Women's SAcred Mysteries, Arts, & Healing
Course Number: PARW 6697
Credit Hours: 3 units
Semester: Spring 2023
Meeting Times and Days: 1pm-4pm: Fridays Jan 20, Feb 10, Mar 3, Mar 17, Apr 14, May 5
Class Location: Online Webinar via Zoom
Instructor: Dr. Monica Mody
Office Hours: Wed 2pm-3pm online by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
How shall we reflect upon women’s visionary culture and arts? What does this mean to you?
It is more urgent than ever that women generate a visionary culture that holds our hopes and dreams and plans for a better world for all, links back to our ancestral traditions, and casts us as agents of renewal. Women have been generating visions of compelling alternative realities through eco-social justice cultural activism in fields including ritual and dreaming, performing arts, visual arts, literary arts, film arts, and healing arts. Women have participated in the Mysteries of life, stimulated healing, and inspired the next generations.
The blossoming of creativity as inspired by the women’s spirituality/women’s liberation movements can encourage and guide us in our search for personal, cultural, and planetary transformation. Reflecting upon the themes that arise from women's profound rites of passage can connect us to the generations that came before, the generations that will come after, and our own wisdom.
(Based on Dr. Mara Keller's course description)
Credit Hours: 3 units
Semester: Spring 2023
Meeting Times and Days: 1pm-4pm: Fridays Jan 20, Feb 10, Mar 3, Mar 17, Apr 14, May 5
Class Location: Online Webinar via Zoom
Instructor: Dr. Monica Mody
Office Hours: Wed 2pm-3pm online by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
How shall we reflect upon women’s visionary culture and arts? What does this mean to you?
It is more urgent than ever that women generate a visionary culture that holds our hopes and dreams and plans for a better world for all, links back to our ancestral traditions, and casts us as agents of renewal. Women have been generating visions of compelling alternative realities through eco-social justice cultural activism in fields including ritual and dreaming, performing arts, visual arts, literary arts, film arts, and healing arts. Women have participated in the Mysteries of life, stimulated healing, and inspired the next generations.
The blossoming of creativity as inspired by the women’s spirituality/women’s liberation movements can encourage and guide us in our search for personal, cultural, and planetary transformation. Reflecting upon the themes that arise from women's profound rites of passage can connect us to the generations that came before, the generations that will come after, and our own wisdom.
(Based on Dr. Mara Keller's course description)
COURSE GOAL
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the creative arts and spiritual evolutionary understandings generated by visionary women artists-scholars, with a view toward transformation of self and culture towards pathways grounded in sacredness, soulfulness, wisdom, and life-sustaining principles. In addition, this course offers students opportunities for their own creative and embodied explorations in the areas studied.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course:
COURSE TEXTS AND MATERIALS
Required texts:
Also, choose five texts, one from each area, to discuss in class as a respondent:
Dream work, Divination and Oracles
Altars and Ritual
Movement, Theatre, and Music
Poetry, Film, and Visual Arts
Stories and Herbs
COURSE ASSESSMENT MEASURES
20% Class participation
Full participation in this class requires that you:
20% Presentation
You will be asked to sign up to present once in modules two through six. You can incorporate visual, musical, and somatic elements. Presentations should be approximately 12-15 minutes long, followed by about 5 minutes of comments/questions/discussion. Please include a bibliography with the sources used to prepare your presentation, and send this to me—along with your presentation in a PDF format—before or right after class with the following subject line: “PARW 6697 Presentation.”
20% Response Memos
For each module, you will select a text to read and submit a response memo (250-350 words), synthesizing fresh directions and/or inspirations that arise for you as you engage with the reading. Consider ending with a question that can spark further discussion. The memos are to be submitted on Canvas by 11am PST before class.
Also pay attention to the threads and connections emerging on the discussion board. How can you shape them through your creative participation? Engage with each other and deepen the web of motifs, myths, ideas, and being.
20% Journal and Experiential/Embodied Reflection
You are asked to keep a journal in which you write down insights that emerge for you, synchronicities that show up for you, associations you wish to explore, or observations about your changing self/world during the course. You will reflect on any prompts offered by the instructor—which may be related to writing, experiential or embodied practices—in your journal. Please select an excerpt from your journal to post on Canvas by Thursday 8pm PST every week.
