but if I tune in to my Guidance now for the most important message, I hear: Tell them they are not alone. Women have a visceral connection to the Earth, the Moon, the stars, all of Nature and the Great Mother that is expressed through everything. Whatever one feels, that feeling is also felt by other women, past and present. Think of it all as music, with the full range of qualities, of timbres and textures, as necessary and beautiful. All is in motion and ever-changing, yet rooted in our presence here and now. Honor yourself as the face of the Goddess, as Her emissary. Allow all that you feel, remembering it will grow, change and evolve. Be joyful in be-ing, whatever the story you are telling yourself. Open to receive the support you need at every moment, on every level. Invite it, make space for it within you.
There are many things I could say, but if I tune in to my Guidance now for the most important message, I hear: Tell them they are not alone. Women have a visceral connection to the Earth, the Moon, the stars, all of Nature and the Great Mother that is expressed through everything. Whatever one feels, that feeling is also felt by other women, past and present. Think of it all as music, with the full range of qualities, of timbres and textures, as necessary and beautiful. All is in motion and ever-changing, yet rooted in our presence here and now. Honor yourself as the face of the Goddess, as Her emissary. Allow all that you feel, remembering it will grow, change and evolve. Be joyful in be-ing, whatever the story you are telling yourself. Open to receive the support you need at every moment, on every level. Invite it, make space for it within you.
Your writing about your early relationships is very poignant and also very powerful. Do you feel that you are continuing to break old spells in this area?
Perhaps I am, in bringing the mythic dimension of the Goddess into consciousness. Now that I am older, I am concerned with the self-acceptance of older women, and encouraging the claiming of this Crone phase of life as fertile, powerful and joyful, as it is, as we are. I think the focus on staying young as long as possible is part of the spell of old gender-role mentality that values women only for their beauty and sexiness/fertility, keeping women insecure about their own worth. We hardly ever see older women appreciated, honored and understood in American culture. Our form changes as we age,and our radiance can increase as our intention is refined. I am offering a series of retreats this Winter, called the Womb of the Crone, to explore the creativity and fertility of this phase of life, to support each other in commitment to our creative and spiritual intentions. We are looking to the myth and fairy tale Crone Goddess archetypes for inspiration and empowerment. These witches and hags are magical, compassionate, truthful and very powerful.
Perhaps I am, in bringing the mythic dimension of the Goddess into consciousness. Now that I am older, I am concerned with the self-acceptance of older women, and encouraging the claiming of this Crone phase of life as fertile, powerful and joyful, as it is, as we are. I think the focus on staying young as long as possible is part of the spell of old gender-role mentality that values women only for their beauty and sexiness/fertility, keeping women insecure about their own worth. We hardly ever see older women appreciated, honored and understood in American culture. Our form changes as we age,and our radiance can increase as our intention is refined. I am offering a series of retreats this Winter, called the Womb of the Crone, to explore the creativity and fertility of this phase of life, to support each other in commitment to our creative and spiritual intentions. We are looking to the myth and fairy tale Crone Goddess archetypes for inspiration and empowerment. These witches and hags are magical, compassionate, truthful and very powerful.
Tell us a bit about how your location- your home, your garden informs your life- your continued writing and performing.
For over 25 years, I have lived on an island on the coast of Maine in an 18th century farmhouse, surrounded by beauty. I look out at a tidal river and have woods behind. Granite ledges embrace the house foundation and define the landscape, and I feel that rock supporting me. Heating with wood stoves and watching the river flow keep me very close to and conscious of the elements. I watch the stars, the incremental seasonal changes and enjoy the birds, insects, chipmunks, squirrels and deer that visit. I have quiet, privacy and solitude. I can hear my own thoughts and live by my own rhythms. I am moved and grateful for all that surrounds me and often inspired to write about it. Nature teaches me and reminds me of sacred cycles, of continuity and Divine timing. As a priestess, I have opened my sanctuary to others, calling it Ruby-Throated Spirit. I teach and give private and group sessions of astrology, tarot, meditation and sound-healing. People come for retreats and sacred ceremonies such as weddings. I have created a Labyrinth in the woods that is open to the public. At this point I can’t imagine my life anywhere else—the place is so integral to all I do.
For over 25 years, I have lived on an island on the coast of Maine in an 18th century farmhouse, surrounded by beauty. I look out at a tidal river and have woods behind. Granite ledges embrace the house foundation and define the landscape, and I feel that rock supporting me. Heating with wood stoves and watching the river flow keep me very close to and conscious of the elements. I watch the stars, the incremental seasonal changes and enjoy the birds, insects, chipmunks, squirrels and deer that visit. I have quiet, privacy and solitude. I can hear my own thoughts and live by my own rhythms. I am moved and grateful for all that surrounds me and often inspired to write about it. Nature teaches me and reminds me of sacred cycles, of continuity and Divine timing. As a priestess, I have opened my sanctuary to others, calling it Ruby-Throated Spirit. I teach and give private and group sessions of astrology, tarot, meditation and sound-healing. People come for retreats and sacred ceremonies such as weddings. I have created a Labyrinth in the woods that is open to the public. At this point I can’t imagine my life anywhere else—the place is so integral to all I do.
Sangeeta Laura Biagi, Ph.D., was ordained a Minister of the Ministry of Maåt in 2004 on the shores of the Ionian sea, in Italy. She is a singer and dancer, a scholar and professor, and a sound healer. Originally from Siena, Italy, Sangeeta has been living in Europe, the United States, and India since 1997. During this time she has been collecting folk songs, tales, dance steps, and the wisdom of folk medicine and yoga. Sangeeta holds a Master of Arts and a Ph.D. from the Department of Performance Studies at New York University. Her doctoral research was on the relationship between ritual, art and healing in Southern Italian ritual tarantella. Sangeeta’s focus is the manifestation of the world's phenomena as vibration, including emotions and thought patterns. In 2006, she released an album, Aria, and is currently working on her book and new album. For more information please see www.sangeetayoga.org. Sangeeta will be performing in Spell Breaking at The Rosendale Theatre on March 29th.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
Spell Breaking means: an anthology of writings by women edited by Ione; a beautiful performance that will take place in Rosendale in March; and a strategy to free one’s self of (often) self-inflicted suffering. In order to break a spell we need to become aware of being under a spell! This is the beginning of a healing process.
How would you describe your artistic process at this time in your life?
I live life as art so the artistic process is “living,” and “living” is an artistic process. Within this understanding, I create art. Every day I am committed to moment-to-moment awareness. I am open to letting go of what no longer works and to evolving and improving patterns and habits. The creative process is not separate from living. It is one of its results.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
Spell Breaking means: an anthology of writings by women edited by Ione; a beautiful performance that will take place in Rosendale in March; and a strategy to free one’s self of (often) self-inflicted suffering. In order to break a spell we need to become aware of being under a spell! This is the beginning of a healing process.
How would you describe your artistic process at this time in your life?
I live life as art so the artistic process is “living,” and “living” is an artistic process. Within this understanding, I create art. Every day I am committed to moment-to-moment awareness. I am open to letting go of what no longer works and to evolving and improving patterns and habits. The creative process is not separate from living. It is one of its results.
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
I wrote this essay while I was studying yoga in India. It was a wonderful experience to write it in the middle of my training as a yoga teacher. It made me think about bridging teachings and cultures, about different ways to express similar concepts. It made me think about the power that language has to change the way we perceive reality. The content of the essay reflects my yoga studies and also the state of mind I was in when writing.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women's Mysteries Community?
I was blessed to be welcomed in this Community more than ten years ago. Before then, I had not heard of women’s mysteries. Growing up in Siena, Italy, women were all around me. We talked, and shared and grew together in family but there was never a mention of mysteries, or becoming a priestess or using one’s intuitive talents to heal oneself and others. Looking back with this acquired awareness and knowledge of women’s power, I can see how I met many priestesses, even though they were not called like that. Finding the Women’s Mysteries Community was very helpful and healing, and it provided a tremendous net of support at a time of crisis in my life. Over these ten years I have been traveling a lot and have been physically away from the community. However, I have never felt as an outsider. Ione and the other priestesses are always welcoming, loving, very smart and accomplished, intelligent, brave and a boon to the community. I feel very grateful to be part of the “team.”
Future creative plans for you?
I am writing a book called Spider Medicine. It is a self-help method based on the teachings of feminine spider archetypes from Southern Italy, the Indian Pueblo tribes and Raja Yoga. To finish the book and find it a publisher is the goal for this year. I am also committed to bringing contemplative practices to academia and to create academic programs that revolve around mindfulness, wellness and sustainability.
I have been on a vegetarian diet for almost 6 years and on a vegan diet for three weeks. As a yoga teacher, a healer and an advocate of sustainable living, I have become more and more aware of responsibility related to food choices. I am committing to learning how to cook raw vegan food better and better (Ok, the dream? To become an amazing raw food/vegan chef!).
I wrote this essay while I was studying yoga in India. It was a wonderful experience to write it in the middle of my training as a yoga teacher. It made me think about bridging teachings and cultures, about different ways to express similar concepts. It made me think about the power that language has to change the way we perceive reality. The content of the essay reflects my yoga studies and also the state of mind I was in when writing.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women's Mysteries Community?
I was blessed to be welcomed in this Community more than ten years ago. Before then, I had not heard of women’s mysteries. Growing up in Siena, Italy, women were all around me. We talked, and shared and grew together in family but there was never a mention of mysteries, or becoming a priestess or using one’s intuitive talents to heal oneself and others. Looking back with this acquired awareness and knowledge of women’s power, I can see how I met many priestesses, even though they were not called like that. Finding the Women’s Mysteries Community was very helpful and healing, and it provided a tremendous net of support at a time of crisis in my life. Over these ten years I have been traveling a lot and have been physically away from the community. However, I have never felt as an outsider. Ione and the other priestesses are always welcoming, loving, very smart and accomplished, intelligent, brave and a boon to the community. I feel very grateful to be part of the “team.”
Future creative plans for you?
I am writing a book called Spider Medicine. It is a self-help method based on the teachings of feminine spider archetypes from Southern Italy, the Indian Pueblo tribes and Raja Yoga. To finish the book and find it a publisher is the goal for this year. I am also committed to bringing contemplative practices to academia and to create academic programs that revolve around mindfulness, wellness and sustainability.
I have been on a vegetarian diet for almost 6 years and on a vegan diet for three weeks. As a yoga teacher, a healer and an advocate of sustainable living, I have become more and more aware of responsibility related to food choices. I am committing to learning how to cook raw vegan food better and better (Ok, the dream? To become an amazing raw food/vegan chef!).
We know you are a performer, teacher, writer and Yogini. Perhaps you can tell us a little about how becoming a Yogini has transformed your world view?
