Celebrating Merlin Stone

“What We Remember Lives!”  

          Hecate’s Wheel led the forty or so women and four men chanting at the high noon celebration in Clearwater, FL, on Saturday, Sept, 24, just after the Equinox.  See http://merlinstone.net/merlin-stone-memorial-florida/  We came from the four directions to honor a pioneer scholar who wrote the book (When God Was a Woman, 1976) that forever shifted our vision of spiritual power. For more on her life and work see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_Stone

Z Budapest came with her partner Bobbie from San Francisco to conduct the ceremony in the ancient (and invented) traditions of wise women before patriarchal conquests. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zsuzsanna_Budapest for more on Z.

 Women in swirling skirts and flowing capes and scarves came forth with offerings for the simple altar, invoking the powers of the four directions. 

Merlin’s partner Lenny lovingly placed her ashes, and Z closed the circle.  He spoke of his 34 years loving and living with Merlin with exuberant awe, calling himself her significant other.

Margo Adler, who regularly reports on NPR, came from New York and spoke of Merlin as a sculptor and art historian who brought our vision of the Great Mother into sharp focus.  Margo connected Merlin’s insights with the work of Joseph Campbell.

Susun Weed came from her Wise Woman Center in Woodstock, NY, to assure us that Merlin lives on because her power and vision lives on in all of us.  Selena Fox, psychologist and writer, came from Wisconsin to rouse our collective spirits to action.

Ruth Barrett, who leads Hecate’s Wheel, described teaching Merlin’s art and scholarship and the art and work of other scholars of ancient matriarchies in her women’s spirituality classes.

Barbara G. Walker appeared as if from a mist in Avalon, a tiny quiet woman of 81 all in black with a pentagram medallion.  She spoke of earlier scholarly work, such as The First Sex by Elizabeth Gould Davis.  I’ve used Barbara’s books, especially the weighty Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets (1983) as a text in my feminist spirituality classes along with Merlin’s books.  I’ve given it away many times for its fascinating research.   I was amazed to meet this powerful scholar at last.  I’m now reading her new book, Man Made God, which I’ll discuss later.  She’s published a dozen feminist books, which I’ve devoured, and another dozen on knitting patterns, which I haven’t touched: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_G._Walker

After songs and chants by Hecate’s Wheel and all of us, Z opened the circle.  At the communal lunch we had a chance to meet and reconnect.  I hadn’t seen Z since 1986 at the Vrouenfestival in Amsterdam or Susun at her goat farm.

Pat Gozemba flew from Boston to Orlando on Friday to spend five days with me and so we could go together to Clearwater, where we spent the rest of Saturday afternoon with Z, Bobbie, Margot, Selena, Susun, the chanters of Hecate’s Wheel, and friends, and on our motel balcony overlooking the Gulf at sunset.  

Left to right in photo: Selena, Ruth, Margo, Barbara, Z, Susun.