Bridging the Cultural Divide:
Invoking the Divine Feminine at End of Life
Music-Thanatology Training Program
Lane Community College
Professional Paper
Kyle Higaki
April 2015
Copyright © 2015 Kyle Higaki
All Rights Reserved
2
Acknowledgments
My journey into the music-thanatology training program at Lane Community College would not
have been possible without the guidance and help of the many individuals who wholeheartedly
extended their valuable assistance along the way.
First and foremost, my utmost gratitude to God for leading me to the spirit and service of music-
thanatology, and whose countless blessings and vision for my life are far greater than what I
could have ever dreamed of on my own.
Craig, my soul mate and tireless advocate – thank you for your unconditional love and support,
especially on those days when I felt like throwing in the towel. I love you.
My fellow classmates at Lane: Jean, Joshua, Judi, Julie, Maggie, Michal, Sylvia and Tahaia – it
has been such a privilege getting to know each and every one of you, and I am blessed by your
camaraderie and friendship.
The faculty of the music-thanatology training program at Lane, for your untiring efforts and
dedication toward my personal and professional growth – I am indebted to you.
My two mentors, Claudia Walker and Jeri Howe, for your endless patience, words of
encouragement and wisdom that you have imparted to me throughout my internship. I am
inspired by the loving care and service you provide to your patients.
My clinical narrative reader, Beatrice Rose and Lyn Miletich, paper advisor, for sharing their
valuable insights and for the countless hours spent in reviewing my papers.
Last but certainly not least, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my dear family,
friends, colleagues, and members of the Music-Thanatology Association International (MTAI),
on whose shoulders I stand – I would not be where I am today without your support.
With much love and aloha,
Kyle Higaki
Throughout history, the divine feminine has been universally embraced across cultures
through mother archetypes such as the Blessed Virgin Mary, Guanyin and Mother Earth. The
cycle of life and death has long been associated with the divine feminine, from whom all life
emerges and to whom all life returns. An expression of this widely held sentiment is illustrated in
the following excerpt:
“I who am the beauty of the green earth
And the white moon among the stars
And the mysteries of the waters,
I call upon your soul to arise and come unto Me.
For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe.
From Me all things proceed and unto Me they must return.”
Charge of the Star Goddess by Starhawk
1
Society’s fascination with and reverence of the divine feminine continues to the present
day. In speaking of mother archetypes, David Richo, author of Mary Within Us: A Jungian
Contemplation of Her Titles and Powers, says, “To grow to psychological adulthood we need to
separate from our mothers and move out on our own. We have to leave the literal mother but the
mother archetype cannot be abandoned, outgrown, or left. It is intrapsychic. It is in us as a
component of our identity as humans.”
2
To honor this intrapsychic component of our identity, women and men around the world
incorporate the divine feminine through simple, everyday acts.
3
Joy Reichard in Celebrate the
Divine Feminine: Reclaim Your Power with Ancient Goddess Wisdom states every time that we
recycle we honor Mother Earth. When we listen compassionately to a friend, we serve as
Guanyin or the Blessed Virgin Mary, who listens to the worries and cries of the people.
4
Music-thanatology is another manifestation of how the divine feminine is honored and integrated
into society. Music-thanatologists bring forth a multitude of considerations and imaginal
2
perspectives to the vigil setting at the patient’s bedside, while offering music in a prescriptive
manner that is individually tailored to the physiological needs of each patient. The invocation
and modeling of the divine feminine during vigils offers music-thanatologists yet another
dimension for consideration. Music-thanatologists may invoke the divine feminine in the vigil
setting through their compassionate presence and use of prescriptively offered music from the
shared body of musical thematic material, much of which references divine feminine archetypes.
This invocation of the divine feminine in the music-thanatology vigil addresses society’s desire
for beauty, compassion and unconditional love at end of life, bridging together the cultural and
faith-tradition divide. In this respect, the music-thanatologist serves as a cultural-broker in the
health care environment.
5
Music-thanatologists hold the wholeness, mystery and multi-
dimensions of each person in the vigil setting, honoring the uniqueness of each patient and
bridging cultures together.
Historical and Cultural Origins of Divine Feminine Archetypes
The three primary archetypes of the divine feminine that various cultures worshipped in
the past and continue to do so today are Mother Earth, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Guanyin.