Yoga is a way of life based on the awareness of the unity among all that is. By learning how to deeply connect body, emotions and thought, I started to feel the connection between seemingly separate entities in perceived reality. I went to India and started to study yoga because there was a seed of discontent within me that I could not catch. It moved and shape shifted so I could not quite say why I was not feeling well and happy most of the time. I intuitively followed a voice that said I needed a very disciplined environment and a practice that would allow me to stop, go deeper, and face my inner shadow. It worked. Learning yoga is like traveling inwardly, seeing yourself from the inside out, and also from outside of yourself at the same time. This is one of the gifts that I received from my teachers at Ananda Ashram in Tamil Nadu: how to become one’s own witness and healer.
What are the differences for you in teaching in India and Europe and here in the US? In particular how does being in the Hudson Valley affect your art?
Every place is different and teaching changes with the place. Languages are different, of course, and not just the verbal one but the language of hands, bodies, eyes. The reason why I love traveling so much is that I am challenged to adapt and change and to listen deeply to the students’ needs. Also, I need to sync with the languages of people and places so that I can honestly share the teachings.
I have always felt at home in the Hudson Valley. I came here for the first time in 1977, as a language fellow in the Italian Department at Vassar College. It was my first time in the U.S., too. Ever since, I have been invited to come back many times, mostly as a Visiting Professor at Vassar. Being in the Hudson Valley always supports my art. I always grow in very positive ways when I am here. I make a lot of mistakes and learn from them almost right away. Also, there is a quality in the land and its environment that helps me to go into contemplative states. It’s the dark stone, the slate, the tall trees, the deep majestic river, the snow. Very different from all the other places I have lived in.
Do you still reference the Tarantismo in your life experience and your teachings and performances?
Yes, I do. In the Spider Medicine workshops that I teach, I reference tarantismo as an example of the practice of “letting go,” and “releasing.” I use molting as a metaphor. I encourage participants to molt: to grow from the inside out. I also use the tarantella music for sections on cathartic dance.
Yoga is a way of life based on the awareness of the unity among all that is. By learning how to deeply connect body, emotions and thought, I started to feel the connection between seemingly separate entities in perceived reality. I went to India and started to study yoga because there was a seed of discontent within me that I could not catch. It moved and shape shifted so I could not quite say why I was not feeling well and happy most of the time. I intuitively followed a voice that said I needed a very disciplined environment and a practice that would allow me to stop, go deeper, and face my inner shadow. It worked. Learning yoga is like traveling inwardly, seeing yourself from the inside out, and also from outside of yourself at the same time. This is one of the gifts that I received from my teachers at Ananda Ashram in Tamil Nadu: how to become one’s own witness and healer.
What are the differences for you in teaching in India and Europe and here in the US? In particular how does being in the Hudson Valley affect your art?
Every place is different and teaching changes with the place. Languages are different, of course, and not just the verbal one but the language of hands, bodies, eyes. The reason why I love traveling so much is that I am challenged to adapt and change and to listen deeply to the students’ needs. Also, I need to sync with the languages of people and places so that I can honestly share the teachings.
I have always felt at home in the Hudson Valley. I came here for the first time in 1977, as a language fellow in the Italian Department at Vassar College. It was my first time in the U.S., too. Ever since, I have been invited to come back many times, mostly as a Visiting Professor at Vassar. Being in the Hudson Valley always supports my art. I always grow in very positive ways when I am here. I make a lot of mistakes and learn from them almost right away. Also, there is a quality in the land and its environment that helps me to go into contemplative states. It’s the dark stone, the slate, the tall trees, the deep majestic river, the snow. Very different from all the other places I have lived in.
Do you still reference the Tarantismo in your life experience and your teachings and performances?
Yes, I do. In the Spider Medicine workshops that I teach, I reference tarantismo as an example of the practice of “letting go,” and “releasing.” I use molting as a metaphor. I encourage participants to molt: to grow from the inside out. I also use the tarantella music for sections on cathartic dance.
Shirley Parker-Benjamin is the Artistic Director of Ezili Sacred Arts. She is an interdisciplinary artist and writer whose work focuses on documenting the world of women through her visual and written work. Her primary visual medium is sculptural mixed media, assemblage, and installations. She often includes poetry and other written media in her visual art. Shirley is currently working a novel and a children’s picture book for more information please email: [email protected]. Shirley will be performing in Spell Breaking; The Traveling Show taking place at The Rosendale Theatre on March 29, 2015.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women’s Mysteries community?
I am the eighth priestess ordained in the Ministry of Maåt. I have been with the Women’s Mysteries Community since the nineties. I have assisted in classes and taught as well. In addition to assisting, I have also presented visual and written work at many of the programs hosted by Deep Listening and Women’s Mysteries.
What does “Spell Breaking” mean to you?
Spell Breaking is a means of transitioning from one state of being to another - a journey of self-discovery, overcoming and transcending obstacles. Even though I was unaware of what was occurring, it evolved into a practice beginning at an early age. As reflected in my writings, I learned about meditation and Egyptian Spirituality from my father. Spell breaking allows me to move purposefully, gathering wisdom from the journey, perpetually uncovering the many layers of self.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women’s Mysteries community?
I am the eighth priestess ordained in the Ministry of Maåt. I have been with the Women’s Mysteries Community since the nineties. I have assisted in classes and taught as well. In addition to assisting, I have also presented visual and written work at many of the programs hosted by Deep Listening and Women’s Mysteries.
What does “Spell Breaking” mean to you?
Spell Breaking is a means of transitioning from one state of being to another - a journey of self-discovery, overcoming and transcending obstacles. Even though I was unaware of what was occurring, it evolved into a practice beginning at an early age. As reflected in my writings, I learned about meditation and Egyptian Spirituality from my father. Spell breaking allows me to move purposefully, gathering wisdom from the journey, perpetually uncovering the many layers of self.
Do you feel that the Women’s Mysteries community represents a continuation for you of some of these spiritual principles?
The Women’s Mysteries community embodies a continuation of some of the principles. What makes Women’s Mysteries so unique is that we are experiencing these principles and deep teaching about the Divine Feminine from women.
How did you come to Ione’s Women’s Mysteries community?
It was the early nineties and a friend of mine and I were actively in search of a women’s community. We happen to pick up a free newspaper in the health food store. We saw Ione’s picture and a brief description of Women’s Mysteries. Ione’s group was the one we were searching for. My friend made the initial call to Ione and we made arrangements to attend our first Women’s Mysteries Retreat. It was just what we were looking for. The women were friendly. Ione and Pauline were wonderful, wise, and knowledgeable. It was through Women’s Mysteries and the Ministry of Maåt that I was able to embrace my creative side. I began to see the possibility of being an artist and writer. Women Mysteries and the Ministry of Maåt is truly a home.
How would you describe your artistic process at this time in your life?
My artistic process involves journaling every day; even if the entry consists of only a sentence or phrase. Journal entries are a reflection of my collective thoughts and ideas within all the realms of the creative experience. They are a diverse collection of thoughts, drawings, photographs and representations. Journaling is the fuel of my creative process. I am inspired by Earth traditions, nature, and culture. It is through these areas of study and my spiritual practices that my art and writing are nourished and thrive. My artistic process is organic; the unfolding of images and words occurring in a holistic manner.
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
My essay was written during a time of major transition. I was still experiencing another rite of passage. My younger brother died less than a year ago. I had also recently moved. Death became tangible, palpable to me because this was my sibling. Writing became part of the restorative process. This essay provided the means to revisit our childhood and commemorate the wonderful times. The times that were challenging and amazing. I was grateful to be able to experience many such moments anew while writing the essay.
Future creative plans for you?
I have several ongoing projects. One of the projects is to complete a book of poetry and I am also working on a novel that has been a big part of me for many years. I’m excited to get these words into the world!
You are a painter, sculptor, and designer of accessories (jewelry and scarves/hats) In addition to being a writer. What are you working on these days?
I am working on a collection of fiber work for an exhibition and a catalogue. The work incorporates found objects, fiber, and natural materials.
The Women’s Mysteries community embodies a continuation of some of the principles. What makes Women’s Mysteries so unique is that we are experiencing these principles and deep teaching about the Divine Feminine from women.
How did you come to Ione’s Women’s Mysteries community?
It was the early nineties and a friend of mine and I were actively in search of a women’s community. We happen to pick up a free newspaper in the health food store. We saw Ione’s picture and a brief description of Women’s Mysteries. Ione’s group was the one we were searching for. My friend made the initial call to Ione and we made arrangements to attend our first Women’s Mysteries Retreat. It was just what we were looking for. The women were friendly. Ione and Pauline were wonderful, wise, and knowledgeable. It was through Women’s Mysteries and the Ministry of Maåt that I was able to embrace my creative side. I began to see the possibility of being an artist and writer. Women Mysteries and the Ministry of Maåt is truly a home.
How would you describe your artistic process at this time in your life?
My artistic process involves journaling every day; even if the entry consists of only a sentence or phrase. Journal entries are a reflection of my collective thoughts and ideas within all the realms of the creative experience. They are a diverse collection of thoughts, drawings, photographs and representations. Journaling is the fuel of my creative process. I am inspired by Earth traditions, nature, and culture. It is through these areas of study and my spiritual practices that my art and writing are nourished and thrive. My artistic process is organic; the unfolding of images and words occurring in a holistic manner.
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
My essay was written during a time of major transition. I was still experiencing another rite of passage. My younger brother died less than a year ago. I had also recently moved. Death became tangible, palpable to me because this was my sibling. Writing became part of the restorative process. This essay provided the means to revisit our childhood and commemorate the wonderful times. The times that were challenging and amazing. I was grateful to be able to experience many such moments anew while writing the essay.
Future creative plans for you?
I have several ongoing projects. One of the projects is to complete a book of poetry and I am also working on a novel that has been a big part of me for many years. I’m excited to get these words into the world!
You are a painter, sculptor, and designer of accessories (jewelry and scarves/hats) In addition to being a writer. What are you working on these days?
I am working on a collection of fiber work for an exhibition and a catalogue. The work incorporates found objects, fiber, and natural materials.
Andrea Israel is the co-author of THE RECIPE CLUB: A TALE OF FOOD AND FRIENDSHIP (HarperCollins), which has been featured on Good Morning America, The View, and People Magazine. To date the novel/cookbook has sold 100,000 copies both in the U.S. and internationally, and it started a nationwide series of Recipe Clubs in which people share their true-life stories of food and friendship. Ms. Israel is also working on two other fiction projects. SEEING THROUGH TO HER about a woman’s discovery that she exists simultaneously as two people and LEAVING PARIS, a trilogy about the legacy of bipolar illness on a family.
Ms. Israel also writes for television. She is working for Robin Roberts new production company, Rockin’ Roberts. Ms. Israel has been a television news producer/writer for more than 20 years for shows such as ABC’s Focus Earth and Good Morning America (which garnered her an Emmy Award), CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, and NBC’s Dateline.