20% Final Paper
Your final paper will focus on one modality of sacred arts or healing covered in class or beyond. You will bring in your deep understanding of the area obtained through both research and personal practice. Please engage with at least one artist-scholar foremother who informs/inspires your work. Please contextualize the work(s) of the artist-scholar(s) you are in conversation with as necessary—vis-a-vis their life, body of work, project (spiritual, political, aesthetic, or ethical), location (geographical, historical, or cultural)—and speak to how the work(s) help reimagine and transform culture. You are welcome to include your own creative work as 1/2 of the paper. (Chicago citations; 5-6 pages for Bachelor’s students, 7-8 pages for Master’s students, 9-10 pages for PhD students.) DUE on Canvas May 11.
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the creative arts and spiritual evolutionary understandings generated by visionary women artists-scholars, with a view toward transformation of self and culture towards pathways grounded in sacredness, soulfulness, wisdom, and life-sustaining principles. In addition, this course offers students opportunities for their own creative and embodied explorations in the areas studied.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course:
- students will have gained both breadth and depth of knowledge in women’s sacred arts and women’s visionary culture;
- students will have explored their own creative inspiration and expression through the lens of women’s sacred arts and women’s visionary culture;
- students will have deepened their links between practice and research;
- students will have experimented with co-creating a mutually affirming learning community.
COURSE TEXTS AND MATERIALS
Required texts:
- Arisika Razak, “Art, Myth and the Sacred Feminine” in Vibrant Voices: Women, Myth, and the Arts, edited by Sid Riger and Marna Hauk. Proceedings of the Association for the Study of Women & Mythology. Vol. 2, pp. 18-37.
- Rites of Passage: 20/20 Vision Walkthrough Film (https://www.ritesofpassageproject.org/2020vision) + additional handouts.
- Rulan Tangen, “To dance is to live. To live is to dance.” TEDxABQ, December 2016. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOOVohQUrzg.
Also, choose five texts, one from each area, to discuss in class as a respondent:
Dream work, Divination and Oracles
- Hammer, Jill. Undertorah: An Earth-Based Kabbalah of Dreams. Brooklyn, New York: Ayin Press, 2022.
- Skafte, Dianne. Listening to the Oracle: The Ancient Art of Finding Guidance in the Signs and Symbols All Around Us. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997.
- Vesta, Lara Veleda. Wild Soul Runes: Reawakening the Ancestral Feminine. Newburyport, MA: Weiser Books, 2021.
Altars and Ritual
- Dorsey, Lilith. Orishas, Goddesses, and Voodoo Queens: The Divine Feminine in the African Religious Traditions. Newburyport: Red Wheel/Weiser, 2020.
- Nagarajan, Vijaya. Feeding a Thousand Souls: Women, Ritual, and Ecology in India - An Exploration of the Kolam. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.
- Gonzales, Patrisia. Red Medicine: Traditional Indigenous Rites of Birthing and Healing. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2012.
- Starhawk. The Earth Path: Grounding Our Spirits in the Rhythm of Nature. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2004.
Movement, Theatre, and Music
- Armstrong Ann E, Kelli L Johnson and William A Wortman (eds). 2009. Performing Worlds into Being: Native American Women's Theater. Oxford: Miami University Press.
- Leseho, Johanna, and Sandra McMaster (eds). Dancing on the Earth: Women's Stories of Healing and Dance. Forres, Scotland: Findhorn Press, 2011.
- Redmond, Layne. When the Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History of Rhythm. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1997.
Poetry, Film, and Visual Arts
- Al-Adwaiyah, Rabia. Doorkeeper of the Heart: Versions of Rabia. Pir Press, 2004.
- Chicago, Judy. The Flowering: The Autobiography of Judy Chicago. United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson, 2021.
- Pérez Laura E. Chicana Art: The Politics of Spiritual and Aesthetic Altarities. Durham: Duke University Press, 2007.