Mother Earth, also known as the Great Mother, is the source of all life and is the limitless
substance from which all physical things are made. She is the physical body of humans and is
called the universal parent. Mother Earth has been worshipped since the earliest days. The
Neolithic Great Mother Goddess was worshiped as the source of all life. Native American
legends speak of Grandmother Spider, the Creatrix and Weaver of Life, who weaves the world
into creation. The ancient Romans believed the Earth Mother was the mysterious force that
awakened everything to life; all things emerged from the Earth Mother and everything returned
to her. According to Hindu legend, Aditi is the creative mother of all mortals and immortals, who
3
protects those who are in harmony with nature. Life, death and rebirth are all interconnected and
are part of Mother Earth’s ever-turning great wheel.
6
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus in the New Testament. Some Christian
sects believe Mary was immaculately conceived—that is, she was born without the stain of
original sin—a divinely necessary prerequisite to giving birth to the Son of God.
7
Veneration of
the Blessed Virgin Mary dates back to the second century, with prayers, poems and hymns
surfacing as early as the third century. Devotion increased after the Council of Ephesus in 431
A.D. when she was declared the Mother of God. Many Roman Catholics continue to embrace
Mary’s central role in God’s plan of salvation and redemption, an acknowledgment of the
feminine as an inextricable dimension of the divine.
8
Guanyin, also known as Avalokitesvara and Kannon, is the bodhisattva—“wisdom
being”—of compassion and is the most popular of all bodhisattvas.
9
She is the female
personification of Avalokitesvara and is said to have thirty-three manifestations, representing
compassion, purity, maternal virtues, protection and longevity.
10
The veneration of the female
form of Guanyin became especially popular in the tenth and eleventh centuries in China. She is
commonly depicted as wearing a long, flowing white robe, which represents the feminine,
maternal nature of Avalokitesvara’s compassion; hence, she is referred to as the Goddess of
Mercy. Among the thirty-three forms of Guanyin is Guanyin Holding a Willow Branch, who
pledges to cure illness. Dragon-Head Guanyin is a symbol of enlightenment. Pure-Water
Guanyin holds a water vase in her left hand as a symbol of purification. Other manifestations
include Guanyin of Complete Light, Guanyin of Oneness, Child-Providing Guanyin and
Extending-Life Guanyin.
11
4
Appeal of the Divine Feminine in Society
“I am woman of the sky.
I am woman of the grave.
I am mirror of the moon.
I am reflection of the day.
I am song of the wind.
I am river of the rain.
I am pulse of the stars.
I am churn of the deep.
I am child of the daughter.
I am sister of all sisters.
I am woman of the woman.
I am mother of myself.
I am defender of the beauty.
I am midwife of the change.
I am creator of the vision.
I am lover of it all.”
Charge of the Queen by Donna Henes
12
Much of the appeal of the divine feminine in society may stem from its strong association
with motherhood and the role of nurturer. In Western and Eastern cultures, feminine traits are
typically characterized as being more receptive and holding in nature. It is the female who must
receive the seed and carry the fertilized seed in her womb. When new life is born, it is usually
the female who plays a predominant role in nourishing and nurturing the newborn as it grows. As
such, society associates receptivity, compassion, and the inclination to nourish and nurture as
characteristically feminine traits.
13
The qualities of motherhood and nurturer are also directly linked to the three primary
archetypes of the divine feminine: Mother Earth, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Guanyin. Various
cultures have identified Mother Earth as being the ancestor-mother of humankind, the source of
protection and nourishment.
14
Mother Earth provides the solid substances from which we build
5
structures that offer shelter and protection. Vegetation springs forth from Mother Earth’s soil,
which is the source of nourishment for all creatures, animals and humans alike, who walk upon
the earth; from her body all life is sustained. “She is the mother who nourishes and nurtures all
her children without discrimination. She desires that all people enjoy her abundance, celebrate
their bodies and be passionately alive.”
15
In Eastern culture, the association of Guanyin as the Merciful Mother is thought to be a
reflection of native Chinese spiritual beliefs, as Taoist and Confucian principles associate serving
and benefitting others with maternal virtues or the yin—female—energy.
16
Kano Hogai, the artist
of the Merciful Mother Kannon (1888) (Appendix A), one of the most familiar paintings in
modern Japanese art history, once said, “For human compassion, nothing compares to a mother’s
love for her child; [Guanyin] is the Ideal Mother, the spirit of great compassion which generates
and nourishes all things, the origin of all creation and divine manifestations.”