Ms. Israel has an MA in Creative Writing from NYU. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her partner and son. Andrea will be performing in Spell Breaking; The Traveling Show taking place at The Rosendale Theatre on March 29, 2015.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
For me Spell Breaking is about freeing yourself from a preconceived notion you have about who you are, who you can be, or your self-worth in general. Many of us carry interior self-critical voices that are linked to our past, negative things we were told or that we surmised based upon interactions with others. Sometimes they are actual words we heard, sometimes they are societal “norms” and expectations we have been spoon-fed. Often these voices are first internalized in childhood, then echoed in relationships we pursue as adults. As much as spells are generally cast by others, if you believe in them you fall under their power and then you, the entranced one, live in accordance with false beliefs. In order to break a spell, you need to first see that you have absorbed it in a way that informs your life, then have the desire to change.
How would you describe your artistic process at this time in your life?
I am always inspired to tell stories by witnessing other people’s stories. Everything from overhearing a snippet of conversation to interviewing a stranger to having a heart-to-heart with a friend provides fodder for both fiction and non-fiction that I write.
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
The ritual I wrote about, created unexpectedly one day on the beach, was all about doing something for myself, not for anyone else, and it was actually about letting go of words. So when it came time to formulate the essay, the actual act of writing down what happened allowed me to process the experience through a new lens. It helped me organize my thoughts around what had been intuitive and non-verbal, so that I could try and share the experience with others.
Ms. Israel also writes for television. She is working for Robin Roberts new production company, Rockin’ Roberts. Ms. Israel has been a television news producer/writer for more than 20 years for shows such as ABC’s Focus Earth and Good Morning America (which garnered her an Emmy Award), CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, and NBC’s Dateline.
Ms. Israel has an MA in Creative Writing from NYU. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her partner and son. Andrea will be performing in Spell Breaking; The Traveling Show taking place at The Rosendale Theatre on March 29, 2015.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
For me Spell Breaking is about freeing yourself from a preconceived notion you have about who you are, who you can be, or your self-worth in general. Many of us carry interior self-critical voices that are linked to our past, negative things we were told or that we surmised based upon interactions with others. Sometimes they are actual words we heard, sometimes they are societal “norms” and expectations we have been spoon-fed. Often these voices are first internalized in childhood, then echoed in relationships we pursue as adults. As much as spells are generally cast by others, if you believe in them you fall under their power and then you, the entranced one, live in accordance with false beliefs. In order to break a spell, you need to first see that you have absorbed it in a way that informs your life, then have the desire to change.
How would you describe your artistic process at this time in your life?
I am always inspired to tell stories by witnessing other people’s stories. Everything from overhearing a snippet of conversation to interviewing a stranger to having a heart-to-heart with a friend provides fodder for both fiction and non-fiction that I write.
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
The ritual I wrote about, created unexpectedly one day on the beach, was all about doing something for myself, not for anyone else, and it was actually about letting go of words. So when it came time to formulate the essay, the actual act of writing down what happened allowed me to process the experience through a new lens. It helped me organize my thoughts around what had been intuitive and non-verbal, so that I could try and share the experience with others.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women's Mysteries Community?
I have found the Women’s Mysteries Community to be a tremendously supportive space for self-exploration. Over the years I’ve been in several writing groups in which there is a subtext of competition and criticism. It’s been a revelation to me that one doesn’t need to be fearful of sharing something that is raw and unformed. Ione has created a safe and sacred way of allowing people to express themselves creatively and emotionally.
Future creative plans for you?
To finish a novel I’ve been working on this year, and return to the one I’ve set aside. I’m also very interested in revisiting my early love of playwriting and I’ve been thinking about turning some of my material into a play.
What first drew you to the Spell Breaking Community?
I was taken by the storytelling nature of the community. I have always been analytical and can understand why behavior might stem from the complications of life and relationships. But there comes a point when you have to pull from within yourself to change what holds you back from being all you want to be. When you conceptualize that impediment as a spell, and the spell itself as a story that you’ve been told and have agreed to believe in, then there is a certain power of self-liberation you can draw upon.
Your essay and the intriguing photo of you on the beach in Spell Breaking shows us a woman learning how to set powerful boundaries for her well-being. Do you find yourself going back in memory and revisiting that moment of "break through?”
I have found the Women’s Mysteries Community to be a tremendously supportive space for self-exploration. Over the years I’ve been in several writing groups in which there is a subtext of competition and criticism. It’s been a revelation to me that one doesn’t need to be fearful of sharing something that is raw and unformed. Ione has created a safe and sacred way of allowing people to express themselves creatively and emotionally.
Future creative plans for you?
To finish a novel I’ve been working on this year, and return to the one I’ve set aside. I’m also very interested in revisiting my early love of playwriting and I’ve been thinking about turning some of my material into a play.
What first drew you to the Spell Breaking Community?
I was taken by the storytelling nature of the community. I have always been analytical and can understand why behavior might stem from the complications of life and relationships. But there comes a point when you have to pull from within yourself to change what holds you back from being all you want to be. When you conceptualize that impediment as a spell, and the spell itself as a story that you’ve been told and have agreed to believe in, then there is a certain power of self-liberation you can draw upon.
Your essay and the intriguing photo of you on the beach in Spell Breaking shows us a woman learning how to set powerful boundaries for her well-being. Do you find yourself going back in memory and revisiting that moment of "break through?”
I believe that in life you take two steps forward and one step backward all the time. There are even those awkward moments when it’s three steps backward before you find your footing again. So yes, I do go to that moment of breakthrough, particularly when I feel myself unsteady where I’m standing in my life. Creating boundaries, for me, is a perpetual learning process. Boundaries also shift according to who might be pushing against them.
Tell us what is happening now with your amazing book The Recipe Club that is now translated into so many languages.
The Recipe Club sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, and that was totally unexpected. My co-author and I self-published it because we had a clear idea of what we wanted the book to be, and we initially had trouble finding a publisher who shared that vision. Soon after it was picked up by Harper Collins. It continues to be read by book groups, and it is in its third printing in Italy where it was a best-seller. The greatest accomplishment for me was what happened around the book: Readers across the country formed Recipe Clubs in which they shared their own food-related real life stories. We visited many of these gatherings where people thought they were going to discuss a recipe or dish that is important in their lives. But we all discovered that food stories or memories have little to do with the actual food being described. They are mostly tales of love, betrayal, hope, despair, and dreams. It was tremendously moving when our readers opened up to us, often with tears and truths never before spoken aloud.
How has working so successfully in the media affected your personal spell breaking? You've worked as a producer/writer for ABC's Focus Earth, a producer/writer on Anderson Cooper 360, Dateline, and Good Morning America among other programs. Is there any one Spell Breaking type story you would like to share from that world?
In television news, the stories that air each day are selected by the producers. And there is a preponderance of negativity in these stories. I believe the presumption is that bad news sells. It has always troubled me that we pander to the rubbernecking inclinations of people who like to hear about disasters. While at CNN I produced a story about an Alaskan singer-songwriter who wrote a song that travelled the world and changed lives. The lyrics were simple: “How Can Anyone Ever Tell You, You Are Anything Less Than Beautiful?” The song became the anthem for children who are disabled, girls with eating disorders, an orphanage in Zambia, cancer survivors, and many others. When we aired the piece, we received a huge amount of enthusiastic and grateful mail from viewers. To me it proved the point that there is an audience hungry for positive, affirming news. I have always hoped that, at least for the moment, the story of that song broke the negativity spell of the broadcast media.
You have a new book project - would you say that the strong woman protagonist in your book must do some spell breaking of her own to make her way through?
Yes, the protagonist in this book is a woman who made choices in her life as a mother and a wife that kept her from fulfilling other aspects of herself. In the book she goes on a quest, putting at risk all that she knows and loves in order to discover who she might have been.
Would you have any words of advice or caution for an entry-level person today in terms of writing careers and the world of the media?
If you can’t publish your work through obvious, tried-and-true channels, don’t worry. We are witnessing the Titanic era of traditional publishing. Everyone in this industry is scrambling to reinvent the wheel. Don’t jump onto their sinking ship. It seems most important, now, to write what you believe in for yourself first, not for acknowledgement. When you are ready to publish, explore alternatives. Criticism, if it’s from the right source, can be helpful. If it isn’t, disregard it. Rejections are easy to encounter, and they are doled out frequently by people who are frightened of originality. If you truly believe in your project you will find a way to bring it into the world.
The Recipe Club sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, and that was totally unexpected. My co-author and I self-published it because we had a clear idea of what we wanted the book to be, and we initially had trouble finding a publisher who shared that vision. Soon after it was picked up by Harper Collins. It continues to be read by book groups, and it is in its third printing in Italy where it was a best-seller. The greatest accomplishment for me was what happened around the book: Readers across the country formed Recipe Clubs in which they shared their own food-related real life stories. We visited many of these gatherings where people thought they were going to discuss a recipe or dish that is important in their lives. But we all discovered that food stories or memories have little to do with the actual food being described. They are mostly tales of love, betrayal, hope, despair, and dreams. It was tremendously moving when our readers opened up to us, often with tears and truths never before spoken aloud.
How has working so successfully in the media affected your personal spell breaking? You've worked as a producer/writer for ABC's Focus Earth, a producer/writer on Anderson Cooper 360, Dateline, and Good Morning America among other programs. Is there any one Spell Breaking type story you would like to share from that world?
In television news, the stories that air each day are selected by the producers. And there is a preponderance of negativity in these stories. I believe the presumption is that bad news sells. It has always troubled me that we pander to the rubbernecking inclinations of people who like to hear about disasters. While at CNN I produced a story about an Alaskan singer-songwriter who wrote a song that travelled the world and changed lives. The lyrics were simple: “How Can Anyone Ever Tell You, You Are Anything Less Than Beautiful?” The song became the anthem for children who are disabled, girls with eating disorders, an orphanage in Zambia, cancer survivors, and many others. When we aired the piece, we received a huge amount of enthusiastic and grateful mail from viewers. To me it proved the point that there is an audience hungry for positive, affirming news. I have always hoped that, at least for the moment, the story of that song broke the negativity spell of the broadcast media.
You have a new book project - would you say that the strong woman protagonist in your book must do some spell breaking of her own to make her way through?
Yes, the protagonist in this book is a woman who made choices in her life as a mother and a wife that kept her from fulfilling other aspects of herself. In the book she goes on a quest, putting at risk all that she knows and loves in order to discover who she might have been.
Would you have any words of advice or caution for an entry-level person today in terms of writing careers and the world of the media?
If you can’t publish your work through obvious, tried-and-true channels, don’t worry. We are witnessing the Titanic era of traditional publishing. Everyone in this industry is scrambling to reinvent the wheel. Don’t jump onto their sinking ship. It seems most important, now, to write what you believe in for yourself first, not for acknowledgement. When you are ready to publish, explore alternatives. Criticism, if it’s from the right source, can be helpful. If it isn’t, disregard it. Rejections are easy to encounter, and they are doled out frequently by people who are frightened of originality. If you truly believe in your project you will find a way to bring it into the world.
