Portrait Of A Priestess

Cultural history of priestesses in the ancient Greek world. The author presents a picture of how priestesses lived and worked, from the most famous and sacred of them (e.g. the Delphic Oracle and the priestess of Athena Polias) - to basket bearers and handmaidens.

Examines portraits of Rome's Vestal Virgins as artistic documents and political vehicles

Built in the fifth century b.c., the Parthenon has been venerated for more than two millennia as the West’s ultimate paragon of beauty and proportion. Since the Enlightenment, it has also come to represent our political ideals, the lavish temple to the goddess Athena serving as the model for our most hallowed civic architecture. But how much do the values of those who built the Parthenon truly correspond with our own? And apart from the significance with which we have invested it, what exactly did this marvel of human hands mean to those who made it? In this revolutionary book, Joan Breton Connelly challenges our most basic assumptions about the Parthenon and the ancient Athenians. Beginning with the natural environment and its rich mythic associations, she re-creates the development of the Acropolis—the Sacred Rock at the heart of the city-state—from its prehistoric origins to its Periklean glory days as a constellation of temples among which the Parthenon stood supreme. In particular, she probes the Parthenon’s legendary frieze: the 525-foot-long relief sculpture that originally encircled the upper reaches before it was partially destroyed by Venetian cannon fire (in the seventeenth century) and most of what remained was shipped off to Britain (in the nineteenth century) among the Elgin marbles. The frieze’s vast enigmatic procession—a dazzling pageant of cavalrymen and elders, musicians and maidens—has for more than two hundred years been thought to represent a scene of annual civic celebration in the birthplace of democracy. But thanks to a once-lost play by Euripides (the discovery of which, in the wrappings of a Hellenistic Egyptian mummy, is only one of this book’s intriguing adventures), Connelly has uncovered a long-buried meaning, a story of human sacrifice set during the city’s mythic founding. In a society startlingly preoccupied with cult ritual, this story was at the core of what it meant to be Athenian. Connelly reveals a world that beggars our popular notions of Athens as a city of staid philosophers, rationalists, and rhetoricians, a world in which our modern secular conception of democracy would have been simply incomprehensible. The Parthenon’s full significance has been obscured until now owing in no small part, Connelly argues, to the frieze’s dismemberment. And so her investigation concludes with a call to reunite the pieces, in order that what is perhaps the greatest single work of art surviving from antiquity may be viewed more nearly as its makers intended. Marshalling a breathtaking range of textual and visual evidence, full of fresh insights woven into a thrilling narrative that brings the distant past to life, The Parthenon Enigma is sure to become a landmark in our understanding of the civilization from which we claim cultural descent.

In this sumptuously illustrated book, Joan Breton Connelly gives us the first comprehensive cultural history of priestesses in the ancient Greek world. Connelly presents the fullest and most vivid picture yet of how priestesses lived and worked, from the most famous and sacred of them--the Delphic Oracle and the priestess of Athena Polias--to basket bearers and handmaidens. Along the way, she challenges long-held beliefs to show that priestesses played far more significant public roles in ancient Greece than previously acknowledged. Connelly builds this history through a pioneering examination of archaeological evidence in the broader context of literary sources, inscriptions, sculpture, and vase painting. Ranging from southern Italy to Asia Minor, and from the late Bronze Age to the fifth century A.D., she brings the priestesses to life--their social origins, how they progressed through many sacred roles on the path to priesthood, and even how they dressed. She sheds light on the rituals they performed, the political power they wielded, their systems of patronage and compensation, and how they were honored, including in death. Connelly shows that understanding the complexity of priestesses' lives requires us to look past the simple lines we draw today between public and private, sacred and secular. The remarkable picture that emerges reveals that women in religious office were not as secluded and marginalized as we have thought--that religious office was one arena in ancient Greece where women enjoyed privileges and authority comparable to that of men. Connelly concludes by examining women's roles in early Christianity, taking on the larger issue of the exclusion of women from the Christian priesthood. This paperback edition includes additional maps and a glossary for student use.

Ode to Our Wild Feminine Souls This provocative book invites you to create your own spiritual path based on often-suppressed ancient principles and contemporary practices. Using the elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether) rather than traditional patriarchal hierarchies, this 'holy book' is designed to connect each individual to their universal — but often denied — powers. Wild woman Danielle Dulsky takes you deep as she explores and embraces sacred feminine archetypes such as the Mother Goddess, the Crone, and the Maiden. Join her as she guides you to envision and explore a world that enriches and supports your spirit, body, and mind as well as our global community and the Earth.