17
Similar parallels with motherhood and the role of caregiver can also be drawn with the
Blessed Virgin Mary. Indeed, some believe that Mary is the embodiment of the threefold
archetypal goddess energy reflected in nearly every cultural tradition throughout history;
specifically, that of young virgin, loyal mother and wise queen.
18
Riane Eisler says, “The
tenacity with which for millennia of Western history both men and women have, in the figure of
the Virgin Mary, clung to the veneration of a compassionate and merciful mother attests to the
human hunger for such a reassuring image. This tenacity only becomes comprehensible in the
context of what we now know about the millennia-long tradition of Goddess worship in
prehistory.”
19
This shared tenacity and yearning that Eisler speaks of also relates to humanity’s
desire for beauty, tenderness, suspension of judgment and unconditional love, all of which are
reflected in the divine feminine.
6
Association of the Divine Feminine with End-of-Life Matters
Humanity has long sought the solace and refuge of the Divine Feminine in end-of-life
matters in these archetypes. Mother Earth’s role as the receiver and goddess of death dates back
to our Neolithic and Paleolithic ancestors some 25-30,000 years ago (Appendix B). The people
of the Neolithic understood the concept that all things must eventually come to an end. To make
room for the new, the old must be cleared away. The ancients had an intimate understanding of
death as being an integral part of life. Hindu legends speak of Niriti, the death aspect of Mother
Earth in the cycle of birth, death and regeneration. Niriti’s lap was said to have forewarned of
death and received corpses back into her womb. In classical Greek mythology, Hecate was the
Guardian of the Souls who guided souls back and forth to the underworld.
20
Perhaps the most widely recognized tale of death and rebirth is reflected in the ancient
Greek myth of Demeter, Goddess of the Grain, and her daughter Persephone. The myth tells how
Demeter deprived the earth of her reproductive powers out of grief when Persephone had been
dragged by Hades into the underworld. From this myth, the Greeks were able to relate how the
changing of the seasons applied to the human condition of life, death and rebirth. Mother Earth’s
gift is the cycle of life and her promise is that death is followed by renewal and birth. “On a
deeper level [the myth] serves a universal human need to come to terms with the terror and
dilemma of death, and to provide hope for the future in spite of death’s inevitability.”
21
Persephone’s abduction into the underworld can also be viewed as a transformational
opportunity for growth, serving as a valuable lesson to each of us as to how we can learn from
the experiences of our lives, even those experiences that are considered to be painful. The death
of a loved one can be used as a time of quiet retreat and deep reflection. This period of darkness
is not foreboding and is the “silence of the pause between the receding world of autumn and the
7
burst of new life in the spring. In the stillness before rebirth, one can find knowledge when time
is taken to listen, look inward and feel deeply.”
22
Taken from this perspective, the death of one’s
loved one can be used by the surviving relative as the impetus for seeking and gaining wisdom.
One of the most poignant images of the Divine Feminine in the face of death is the story
of the Blessed Virgin Mary standing at the foot of the cross during the crucifixion of her son,
Jesus (Appendix C). She is the epitome of grace and strength, as she does not try to protest the
unfairness of her son’s death sentence or lash out at those who drove the nails into his hands and
feet. She stands with Jesus under the weight of the cross, holding the tension of the moment,
“radiating gentleness, understanding, forgiveness, peace, hope and light.”
23
“Mary stood at the
foot of the Cross because she alone understood Jesus’ mission from the Father at that time and it
was that understanding that gave her strength. She was united with Jesus in His mission.”
24
This
moving event may serve as a source of inspiration to others who are nearing end of life or whose
loved ones are dying. We, too, can stand in strength with the suffering people of our world,
supporting them by taking up our stance with Mary at the foot of Cross.
25
Venerators of Guanyin have long sought the bodhisattva’s compassion in end-of-life
matters and her promise to liberate sentient beings from karmic woes. One meaning of
Guanyin’s name is “Regarder of the World’s Cries or Sounds.” Guanyin hears all of the world’s
sounds of woe. In this regard, the virtues of empathy and active listening are associated with
unconditional acceptance and compassion. Guanyin sees each being, whether insect or human,
from a viewpoint of care and sympathy. She is a model of how we can offer our compassionate
presence in the face of death. “Just to be present, to remain upright and aware in the face of
suffering without needing to react reflexively, is compassion….Often, when we are troubled,
what we most yearn for is this acceptance, to be heard and have our pain recognized. Such
8
attentive presence may be more the essence of compassion than our attempts to problem-solve,
to manipulate the world or our psyches in order to ‘fix’ difficult situations.”
