Edition 21: Ancient Gynocentric Societies

Greetings and Happy New Year! The team at WLRN is proud to share our first podcast of 2018, Edition 21: Ancient Gynocentric Societies. Photo of Babylonia, goddess Ishtar or Ereshkigal 'Queen of the Night' 18th C. BC by monopthalmos on flickr. This edition focuses on the developments and relics of woman-centric societies throughout history. Our guests Max Dashu, Riane Eisler, and Starhawk shared what they know about the herstories of woman-centric communities. Now is the perfect time to set a feminist resolution for the year ahead: let us move forward in strength and sisterhood toward a more gynocentric future! This month’s podcast starts with a friendly introduction by Amanda. Next comes WLRN’s world headlines written and read by Thistle. “Night Woman” by Carolyn Hillyer’ segues into Sekhmet SheOwl’s interview with Max Dashu, founder of the Suppressed Histories Archives. Then we hear excerpts from Julia’s interview with Starhawk, ecofeminist witch and founder of Reclaiming, an activist branch of modern Pagan religion. After Patty Griffin’s “Icicles” comes Thistle’s interview with Riane Eisler, cultural historian whose international bestseller, The Chalice and The Blade, introduces a new framework for analyzing the sex roles of women and men and their ensuing relationships. Finally, “On the Other Side of Here” by Gabrielle Roth & The Mirrors brings us to Sekhmet’s commentary, an honest reflection on the possibilities of gynocentrism in the 21st century.