On Wednesday, February 8, I was thrilled to be the guest of The Rev. Karen Tate on her podcast Voices of the Sacred Feminine talking about ancient concepts of hospitality can help us create peaceful and caring communities. According to Karen’s announcement for the program, “We’ll delve into what that looked like and how it might address the trauma and abuse epidemic in our world. We’ll delve into the loss of this value and how its affected women, reclaiming hospitality through goddess myths and stories, how values and practices of the current goddess movement also helps women heal. We’ll also discuss what goddess centered cultures can teach us about preventing abuse and trauma.”
If you would like to hear a recording, please click here.
You can read a blog post I wrote on the blogsite Feminism and Religion about hospitality by clicking here as well as two other posts on Feminism and Religion on how the built environment — the houses, streets, landscapes and other elements of where we live – can also help create peaceful and caring communities (Part I and Part II).
On the show, Karen suggested that I provide a resource list of the various books and articles I cited during the interview or found especially helpful while researching the topic:
Societies of Peace/Matriarchal Societies/Partnership Cultures, Ancient and Contemporary:
Eisler, Riane and Douglas P. Fry, Nurturing Our Humanity: How Domination and Partnership Shape Our Brains, Lives, and Future, New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.
Gimbutas, Marija, edited by Joan Marler, Civilization of the Goddess: The World of Old Europe, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991.
Goettner-Abendroth, Heide, translated by Karen Smith, Matriarchal Societies: Studies on Indigenous Cultures Across the Globe, New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2012.
Goettner-Abendroth, Heide, Societies of Peace: Matriarchies Past, Present, and Future, Toronto: Inanna Publications and Education, Inc., 2009.
Sered, Susan, Priestess, Mother, Sacred Sister: Religions Dominated by Women, New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
Sered, Susan, Women of the Sacred Groves: Divine Priestesses of Okinawa, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
European Customs and Traditions:
Carmichael, Alexander, Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations Collected in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland in the Last Century, Hudson, NY: Lindisfarne Press, 1992.
Dashu, Max, Witches and Pagans: Women in European Folk Religion, 700-1100, Richmond, CA: Veleda Press, 2016.
Evans-Wentz, WY, The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries, New York: Carol Publishing Group, 1990.
Monaghan, Patricia, The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog: The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit, Novato, CA: New World Library, 2003.
Ross, Anne, The Folklore of the Scottish Highlands, New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1993.
Goddesses from Around the World:
Monaghan, Patricia, Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines, Novato, CA: New World Library, 2014.
Creating a Peaceful Culture in Our Own Society:
Current Statistics about Abuse and Factors that Can Prevent Abuse:
Burnes D, Pillemer K, Caccamise PL, Mason A, Henderson CR Jr, Berman J, Cook AM, Shukoff D, Brownell P, Powell M, Salamone A, Lachs MS. Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Elder Abuse and Neglect in the Community: A Population-Based Study, J Am Geriatr Soc. 2015 Sep; 63(9):1906-12. doi: 10.1111/jgs.13601. Epub 2015 Aug 27. PMID: 26312573.
Capaldi DM, Knoble NB, Shortt JW, Kim HK. A Systematic Review of Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence, Partner Abuse, 2012 Apr; 3(2):231-280. doi: 10.1891/1946-6560.3.2.231. PMID: 22754606; PMCID: PMC3384540. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3384540/
Chang ES, Levy BR. High Prevalence of Elder Abuse During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Risk and Resilience Factors. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2021, Nov;29(11):1152-1159. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.007. Epub 2021 Jan 19. PMID: 33518464; PMCID: PMC8286979. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33518464/
Oxfam, Ten Harmful Beliefs that Perpetuate Violence Against Women and Girls, https://www.oxfam.org/en/ten-harmful-beliefs-perpetuate-violence-against-women-and-girls
Oxfam, Why the Majority of the World’s Poor Are Women, https://www.oxfam.org/en/why-majority-worlds-poor-are-women
US Centers for Disease Control, Risk and Protective Factors for Perpetration, https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/riskprotectivefactors.html#anchor_1540315811820
UN Women, Facts and Figures, https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/commission-on-the-status-of-women-2012/facts-and-figures
UN Human Rights, Women and the Right to Adequate Housing, https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-housing/women-and-right-adequate-housing
World Health Organization, Abuse of older people, June 2022, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/abuse-of-older-people
World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, European Report on Preventing Elder Maltreatment, https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/144676/e95110.pdf
Research on How to Create a More Peaceful Community:
AARP, 2018 Home and Community Preferences Survey: A National Survey of Adults 18+, https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/surveys_statistics/liv-com/2018/home-community-preferences-survey.doi.10.26419-2Fres.00231.001.pdf
American Planning Association, Supporting Active Living Through Mixed-Use Developments, https://planning.org/blog/9227408/supporting-active-living-through-mixed-use-developments/
Knight Foundation, Center for Active Design illuminates a strong connection between quality of place and civic life, 2016, https://knightfoundation.org/articles/center-for-active-design-illuminates-a-strong-connection-between-quality-of-place-and-civic-life/
Knight Foundation, Soul of the Community, 2010, https://www.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/SoulCommunity2010.pdf
Knight Foundation, Ties to the Community: Understanding What Attaches People to the Place Where They Live, 2020, https://knightfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Community-Ties-Final-pg.pdf
Pew Research Center, What Unites and Divides Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities, 2018, https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/05/22/americans-satisfaction-with-and-attachment-to-their-communities/
University of Minnesota, Design for Health, Planning Information Sheet: Building Social Capital with Comprehensive Planning and Ordinances, 2008, http://designforhealth.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/BCBS_SocCap_0408.pdf#page=4
Urban Institute, Civic Assets for More Equitable Cities, https://knightfoundation.org/articles/center-for-active-design-illuminates-a-strong-connection-between-quality-of-place-and-civic-life/
Goddess in a Teapot 