26
Divine Feminine and Parallels with Music-Thanatology
“The Mother energy calls forth a woman’s power to birth, sustain, and renew life—
whether it is a child, a project, a garden, or an idea. It is the Mother energy that also gives death
when necessary, and initiates us into sacrifice (i.e. to make sacred), surrender, transformation,
and transmutation.” Sheila Foster
27
Music-thanatologists are exemplars of the divine feminine. Just as mothers are present at
every birth, music-thanatologists can offer a compassionate presence at end of life. Through the
vigil, we can create a sacred sanctuary for the patient, extending the nurturing qualities of the
divine feminine.
It is the music-thanatologist who brings forth the love of the mother archetypes of the
divine feminine into this world and turns it into a visible, tangible and accessible presence. David
Richo suggests that followers of the Blessed Virgin Mary incarnate her meaning and presence in
the world. Similarly, music-thanatologists incarnate the essence of the divine feminine in the
vigil setting.
28
Sherry Ruth Anderson and Patricia Hopkins, authors of The Feminine Face of
God: The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women, remark, “what seems new to us, and particularly
womanly, is that there is no single savior being awaited. Rather, the savior is spread out among
us, emerging from each of us as we bring the fruits from our sacred garden into our daily lives. It
is we who must save us….And every one of us is needed now. To do whatever we can do: to be
named, to speak, to know, to not know. And everyone, the one who can be named, who can
speak, who knows, and who does not yet know, is within each of us.”
29
9
Music-thanatologists need not identify themselves as being of the female gender to
invoke the divine feminine. Both males and females, through their presence of being, may
choose to display attributes that have historically been associated with feminine qualities such as,
compassion, tenderness and beauty. Fr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest and founder of the
Center for Action and Contemplation, presents an interesting viewpoint on the relationship
between femininity and Jesus of Nazareth. Rohr posits that feminine qualities are associated with
the divine. Rohr states that in patriarchal Jewish society, “Jesus would never have broken
through as the fresh Word of the Father if he had, for example, acted nonviolently in a feminine
body. It would not have been Divine Revelation because we expect and demand that women be
patient, nurturing, forgiving, healing self-effacing, and self-sacrificing. Women are expected to
be nonviolent in a violent male society (look at our one-sided attitude toward rape, adultery,
physical abuse, and, in many cultures, divorce), but we are still not prepared for males or
institutions or nations to act nonviolently. That is why God had to become incarnate for us in the
body of a man.”
30
Music-thanatologists may choose to use this association between the feminine
and the divine by modeling these feminine qualities at the patient’s bedside, particularly for
patients seeking spiritual support at end of life.
The following excerpt is from a personal journal entry, which documents a vigil for an
actively dying patient, for whom the divine feminine qualities of compassion, tenderness and
suspension of judgment are offered. The patient’s identity has been changed for confidentiality
purposes. “Today, my mentor and I had the privilege of playing for John, a middle-aged
homeless gentleman with end-stage liver disease, pancreatic cancer and alcohol withdrawal. John
is on comfort care and his health is quickly declining. As recently as two days ago, John was
alert, ambulatory and communicating with clinicians; however, John is now heavily medicated
10
and is not outwardly responsive. John has two adult children – a son and a daughter who live
nearby, but are not involved in his care and have not visited him during this hospitalization.
During the vigil, I say a silent prayer for John. The thought that courses through my mind is that
John is finally able to rest in a warm bed and be cared for and looked after. I think about how
John is on his way to a permanent home and that the struggles in his life will soon be over. It
saddens me to think that John’s children will not be with him in his final moments, but at the
same time I understand that there is so much more to John’s story than I will ever know and that
I must respect his children’s wishes. John’s background and what he did in this life are irrelevant
at this point. I withhold my judgment and offer a compassionate and loving presence to John,
supporting him in his journey.”
Additional comparisons to the divine feminine can be drawn from the music-
thanatologist’s role as nurturer. From an imaginal perspective, music-thanatologists can view
their own larynxes as a creative organ—a womb, if you will—for sound. Rudolf Steiner, a
twentieth century philosopher, scientist and educator, wrote about the generative power of the
human larynx, describing it as the “womb of the Word” and a “metamorphosis of the uterus.”