Pauline Oliveros (1932), resident of Kingston, NY, is widely recognized as one of America's most important composers. A leader of the avant-garde and a pioneer of improvisatory music, alternate tuning systems, contemporary accordion playing, electronics and multi-media events, Oliveros is a vital force through continuing compositions, performances, teaching, and through Deep Listening®, a lifetime practice fundamental to her work. Currently she serves as Professor of Practice at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy NY, Darius Milhaud Artist-in-residence at Mills College, Oakland CA and founder of Deep Listening. For more information please go to: www.paulineoliveros.us. Pauline will be performing in Spell Breaking; The Traveling Show taking place at The Rosendale Theatre on March 29, 2015.
What is your relationship to the Women’s Mysteries Community?
I have been a friend to the Women’s Mysteries Community and the Community a friend to me since Ione began its development in 1988. I am a sometime participant and a facilitator to groups for listening practices. I have traveled to Egypt with Ione and her groups and to other sacred sites to experience the feelings that arise in such places with guidance from Ione and to take part in practices that help to open individuals to sharing their inner worlds.
What is your relationship to the Women’s Mysteries Community?
I have been a friend to the Women’s Mysteries Community and the Community a friend to me since Ione began its development in 1988. I am a sometime participant and a facilitator to groups for listening practices. I have traveled to Egypt with Ione and her groups and to other sacred sites to experience the feelings that arise in such places with guidance from Ione and to take part in practices that help to open individuals to sharing their inner worlds.
How does this community relate to the Deep Listening Community?
The two communities have been operating in parallel with some overlap and exchange. Deep Listening began with an initial retreat in 1991 with twenty people attending. I initiated meditation practice with listening as its core as well as listening to dreams and movement of body. Ione teaches Listening in Dreams in Deep Listening retreats and workshops and I teach Deep Listening in Women’s Mysteries sessions.
The two communities have been operating in parallel with some overlap and exchange. Deep Listening began with an initial retreat in 1991 with twenty people attending. I initiated meditation practice with listening as its core as well as listening to dreams and movement of body. Ione teaches Listening in Dreams in Deep Listening retreats and workshops and I teach Deep Listening in Women’s Mysteries sessions.
How does this community relate to the Deep Listening Community?
The two communities have been operating in parallel with some overlap and exchange. Deep Listening began with an initial retreat in 1991 with twenty people attending. I initiated meditation practice with listening as its core as well as listening to dreams and movement of body. Ione teaches Listening in Dreams in Deep Listening retreats and workshops and I teach Deep Listening in Women’s Mysteries sessions.
The two communities have been operating in parallel with some overlap and exchange. Deep Listening began with an initial retreat in 1991 with twenty people attending. I initiated meditation practice with listening as its core as well as listening to dreams and movement of body. Ione teaches Listening in Dreams in Deep Listening retreats and workshops and I teach Deep Listening in Women’s Mysteries sessions.
What does Spell Breaking as a concept mean to you as a composer and performer and Founder of Deep Listening?
Finding peak experience leading to breakthroughs and release involves listening. The ear enables hearing. Attention to what is heard leads to listening. Listening is interpreting hearing. Listening to the way that one listens can lead to discovery of patterns and ways of moving through patterns that might be barriers to freedom. So many people are too intimidated by early experiences with music making, that leave them feeling too inadequate to learn or participate. A spell has been cast. I have heard so often “I love music, but I don’t know anything about it.” This represents a spell.
Finding peak experience leading to breakthroughs and release involves listening. The ear enables hearing. Attention to what is heard leads to listening. Listening is interpreting hearing. Listening to the way that one listens can lead to discovery of patterns and ways of moving through patterns that might be barriers to freedom. So many people are too intimidated by early experiences with music making, that leave them feeling too inadequate to learn or participate. A spell has been cast. I have heard so often “I love music, but I don’t know anything about it.” This represents a spell.
Your essay in SPELL BREAKING evokes some special moments in your youth. Do you feel you will write more about some of these pivotal experiences in your life?
Yes I would like to write more about my early experiences and how I moved through a variety of spells.
Do any particular additional “Spell Breaking” moments from the past come to mind?
Yes I remember distinctly telling myself that I did not have to be nervous or afraid about performance. From that moment I began to cultivate a new attitude that involved listening outwardly to the field of sound rather than focusing attention on internal dialogue that promoted nervousness.
Tell us about Spell Breaking as it may relate to the new “Phantom Opera”, The Nubian Word for Flowers that you and Ione are creating?
We are in the midst of creating The Nubian Word for Flowers which is a complex network of a variety of styles of music and sound design and an enormous amount of research that Ione has done. This “Phantom Opera” plays itself out in a location both in and outside of time where Nubian Soul meets Colonial Mind. It shines light upon the Diaspora of the Nubian people who were displaced by the flooding of their homeland in order to create the Nasser Dam in the 1940s. It is about the spells cast by conquest and (so called) superior technology.
Any advice to young composers and or performers who may be trying to break out of some old spells?
The best medicine is to listen for what is sounding and what you want to hear next. Believe in your feelings for the sounds that you want to hear and move forward with those sounds fearlessly.
Yes I would like to write more about my early experiences and how I moved through a variety of spells.
Do any particular additional “Spell Breaking” moments from the past come to mind?
Yes I remember distinctly telling myself that I did not have to be nervous or afraid about performance. From that moment I began to cultivate a new attitude that involved listening outwardly to the field of sound rather than focusing attention on internal dialogue that promoted nervousness.
Tell us about Spell Breaking as it may relate to the new “Phantom Opera”, The Nubian Word for Flowers that you and Ione are creating?
We are in the midst of creating The Nubian Word for Flowers which is a complex network of a variety of styles of music and sound design and an enormous amount of research that Ione has done. This “Phantom Opera” plays itself out in a location both in and outside of time where Nubian Soul meets Colonial Mind. It shines light upon the Diaspora of the Nubian people who were displaced by the flooding of their homeland in order to create the Nasser Dam in the 1940s. It is about the spells cast by conquest and (so called) superior technology.
Any advice to young composers and or performers who may be trying to break out of some old spells?
The best medicine is to listen for what is sounding and what you want to hear next. Believe in your feelings for the sounds that you want to hear and move forward with those sounds fearlessly.
Sadee Brathwaite, founder of La Leona Arts – an arts organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the arts through various creative initiatives, is an artist, curator and arts facilitator. Her drawings and paintings explore issues of beauty, universal womanhood and the metaphysical. Her ongoing studies of Egyptian mythologies and divinities are oftentimes translated into visual form. She draws upon the rich legacies of the ancestors to explore the mysteries of life. As an independent curator and creative consultant, Brathwaite collaborates with emerging and established artists, and a variety of galleries and alternative spaces, to exhibit art that reflects our diverse cultures. She continually advocates and appreciates the importance of diversity in the visual arts. www.laleonaarts.com.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
To me “Spell Breaking” means dissolving illusions, and awakening to new realities.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
To me “Spell Breaking” means dissolving illusions, and awakening to new realities.
How would you describe your artistic process at this time in your life?
My artistic process at this time is very fluid. It involves getting in touch with ideas that I’ve already identified and going deeper into expressing them. Lately, I’ve been browsing old journals and notebooks, and discovering “lost” pieces of myself. These rediscoveries are very grounding and help to establish a new, more encompassing creative self.
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
The very act of creating the piece for Spell Breaking helped me to remember that I love writing and used to be very comfortable sharing that part of myself. So for me, it was a very special reconnection process.
My artistic process at this time is very fluid. It involves getting in touch with ideas that I’ve already identified and going deeper into expressing them. Lately, I’ve been browsing old journals and notebooks, and discovering “lost” pieces of myself. These rediscoveries are very grounding and help to establish a new, more encompassing creative self.
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
The very act of creating the piece for Spell Breaking helped me to remember that I love writing and used to be very comfortable sharing that part of myself. So for me, it was a very special reconnection process.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the
Women's Mysteries Community?
I am a Minister Priestess of Maåt and have been a part of the Women’s Mysteries Community for over 10 years. It is such a blessing and inspiration to be a part of this holistic women’s organization. There are women from all over the world learning how to nurture and heal their creative selves, thereby creating a more compassionate world. To do this while going to retreats and visiting sacred sites all over the world is amazing. Plus you make lifelong connections to fellow artists, writers, educators, healers, and wise women.
I am a Minister Priestess of Maåt and have been a part of the Women’s Mysteries Community for over 10 years. It is such a blessing and inspiration to be a part of this holistic women’s organization. There are women from all over the world learning how to nurture and heal their creative selves, thereby creating a more compassionate world. To do this while going to retreats and visiting sacred sites all over the world is amazing. Plus you make lifelong connections to fellow artists, writers, educators, healers, and wise women.
Future creative plans for you?
I plan many things!!! Lol. Art shows all over the world. A deck of inspirational/ oracle cards with my art series and writings. More facilitation of creative arts workshops. And general widespread art advocacy.
What first drew you to the Spell Breaking Community?
Ione. She invited me to participate, and I wasn’t sure at first what I could offer but then the poem came about. And imagery was found. And my story unfolded.
Your poem speaks about your physical healing and spell breaking- Can you tell us a bit about your experience?
I suffered for over a decade with uterine fibroid tumors. On May 22nd, 2012 I had them surgically removed. There were over 50+ tumors, and they weighed a total close to 10lbs. Having them removed was liberating. Coming through the whole process brought me to a new level of understanding. It broke many spells for me.
I plan many things!!! Lol. Art shows all over the world. A deck of inspirational/ oracle cards with my art series and writings. More facilitation of creative arts workshops. And general widespread art advocacy.
What first drew you to the Spell Breaking Community?
Ione. She invited me to participate, and I wasn’t sure at first what I could offer but then the poem came about. And imagery was found. And my story unfolded.
Your poem speaks about your physical healing and spell breaking- Can you tell us a bit about your experience?
I suffered for over a decade with uterine fibroid tumors. On May 22nd, 2012 I had them surgically removed. There were over 50+ tumors, and they weighed a total close to 10lbs. Having them removed was liberating. Coming through the whole process brought me to a new level of understanding. It broke many spells for me.
You organized 100 artists 100 dreams in conjunction with Ione's Annual Dream Festival. Can you look back and tell us what that meant to you to work with all those artists?
It’s been an honor working with all the participants of 100 Artists/100 Dreams. It is the first long term international project of its kind that views artists as visionaries of their cultures, and focuses on recurring, creative, and prophetic dreams of artists. We’ve created a film, produced an exhibit and presented a concert, all in conjunction with Ione’s Annual Dream Festivals. The project is currently on hiatus, but I look forward to completing it and continuing the work of promoting artists and their dreams.
