The Once and Future Goddess Art Exhibition
In honor of Elinor Gadon
Founder of the Women’s Spirituality Graduate Studies program at the California Institute of Integral Studies and author of The Once and Future Goddess: A Sweeping Visual Chronicle of the Sacred Female and Her Reemergence in the Cultural Mythology of our Time.
“In our own time, in our own culture, the Goddess once again is becoming a symbol of empowerment for women; a catalyst for an emerging spirituality that is earth-centered.”
Curated by Tricia Grame and Mara Lynn Keller
Jennifer Berezan and Friends in Concert
Celebratory Concert Ritual with Jennifer Berezan and Friends ~ Evelie Posch, Master Woman Drummers Carolyn Brandy and Barbara Borden, Adwoa Kudoto, and Sena Kugbega. An uplifting evening of transformative music ~ songs of love, healing and justice. The evening will conclude with ecstatic dancing to the healing rhythms of the drum.
Amy Jo Mattheis, From Eve to Me, A One- Woman Play
An artful performance of sacred story retelling, From Eve to Me skillfully guides you through an experience of four ancient sacred stories told through the voice and embodied presence of the women, shifting the foundational Patriarchal story of domination, scarcity, and separation to reclaim our true origin story of love, abundance, and unity. The final story, no less sacred, is the author’s own, told as a seamless extension of the other four women, leading From Eve, to me, and to you, catalyzing a new foundational story for a Post-Patriarchal world to be told!
Women's Spirituality Book Awards
The Women's Spirituality Graduate Studies program at CIIS is one of the few places that students can earn a PhD or MA degree that centers on Women's Spirituality. Our faculty are especially grateful to the hundreds of authors who inspire and nourish the work we do in higher education for women's spiritual freedom and eco-social justice. To celebrate these authors, we have invited nominations from far and wide. We will select 100 new Women's Spirituality books from the past 10 years, and another 100 Women's Spirituality classic books. These will become part of the Women's Spirituality 25th Anniversary Collection in the CIIS Library. For more information, please contact mkeller@ciis.edu.
SimplePraise, Music Featuring Valerie Joi Fiddmont and Anne Stafford
An exploration of the healing power of music, SimplePraise features Valerie Joi Fiddmont on piano and vocals, and Annie Stafford on saxophone.
SimplePraise started on January 1, 2014 as a musical offering to inspire the contemplative and healing experience of a dear friend. The magic created through the repetition of melody and countermelody, and the love in the room, is what Valerie Joi and Annie continue to share with audiences everywhere.
Altars by Michelle Ruth Boyle and Patti Davis
The Women Rising! altar, co-created by Patti Davis and by Michelle Boyle, will document and pay tribute to the 25 years of the Women's Spirituality Graduate Studies Program at CIIS, where we are now, and our future. It serves as an invocation to the goddess and portal for the Earth and its elements. The Mother Earth statue by Oberon Zell looks over the books, photos, and other memorabilia that celebrate Women’s Spirituality through the years ~ the Cape Ceremonies, Graduation Commencements, parties, rituals, the Marija Gimbutas documentary Signs out of Time West Coast Premiere Gala, and other special events.
This interactive altar also honors the loss of faculty and students in our community who have died: founder Dr. Elinor Gadon, Sr. Dorothy Ettling, Dr. Dorothy Ettling, Dr. Rina Sircar, Dr. Paula Gunn Allen, Dr. Hillary Anderson, and doctoral students Elizabeth Shillington and Kalli Halvorson.
Poetry Circle Open Mic with Patti O'Luanaigh
Let the Great Song, the Oran Mor, awaken and flow through us, connecting us all as we gather together to honor and celebrate the guiding genius that resides deep within our knowing hearts. Join with us as we give expression to the unique sources of inspiration that fill the wells of our spirits and souls and are given voice through the transformative and enduring magic of poesis! Speak truth for Mother Earth and all her children, share your visions of what is yet to come and what could be, stand your ground and soar beyond - hear and be heard!