Some Thoughts on Menstruation" (PDF). Menstrual Taboos. Vol.2. London: London Matriarchy Study Group. pp.11–13. Angharad Iris is a Bristol based ritual artist exploring themes of witchcraft, ceremony and folklore. Her work closely explores the seasons and landscapes, using a range of earth materials including sheep’s wool, natural fibers, human hair, menstrual blood, wood and stone. Angharad is a ceremonial textile maker and uses her woven pieces in ritual, weaving words, dance and music into her work. She is a Flutist, Harpist and a drum beater, using sound and movement to conjure magic into spaces. Her parents were the Swedish painters Gustaf Arvid Sjöö (1902–1949) and Anna Harriet Rosander-Sjöö (1912–1965), who divorced when Sjöö was three years old. [3] She left school and ran away from home when she was 16. [3] [4]

The text draws on ritual, mythology, art and records of dreams and fantasies to examine how the archetype has been outwardly expressed in many cultures and periods since prehistory. He shows how the feminine has been represented as goddess, monster, gate, pillar, tree, moon, sun, vessel and every animal from snakes to birds. Neumann discerns a universal experience rooted in the dialectical relation of growing consciousness symbolised by the Great Mother. His is a profound and enduring work recently republished for a new generation of readers. The American feminist academic Camille Paglia has written on feminism and the influence of the Great Mother feeling that its depth of research still makes it relevant today, linked into the enduring work of academic and archaeologist Marija Gimbutas. Reading these drawings of Monica‘s in terms of their references ensures that her The Great Cosmic Mother" is a groundbreaking book written by Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor that explores the historical and cultural significance of the sacred feminine throughout human history. Drawing from a wide range of archaeological, mythological, and anthropological sources, the authors present a comprehensive and thought-provoking analysis of the suppressed role of women and the goddess in ancient civilizations. A beautiful, tender, rage-filled book about feminist spirituality. This quote comes from one of the latter chapters of the book but it is one that encompasses one of the major themes of this passionate polemic against patriarchy: Sjöö believed the spirit and energy of the Goddess or The Great Mother to be present in all of life’s phases, an essence that saturated both nature and being. Sjöö viewed the oppression of women and minorities, as well as the exploitation of the land and the ravaging of the environment, as akin to violence exerted on the Great Mother. May 1993). "Going To Church: Breaking the Taboo – doing the unthinkable". Archived from the original on 14 March 2016.Stepping next into the gallery spaces there is a feeling of being in a space with billboards, as the scale of the paintings are emphasised by being displayed off the wall and standing in their own occupied spaces. Observing the reaction of the young artists to the paintings visiting on the night of the opening, was fascinating. They were clearly awed at the storytelling, the experience of the feminine, political and spiritual. The diversity of thinking and symbolism inherent in Monica Sjöö’s work was further emphasised by the presence of the words of Indian visionary painter and poet Tagore in a text / image piece referencing the head of the Sphinx. The piece was reminiscent of Odilon Redon’s symbolic drawings featuring the head of the Sphinx in a chiaroscuro drama made in the 1880s.There is a renewed interest in Tagore today with the publication and translation of his poetry Sing of Life (2021) by Priya Sarrukai Chabria, echoing again the relationships between the 21 st Century and the preoccupations of the 70s. Watkins, June D. (Spring 2011). "REL3990 Women and Religion #2158 Special topic: Goddess Myths eLearning course 100% online" (PDF). University of West Florida. p.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 January 2011 . Retrieved 9 December 2017. Part of the offbeat appeal of this particular walk is in the links to the essays of Monica Sjöö quoted here from Spiral Journey (Antenna, 2018) and to the writing of the renowned archaeologist Marija Gimbutas in her Language of the Goddess (Thames and Hudson,1989). Taken together they offer a very feminine perspective on the landscape traversed, encouraging the walker to feel a connection between places and a remarkable Herstory. a b Sjöö, Monica; Mor, Barbara (1991). "Preface". The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering the Religion of the Early (2nded.). Harper & Row. Sjöö, Monica. "New Age Channelings: Who or What Is Being Channeled?". Archived from the original on 8 August 2011 . Retrieved 30 December 2017. Originally appeared in From the Flames: Radical Feminism with Spirit magazine, issue 2, winter 1998/99.

Monica’s collection of work moves and shapes itself – and just like that – it’s hard to ignore Monica’s presence in the room. Her work, like an altar – devoted to the Goddess and woman – runs through us as an unseen force, a magik unclear, or often confronting to many. Images, symbols, markings all bearing an ancient mysticism, largely unwelcome in our current society. And yet… Monica Sjöö’s work still bears witness to something far bigger, far stronger than that of the visual impact – but an invocation – a surfacing of the ancient Goddess cultures. A deep remembering felt in our blood and bones. Sjöö believed heterosexuality was an unnatural state imposed by patriarchy, and later in her life she enjoyed a number of intimate romantic relationships with women. (In the context of the 1980 essay by Adrienne Rich, " Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence".) However, after separating from her second husband, Andy Jubb, a composer, in the mid 1970s, Sjöö had an intense relationship with Keith Paton, a founder of the Alternative Socialist movement and, like Sjöö herself, a regular contributor to the alternative press, especially Peace News. Under Sjöö's influence, Paton changed his name to Motherson (or Mothersson). [23] The first thing you see when you arrive at Moderna Museet, before you enter the Monica Sjöö exhibition, is a wall covered with contemporary protest posters and slogans. These are all from the Friday School Protests, led by Greta Thunberg. What is striking is that these same issues are the very same that Monica Sjöö was campaigning for in the 1970’s. An Avebury Experience" (PDF). Politics of Matriarchy. Vol.3. London: London Matriarchy Study Group. p.55. ISBN 978-0906663004. In 1976 Sjöö was the subject of a film documentary shown at the ICA and NFT. [22] Personal life [ edit ]Are There Great Female Beings Out There – Waiting for Us to be Free..." Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. The Green Plaque is placed outside Dragon Workshop in Clifton Village. A welcome addition to mark a ’sense of place‘ for Monica Sjöö in Bristol’s Bohemia as it is historically known for its diverse and talented residents of the 1960s And 1970s. The artist, writer and eco-feminist activist Monica Sjöö lived for some years in Princess Victoria Street. The plaque we hope will then mark her residency in the city and create new conversations about Her life and work. a b Mor, Barbara. "The Oliver Arts & Open Press The Victory of sex and Metal". Oliveropenpress.com . Retrieved 2016-01-13.