The Sacred Feminine, whether viewed as an archetype, ideology or
heavenly deity, has been stripped from our cultures, religions and
psyches for several millennia. But we are starting to remember
its roots and origins. She is the missing piece of the
spiritual, cultural and political puzzle that can address the human
conditions of suffering that plagues the planet. Writing from
the heart, Tate's enthusiasm, passion for justice, and vision of
love and enlightenment is personified in the concept of the Sacred
Feminine. Thus she aids readers both new and familiar with
Goddess to reawaken this knowledge, to experience once again the
nurturing arms of the Mother, and perhaps help humankind to save
itself.
“Walking an Ancient
Path: Rebirthing Goddess on Planet Earth,” by Karen Tate, is infused
with the spirit of the pre-Christian world, a place where worship of
the female voice was foundational to the education, defense and
advancement of classical society---the very same society that
created the west’s first democracy. Karen’s knowledge of ancient
cult and archaeology will impress critics and academics alike, but
her heartfelt understanding of the essence and power of ancient
temple worship is as comforting as it is rare. Her writing is
profoundly empathic, and her reliance upon ancient texts and
archaeological evidence is the basis for her genuine appreciation of
the important place of goddess worship in history.
Lacking her
tangible empathy for the real influence of goddesses like Earth,
Isis, Sekhmet, and Aphrodite, many modern scholars fail to achieve
her genuinely “pagan” or pre-Christian understanding of classical
cults. We moderns attempt to comprehend antiquity while looking
through the historical lens of an aggressively patriarchal
Christianity, a mistake that clouds our understanding of these very
same goddesses. “Walking an Ancient Path” burns through two thousand
years of cultural prejudices in order to get to the heart of goddess
veneration and its tremendous value for the modern world. It’s
author has respectfully resurrected some of the most important
premises of the ancient world, including the power of the sacred
feminine.
“Walking an Ancient
Path” should be on the reading list of anyone interested in the
divine feminine as seen through the eyes of a priestess,
practitioner or average cult attendant. Her perspective is unique
because it helps its reader to see the world through the experiences
of a follower of the Goddess herself, rather than a casual
observer of history. In doing so, it graces Tate's writing with true
authenticity; it contains a message worthy of the pagan world
itself. Her work is invigorating, and merits the praise of the very
same artists and philosophers on whom she relies for her evidence.
Most importantly,
Karen Tate’s audience should understand that the arguments,
perspectives and lifestyles presented in her work would have gotten
her arrested, tortured and/or killed, in many different places of
the world and at many different times in history. “Walking an
Ancient Path” is an immensely pleasurable and enlightening journey
that stands boldly against the patriarchal denigration of the divine
feminine."
Dr. D. C. A.
Hillman, Phd
Author of The Chemical Muse: Durg Use and the Roots of Western
Civilization
Karen Tate provides
something no other writer can do. She brings together the heart and
eye of a priestess, the expertise of a travel guide, and the point
of view of a woman who has been through all the ups and downs, the
politics and pettiness as well as the sincere and passionate
devotion in the modern day Goddess and women’s spirituality
movement.
Her descriptions of
each Goddess site give a well-grounded, tangible sense of the
reality of that particular Goddess, evoking the reality of how She
lived in the hearts and cultures of peoples past, and leaving no
doubt that She lives in the land today. When Karen Tate writes about
a Goddess or one of Her ancient sites, she does so from the
perspective of someone who has a personal relationship with the
Goddess, and she shares that personal relationship. She combines
this with her personal passion and the varied facets of being a
priestess of the Goddess today, and this way creates a tapestry with
colors from modern day reaching back into antiquity.
I know Karen
personally and know that this inclusiveness is a hallmark of who she
is, as a woman and as an advocate of the Goddess. Her comprehensive,
broad perspective is highly valuable for the reader, be it a woman
who has been on the Goddess path for years or a woman who is new to
it. The personal, experienced encounters Karen presents in the
context of sound scholarship, makes a unique and invaluable
contribution to our modern day understanding of the Goddess and our
need for Her power, presence and compassion in the world today.
-- VajraMa, Founder of the Ancient Future Sisterhood & Southern
Oregon Temple of the Goddess
Moving, Inspiring and Practical!