- Strobel, Leny Mendoza. A Book of Her Own: Words and Images to Honor the Babaylan. United States: T'Boli, 2005.
Stories and Herbs
- Avila, Elena. Woman Who Glows in the Dark: A Curandera Reveals Traditional Aztec Secrets of Physical and Spiritual Health. New York, NY: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2000.
- Blackie, Sharon. If Women Rose Rooted: The Journey to Authenticity and Belonging. Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire: September Publishing, 2016.
- Levins Morales, Aurora. Remedios: Stories of Earth and Iron from the History of Puertorriqueñas. Boston: Beacon Press, 1998.
- Mitchell, Sherri L. Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2018.
- VanDyke, Lucretia. African American Herbalism : A Practical Guide to Healing Plants and Folk Traditions. Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press, 2022.
COURSE ASSESSMENT MEASURES
20% Class participation
Full participation in this class requires that you:
- attend all synchronous virtualized classes,
- complete the readings and any other assignments on specified dates,
- be actively and fully engaged in class,
- contribute to class discussions
20% Presentation
You will be asked to sign up to present once in modules two through six. You can incorporate visual, musical, and somatic elements. Presentations should be approximately 12-15 minutes long, followed by about 5 minutes of comments/questions/discussion. Please include a bibliography with the sources used to prepare your presentation, and send this to me—along with your presentation in a PDF format—before or right after class with the following subject line: “PARW 6697 Presentation.”
20% Response Memos
For each module, you will select a text to read and submit a response memo (250-350 words), synthesizing fresh directions and/or inspirations that arise for you as you engage with the reading. Consider ending with a question that can spark further discussion. The memos are to be submitted on Canvas by 11am PST before class.
Also pay attention to the threads and connections emerging on the discussion board. How can you shape them through your creative participation? Engage with each other and deepen the web of motifs, myths, ideas, and being.
20% Journal and Experiential/Embodied Reflection
You are asked to keep a journal in which you write down insights that emerge for you, synchronicities that show up for you, associations you wish to explore, or observations about your changing self/world during the course. You will reflect on any prompts offered by the instructor—which may be related to writing, experiential or embodied practices—in your journal. Please select an excerpt from your journal to post on Canvas by Thursday 8pm PST every week.
20% Final Paper
Your final paper will focus on one modality of sacred arts or healing covered in class or beyond. You will bring in your deep understanding of the area obtained through both research and personal practice. Please engage with at least one artist-scholar foremother who informs/inspires your work. Please contextualize the work(s) of the artist-scholar(s) you are in conversation with as necessary—vis-a-vis their life, body of work, project (spiritual, political, aesthetic, or ethical), location (geographical, historical, or cultural)—and speak to how the work(s) help reimagine and transform culture. You are welcome to include your own creative work as 1/2 of the paper. (Chicago citations; 5-6 pages for Bachelor’s students, 7-8 pages for Master’s students, 9-10 pages for PhD students.) DUE on Canvas May 11.
COURSE CALENDAR
January 20: Introduction: Embodied Visionary Creativity
Please come prepared to discuss your lineages of women's sacred arts. Please also bring an example from the oevre of an artist-scholar foremother that has guided you for our Introduction Circle.
Further Reading:
Razak, Arisika. “Art, Myth and the Sacred Feminine.”
February 10: Dream Work, Divination and Oracles
Select one of the following books to read and respond to:
- Hammer, Jill. Undertorah.
- Skafte, Dianne. Listening to the Oracle.
- Vesta, Lara. Wild Soul Runes.
March 3: Altars and Ritual
Select one of the following books to read and respond to:
- Dorsey, Lilith. Orishas, Goddesses, and Voodoo Queens.
- Nagarajan, Vijaya. Feeding a Thousand Souls.
- Gonzales, Patrisia. Red Medicine.
- Starhawk. The Earth Path.
March 17: Movement, Theatre, and Music
Watch "To dance is to live. To live is to dance | Rulan Tangen"
And, select one of the following books to read and respond to:
- Armstrong, Johnson and Wortman (eds). Performing Worlds into Being.
- Leseho, and McMaster (eds). Dancing on the Earth.