"...a marvelous tapestry of insights, discoveries, tools and resources that gives us all hope for Heaven on Planet Earth." - Rev. Ruth L. Miller, PhD, author of Mary's Power "Claire's deep work of Sacred Feminine wisdom ... could not come at a better time." - Tim Kelley, author of True Purpose "...an important contribution to mending a world torn in half..." - Lion Goodman, author of Creating on Purpose Feminine wisdom revealed and reclaimed! Unveil this hidden power within and transform your life. Recent discoveries of ancient manuscripts have shined a light on Mary Magdalene as a powerful teacher and luminous feminine spirit. In The Magdalene Path, Claire Sierra shares her inspiring communication with Mary Magdalene about the awakening of the Divine Feminine as a means to shift and up-level our lives as women in the modern world. The Magdalene Path is a guidebook of compelling ideas, skills and practices to bring your Feminine Soul into daily life. Regardless of your spiritual orientation or previous connection to Mary Magdalene, you will bask in the inspiring wisdom and practical insights in this empowering, illuminating book. - Revitalize your mind and body to tap into more energy for what you love. - Ignite your connection to Spirit through simple rituals and Soul-care practices. - Embrace your authentic, radiant beauty as you reclaim your innate feminine power. - Replenish your passions and feel empowered to live your purpose. - Embody your creativity and live as the vibrant woman you truly are.

The first detailed analysis of the female portrait statue in the Greek world from the fourth century BCE to the third century CE.

Against the backdrop of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century New Orleans, A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau disentangles the complex threads of the legend surrounding the famous Voudou priestess. According to mysterious, oft-told tales, Laveau was an extraordinary celebrity whose sorcery-fueled influence extended widely from slaves to upper-class whites. Some accounts claim that she led the "orgiastic" Voudou dances in Congo Square and on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, kept a gigantic snake named Zombi, and was the proprietress of an infamous house of assignation. Though legendary for an unusual combination of spiritual power, beauty, charisma, showmanship, intimidation, and shrewd business sense, she also was known for her kindness and charity, nursing yellow fever victims and ministering to condemned prisoners, and her devotion to the Roman Catholic Church. The true story of Marie Laveau, though considerably less flamboyant than the legend, is equally compelling. In separating verifiable fact from semi-truths and complete fabrication, Long explores the unique social, political, and legal setting in which the lives of Marie Laveau's African and European ancestors became intertwined. Changes in New Orleans engendered by French and Spanish rule, the Louisiana Purchase, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow segregation affected seven generations of Laveau's family, from enslaved great-grandparents of pure African blood to great-grandchildren who were legally classified as white. Simultaneously, Long examines the evolution of New Orleans Voudou, which until recently has been ignored by scholars.

It has been barely 40 years since rabbinical seminaries began ordaining women as rabbis. But women have played a role in Jewish religious leadership from the days of the Bible and even before. Miriam the Prophetess and Deborah the Judge are just the two most prominent of these women, most of whose names are lost to history. The Hebrew Priestess tells the stories of these women, often reading between the lines of the Bible and Talmud to rediscover the women that rabbinic editors tried to erase. The authors bring a unique vantage point: They are founders of the Kohenet Institute, which trains Jewish women as religious leaders - as Hebrew priestesses. They believe the spiritual gifts of Jewish women cannot be incorporated into Judaism unless women explore the Divine through their own lens. The Kohenet Institute offers an embodied, ecstatic earth-based approach to Jewish spiritual practice and leadership. The Hebrew Priestess weaves together a careful examination of historical antecedents of these new priestesses, along with the personal experiences of women who embarked on this new path of Jewish priestesshood. The Hebrew Priestess delineates 13 models of spiritual leadership - among them prophetess, weaver, drummer, shrinekeeper, midwife, mother, maiden, witch, and fool - and shows how each model was manifest in ancient times, its continuation through Jewish history, and how women in our day are following that path. Finally, it shows how you can incorporate part of that path into your own life. Ambitious, erudite, practical, and deeply personal, the Hebrew Priestsess offers a deep connection to Jewish history and to profound holy experiences today. "A very readable and much-needed book " --Starhawk "An extraordinary and amazing work." -Alicia Ostriker "A book to savor." --Max Dashu "The articulation of my dreams and longings." -Rabbi Shefa Gold "Read this book, but don't stop there-live it as well " -Rabbi Rami Shapiro

When Warren Ritter, by amazing luck, escaped the Greenwich Village explosion that brought down a house and several of his colleagues in the anti–Vietnam War movement, he was able to evade everyone who knew him and begin a new and very different life. Decades later, he is living in Berkeley, California, and is known by most of his few acquaintances as "that guy who has the street tarot stand on weekends." That's exactly what Warren wants. It's not, however, always what he gets. When an old man approaches his table and waves a large sum of money at him for some service, Warren refuses before even asking what the job is. But the man calls him by his real name, forcing him to reconsider. Warren knows the man; he's the twin brother of a woman whom Warren remembers as always stirring up trouble. The old man and his sister preside over the "Church of Satan." Two church members have been murdered in what were made to look like accidents, and the man is certain that he and his sister are next. He wants Warren to find the killer, and with the threat of exposure, Warren must comply. The reluctant hero soon finds himself entangled in a situation that not only threatens the church members, but could spell death for Warren himself. High Priestess, the second in the wildly original and entertaining Tarot Card mystery series, further reveals the secrets of Warren's past and what he'll do to keep them hidden.