Walking an Ancient Path is a moving, insightful and inspiring
book, filled to overflowing with experiences, anecdotes,
thought-provoking ideas and practical suggestions for making Goddess
a transformative living power in our lives and in the world. From
Karen's extensive travels to Goddess sites around the globe, to
meaningful rituals here at home, there is something for everyone in
this heart-felt book. The book includes many b/w photos from
worldwide Goddess temples as well as contemporary imagery and altars
to the Sacred Feminine by 21st Century devotees. As a
Goddess-centered, Isis-focused person, I found Karen's book to be a
healing balm for the Goddess-soul in us all - women and men alike.
If you haven't yet read it, move "Walking an Ancient Path" to the
top of your reading list! Thank you Karen! M. Smith --
Brooklyn, New York, May 30, 2008
Walking an Ancient Path takes us on a
spiritual journey by one of the foremost pathfinders of the Goddess
movement. Rosemary Clark, author of The Sacred Tradition in
Ancient Egypt
I warmly recommend "Walking An Ancient
Path" by Karen Tate, to all who seek to experience the Feminine
Divine. For 3,000 years the Male Archetype has prevailed. Now that
our earth is in danger from male-dominated mechanistic science, the
time has come for Goddess Priestesses like the Rev. Karen Tate to
help restore the feminine balance of Life and Love. Olivia
Robertson, Archpriestess, Co-Founder of the Fellowship of Isis
Karen has created a wonderful book that
blends travelogue, personal reflections and shared rituals in a way
accessible to anyone. For those spiritual travelers looking for new
and old ways of experiencing the Divine Feminine, Karen's book is
the perfect resource. Tina Carey, author of God's Mesengers for
Today's Women
Tate's insights into the Sacred Feminine
span a lifetime of committed inquiry and a true passion for her
life's work. Reverend Karen Tate is one of the most respected voices
in the newly re-emerging field of Goddess Studies. Brad Olsen,
Publisher, CCC Publishing
Karen Tate's writing comes from the heart,
reflecting her enthusiasm and passion. She offers a vision of love
and enlightenment, as well as of freedom and justice, personified in
the concept of the Great Mother Goddess. This is not just another
book on women's spirituality - it is a fascinating read, as the
author weaves in beautifully her rich experiences from her travels
around the world. Harita Menee, scholar of Classical and Women's
Studies, author of The Women's Olympics and The Great Goddess
To purchase books for resale, please contact:
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"I have known Karen
Tate for several years now and she still amazes me. With her busy
life, as a radio talk host, member and priestess of two temples,
event facilitator, guest lecturer, ritualist, managing two homes and
being a wife, it’s always a surprise to me that she can be also be a
prolific writer.
When I
read her book, Sacred Places of Goddess, 108 Destinations (meant to
be a travel guide), I found it was so blessed with information that
I use it as a text book. Within her newly released Walking an
Ancient Path, she has given the reader a guidebook through a
spiritual pilgrimage; one which applies’ ancient wisdom to
contemporary life. She has successfully challenged the reader to
question, dialogue and incorporate the role of the divine feminine,
in all her forms, into our every day lives.
If you are a seeker,
whether spiritual, philosophical, thinking systems analyst, etc., I
highly recommend this book be on your reading list!"
Jayne Marie DeMente, MA WSE
Founder & Director
Women's Heritage Project & Cultural Arts Endowment Program
jaynemariepeace@aol.com
www.womensheritageproject.ning.com
323.463.2264/310.880.7139
"Walking An Ancient Path might have a
subtitle of "into the modern world".Karen Tate's book reads like an
entertaining novel which is hard to put down. "Just one more
chapter" you'll think to yourself. As an experienced travel guide on
sacred sites tours, Karen is adept at describing all the interesting
small details of foreign places; the sights, sounds, fragrances, and
people of a place. I'm not a traveler so I was quite captivated to
be taken on an intimate journey to (for instance)the Goddess
Brigid's sacred well of healing water in Liscanor, Ireland and to
"see" both Pagan and Christian offerings left there by spiritual
pilgrims. She also describes the "spirit trees" that you might
otherwise just drive by, trees that are even today covered with "clooties",
which are strips of cloth representing individual prayers, and which
show us that Goddess recognition is alive and well in Celtic lands.
