International Women’s Day Celebration
Message From the Matrix
Dear Sophia Sanctuary sisters,
A year ago, Sophia Sanctuary was ready to welcome you to our 17th annual International Women’s Day event. We had workshops lined up, healers ready to make us feel better, food to nourish us promised from several local businesses, and a collection of nice items for our Goddess Giveaway. Then the Monday before that, things started heating up with COVID-19, and we knew changes were coming. For the first few days we thought we were still going to be able to proceed with our event. We talked with people at the County, and they thought it would still be all right.
But as the time got closer, it became clearer and clearer that it might not be. When the group using the Garden Club the day before us, who were going to pass the key on to us, let us know that they were going to cancel, we conferred once again and decided that it would be irresponsible to go ahead with the events and risk spreading COVID.
Then of course this year we are once again not able to have this wonderful event. Sophia Sanctuary has continued to do ritual online, using Zoom and creativity, even having a couple of masked, distanced outdoor rituals in the times of warmer weather and longer days. But no indoor events, especially not something that gets as crowded and friendly as our IWD days.
So at the very least we want to acknowledge the people and businesses that have contributed to our events over the years, especially the ones who were intending to share their talents, goods, and knowledge with us last year and didn’t have that opportunity.
We hope that by next year we will again be able to hold our International Women’s Day event, but in the meantime, we urge you to support the speakers, healers, and businesses that have helped us in the past. This will not be a complete list, as we didn’t see this coming, but some of us pored through our records and found as many as we could. To those we missed, our apologies, and we did appreciate everyone who helped us over the sixteen years before that when we were able to put on this event!
LEADERS OF WORKSHOPS
Scheduled for last year (2020) till canceled:
Shawna Bluestar – Indigenous wisdom, prophecy, and the power of dreams
www.shawnabluestar.com
Cialin Mills-Ostwald- Qigong: movement, body-posture, breathing, meditation; for health, spirituality, and martial arts training
Victoria Koch- was to host a panel on immigrants, refugees, asylum
Lareina DePompeo – yoga
Past workshop leaders
Michelle Holman of Community Rights
Deb McGee and Patty Hinds of 350.org Eugene
Anne Shaffer
Donella Cleveland
Nicki Scully <office@shamanicjourneys.com>
Isha Lerner <https://www. powerfloweressences.com>
Ffiona Morgan
Wren Davidson, Karen Stingle, herbalists
Karen Lackritz, yoga
and many others….
HEALERS, past and 2020 unable to participate, who offer their services and contact information:
Ker Cleary, BFRP, she/her/hers
Minerva Wisdom Arts www.MinervaWisdomArts.com
541-349-0595
Appts, by phone, Twice monthly Zoom group channeling event
Aruna Beth Miriam Rose
Rose Lotus Healing Arts Tarot, offering tarot readings by phone 541-510-7063
Elizabeth Russell www.ElizabethRussell.space
Offering her Dreamfruit Almanac, a moon-based guide through the mythic landscape of this year, and New MoonCafe, monthly group calls on Zoom
Lisa M. Kuenzi
Red Moon Raven Interpretative Arts
Offering tarot reading and instruction; astrology; spiritual mentorship.
Appointments by phone or Zoom
lisa.m.kuenzi@gmail.com, 503-559-8555
Barb Ryan, the Guidess of Happiness
Spiraling Toward Joy
Exploring, learning and stirring bliss www.guidessofhappiness.com
****Special giveaway for International Women’s Day:
1 free event or private 1-hour session with Barb to the first 7 women who inquire
Barb@spiralingtowardjoy.org
Elan Scholz
Metamorphosishealing.net
Working mostly on phone or on messenger’s chat
In person for detox foot bath or reflexology
Grace Hart, Knotwork art,
Knotworks by Hart
Shopfernridge.com
….And many other past healers, among them: Nicki Scully, Susanna Liberty, Clair VanBloem, (Aruna) Beth Miriam Rose, M’Ocean (Margaret Pratt)
PERFORMERS/ENTERTAINERS
Scheduled for canceled 2020 event:
Dharmika – singer/songwriter, guitarist
Iana – spellbinding spoken word
Raging Grannies of Eugene – rabble-rousing singing
Previous performers:
Anne Shaffer, with her belly-dancing group Tribalation
Sweetgrass/Semi-Sweet, a cappella women’s music
Martita Santiago with Flamenco Chico
Motet Singers
Aruna Beth Miriam Rose
Iana
FOOD DONATIONS PLEDGED FOR 2020
Sundance gift card
Cornbread Cafe, cookie bars
Sweet Life, cupcakes
Organically Grown Co-op, produce
Cafe Mam, coffee
Nancy’s, some yogurt
Toby’s, pate
Elegant Elephant, gluten free treats
Kiva, a gift card
Mereth, her tea collection
Growers’ Market Food Co op, $25
Past donors – many of the above, plus:
Ibrahim Hamide
Humble Bagel
Morning Glory
Please shop at these businesses as thanks for helping us.
MANY THANKS TO OUR LONGTIME HOSTING SPACE
The Eugene Garden Club, who have been so wonderful to work with for many years. We hope to return there in the future.
GODDESS GIVEAWAY
For the past few years Sophia members have donated items “fit for a Goddess” and we have made them available for free to attendees. Thanks to all who have donated in the past, and to Levana Appletree for organizing it. We already had some gathered for this year’s event and hope to have an opportunity to do this later in the summer when COVID and the weather allow. Hopefully that can be part of an event that also includes a song circle, a healing circle, and some “shake your ass” dancing and singing! We’ll let you know if/when this can happen.
MEMORIALS
Sadly, we have lost some important members of our community whom we wish to acknowledge here:
Connie Bender, a longtime astrologer, tarot reader, and psychic in Eugene, died in 2019, and we were planning to honor her last year at our IWD event
Ffiona Morgan, deeply involved in women’s spirituality on many levels, creator of Daughters of the Moon Tarot, died 12/17/2020. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/registerguard/obituary.aspx?n=ffiona-morgan&pid=197600021https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.legacy.com/obituaries/registerguard/obituary.aspx%3fn=ffiona-morgan&pid=197600021
Angelita Rae, died in 2016, artist and spiritual leader, Lakota Sun Dancer. She was part of Sophia, and the sister of our member Maria. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/registerguard/obituary.aspx?n=angelita-rae&pid=181594275
Susan Dearborn Jackson, a well-known and well-loved astrologer in Eugene died in 2011, not long after she participated in one of our IWD events. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/registerguard/obituary.aspx?n=susan-dearborn-jackson&pid=151167294
And last, but not least, many thanks to all the members of Sophia Sanctuary for supporting us in so many ways all these years. Thanks to all who helped us find people to lead workshops, entertain us, and do healings, and to contact businesses to donate food to nourish us while we gathered, and to pick up and present that food. Judy especially last year and before, though over the years many people – Ruby, Hali, Karen S. and others- have stepped up to do this and other important tasks. Special thanks to the members of our Matrix who have spearheaded this over the years. Thanks to those currently on the Matrix: Donella Cleveland, Ruby Matthews, Judy Abbott, Kathleen Leonard, Shelda Wild, Karen Stingle, Mereth Dunn-Estey, and especially to Joy Dances, who has been doing such a good job as our techie, working hard to keep us connected in the time of COVID; and also to Karen Rainsong of Rainsong Design who has been tending our website.
Help Support our Mission
Your contribution helps fund our rituals, events and celebrations! Please give generously so we may continue our mission of Healing, Education, Ritual, and Service in the community. Thank you!