The Paradox of the Goddess with Damascena Tanis

When we begin to learn about the Sacred Feminine, many of us quickly realize that She is much more than we have imagined Her to be - and that Her nature is fundamentally contradictory. As Damascena Tanis, my guest for this episode, says, to work with the Goddess is to be repeatedly invited into paradox. Damascena is a writer, astrologer, and a recently bereaved mother, living on the shores of Lake Erie with three earth bound children. She is currently learning how to be the mother of a child who has journeyed beyond the veil. She is also the Founder of the Planetary Priestess Mystery School, devoted to Venus.

In this episode, we discuss the paradox of the Goddess, as well as:

• Damascena's spiritual awakening as a pregnant 15-year-old, and what it taught her about the Sacred Feminine
• How living in Palestine as a young mother initiated her into a deeper understanding of the feminine
• Damascena's work as an archetypal astrologer, and why she thinks it's important to explore what she considers the dimension beyond archetypes
• The Venus cycle, its connection to the myth of the Inanna, and how it can guide our own inner journey of self-discovery
• The lessons offered by deep grief, which Damascena experienced through the death of her son
• Understanding the current conflict in Gaza through the lens of astrology

Show Notes 

• If you’d like to know whose ancestral tribal lands you currently reside on, you can look up your address here: https://native-land.ca/
• You can also visit the Coalition of Natives and Allies for more helpful educational resources about Indigenous rights and history.
• Please – if you love this podcast and/or have read my book, please consider leaving me a review, and thank you for supporting my work!
• You can watch this and other podcast episodes at the Home to Her YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@hometoher
• You can learn more about Damascena on her website: https://www.redmoonrevival.org/
• You can also follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mea.damscena

Here are a few of the resources we discussed during this episode:

• Damascena and I both completed separate mystery school trainings via the Sanctuary of the Open Heart. You can learn more about it here: https://sanctuaryoftheopenheart.com/
• Here is a basic overview of the Myth of Inanna's Descent (see below for a related episode that explores this story in more detail):  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inanna#:~:text=Inanna%20passes%20through%20a%20total,removed%2C%20they%20were%20carried%20away.
• Damascena referenced the book Great Cosmic Mother, by Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor. Monica was also known for her artwork, and you can see some examples of it via her estate's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/monicasjooestate/
• Damascena also mentioned a Tibetan feast for demons - more info here: https://www.lionsroar.com/feeding-demons-tsultrim-allione-on-joyful-giving/

Related Episodes:

• Embodying the Divine Feminine with Ariel Spilsbury: https://hometoher.simplecast.com/episodes/embodying-the-divine-feminine-with-ariel-spilsbury
• Descent and Rising with Carly Mountain: https://hometoher.simplecast.com/episodes/descent-and-rising-with-carly-mountain

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To go deeper in your Sacred Feminine explorations, check out the course offerings via Home to Her Academy: www.hometoheracademy.com 

And to read about the Sacred Feminine, check out my award-winning book Home to Her: Walking the Transformative Path of the Sacred Feminine (Womancraft Publishing), available wherever you buy your books!. If you've read it, your reviews on Goodreads and Amazon are greatly appreciated! 

Mentioned in this episode:

We Are Sovereign: A 9-Month Transformational Leadership Program for Women

We Are Sovereign is a 9 month transformational leadership program designed specifically for women who are ready to claim full authority and power over their own lives. The program includes a deep dive with: • Powerful Sacred Feminine figures, drawn from history and mythology, who will serve as our sovereignty guides along the way • Transformational practices rooted in creativity, play, energy work, ritual, ceremony and even magic • Embodiment practices, including dance, yoga, and other intuitive movement exercises to tap into the wisdom of the body • The Enneagram as a tool for understanding the human psyche and our individual personality types • Yogic philosophy, creative writing and journaling exercises, and much more • The power of the group field that we cultivate to dive deep and be witnessed fully for who we are, allowing the property of emergence to support our becoming The journey kicks off with an opening retreat on the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii, September 12-15, 2024. From there, we’ll gather twice a month over the next 9 months via Zoom, and we’ll wrap up in June 2025 with a closing retreat at Hestia Magic Retreat Center, located in the shadow of majestic Mount Shasta, California. To learn more, apply, and/or book a discovery call, visit: https://www.hometoheracademy.com/course/we-are-sovereign