It’s been an honor working with all the participants of 100 Artists/100 Dreams. It is the first long term international project of its kind that views artists as visionaries of their cultures, and focuses on recurring, creative, and prophetic dreams of artists. We’ve created a film, produced an exhibit and presented a concert, all in conjunction with Ione’s Annual Dream Festivals. The project is currently on hiatus, but I look forward to completing it and continuing the work of promoting artists and their dreams.
Tell us about your current work and its reference to
ancient Egypt and how it relates to the concept of Spell Breaking.
My current work, “Secret Languages of Khemet”, is the culmination of a decade long study of ancient Egypt. It focuses on principles, concepts, gods, goddesses, archetypes and symbols. There is artistic exploration. And there is poetry. This series is particularly significant for me because I started it right about the time I begin really experiencing ill health. And after my surgery, after my spell was broken, I was able to finally complete it. And I had wonderful inspiration and what flowed through came from this new place of awakening.
My current work, “Secret Languages of Khemet”, is the culmination of a decade long study of ancient Egypt. It focuses on principles, concepts, gods, goddesses, archetypes and symbols. There is artistic exploration. And there is poetry. This series is particularly significant for me because I started it right about the time I begin really experiencing ill health. And after my surgery, after my spell was broken, I was able to finally complete it. And I had wonderful inspiration and what flowed through came from this new place of awakening.
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Your relationship to words and visual has been shifting. How does poetry and prose interact with your painterly self?
Poetry and prose has been interacting marvelously. I’m so excited. I am more comfortable adding text to my pieces. And writing poetry inspired by my art. They are coming together smoothly.
Advice to young women and girls coming up at this time?
My advice to young women and girls coming up at this time is to allow yourself space and time to grow and come into who you really are. There will be periods of activity, phases of slow metamorphosis and cycles of astounding growth. Be there fully in those moments. And cherish them and be gentle with yourselves. It is a valuable life lesson.
Poetry and prose has been interacting marvelously. I’m so excited. I am more comfortable adding text to my pieces. And writing poetry inspired by my art. They are coming together smoothly.
Advice to young women and girls coming up at this time?
My advice to young women and girls coming up at this time is to allow yourself space and time to grow and come into who you really are. There will be periods of activity, phases of slow metamorphosis and cycles of astounding growth. Be there fully in those moments. And cherish them and be gentle with yourselves. It is a valuable life lesson.
Julia Winter - Her practice and her teaching are her own; the training program (Helix) that she created with four colleagues in 1980 and taught for thirty years was their own. Recently, she has been working with the neuroplasticity of the brain and with the idea of Sacred Activism. She teaches and does intuitive work and astrology. Healing Works was a not-for-profit organization she created with two colleagues to offer a variety of healing therapies to marginalized people. Her intention is always to serve.
Can you tell us about your relationship to Ione and Spell Breaking Anthology?
My relationship to Ione is long, complex, many layered and rich: I have been her teacher and she has been mine. We are colleagues and friends (probably in more than this lifetime alone) and I admire her greatly. She invited me to be part of the anthology and I was excited about the project and about being included in it.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
It means liberating myself – or being in a process of liberation – from life-denying memories, trauma patterns and outworn neurological habits. It allows me to embrace greater aspects of the totality of who I am. Through breaking spells, familial and cultural, I reclaim my wholeness. It is the realization that we are made of star carbon.
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
I had experiences of shining happiness, intense and tense concentration and considerable guilt in writing about my father’s family in ways that expressed my experience truthfully and not always kindly, even though I took responsibility for the perceptions and ultimately accorded gratitude to the family. These feelings have not resolved. Another work in progress.
Can you tell us about your relationship to Ione and Spell Breaking Anthology?
My relationship to Ione is long, complex, many layered and rich: I have been her teacher and she has been mine. We are colleagues and friends (probably in more than this lifetime alone) and I admire her greatly. She invited me to be part of the anthology and I was excited about the project and about being included in it.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
It means liberating myself – or being in a process of liberation – from life-denying memories, trauma patterns and outworn neurological habits. It allows me to embrace greater aspects of the totality of who I am. Through breaking spells, familial and cultural, I reclaim my wholeness. It is the realization that we are made of star carbon.
Any special experiences while you were creating your essay for this publication?
I had experiences of shining happiness, intense and tense concentration and considerable guilt in writing about my father’s family in ways that expressed my experience truthfully and not always kindly, even though I took responsibility for the perceptions and ultimately accorded gratitude to the family. These feelings have not resolved. Another work in progress.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women's Mysteries Community?
My relationship to the community is through Ione and now includes the enjoyable contact I have had with these extraordinary women.
You are a primary founder of the Helix Training Program. Hundreds of people -including Ione -have graduated and gone on to do great therapeutic work with those in need. How does Helix affect your life today?
Ah. A long story. Four other women and I created Helix in 1980, seeing that there was a need to make healing work combined with psychotherapy available in a time when this was rare and daring. It is ancient work, but was not popular or much respected then. (Times have changed – somewhat.) We were radical women, (uppity women?) who worked without support from anyone in what I think of as the official world. One of our mottoes, from the Dylan song, was, “To live outside the law, you must be honest.” Some of us taught the program for thirty-five years. We are not teaching at the moment, but may again, with the younger ones in charge. I am still connected to the community, which lives in my daily work and in the deepest reaches of my heart. I think it has become part of my DNA. The practitioners we have trained are a marvel to me: skillful, conscious, kind and outrageous.
Do you see a connection between Helix and The Ministry of Maåt?
Yes. I think there are connections. Like Helix, Ione created her own, independent program not connected to officialdom and not in relationship to official needs and cultural demands. The Ministry is free-spirited, high-spirited and always in process. (There is no single set curriculum, repeated every training.) The intention is to expand individual and group connection to Spirit, in whatever ways that is perceived, to celebrate life and to be of service, as well as to use ritual to deepen awareness and altered states to enhance wisdom. The Ministry is focused on spiritual growth in an iconoclastic and inspired way, as was Helix.
The other program you launched was "Healing Works" which was among the first to offer free healing services to those in need. Can you open a small window to let us see what that was like for you and the others involved?
Healing Works was the most difficult project I ever launched. It did involve the official world (not, as you may surmise, one of my strong suits), because we needed grants, played the game of grant writing, had galas (my life as a party planner). We paid rent, had committee meetings (I am rarely bored, but those were not an activity I enjoyed. I would plead to clean the bathrooms instead, but I did attend and participate and they were necessary.) Healing Works was also intensely satisfying. It had long been painful to me that holistic services (ahem) were available only to those who could pay. The gilded ghetto. We worked with the homeless, the disenfranchised; with needle exchange programs and adolescents too frightened to close their eyes in order to meditate. By the time we closed our doors, after seven years, we had two hundred and fifty volunteers – who offered their skills for no fee - and had seen about ten thousand people. Hard though it was to do that “official” part of the work, closing was wrenching, the result of improprieties in another not-for-profit group that washed over onto us when the granting agency denied many organizations – and us - our funding. We were not endowed and simply did not have the wherewithal to continue.
How would you describe your artistic process at this time in your life?
This process is complicated; I have many time commitments which are commitments from my heart – to my healing/therapy work. So, time is an apparent issue that, perhaps, hides the deeper ones of conflict about making art, which is centered on me, versus being of service in a more obvious way. I understand that art is a profound force for healing and this is an introjected issue arising from my psyche and what I feel am allowed.
What is your primary focus these days?
Mindfulness, faith, celebration, living life as a blessing. Telling the truth. Making a loving contribution to the psychic pool we share and remembering that there is only one of us.
My relationship to the community is through Ione and now includes the enjoyable contact I have had with these extraordinary women.
You are a primary founder of the Helix Training Program. Hundreds of people -including Ione -have graduated and gone on to do great therapeutic work with those in need. How does Helix affect your life today?
Ah. A long story. Four other women and I created Helix in 1980, seeing that there was a need to make healing work combined with psychotherapy available in a time when this was rare and daring. It is ancient work, but was not popular or much respected then. (Times have changed – somewhat.) We were radical women, (uppity women?) who worked without support from anyone in what I think of as the official world. One of our mottoes, from the Dylan song, was, “To live outside the law, you must be honest.” Some of us taught the program for thirty-five years. We are not teaching at the moment, but may again, with the younger ones in charge. I am still connected to the community, which lives in my daily work and in the deepest reaches of my heart. I think it has become part of my DNA. The practitioners we have trained are a marvel to me: skillful, conscious, kind and outrageous.
Do you see a connection between Helix and The Ministry of Maåt?
Yes. I think there are connections. Like Helix, Ione created her own, independent program not connected to officialdom and not in relationship to official needs and cultural demands. The Ministry is free-spirited, high-spirited and always in process. (There is no single set curriculum, repeated every training.) The intention is to expand individual and group connection to Spirit, in whatever ways that is perceived, to celebrate life and to be of service, as well as to use ritual to deepen awareness and altered states to enhance wisdom. The Ministry is focused on spiritual growth in an iconoclastic and inspired way, as was Helix.
The other program you launched was "Healing Works" which was among the first to offer free healing services to those in need. Can you open a small window to let us see what that was like for you and the others involved?
Healing Works was the most difficult project I ever launched. It did involve the official world (not, as you may surmise, one of my strong suits), because we needed grants, played the game of grant writing, had galas (my life as a party planner). We paid rent, had committee meetings (I am rarely bored, but those were not an activity I enjoyed. I would plead to clean the bathrooms instead, but I did attend and participate and they were necessary.) Healing Works was also intensely satisfying. It had long been painful to me that holistic services (ahem) were available only to those who could pay. The gilded ghetto. We worked with the homeless, the disenfranchised; with needle exchange programs and adolescents too frightened to close their eyes in order to meditate. By the time we closed our doors, after seven years, we had two hundred and fifty volunteers – who offered their skills for no fee - and had seen about ten thousand people. Hard though it was to do that “official” part of the work, closing was wrenching, the result of improprieties in another not-for-profit group that washed over onto us when the granting agency denied many organizations – and us - our funding. We were not endowed and simply did not have the wherewithal to continue.
How would you describe your artistic process at this time in your life?
This process is complicated; I have many time commitments which are commitments from my heart – to my healing/therapy work. So, time is an apparent issue that, perhaps, hides the deeper ones of conflict about making art, which is centered on me, versus being of service in a more obvious way. I understand that art is a profound force for healing and this is an introjected issue arising from my psyche and what I feel am allowed.
What is your primary focus these days?
Mindfulness, faith, celebration, living life as a blessing. Telling the truth. Making a loving contribution to the psychic pool we share and remembering that there is only one of us.