31
In this regard, music-thanatologists—both female and male alike—birth sounds and words into
this world. Regardless of their gender, each music-thanatologist is a mother of speech, giving
birth to new sound creations with each vigil and patient encounter.
Music-thanatologists also invoke the divine feminine in the vigil setting through their use
of harp and voice. The soothing and resonant sounds of the harp can be associated with feminine
qualities. The harp is a multi-tonal instrument. When played, the degree of spaciousness and
openness between each of the tones may have the musical effect of gently holding and
11
embracing the patient with sound. The voice, even when sung in lower tones, may express
feminine qualities through its degree of smoothness, softness and purity.
Qualities of the divine feminine are also inherent in the offerings from the shared body of
musical thematic material, much of which references mother archetypes, specifically the Blessed
Virgin Mary. The musical elements of some of the thematic material contains lullaby-like
qualities, which further convey attributes and images of the divine feminine, such as that of a
mother cradling her child. For example, the “Gartan Mother’s Lullaby” is a Celtic song that
references figures in Irish mythology and speaks of a mother’s love for her child. Although the
lyrics clearly invoke the mother archetype, the musical elements alone may convey qualities of
the divine feminine. In “Gartan Mother’s Lullaby,” the 3/4 meter combines with the rhythmic
pattern of half notes and quarter notes to produce a gentle rocking motion. This movement may
soothe and comfort patients by evoking sensations of being gently rocked to sleep, while being
held in a secure maternal embrace. As such, the divine feminine can be conveyed to patients
even without the benefit of sung text.
An analysis of the Gregorian chant, “Ave maris stella,” reveals another example of how
musical elements can combine together to convey feminine qualities. Composed in Latin, the
text of “Ave maris stella” honors the Blessed Virgin Mary and is traditionally recited during the
Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Vespers in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar. The
opening melodic progression follows a I-V-vi pattern (i.e., fundamental, dominant and
submediant pattern) versus a I-V or I-iii-V pattern (i.e., fundamental, mediant and dominant
pattern). In reflecting on this ascent to the submediant, Suzanne Cerddeu, CM-Th, perceives this
to be a particularly important prescriptive quality, invoking the divine feminine. Cerddeu
describes the traditional I-V or I-iii-V melodic pattern as being more solid, impenetrable and
12
masculine with its contemporary harmonic theme. It is very contained, predictable, set and solid,
which has its own potential prescriptive qualities. In contrast, the I-V-vi melodic progression of
“Ave maris stella” is inviting and approachable with its openness of the major sixth. The rise to
the submediant softens the leap from the fundamental to the dominant, conveying an uplifting
quality, almost auspicious in nature, which supports the opening text, “Hail Star of the Sea.”
Furthermore, the submediant in “Ave maris stella” is even more pronounced because it is a
raised sixth in the Dorian mode (i.e., it follows the same intervallic pattern as the natural minor
scale but with a raised sixth), giving it a breakthrough quality, an invitation to the divine
feminine.
32
The softness, sweetness and grace that is conveyed through this melodic progression
transcends both faith and cultural traditions.
Music-thanatologists can also channel the divine feminine by offering unconditional love
at end of life and resisting the need to change or manipulate things to meet our will. By setting
aside our will and letting the cycle of life to proceed according to plan, we model the divine
feminine. Just as mothers are impelled to stand aside and let their children grow to become
independent adults, so too must music-thanatologists extend the same courtesy to dying patients
in allowing them to fully undergo their transformation. At times, this may mean mustering the
strength to sit with suffering patients, just as how Guanyin hears the world’s cries or how the
Blessed Virgin Mary bore witness to her son’s crucifixion.
The music-thanatologist thus allows the divine feminine energy to flow freely and
continually through their beings throughout the vigil setting, holding open the space for spirit to
enter into all of their relationships.
33
By emulating the universal qualities of the mother
archetypes of the divine feminine in the vigil setting, music-thanatologists are able to address
13
society’s desire for beauty, compassion and unconditional love at end of life, bridging together
the cultural and faith-tradition divide.
14
Endnotes
1
Starhawk, The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess: 20
th
Anniversary Edition (New York: HarperOne, 1999) 102-103.
