Honoring That of Goddess Within

Workshop # 43
Peggy O'Neill

This workshop will encourage high school women to have direct personal experience of the inner light and the Divine Feminine through worship, guided meditation, sacred circle dance, journaling, worship sharing, group discussion, affirmations, and ritual. We’ll form a safe and supportive sacred community to allow for deep personal exploration and sharing.


Percentage of time:
Worship/worship-sharing 20; Lecture 5; Discussion 20; Experiential 55

High school only

Through this workshop participants will become more aware of their own inner light and the qualities of the Divine Feminine; explore ways to express these qualities in their lives; and support one another in their personal expression of the Divine Feminine.  Each participant will become aware of the qualities of the Divine Feminine emerging from within herself, and by the end of the week will have named and claimed these qualities, with the support of the group. The workshop will encourage participants to examine the following questions:  How is the inner light manifested through feminine qualities in my life and in the lives of others, both men and women?  What are some ways that I can understand and honor the inner light and the Divine Feminine within me and others?  How can I manifest these qualities in an active way? What are some blocks to knowing and honoring the Divine Feminine that I have experienced in my life?  What are some ways that our society devalues the Divine Feminine? What are some ways I can support others, both women and men, and honor their inner light and Divine Feminine?

While this workshop is designed to be primarily experiential, topics that will be addressed briefly during the week include:  overview of the Goddess religions which pre-dated Christianity and were prevalent throughout the world for thousands of years;  societal myths and stereotypes about women, their bodies, and their spirituality;   cultural practices that devalue women and feminine qualities;  spiritual practices that can enhance one’s awareness of the inner light  and the Divine Feminine, including meditation, dance, and journaling;  methods of countering cultural devaluation of women’s spirituality, such as affirmations and group support.

A sacred space will be created for this workshop with candles, music, and beautiful fabrics. In order to insure a sense of safety and trust, participants will be asked to hold themselves and each other in the Light, and to agree to hold what each person shares during the sessions in confidence.  Participants will gather in silence at the beginning and end of each session around the center. Each session will include the following elements:  opening and closing silence (5-10 min.); personal journaling (10-15 min.); sacred dance and chanting (15-20 min.); brief overview of the topic (5-10 min.); guided meditation (15-20 min.); worship sharing (20-30 min.); group discussion (20-30 min.).

There will be assigned reading from The Chalice and the Blade, by Riane Eisler.  Brief inspirational passages from a variety of other sources will be read aloud at each session, for purposes of providing topics for worship sharing. Sources include spiritual literature from diverse world religious traditions, poetry, chants, and songs.

Participants are asked to bring the following items with them:  blank personal journal; photograph of themselves as a baby or young child; long full skirt;  soft fabric veil or long scarf.