Home to Her Exploring PaGaian Cosmology with Glenys Livingstone
On the latest episode I'm joined by Glenys Livingstone, a pioneering researcher and thought leader who's been walking the Goddess path since 1979. Glenys is the author of "PaGaian Cosmology: Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion, which fuses the indigenous traditions of Old Europe with scientific theory, feminism, and a poetic relationship with place." This book was an outcome of her doctoral work in Social Ecology. Her newest book is "A Poiesis of the Creative Cosmos: Celebrating Her within PaGaian Sacred Ceremony," which synthesizes much of her work over the years.
On today's episode we discuss:
* Glenys' spiritual background, including her conversion to Catholicism in her teens, as well as her growing disillusionment with Christianity
* The "a-ha" moment that occurred when she realized, pregnant and unmarried, that knowing a female deity would allow her to view her situation without shame
* What "PaGaian cosmology" means, including how it combines pagan spirituality with scientific theory to give us a new way to recognize and honor Her (the Goddess) as creative life force
* Why it's important that we recognize the inherent power in language and the naming of things and life experiences
* How honoring the equinoxes, solstice and cross-quarter days found on the pagan Wheel of the Year can bring us closer to the Sacred Feminine and provides an opportunity to consciously participate in the creative dance of the cosmos
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/
- My book, “Home to Her: Walking the Transformative Path of the Sacred Feminine,” is now available Womancraft Publishing! To learn more, read endorsements and purchase, please visit https://womancraftpublishing.com/product/home-to-her/. It is also available for sale via Amazon, Bookshop.org, and you can order it from your favorite local bookstore, too.
- Please – if you love this podcast and/or have read my book, please consider leaving me a review! For the podcast, reviews on iTunes are extremely helpful, and for the book, reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are equally helpful. 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 Glenys and her work at http://pagaian.org. You can also find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PagaianCosmology, and join her PaGaian Cosmology Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/257877322873
Glenys referenced so many excellent resources during our conversation! I've done my best to capture them all for you below:
- Helen Reddy's ("I Am Woman" singer) Grammy acceptance speech, in which she referred to God as "she": https://youtu.be/HWkk9rKZyZU
- The work of feminist theologians Rosemary Radford Ruether and Mary Daly
- Starhawk, whose book "The Spiral Dance," was instrumental in launching the modern witchcraft movement
- Works/groups that influenced her early on included Lux Madriana; "Children of the Dream;" and "Immaculate Deception," by Suzanne Arms
- The works of Sonia Johnson and Miriam Robbins Dexter
- Monique Wittig's "Les Guerilles"
- Caitlin Matthews is an expert in Celtic lore; Glenys referenced her work while we were discussing the triskele, or Triple Spiral seen at the entrance of Newgrange in Ireland.
- the work of feminist Charlene Spretnak
- Gaia Theory, developed by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis
- Brian Swimme, who together with Thomas Berry, wrote "The Universe Story," which Glenys references in her most recent book
- Miriam Robbins Dexter and her book, "Whence the Goddesses: A Source Book"
- The wonderful poet/writer Adrienne Rich, and her book "Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution"
Similar/relevant Home to Her episodes include:
- I referenced my discussion with poet Joy Ladin during this conversation. You can listen here: https://hometoher.simplecast.com/episodes/shekhinah-speaks-with-joy-ladin
- Reclaiming Women's Histories with Max Dashu: https://hometoher.simplecast.com/episodes/reclaiming-womens-histories-with-max-dashu
- The Legacy of Marija Gimbutas with Joan Marler: https://hometoher.simplecast.com/episodes/the-legacy-of-marija-gimbutas-with-joan-marler-v2vWO3gA
- Making Matriarchy Great Again with Vicki Noble and Dawn Alden: https://hometoher.simplecast.com/episodes/making-matriarchy-great-again-with-dawn-alden-and-vicki-noble
- Telling the Stories of the Sacred Feminine with Trista Hendren: https://hometoher.simplecast.com/episodes/telling-the-stories-of-the-sacred-feminine-with-trista-hendren
For more Sacred Feminine goodness and to stay up to date on all episodes, please follow me on Instagram: @hometoher.
To dive into conversation about the Sacred Feminine, join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hometoher
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:
The Call of the Fire: A 6 Month Transformational Leadership Program for Women
The Call of the Fire is an intimate, 6-month group coaching program designed to help you experience your true power at a deeper level than you’ve ever known before. While patriarchal systems of domination have taught us that power is about control, hierarchy and the hoarding of resources, through The Call of the Fire you’ll learn that there’s a different, older, more time-tested way to understand and employ power. Once we know this, there’s no turning back. Rooted in the rich, yet largely hidden herstorical and mythological record of the ancient feminine, The Call of the Fire will introduce you to the secret roots of female power we all have encoded deep within us. And via group coaching, experiential exercises and more, help you access these roots to live your fullest, most unfettered life. The program begins with a 5-day, 4-night kick-off retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii October 15-19, 2025. For the following six months, we'll meet twice monthly via Zoom to explore 6 specific aspects of female power; practice accessing and embodying this power in your own life; and drop into deep community with your fellow sister seekers. You’ll also have access to tons of additional learning resources and the opportunity to meet 1:1 with me to clarify your goals and work on specific areas you may need support on. Learn more at www.hometoher.com!