Gaia Festival 2008

Workshop & Event Descriptions

“Revealing the Sacred Union: The Greatest Story Never Told”

3-hour workshop

Date & Time: 10/11/08, Time TBD

Facilitators: Margaret Starbird & Joan Norton

Location: Woodland Hall

The workshop explores legends and myths of Mary Magdalene and the Sacred Union and includes presentations of sacred imagery, symbology, art and artifacts associated with Mary Magdalene. Margaret Starbird's work corrects what she sees as the "design flaw" in Christian doctrine: the loss of the Sacred Feminine. Her slide presentation includes an experiential activity celebrating the Divine Feminine embodied in Mary Magdalene. She has been called The Magdalene, Watchtower of the Flock, The Divine Bride. She is our own Goddess of the Western World.

Since the release of Dan Brown’s bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code and the film adaptation, starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou, the public at large has become interested in learning more about the mysteries of the Feminine Divine embodied by Mary Magdalene, who is known in the story as the Holy Grail.

Today, Mary Magdalene is speaking to many, asking to be given Her rightful place and stature.

After the slide presentation, the participants will gather into interactive Magdalene Circles facilitated by Joan Norton and Margaret. Magdalene Circles allow participants to integrate the material and to share their personal "journeys of faith."

“France, Pagan Paris and the Louvre Museum”

Date & Time: 10/11/08, Time TBD

Facilitator: Karen Tate

Location: Woodland Hall

From her newly redefined sacred place, The Museum, herstory, spirituality, and traditional practices of Goddess worship from ancient times comes alive. Join author and independent scholar, Karen Tate, as she presents a visual montage of images in her ever-expanding series entitled, "Goddess Behind Glass," a visual journey celebrating She of Ten Thousand Names embodied in artifacts from sacred places and the finest museums around the world. If you have yet to travel "across the pond" to see these special images and artifacts first hand, don't miss this exclusive opportunity to view rarely seen faces of Goddess spanning continents and cultures. Statuary, wall reliefs, magical implements and items of devotion all tell the story of the Sacred Feminine across time and space.

Specifically, in the "Pagan Paris" slide presentation, Karen will discuss the feminine consciousness that permeates the city of Paris, including a visit to La Madeleine Cathedral, sacred to Mary Magdalene. To further parallel this year's theme of Gaia Fest, sites related to the Priory of Sion and "The DaVinci Code" will be discussed, alongside artifacts in the Louvre Museum related to Mary Magdalene, the Divine Union of the masculine and feminine, and the influence of the Universal Mother Goddess, Isis, had on the psyches of the French. (90 minutes)

Karen will have her new book, "Walking An Ancient Path: Rebirthing Goddess on Planet Earth" available, as well as "Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations," which was endorsed this year by the Joseph Campbell Foundation.

“The Goddess with A Thousand Faces: Moving Beyond the Hero”

Date & Time: 10/11/08, Time TBD

Facilitator: Stephen Gerringer of the Joseph Campbell Foundation

Location: Woodland Hall

Suggested Donation to Joseph Campbell Foundation: $5

Stephen will recount mythologist Joseph Campbell's encounters with the Goddess in the Twentieth Century. Though best known for his popular explication of the Hero's Journey, Campbell determined this masculine heroic motif to be of relatively recent origin, dating only from the Bronze Age. Chronologically, the Mother Goddess precedes mythologies of the Hero, while Her Mysteries carry humanity beyond the Hero and into the future. Along the way, Stephen will highlight the practical role the Goddess can play in our lives today when we invite Her participation.


	Workshop & Event Descriptions “Revealing the Sacred Union: The Greatest Story Never Told” 3-hour workshop Date & Time: 10/11/08, Time TBD Facilitators: Margaret Starbird & Joan Norton Location: Woodland Hall The workshop explores legends and myths of Mary Magdalene and the Sacred Union and includes presentations of sacred imagery, symbology, art and artifacts associated with Mary Magdalene. Margaret Starbird's work corrects what she sees as the "design flaw" in Christian doctrine: the loss of the Sacred Feminine. Her slide presentation includes an experiential activity celebrating the Divine Feminine embodied in Mary Magdalene. She has been called The Magdalene, Watchtower of the Flock, The Divine Bride. She is our own Goddess of the Western World. Since the release of Dan Brown’s bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code and the film adaptation, starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou, the public at large has become interested in learning more about the mysteries of the Feminine Divine embodied by Mary Magdalene, who is known in the story as the Holy Grail. Today, Mary Magdalene is speaking to many, asking to be given Her rightful place and stature. After the slide presentation, the participants will gather into interactive Magdalene Circles facilitated by Joan Norton and Margaret. Magdalene Circles allow participants to integrate the material and to share their personal "journeys of faith." “France, Pagan Paris and the Louvre Museum” Date & Time: 10/11/08, Time TBD Facilitator: Karen Tate Location: Woodland Hall From her newly redefined sacred place, The Museum, herstory, spirituality, and traditional practices of Goddess worship from ancient times comes alive. Join author and independent scholar, Karen Tate, as she presents a visual montage of images in her ever-expanding series entitled, "Goddess Behind Glass," a visual journey celebrating She of Ten Thousand Names embodied in artifacts from sacred places and the finest museums around the world. If you have yet to travel "across the pond" to see these special images and artifacts first hand, don't miss this exclusive opportunity to view rarely seen faces of Goddess spanning continents and cultures. Statuary, wall reliefs, magical implements and items of devotion all tell the story of the Sacred Feminine across time and space. Specifically, in the "Pagan Paris" slide presentation, Karen will discuss the feminine consciousness that permeates the city of Paris, including a visit to La Madeleine Cathedral, sacred to Mary Magdalene. To further parallel this year's theme of Gaia Fest, sites related to the Priory of Sion and "The DaVinci Code" will be discussed, alongside artifacts in the Louvre Museum related to Mary Magdalene, the Divine Union of the masculine and feminine, and the influence of the Universal Mother Goddess, Isis, had on the psyches of the French. (90 minutes) Karen will have her new book, "Walking An Ancient Path: Rebirthing Goddess on Planet Earth" available, as well as "Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations," which was endorsed this year by the Joseph Campbell Foundation. “The Goddess with A Thousand Faces: Moving Beyond the Hero” Date & Time: 10/11/08, Time TBD Facilitator: Stephen Gerringer of the Joseph Campbell Foundation Location: Woodland Hall Suggested Donation to Joseph Campbell Foundation: $5 Stephen will recount mythologist Joseph Campbell's encounters with the Goddess in the Twentieth Century. Though best known for his popular explication of the Hero's Journey, Campbell determined this masculine heroic motif to be of relatively recent origin, dating only from the Bronze Age. Chronologically, the Mother Goddess precedes mythologies of the Hero, while Her Mysteries carry humanity beyond the Hero and into the future. Along the way, Stephen will highlight the practical role the Goddess can play in our lives today when we invite Her participation.