We also travel to Goddess temples in
Anatolia(Turkey), Egypt, and Rome to understand the psychology of
those long ago who worshiped the feminine Source of Life, and to
feel their spirituality as our own. On these journeys Karen is not
one to just describe the outer pathway, she also shares her personal
journey of faith along the way, and like all of us, she has her
moments of doubt. The doubt is always answered by the magic of
synchronistic happenings, the way it is for all of us when we are
open to receive divinity as a normal part of life. Don't forget to
read her story of her ring's disappearance on a trip and its
reappearance in a very startling place.(page 227)
I learned something useful for my own
area of work, which is the stories of Mary Magdalene and the Sacred
Union, from the trip to the Anatolian city dedicated to Aphrodite,
called Aphrodiasias.There is a statue of Aphrodite with a
crown/headdress made of a wall and column, honoring her role as
protectoress of the city. One of Mary Magdalene's titles is
"Watchtower" and "Stronghold of the Flock", as protector of the
people. Same idea, same symbolism.
"The Divinine Feminine or Goddess
Spirituality Movement is probably one of the most important
grassroots movements on the planet today. With this impetus, it is
the hope of the movement's advocates, the world can be transformed
and the future of many improved across the globe." I noticed that
Amazon has paired Karen's book with Jean Shinoda Bolen's
Urgent Message from Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World,
another book on the same subject of the urgent need for feminine
values to gain prominance in the world. It's our only way forward
into the New Creation and Karen Tate is one of the ones who is
showing the way."
by: Joan Norton, Author
The Mary Magdalene Within
"This is a book about modern Goddess
spirituality told through the prism of the personal experiences of
one of the Goddess community's most active advocates: priestess,
author, radio-show hostess, sacred-tour leader and filmmaker, the
Reverend Tate Tate of Venice, California. Tate's purpose in writing
Walking an Ancient Path was to help the earth begin to focus again
on the Sacred Feminine (i.e., the Goddess).
After a short introduction on spirit,
Tate breaks her book down into four major parts: earth (the physical
body, etc.), air (the mind, etc.), fire (transformation, etc.) and
water (emotions, etc.).
In the first part of the book Tate takes
the reader on some of her more memorable trips to international
Goddess sites in Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Italy and Jordan. I don't
know how she does it, but Tate is a master at making me feel as if
I'm right there at her side in, for example, the inner workings of
an ancient Egyptian pyramid, experiencing what she's feeling inside
this ancient piece of architecture -- and what she experienced is
fairly surprising (but I won't spoil it for you -- buy the book and
find out for yourself!). Once I started Walking an Ancient Path, I
found myself reading all afternoon, carried along by Tate's writing,
like a boat bobbing pleasantly down the River Nile on a breezy,
balmy summer afternoon.
In part two, "Water," Tate graces us
with a series of chapters on the emotional aspects of Goddess
worship, including chapters on "calling love into your life" and
"attracting healthy relationships," which I have to admit I read
first, skipping right over Part one to dive into these two
provocative chapters.
Tate also describes an elaborate and
exciting seaside ritual developed with her Goddess community and
based on ancient rites connected with the Goddess Isis. She also
describes a guided meditation ritual; three tools designed to help
us cope with "death, divorce, or disconnect"; and an ordination
ritual.
In part three (Fire ~ transformation)
Tate describes her ordination as a priestess of Isis at the Clonegal
Castle in Ireland. She also includes two interesting chapters on
"The Power of Prayer" and "Trusting in Prophecy." There's a section
on group dynamics, and how to participate in Goddess (or other)
groups in healthy ways, both as leader and non-leader. Tate reminds
us that we in the Goddess community have important work to do, and
that sometimes looking at the big picture -- for example our aims
for changing the world -- can help us move beyond our individual and
sometimes not-so-important momentary personal frustrations.
Tate also describes her founding of the
Isis Ancient Cultures & Religion Society and her response to years
of working in and with dysfunctional groups. The IACRS was built
squarely on the Partnership Model outlined by Riane Eisler in her
The Chalice and the Blade, in an attempt to move away from group
dysfunctionality.
In Part 4, Air, Tate describes a
multitude of activities for your Goddess-centered group (if you
should decide to start one). She also discusses following Goddess in
a solitary way; the debate over whether or not we need more
brick-and-mortar Goddess temples in the Western world; and the
history of the Sacred Feminine (or Goddess).
In my opinion the Goddess world is
tremendously lucky to have Tate Tate as one of its leaders and
leading priestesses. Her dedication to Goddess, and to bringing the
world back to Goddess, is a tremendous inspiration. What's more,
Tate is probably the world expert in ancient Goddess sites. She's
not only visited, studied, and participated in ritual at most of the
world's well-known Goddess temples and archaeological sites, she's
also scouted out many lesser known sites around the world, and has
lead tour groups to these more esoteric locations (see Tate's first
book, Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations).