2
David Richo, Mary Within Us: A Jungian Contemplation of Her Titles and Powers (Berkeley:
Human Development Books, 2007) 17.
3
Joy F. Reichard, M.A., Celebrate the Divine Feminine: Reclaim Your Power with Ancient
Goddess Wisdom (San Francisco: Bush Street Press, 2011) 27.
4
Ibid.
5
Anne Fadiman, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (New York: Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, 1997) 272.
6
Joy F. Reichard, ibid., 38-46.
7
Axel Takacs, “Mary and Muhammad: Bearers of the Word – Their Roles in Divine
Revelation,” Journal of Ecumenical Studies Spring 2013: 230.
8
David Richo, ibid., 18.
9
A.S. Rosso/C.B. Jones “Bodhisattva.” New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2
nd
ed. 2003.
10
Taigen Dan Leighton, Faces of Compassion: Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their
Modern Expression (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2012) 181-184.
11
Ibid.
12
Joy F. Reichard, ibid., 93.
13
Ibid., 18.
14
K. Prumm “Earth-Mother, Worship of The.” New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2
nd
ed. 2003.
15
Joy F. Reichard, ibid., 45, 112.
16
Taigen Dan Leighton, ibid., 182.
17
Chelsea Foxwell, “Merciful Mother Kannon and Its Audiences,” The Art Bulletin 2010: 334.
18
David Richo, ibid., 8.
19
Ibid., 12.
20
Joy F. Reichard, ibid., 45, 113.
21
Ibid., 45, 149-150.
22
Ibid.
23
Fr. Ron Rolheiser, “Mary at the Foot of the Cross,” Marist Sisters – SM, 2010, 31 Dec. 2014
24
Ibid.
25
Ibid.
26
Taigen Dan Leighton, ibid., 184-185.
27
Sheila Foster, “The Archetypes of Sacred Feminine Initiation,” Temple of the Sacred
Feminine, 2012, 31 Dec. 2014
28
David Richo, ibid., 9.
29
Sherry Ruth Anderson and Patricia Hopkins, The Feminine Face of God: The Unfolding of the
Sacred in Women (New York: Bantam Books, 1992) 228.
30
Richard Rohr, Simplicity: The Freedom of Letting Go (New York: Crossroad, 2004) 130-131.
31
Rudolf Steiner, Eurythmy: An Introductory Reader (Forest Row: Rudolf Steiner Press, 2006)
124.
32
Cerddeu, Suzanne. Personal interview. 22 April 2015.
33
Sherry Ruth Anderson and Patricia Hopkins, ibid., 226-227.
15
Bibliography
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Sacred in Women. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1992.
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12 Jun. 2010. 25 Aug. 2014.
Bloom, Alfred. “Kannon and the Ideal of Compassion.” Shin Dharma Net. 25 Aug. 2014.
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Cerddeu, Suzanne. Personal interview. 22 April 2015.
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Foxwell, Chelsea. “Merciful Mother Kannon and Its Audiences.” The Art Bulletin 2010: 326+.
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Prumm, K. “Earth-Mother, Worship of the.” New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. 2003.
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CA: Human Development Books, 2007.
Rohr, Richard. Simplicity: The Freedom of Letting Go. New York, NY: Crossroad, 2004.
Rolheiser, Fr. Ron. “Mary at the Foot of the Cross.” Marist Sisters – SM. 2010. 31 Dec. 2014.
Rosso, A.S and C.B. Jones. “Bodhisattva.” New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. 2003.
Starhawk. The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess: 20
th
Anniversary Edition. New York, NY: HarperOne, 1999.
Steiner, Rudolf. Eurythmy: An Introductory Reader. Forest Row, UK: Rudolf Steiner Press,
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16
Appendices
Appendix A: Hogai, Kano. Merciful Mother Kannon. 1888. Miho Museum, Shiga, Japan.
Appendix B: Artist unknown. Venus of Willendorf. c. 28,000-25,000 B.C.E. Naturhistorisches
Museum, Vienna, Austria.
Appendix C: Rubens, Peter Paul. Christ on the Cross. c. 1628. Museum Rockoxhuis, Antwerp,
Belgium.
17
Appendix A
Kano Hogai: Merciful Mother Kannon (1888)
18
Appendix B
Venus of Willendorf (circa 28,000-25,000 B.C.E.)
19
Appendix C
20
Peter Paul Rubens: Christ on the Cross (circa 1628)