Carol Chappell has over 35 years experience in natural healing including being a NYS Licensed Massage Therapist, Tai Qi, Qi Gong (Chinese Healing Exercise), and for the past 12 years has dedicated her life to the study of the use of essential oils in healing based on Chinese Medicine parameters. She has been teaching African Dance in Woodstock, NY for 28 years as a means of expression and a medium for the healing sound vibration of live drumming. She is also familiar with various dietary protocols. She lectures on the use of Aromatherapy as a healing modality. She is a dancer and percussionist with Nego Gato Afro Brazilian Music and Dance whom she has also managed for 25 years and serves as lecturer and historian of African Brazilian Culture. She recently completed a Woman’s Mysteries Initiation Journey to Egypt where she was ordained as a Priestess of the Ministry of Maåt, Inc. She lives in High Falls, NY with her cats Tippy and Tookie.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
It means the dissolving of a negative time or blockage in your life with the results that one is able to heal and move forward.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
It means the dissolving of a negative time or blockage in your life with the results that one is able to heal and move forward.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women's Mysteries Community?
I have been attending Ione's seminars for a few years both as attendee and teacher and became more involved after the trip to Egypt where I was initiated as a Priestess.
Future creative plans for you?
More of the same. I continue my studies in Aromatherapy, Martial Arts and African Dance.
What first drew you to the Spell Breaking Community?
Ione called me and asked me if I wanted to share my experience about my recovery and she encouraged me to write about the process.
I have been attending Ione's seminars for a few years both as attendee and teacher and became more involved after the trip to Egypt where I was initiated as a Priestess.
Future creative plans for you?
More of the same. I continue my studies in Aromatherapy, Martial Arts and African Dance.
What first drew you to the Spell Breaking Community?
Ione called me and asked me if I wanted to share my experience about my recovery and she encouraged me to write about the process.
Tell us a bit about what being in Egypt with IONE and the other women meant to you.
It was a life changing experience. To be in a land that exudes so much energy with a group of women who are also very powerful. I consider going on that trip one of my best life decisions.
Your writing is so powerful, exposing a time of being on the life and death for you. How do others respond to your story?
People who are close to me experienced it with me but could only observe from the outside what was going on. It moves them to find out what was going on for me emotionally and how I came out of the experience a more open person. Most people who only heard the readings think I am some kind of "Wonder Woman" LOL.
Do you feel you are continuing to use the skills you learned during your illness?
An experience like that stays with you for life. It is reflected in all of my current work.
You have brought many master African dancers to the Hudson Valley - What has that been like for you?
The varied cultures of Africa and the spiritual knowledge that is inherent in the drum and the language of the dance has been a motivation in my life and to receive it first hand from these Great Masters is a privilege.
It was a life changing experience. To be in a land that exudes so much energy with a group of women who are also very powerful. I consider going on that trip one of my best life decisions.
Your writing is so powerful, exposing a time of being on the life and death for you. How do others respond to your story?
People who are close to me experienced it with me but could only observe from the outside what was going on. It moves them to find out what was going on for me emotionally and how I came out of the experience a more open person. Most people who only heard the readings think I am some kind of "Wonder Woman" LOL.
Do you feel you are continuing to use the skills you learned during your illness?
An experience like that stays with you for life. It is reflected in all of my current work.
You have brought many master African dancers to the Hudson Valley - What has that been like for you?
The varied cultures of Africa and the spiritual knowledge that is inherent in the drum and the language of the dance has been a motivation in my life and to receive it first hand from these Great Masters is a privilege.
IONE often introduces you as a young Tai Qi and Qi Gong master as well as a skilled teacher of African Drum and dance. Can you tell us about these amazing aspects of your life?
I don't consider myself a Master of anything but a student of everything. I continue to study and try to improve my skills as a martial artist and teach people who are looking for alternative healing in their lives. African Dance is a passion that I enjoy sharing with other women. Some have been with me for 30 years! But I also continue to study with Master Teachers from Africa. The power and vibrations of the drums have a tremendous healing effect on the body and have been my emotional balance for close to 40 years.
I don't consider myself a Master of anything but a student of everything. I continue to study and try to improve my skills as a martial artist and teach people who are looking for alternative healing in their lives. African Dance is a passion that I enjoy sharing with other women. Some have been with me for 30 years! But I also continue to study with Master Teachers from Africa. The power and vibrations of the drums have a tremendous healing effect on the body and have been my emotional balance for close to 40 years.
Lisa Barnard Kelley is a vocalist, performance artist, actor, priestess of Maåt and student of Tao. Lisa has performed music and performance art in the Hudson Valley for the last ten years, collaborating with local musicians, actors, puppeteers and visual artists. She has honed her skills over the years in acting, movement, stage direction/design, puppetry, jazz/free improvisation and sound production which she experiments with in original performances including elements of spoken word, vocalization, masks, music and movement. She dedicates her craft to exploring the open field of vocal expression from within and through the guidance of her mentors. She is a Deep Listening Certificate Holder and the Director of Perla Productions. She received her B.A. in Performance Studies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
To me, it's a continual process of self-discovery. It's a life-long journey of unwrapping and challenging your own belief systems and life stories/myths within the context of our world, family and relationships. It is surprising, thrilling and at times frightening, but most of all an empowering experience.
What does "Spell Breaking" mean to you?
To me, it's a continual process of self-discovery. It's a life-long journey of unwrapping and challenging your own belief systems and life stories/myths within the context of our world, family and relationships. It is surprising, thrilling and at times frightening, but most of all an empowering experience.
Can you tell us a bit about your relationship to the Women's Mysteries Community?
I've been a member of this community since 2004 beginning with a regular women's circle that would meet at Per Ankh (House of Life) in Kingston. Being a young artist working for Pauline Oliveros' non-profit, Deep Listening Institute, I would frequently attend retreats on work exchange and eventually became the Ministry "scribe" and Dream Money "treasury." I have had the pleasure of meeting and coordinating events with most of the women of our community.
Future creative plans for you?
I recently gave birth to my son who is now almost 10 months old. I'm starting to realize what a profoundly inspiring process motherhood is. It's amazing to discover parts of myself I didn't know before. My son and I vocalize together often and it is so joyful! I see many collaborations in our future!
What first drew you to the Spell Breaking Community?
As I began my work with the Women's Mysteries community, I also started to journal more intensely becoming more and more inspired by the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley where I've made my home for the last 14 years. My writing and improvisational performances seemed to point to specific memories. Ione asked me to share one.
How did you first connect with the Women’s Mysteries Community?
I connected with Women's Mysteries through Deep Listening Institute. I became a member of the Hudson Valley Sound Painting Orchestra organized by then-intern Sarah Weaver, from there I met Ione, Sangeeta Laura Biagi and other fantastic artists. My interest in expanding the field of my vocal improvisation naturally led me to Women's Mysteries.
I've been a member of this community since 2004 beginning with a regular women's circle that would meet at Per Ankh (House of Life) in Kingston. Being a young artist working for Pauline Oliveros' non-profit, Deep Listening Institute, I would frequently attend retreats on work exchange and eventually became the Ministry "scribe" and Dream Money "treasury." I have had the pleasure of meeting and coordinating events with most of the women of our community.
Future creative plans for you?
I recently gave birth to my son who is now almost 10 months old. I'm starting to realize what a profoundly inspiring process motherhood is. It's amazing to discover parts of myself I didn't know before. My son and I vocalize together often and it is so joyful! I see many collaborations in our future!
What first drew you to the Spell Breaking Community?
As I began my work with the Women's Mysteries community, I also started to journal more intensely becoming more and more inspired by the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley where I've made my home for the last 14 years. My writing and improvisational performances seemed to point to specific memories. Ione asked me to share one.
How did you first connect with the Women’s Mysteries Community?
I connected with Women's Mysteries through Deep Listening Institute. I became a member of the Hudson Valley Sound Painting Orchestra organized by then-intern Sarah Weaver, from there I met Ione, Sangeeta Laura Biagi and other fantastic artists. My interest in expanding the field of my vocal improvisation naturally led me to Women's Mysteries.
Your essay tells beautifully of a special rite of passage in a woman’s life. Any special advice to another young woman or man who might be going through a similar period in their life?
I can't deny that losing a parent at a young age is tough. It's true that your life will change, but remember you have support from the people who love you and over time you will work through the grief and come out a stronger person than you ever thought you could be. That is my experience and though I miss my mother every day, I know in some way she is a part of me and I'm a part of her, that will always be.
I can't deny that losing a parent at a young age is tough. It's true that your life will change, but remember you have support from the people who love you and over time you will work through the grief and come out a stronger person than you ever thought you could be. That is my experience and though I miss my mother every day, I know in some way she is a part of me and I'm a part of her, that will always be.
You use your voice powerfully as you relay your story. What is your feeling about the crossover between writing and performing?
I'm excited by all the possibilities! Each mode can be profound and powerful, and it is a joyful exercise to experiment with blurring the lines between the two. As an improvising vocalist, I have freedom to explore the spaces between words, the inexpressible…the mystery that lies underneath meaning and language. As a writer, I observe, reflect and contemplate ideas and concepts about the world(s) around/within me.
Have you encountered new Spell Breaking moments since you wrote this essay?
Being a new mom. I am always having moments, so little and so grand at the same time! Wow, motherhood is a trip! A Part Two is brewing… :)
I'm excited by all the possibilities! Each mode can be profound and powerful, and it is a joyful exercise to experiment with blurring the lines between the two. As an improvising vocalist, I have freedom to explore the spaces between words, the inexpressible…the mystery that lies underneath meaning and language. As a writer, I observe, reflect and contemplate ideas and concepts about the world(s) around/within me.
Have you encountered new Spell Breaking moments since you wrote this essay?
Being a new mom. I am always having moments, so little and so grand at the same time! Wow, motherhood is a trip! A Part Two is brewing… :)
Anne Hemenway is a writer, administrator, and activist. She began her studies with the Ministry of Maåt in 1999 and was ordained as a minister in February 2012. Current poetry projects include subjects such as end of life healing/preparation, addictions recovery, eco-psychology and other dream work.
What does Spell Breaking mean to you?
“Spell Breaking: Remembered Ways of Being” is the name of our anthology, edited by Ione. The anthology is dedicated to, “…the worldwide community of women.”
Spell Breaking is also the name of our Traveling Show. Since the publication of the anthology in 2013, Spell Breaking has been performed in New York, Paris, Prague, Venice, the Hudson River Valley, and other towns and cities. We look forward to performing at The Rosendale Theatre, in Rosendale, New York, on March 29, 2015.
I think Spell Breaking means change and transformation, a healing process that takes place through an awakening. It can be fast or very gradual. The first step, for me, was to identify the fact that there are many, and some very deep, spells affecting my life. The perspective of seeing patterns and habits as spells that can be broken is liberating.
It is easy to be mesmerized, distracted and trapped; to be inhibited, sometimes even paralyzed, by spells, many, if not all, of which we spin for ourselves. We are trapped by the past, by loneliness, by fear, by desires and expectations. Spell Breaking means getting free of such traps.
