The Great Goddess was the original, and only,
deity of humankind from the dawn of time up until around 3000 BCE, when
Goddess-oriented cultures were conquered by patriarchal, warlike worshippers of
a sky god. Late Bronze Age Minoan Crete (1750–1490 BCE) is considered to be the
Goddess culture’s final flowering. According to Goddess History, Crete exhibits
the last gasp of the feminine values associated with Goddess culture before it
was wiped out by warlike, patriarchal Mycenaean Greeks. Before this time Minoan
Crete was peaceful, worshipped the Great Goddess and her Dying and Rising
Consort (who was also her son), and women and nature were respected.
Join Dr Caroline Tully in a workshop on
ancient Minoan religion, focussing on the Snake Goddess. On the island of Crete
the snake appears in the worship of the female deity more repeatedly than
anywhere else in the Mediterranean. Ancient artifacts have been unearthed that
portray the Goddess or Her priestesses holding snakes in their hands or with
them coiled about their bodies, revealing that they were an integral part of
the religious rituals. Through images, discussion, and practical trance
exercises, contemporary approaches to Minoan religion will be revealed.
Caroline has a background in various traditions
of witchcraft and magic/k and is also an academic who studies ancient
Mediterranean Pagan religions and their manifestation in the modern world.