If I were asked to choose the most
powerful aspect of this book I would have to pinpoint the complete
openness and emotional honesty Tate offers the reader throughout the
entire text. Tate relates not only the good times but the bad, the
times when she felt like quitting, when she felt alone, lost and
abandoned: "While I dreamed of a supportive community valuing
sisterhood and brotherhood, all embracing ideals of Goddess
Spirituality, in reality I have at times felt lost like Dorothy and
her cohorts from the film The Wizard of Oz, maneuvering through that
forest of ghoulish trees and flying monkeys...." (p. 246).
But Tate doesn't leave the reader
dangling in the darkness. For every negative experience she also
describes her journey up to level ground again. She offers us a
wealth of positive responses to all the hurt, anger, frustration and
trials she's experienced. Her book is limitlessly and refreshingly
positive, uplifting, honest, and straightforward from start to
finish.
In sum, this is a soothing and healing
book. Read it if you want to be soothed and healed -- and if you
want to feel hopeful too about our world getting the soothing and
healing it so desperately needs.
NOTE: Every once in a while you'll
notice in Walking an Ancient Path a few typographical and other
errors -- a "to" where there should be a "too," or a "what" instead
of a "which." The author confided in me that somehow the last round
of text revisions did not get included before the book went to
press. Although that's unfortunate, the book has so much to offer
that I would hope readers would be able to ignore these errors,
concentrating on all the loving and valuable information the book
has to offer."
by:
Jeri Studebaker
Author of Switching to Goddess
Karen’s book was my summer companion in
Italy this year underneath cool pine boughs and baking volcanic
beaches.
Written in an immediately accessible and flowing style, the first
thing that struck me was the way the book was organised as it is
divided into Five sections, corresponding to Spirit and the Four
Elements. This helps to give the text an extraordinary depth and
makes all that she writes easy to incorporate in any magical system.
Karen’s main focus is on rediscovering the Divine Feminine through
an exploration of Her influence throughout human history (and
pre-history) as well as the natural world. I particularly enjoyed
the chapter about Isis in Pompeii. But her work is much more than a
mere history (herstory) lesson for there are many chapters devoted
to personal and spiritual growth backed by relevant, beautifully
poetic meditations and ritual elements.
Throughout, Karen relates much of her own personal experience. She
gives much of her life story and many readers will identify with her
spiritual journey from the confines, rigidity and paternalism of
Christian religion to becoming a Goddess Advocate and a Priestess of
the Sacred Feminine, as well as later chapters where she talks of
the power of prayer and coping with loss. But more than this, these
writings are interspersed with richly studded accounts of rituals
and performances, like Aphrodite on the beach or the Isidis Navigium
Ritual, that she has attended or led, providing a rich source of
ideas that can be incorporated into one’s own magical practice.
The impression I was left with was not only of someone who lives and
breathes a well travelled magical life, but of someone who, through
their own experience, can show others the way.
The book is generously illustrated with many pictures from Karen’s
personal photo collection that are not available elsewhere. As well
as being of interest for their depictions of historic sites they are
also another fascinating and useful source of ritual and decorative
ideas. Too few books of this nature carry pictures of costumes,
altars and ritual practice and Karen has set a standard that others
would do well to follow.
Pino’s Verdict:
A thoroughly original and poetic work, brimming with practical
applications and most warmly recommended to all.
-- Pino Longchild
Magickal Light Ezine
This book is so valuable for our current
chaotic times!! Not only did I find Karen's book wonderfully
written, lucid, easy to understand, with terrific photos -- but I
have the good fortune to be one of her good friends as well. We have
known each other about 9 years and I have attended her Isis
Navigatums and some of her rituals. We are connected through several
Egyptian goddesses -- Isis, Hathor and Sekhmet. Karen has literally
lived her 2 books WALKING AN ANCIENT PATH and her first one, SACRED
PLACES OF GODDESS, transformed her life through sacred rituals,
immersed herself in sacred sites, created personal relationships
with goddesses, lives in her own Temple, etc. She walks her talk!!
Through her books one can begin (or continue) a path of Right
Action, healing oneself and the planet, and living in the Heart of
the Goddess. I cannot recommend her book more highly!!
Lauren O. Thyme, Author of
The Lemurian Way