What does Spell Breaking mean to you?
“Spell Breaking: Remembered Ways of Being” is the name of our anthology, edited by Ione. The anthology is dedicated to, “…the worldwide community of women.”
Spell Breaking is also the name of our Traveling Show. Since the publication of the anthology in 2013, Spell Breaking has been performed in New York, Paris, Prague, Venice, the Hudson River Valley, and other towns and cities. We look forward to performing at The Rosendale Theatre, in Rosendale, New York, on March 29, 2015.
I think Spell Breaking means change and transformation, a healing process that takes place through an awakening. It can be fast or very gradual. The first step, for me, was to identify the fact that there are many, and some very deep, spells affecting my life. The perspective of seeing patterns and habits as spells that can be broken is liberating.
It is easy to be mesmerized, distracted and trapped; to be inhibited, sometimes even paralyzed, by spells, many, if not all, of which we spin for ourselves. We are trapped by the past, by loneliness, by fear, by desires and expectations. Spell Breaking means getting free of such traps.
How did you first connect to the Women’s Mysteries community and what is your current relationship?
I met Ione and Pauline (Oliveros) in 1998 or '99 and, soon after, met Andrea (Goodman) and started to attend Ione’s Women's Mysteries retreats. Other friends joined in to the powerfully creative healing circles which are very spell breaking. I was ordained in February of 2012. My current relationship to the Women’s Mysteries community is happy.
Can you describe differences between this community and others you may have known?
I have never really been involved in such a community before. Ione has created a safe place for all kinds of free, creative expression; it is like a dream come true. In the mid 1990’s Rachel Koenig and I were daydreaming together about what we then called a “Women’s Health Collective” which we wanted to form, involving all the healing arts as well as creative arts. Looking back, I think we may have been co-dreaming Ione’s Women's Mysteries community where Rachel and I both found ourselves a few years later. It’s very all inclusive and open which I appreciate very much.
I met Ione and Pauline (Oliveros) in 1998 or '99 and, soon after, met Andrea (Goodman) and started to attend Ione’s Women's Mysteries retreats. Other friends joined in to the powerfully creative healing circles which are very spell breaking. I was ordained in February of 2012. My current relationship to the Women’s Mysteries community is happy.
Can you describe differences between this community and others you may have known?
I have never really been involved in such a community before. Ione has created a safe place for all kinds of free, creative expression; it is like a dream come true. In the mid 1990’s Rachel Koenig and I were daydreaming together about what we then called a “Women’s Health Collective” which we wanted to form, involving all the healing arts as well as creative arts. Looking back, I think we may have been co-dreaming Ione’s Women's Mysteries community where Rachel and I both found ourselves a few years later. It’s very all inclusive and open which I appreciate very much.
Your poem beautifully describes a poignant moment in a young woman’s life. Are you continuing to write poetry? What does writing mean to you?
Yes, I am perpetually continuing to try to write poems and stories. I started writing early and I think writing was always a point of view as much as an activity and creation, functioning as a kind of remove. My parents were both very fine writers and big readers. I was extremely lucky to be surrounded by their books and to be so included in their lives.
I studied creative writing with great teachers when I was young and published poems and stories during those years. Whatever early identity I established certainly included writing. Bernard Malamud, was one of my several wonderful teachers in college. I very much admired him both as a writer and a teacher. I remember him saying that he wrote in order to understand his life, to understand what was happening to him. I write to try to understand what’s happening in the same way that I try to understand my dreams to know what is happening. Writing and dreaming are very connected for me and both are excellent spell breaking tools.
Yes, I am perpetually continuing to try to write poems and stories. I started writing early and I think writing was always a point of view as much as an activity and creation, functioning as a kind of remove. My parents were both very fine writers and big readers. I was extremely lucky to be surrounded by their books and to be so included in their lives.
I studied creative writing with great teachers when I was young and published poems and stories during those years. Whatever early identity I established certainly included writing. Bernard Malamud, was one of my several wonderful teachers in college. I very much admired him both as a writer and a teacher. I remember him saying that he wrote in order to understand his life, to understand what was happening to him. I write to try to understand what’s happening in the same way that I try to understand my dreams to know what is happening. Writing and dreaming are very connected for me and both are excellent spell breaking tools.
We know you are passionate about environmental issues. Have you experienced any particular “spell breaking” moments in this arena?
On the environmental front, we need a lot of spell breaking and fast. We inhabit a world gone mad. As a species, we appear to be, in so many ways, bent determinedly upon destruction.
We forget that we are the natural world, we are inseparable from nature.
I want spells of separation, denial, greed and destruction to be broken so that we will protect and revere the natural world.
Alice Walker writes, “Activism is my rent for living on the planet." I agree with her.
I had wonderful spell breaking experiences working with a great group of activists, all volunteers, on environmental conferences in NYC called “Eco-Metropolis”, largely inspired by Bioneers <www.bioneers.org>.
I am delighted to report that there have been some extremely good spell breaking moments in the past month, actually. A group of passionate concerned citizens responded to a recent attempted corporate water grab in Ulster County, and won. Go to www.KingstonCitizens.org and www.WoodstockLandConservancy.org to read about the decision by Niagra (plastic) bottling company to give up on the idea of setting up shop in Ulster, NY, using precious water from Cooper Lake in Woodstock (Kingston’s reservoir). For the moment there is a reprieve in our immediate vicinity. Now we will have tools to offer to other communities when they are set upon by big corporations that want to privatize water.
On the environmental front, we need a lot of spell breaking and fast. We inhabit a world gone mad. As a species, we appear to be, in so many ways, bent determinedly upon destruction.
We forget that we are the natural world, we are inseparable from nature.
I want spells of separation, denial, greed and destruction to be broken so that we will protect and revere the natural world.
Alice Walker writes, “Activism is my rent for living on the planet." I agree with her.
I had wonderful spell breaking experiences working with a great group of activists, all volunteers, on environmental conferences in NYC called “Eco-Metropolis”, largely inspired by Bioneers <www.bioneers.org>.
I am delighted to report that there have been some extremely good spell breaking moments in the past month, actually. A group of passionate concerned citizens responded to a recent attempted corporate water grab in Ulster County, and won. Go to www.KingstonCitizens.org and www.WoodstockLandConservancy.org to read about the decision by Niagra (plastic) bottling company to give up on the idea of setting up shop in Ulster, NY, using precious water from Cooper Lake in Woodstock (Kingston’s reservoir). For the moment there is a reprieve in our immediate vicinity. Now we will have tools to offer to other communities when they are set upon by big corporations that want to privatize water.
We want spells of water privatization to be broken. We want to break the spell of plastic bottles filling our rivers and oceans.
Know your watershed. We must, at all costs, protect our water.
Know your watershed. We must, at all costs, protect our water.
Donnaldson K. Brown has completed a second novel, Nobody Else, and written three works for stage; a full-length play, entitled, The Gowanus Canal Anthology, and two one-acts, Invisible Volumes and Eros Re-aligned. She has had residencies at Squaw Valley Community of Writers and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. A former screenwriter, Ms. Brown ran the New York office of Wildwood Enterprises, Robert Redford’s film development company for several years and developed a documentary series on the environment for Sundance entitled, The Sundance Journal. Ms. Brown is also a trusts attorney. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son (and their two Welsh Corgis).
How did you come to the Women's Mysteries community?
I was introduced to Ione’s Memory, Secrets and Immortality (MSI) circle in Brooklyn, ten or twelve years ago by my friend and writer, Alex Enders. I loved it. First, Ione is so open and warm, and so fearless. And the women in the group brought such a breadth and depth. There was a novelist, a poet, a filmmaker, a clown! And later through the circle, I met some amazing musicians.
I was introduced to Ione’s Memory, Secrets and Immortality (MSI) circle in Brooklyn, ten or twelve years ago by my friend and writer, Alex Enders. I loved it. First, Ione is so open and warm, and so fearless. And the women in the group brought such a breadth and depth. There was a novelist, a poet, a filmmaker, a clown! And later through the circle, I met some amazing musicians.
Ione's Memory, Secrets and Immortality circles and workshops are programs of the Ministry of Maåt. How has your being a part of these groups contributed to your creative process?
I’m glad you asked this question, because as I reflect on it, it’s as though Ione and MSI have taken my hand and (very patiently) shown me a beautiful staircase that, step by step, leads up out of darkness. In 2010, Ione asked me to participate in the Deep Listening Institute’s Women and Identity Festival in New York. This was one of the very first times I read any of my work in public. It was very affirming. I’ve written all my life, really one of those kids with a journal and flashlight under the covers. The thing is I kind of stayed under the covers for many, many years. It was my secret. I had to always have an alibi, I believed. For what? For me, for my life, I guess. I didn’t really believe I merited a place at any table, so to speak. Ione, though, treats one as – well, really, as whatever it is you want to be. I’ve participated in retreats at Lifebridge and in Maine and Atlantic Beach, New York. Through MSI, I met Andrea Goodman and have so enjoyed and felt nourished by her insight and astrological teachings, as well as by her cosmic harmony groups, that have been part of liberating (quite literally) my voice. (I’m now in a bluegrass harmony trio in Brooklyn, which is a blast.) So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at all that Ione’s invitation to participate in Spell Breaking prompted a profound shift in my relationship to my story and my creative process.
You are a playwright, and novelist and filmmaker as well as a Trust Attorney. What a great combination. Any special ways that you balance these various activities?
I don’t sleep enough …ha! I’d like to say that there’s a way the law work is integrated with the writing. In fact, though, my life feels quite bifurcated. I’m grateful for the law work; it’s supported me and my family. I enjoy the analytical focus it requires; and when appropriate, I can be quite an advocate. It’s the writing, though, that pulls me toward my deeper self, toward the “more” of life (as Carl Jung might say). As for the writing, I often don’t know what genre a story will fit into when I start. I haven’t worked on a screenplay in almost ten years, that experience, though, taught me how to build a scene, move character forward through dialogue, etc. I feel it has very much supported the fiction and, of course, playwriting.
Your time at Wildwood Enterprises and Sundance seems very productive. Can we access your documentary series, Sundance Journal, now? Anything special about that process that you would like to share?
It was a wonderful experience working with Redford. I was the topics editor on the documentary series, so I was developing the stories we’d follow in each episode. I worked with some wonderful investigative journalists. Many days I couldn’t believe I was being paid to do something so inspiring. Sadly, while we got our broadcasting commitment from PBS, we struggled with funders to maintain editorial control. (At the time PBS’s biggest sponsors were ExxonMobil and Archer Daniels Midland, neither of which were too keen on relinquishing editorial control for an environmental series.) And there was a brand new director of the Sundance Institute. An expensive TV documentary series was not where he wanted to focus the institute’s fundraising and attention. So, the project was shelved.
