May 16-18, 2008
A Workshop for Women
Margot Adler has been coming to Rowe for some 25 years, bringing exuberant ritual, song, and laughter, a philosophy of joy even in the face of uncertainty and doubt. She sees divinity within and as part of the sacred earth on which we live. This retreat for women will use the tools of ritual, singing, and the consciousness raising techniques of the seventies to explore unfolding new journeys.
For many of us, the past few decades have been filled with feelings of a dark hopelessness, but now we are experiencing tiny stirrings of hope. Long suppressed feelings of joy are rising again. How do we embrace this new period of possibility, this special moment, and use it well?
Margot has been a leader in the contemporary revival of Earth-centered spirituality. A priestess of Wicca, or the old religion, she has looked for the sacred in the here and now, in the immanent, sacred life force that connects all creation. Using song and chant, breath, ceremonies, and the sharing of wonderful stories, we can tap into the divine power and energy - the magic present in the universe and within ourselves.
She merges the sacred and the secular, but always with her unique blend of exuberant ritual, ribald laughter, and irrepressible New York spunk. Come with open minds and open hearts, bringing drums, rattles, and your voice. We’ll build a community altar, so bring something personal as a way of sharing your own story — anything from a stone or shell to a computer disc. And if you have a small teapot, bring it, too. Together we will reclaim the juice and the mystery of the wild and free.
Margot Adler is a Wiccan priestess and elder in the Women’s spirituality movement who has spent the last two decades walking in both the sacred and “mundane” worlds. An ace National Public Radio reporter, she is also one of the first Wiccan priestesses to “go public.” She wrote the renowned classic Drawing Down the Moon and her excellent memoir, Heretic’s Heart: A Journey Through Spirit and Revolution. When she was young, she was arrested in the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley, worked in voter registration in Mississippi, and acted to stop the American invasion of Southeast Asia. Nowadays, by day, she’s a correspondent for NPR and she hosts Justice Talking, a radio show that tackles weighty issues like free speech and the separation of church and state. She navigates the difficult workaday world, seeking to retain her spirit, seeking to fly under the radar while still making a difference, while still dancing wild and free in the mystery.