- Redmond, Layne. When the Drummers Were Women.
April 14: Poetry, Film, and Visual Arts
Select one of the following books to read and respond to:
- Al-Adwaiyah, Rabia. Doorkeeper of the Heart.
- Chicago, Judy. The Flowering.
- Pérez Laura. Chicana Art.
- Strobel, Leny. A Book of Her Own.
May 5: Stories and Herbs
Select one of the following books to read and respond to:
- Avila, Elena. Woman Who Glows in the Dark.
- Blackie, Sharon. If Women Rose Rooted.
- Levins Morales, Aurora. Remedios.
- Mitchell, Sherri. Sacred Instructions.
- VanDyke, Lucretia. African American Herbalism.
*Guest Visit Date TBD: Rites of Passage: 20/20 Vision (Watch)
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Additional Bibliography
Ancestral Mothers and Kinship
- Birnbaum, Lucia Chiavola. Dark Mother: African Origins and Godmothers. San Jose: Authors Choice Press, 2001.
- Estés Clarissa Pinkola. Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. New York: Ballantine Books, 1992.
- Gimbutas, Marija. The Language of the Goddess. Thames and Hudson, 1989.
Dream Work, Divination, and Oracles
- Bolen, Jean Shinoda. The Tao of Psychology : Synchronicity and the Self. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2004.
- Kaplan, Connie Cockrell. The Woman's Book of Dreams : Dreaming As a Spiritual Practice. United States: Axiom, 2000.
- Kat, Alice Sparkly. Postcolonial Astrology : Reading the Planets Through Capital, Power, and Labor. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 2021.
- Signell, Karen A. Wisdom of the Heart : Working with Women's Dreams. London: Rider, 1991.
Altars, Ritual, and Priestesses
- (Audio) Somé, Sobonfu. Women's Wisdom from the Heart of Africa. Sounds True: 2004.
- Buenaflor, Erika. Cleansing Rites of Curanderismo : Limpias Espirituales of Ancient Mesoamerican Shamans. Rochester, Vermont: Bear & Company, 2018.
- Francia, Luisa. Dragontime: Magic and Mystery of Menstruation. Translated by Sasha Daucus. Woodstock, N.Y.: Ash Tree Pub, 1991.
- Jayakar, Pupul. The Earth Mother : Legends, Goddesses, and Ritual Arts of India. 1St Harper & Rowed. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row, 1990.
- Key, Anne, and Kant, Candace (eds.) Stepping into Ourselves: An Anthology of Writings on Priestesses. Lanham: Goddess Ink, Limited, 2014.
- Kynes, Sandra. Your Altar: Creating a Sacred Space for Prayer and Meditation. Woodbury, Minn.: Llewellyn Publications, 2007.
- Mankey, Jason, and Laura Tempest Zakroff. The Witch's Altar : The Craft, Lore & Magick of Sacred Space. Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 2018.
- Monteagut, Lorraine. Brujas: The Magic and Power of Witches of Color. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2021.
- Rigoglioso, Marguerite. Mystery Tradition of Miraculous Conception: Mary and the Lineage of Virgin Births. Rochester, Vermont: Bear & Company, 2021.
- Teish, Luisah. Jambalaya: The Natural Woman’s Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals. San Francisco, HarperSanFrancisco, 1988.
- Vicuña, Cecilia. Read Thread: The Story of the Red Thread. Berlin: Sternberg Press, 2017.
Movement, Theatre, and Music
- Roth, Gabrielle. Maps to Ecstasy : The Healing Power of Movement. 2nd ed. Novato: New World Library, 1998.
- (Film) Read, Donna. “Women and Spirituality: The Goddess Trilogy.”
Stories, Herbs, and Healing
- Afua, Queen. Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit. New York: One World, 1999.
- Lee, Michele E. Working the Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing.
- Noble, Vicki. Shakti Woman: Feeling Our Fire, Healing Our World: The New Female Shamanism. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991.
- Ruiz, Felicia Cocotzin. Earth Medicines: Ancestral Wisdom, Healing Recipes, and Wellness Rituals from a Curandera. Boulder, Colorado: Roost Books, 2021.