I’m glad you asked this question, because as I reflect on it, it’s as though Ione and MSI have taken my hand and (very patiently) shown me a beautiful staircase that, step by step, leads up out of darkness. In 2010, Ione asked me to participate in the Deep Listening Institute’s Women and Identity Festival in New York. This was one of the very first times I read any of my work in public. It was very affirming. I’ve written all my life, really one of those kids with a journal and flashlight under the covers. The thing is I kind of stayed under the covers for many, many years. It was my secret. I had to always have an alibi, I believed. For what? For me, for my life, I guess. I didn’t really believe I merited a place at any table, so to speak. Ione, though, treats one as – well, really, as whatever it is you want to be. I’ve participated in retreats at Lifebridge and in Maine and Atlantic Beach, New York. Through MSI, I met Andrea Goodman and have so enjoyed and felt nourished by her insight and astrological teachings, as well as by her cosmic harmony groups, that have been part of liberating (quite literally) my voice. (I’m now in a bluegrass harmony trio in Brooklyn, which is a blast.) So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at all that Ione’s invitation to participate in Spell Breaking prompted a profound shift in my relationship to my story and my creative process.
You are a playwright, and novelist and filmmaker as well as a Trust Attorney. What a great combination. Any special ways that you balance these various activities?
I don’t sleep enough …ha! I’d like to say that there’s a way the law work is integrated with the writing. In fact, though, my life feels quite bifurcated. I’m grateful for the law work; it’s supported me and my family. I enjoy the analytical focus it requires; and when appropriate, I can be quite an advocate. It’s the writing, though, that pulls me toward my deeper self, toward the “more” of life (as Carl Jung might say). As for the writing, I often don’t know what genre a story will fit into when I start. I haven’t worked on a screenplay in almost ten years, that experience, though, taught me how to build a scene, move character forward through dialogue, etc. I feel it has very much supported the fiction and, of course, playwriting.
Your time at Wildwood Enterprises and Sundance seems very productive. Can we access your documentary series, Sundance Journal, now? Anything special about that process that you would like to share?
It was a wonderful experience working with Redford. I was the topics editor on the documentary series, so I was developing the stories we’d follow in each episode. I worked with some wonderful investigative journalists. Many days I couldn’t believe I was being paid to do something so inspiring. Sadly, while we got our broadcasting commitment from PBS, we struggled with funders to maintain editorial control. (At the time PBS’s biggest sponsors were ExxonMobil and Archer Daniels Midland, neither of which were too keen on relinquishing editorial control for an environmental series.) And there was a brand new director of the Sundance Institute. An expensive TV documentary series was not where he wanted to focus the institute’s fundraising and attention. So, the project was shelved.
Which projects, past or present, are closest to your heart?
I think the projects closest to my heart are a novel I’m just finishing, “Nobody Else,” which is a love story and also a look at what it takes to stay committed to one’s desires; and “The Gowanus Canal Anthology,” a play that follows four main characters coming to grips with their past and trying to maintain their connection to one another. It’s set against the backdrop of the changing, gentrifying neighborhoods of south Brooklyn, where I’ve lived for thirty years now.
Do you have a future vision that incorporates your process of Spell Breaking?
Yes. I had vowed never to write a memoir. So, writing this piece for Spell Breaking was kind of mind blowing. I’ll be less ashamed of my journey. I feel my relationship to the story of my mother’s mental illness, my father’s leaving, and being saved by someone who was no relation is shifting dramatically. And this is liberating. I judged myself quite harshly for still being in pain over some aspects of my childhood. Of course, would I ever judge another person for grappling with bringing their particular darkness into the light? No, never. But I was very judgemental of myself. It takes a lot of energy to not pay attention to something, especially something that’s kind of waving a red flag in front of you. Exploring the story through the lens of spell breaking, opened something up and I think will allow me to draw on that story deeply and symbolically (if not literally because I don’t want to tell that story in its bare bones). I’ll also, of course, continue my meditation and yoga practice, which connects one to one’s own authority and that’s powerful antidote to most any spell.
You write such powerful words in your essay about your childhood. Are you planning to continue this writing in a larger work?
Yes, I am. Although I’ll be coming at it slant, as Emily Dickinson would say. The story draws on my relationship with Margaret, which is something I’ve been very protective of. Very few people have known about Margaret, until now! I’ve been afraid that the overlay of race and class will lead others to judge it. I think, though, I have to dive right into those issues and that fear. My intention is to explore what connects us to one another. Really, that’s what we all want. And the more different we are, the more profound and transformative that connection can be. I think it’s a play. And I hope I’m up to the task.
I think the projects closest to my heart are a novel I’m just finishing, “Nobody Else,” which is a love story and also a look at what it takes to stay committed to one’s desires; and “The Gowanus Canal Anthology,” a play that follows four main characters coming to grips with their past and trying to maintain their connection to one another. It’s set against the backdrop of the changing, gentrifying neighborhoods of south Brooklyn, where I’ve lived for thirty years now.
Do you have a future vision that incorporates your process of Spell Breaking?
Yes. I had vowed never to write a memoir. So, writing this piece for Spell Breaking was kind of mind blowing. I’ll be less ashamed of my journey. I feel my relationship to the story of my mother’s mental illness, my father’s leaving, and being saved by someone who was no relation is shifting dramatically. And this is liberating. I judged myself quite harshly for still being in pain over some aspects of my childhood. Of course, would I ever judge another person for grappling with bringing their particular darkness into the light? No, never. But I was very judgemental of myself. It takes a lot of energy to not pay attention to something, especially something that’s kind of waving a red flag in front of you. Exploring the story through the lens of spell breaking, opened something up and I think will allow me to draw on that story deeply and symbolically (if not literally because I don’t want to tell that story in its bare bones). I’ll also, of course, continue my meditation and yoga practice, which connects one to one’s own authority and that’s powerful antidote to most any spell.
You write such powerful words in your essay about your childhood. Are you planning to continue this writing in a larger work?
Yes, I am. Although I’ll be coming at it slant, as Emily Dickinson would say. The story draws on my relationship with Margaret, which is something I’ve been very protective of. Very few people have known about Margaret, until now! I’ve been afraid that the overlay of race and class will lead others to judge it. I think, though, I have to dive right into those issues and that fear. My intention is to explore what connects us to one another. Really, that’s what we all want. And the more different we are, the more profound and transformative that connection can be. I think it’s a play. And I hope I’m up to the task.
Past Events
Netert-Neteru Women's Mystery School Advanced & Entry Level Certificate Trainings in the Intuitive and Healing Arts.
WELCOME SPRING!
Netert-Neteru Women's Mystery School Advanced & Entry Level Certificate Trainings in the
Intuitive and Healing Arts
You can choose one of two sacred pathways:
Pert-em-Hru
Advanced Studies in Spiritual Awakening leading to
Advanced Certification for
Minister Priestesses of Maåt
AND
Auset/Auset
Entry Level Studies in
Spiritual Awakening
Leading to Ordination as a
Minister/Priestess of Maåt
Netert-Neteru Women's Mystery School Advanced & Entry Level Certificate Trainings in the
Intuitive and Healing Arts
You can choose one of two sacred pathways:
Pert-em-Hru
Advanced Studies in Spiritual Awakening leading to
Advanced Certification for
Minister Priestesses of Maåt
AND
Auset/Auset
Entry Level Studies in
Spiritual Awakening
Leading to Ordination as a
Minister/Priestess of Maåt
|
September TBA
Triple Goddess-Webinar open to initiates and public -Revs. Ione, Rachel, Andrea and Guest Ministers NNCO September 19-22 8th Annual French Mystery/Dream Retreat With IONE EQUINOX HEALING with Green Dragon: Returning to the Authentic Self with Dreams, Poetry, Dance, Song, Stars, Meditations, Qi Healing, Deep Listening, Laughter and Smiles and More! Reverends: Ione and Rachel and the beautiful Ministers of Maåt Space is limited, so it is important that you register with deposit for this oh-so-special retreat in the magical island of Isle de Brehat in Bretagne, France! Full Payment Due Now August 1, 2014 Full Tuition: $620 or 435 Euros Deposit: $100 or 50 Euros Includes shared room lodging and all teachings and handouts Food and travel; (Airfare and Train) extra (Deposits are non-refundable) Please inquire. NNCO Click here for more infomation NNCO |
November 21-23
Woman of the Duat Retreat - "I guide you through..." Lifebridge Sanctuary, High Falls, NY (www.lifebridgesanctuary.org) Revs. Ione, Rachel, Andrea and Guest Ministers (Lodging and food extra) NNCO Mythic Astrology with Rev. Andrea, Heart Dreaming with Rev. IONE, Women's Wellness -essences and remedies with Rev. Rachel, Qi Gong healing forms with Rev. Carol Chappell Woman of the Duat Nekhbet/Auset - Finding light in darkness - "I guide you through..." TUITION: $850 includes all teachings, shared room lodging and all vegetarian meals We are able to offer a limited number of scholarships at $720 Please apply via email to WOMAN OF THE DUAT SCHOLARSHIP REQUEST [email protected] Day Rate Participation (All teachings, meals, but no lodging: $470) Space is limited. Hold your place! Deposit $150 - Due by September 18 (Non-Refundable) Balance due by October 18 |
Partial Work Study available, we need: A terrific Cook Kitchen Assistant Event Coordinator Admin. Assistant House Keeper Child Care Assistant Tech Assistant This retreat counts toward Ordination Also Please Note: MMVU Ministry of Maåt Virtual University STREAMING selected circle skype in Available for most programs - Early Bird Sign-Up by 1 month prior to retreat - 10% Discount 
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February 2015
Hawaii Nechung Dorje Drayang Ling 2014 Netert Neteru TUITION: $1250 Annual Tuition (Includes Four FABULOUS Retreats & ONE Triple Goddess Webinar) $312.50 Quarterly Payments $325.00 Single 2-day Retreat $150 Single 1-day Retreat April 13th PARTICIPATION CODE:
NN - Nerfert-Neferu One year program in the Intuitive and Healing Arts C - This Retreat counts toward Pert-em-Hru Which means: Advanced Certification in one or more of the below: 1.Dream Awareness 2. Energy Healing Practices 3. Mythic Astrology 4.Sacred Sound Healing 5. MSI Practices 6. Gem Essences 7. Wellness practices Valid for current Minister/priestesses - Includes private online consultations with teachers and support groups, special reading list, final papers and presentations. |
O -This Retreat Counts toward Ordination -
Auset-Auset: Valid for new initiates and those who are currently participating in programs. Includes private online consultations with teachers, support groups, one-on-one Minister Mentoring - reading list, final papers and presentations. Please note Ordination is at the discretion of the M.o.M. Board of Trustees \and is generally longer than a one-year process. (Details of requirements for each program will be provided in forthcoming brochure. Please Inquire!) |
To REGISTER NOW:
Kellie: [email protected] Payments may be made through our website: MINISTRYOFMAAT.ORG Go for it! HOTEP! |