Following the Deer Path: Clay, Devotion and the Mother Goddess

Welcome back to the second episode of the Imaginal Fieldwalkers podcast, where I introduce my deer ally and share fieldnotes from a time-travelling journey with her to meet an ancient female ancestor in the Neolithic.In this episode, we peek into the field of archaeomythology and the visionary work of Marija Gimbutas, whose life was devoted to understanding the Goddess cultures of Old Europe in prehistory.We’ll explore symbolic representations of the divine through goddess figurines, and the deep spirituality woven into everyday life in this pre-patriarchal time, when the regenerative feminine principle was revered.I’ll also share my personal journey into working with clay, and how connecting with the earth through our hands might lead us to remember something of the cosmology of the ancestors, through the wisdom of our bodies.We’ll reflect on how we might begin to return to a devotional practice and I’ll tell the story of meeting the Mother Goddess.Show notes | References | Resources:Campbell, Joseph – Foreword to Gimbutas, Marija (1989) The Language Of The GoddessesGimbutas, Marija (1999) The Living GoddessesGutierrez, Gabriela (2023) When Women Were The Shamans: In the Neolithic Settlements of Old Europe https://www.gabrielamairgutierrez.com/about-1-3 / https://gabrielamgutierrez.substack.comTaylor, Ruby - Native Hands Woodland Courses: Wild Pottery and Women’s Wild Pottery https://nativehands.co.uk/wild-pottery-courses This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit imaginalfieldwalkers.substack.com