DAUGHTERS OF DIANA GATHERING
A Gathering of Amazons, Dianic Witches, and Goddess Women
in Female Sovereign Space
2023 PRESENTERS
listed as they are confirmed
In Alphabetical Order
TEMPLE ARDINGER (California)
Temple Ardinger is a Dianic Witch and graduate of the Spiral Door, Women’s Mystery School of Magick and Ritual Arts. With 35 years of crafting experience, Temple is focused on bringing crafting back to the Craft. She helps administer the Facebook group: Dianic Tradition - Female Witchcraft and Women's Mysteries.
RUTH RHIANNON BARRETT (Michigan)
Ruth Barrett is a Dianic high priestess, ritualist, teacher, author, and award-winning recording artist of original Goddess songs. Ruth's numerous recordings, have been among the pioneering musical works in the Goddess Spirituality Movement. Ruth began her formal Goddess studies with founding Goddess Movement muse Shekhinah Mountainwater in 1975. Since inheriting Z Budapest's Los Angeles ministry in 1980, Ruth has taught magical and ritual arts in the Dianic tradition at festivals and conferences across the United States, in Canada, and Great Britain. In 1997 Ruth was honored as recipient of the L.A.C.E. award for outstanding contributions in the area of Spirituality from the Gay and Lesbian Center in Los Angeles. In 2000, Ruth co-founded Temple of Diana, Inc, with life partner, Falcon River. Ruth is author of Women's Rites, Women's Mysteries: Intuitive Ritual Creation, and editor for the anthology, Female Erasure – What You Need To Know About Gender Politics’ War on Women, the Female Sex and Human Rights. www.guardiansofthegrove.org
Hestia Bee (California)
Deputy Convening Priestess HESTIA BEE began her studies in Dianic Craft in the late 1980s with Ruth Barrett after attending a memorable Autumn Equinox ritual with Circle of Aradia. She quickly developed an interest in ritual facilitation and joined the COA community of ritual facilitators while continuing to study. Hestia was ordained a Dianic Priestess of Ritual by Ruth Barrett in 1992. She has served in leadership in many capacities at Circle of Aradia. She teaches workshops and classes series, and also serves as a teacher's assistant for the online classes of Ruth Barrett and Falcon River. Since 2020, Hestia has served as Deputy Convening Priestess of COA and will fill in for Cerridwyn Roselabrys, High Priestess of CoA, in the event of her absence from duty. Hestia's magickal specialties include ritual design and facilitation, divination, and education. She enjoys practicing yoga and following a host of true-crime podcasts. Hestia holds an undergraduate degree in Women's Studies and master's degrees in Counseling, and Behavior Analysis.
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Kathy Crocco (Ohio)
Kathy was a member of the archery crew assisting Falcon River at Amazon Archery at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival for many years. Kathy is a retired special education teacher and loves to support women in this form of female empowerment.
Sandy Cybele (California)
Sandy is a crone and hereditary witch initiated into Dianic Wicca in the mid-nineties with her daughter through Circle of Aradia and Ruth Barrett. A graduate of the Spiral Door program and an ordained priestess of Temple of Diana, she serves on the Temple of Diana board and is the convening priestess for Chalice Moon Grove/Temple of Diana, Inc. She firmly supports female sovereign space and works tirelessly to empower all womyn to think and live outside the box promoted by the current patriarchal paradigm. Using her psychic skills as "priestess of inner knowing," Sandy is an accomplished ritualist and has been teaching and holding moon circles since 2005. She is also a facilitator at Circle of Aradia rituals and a melissae priestess for the Goddess Temple of Orange County.
Shelley Graff (Ohio)
​Shelley Graff, singer/songwriter, believes her sacred journey is guiding her to share the ancient tradition of Singing in Sacred Circle with as many womyn as possible. For the past three decades, Shelley has been traveling around the country performing and sharing the Sacred in Singing Circle experience with womyn at gatherings, festivals, retreats...! Moon Mama, Fire On The Arrow, Coming Home, and For All The Womyn are Shelley's four CDs that were inspired by and are a tribute to the healing/sounding work of the late Kay Gardner. Visit Goldenrod Music (https://www.goldenrod.com/product-category/womensmusic/shelley-graff/ to purchase or download Shelley's music! Visit: www.shelleyg.com and/or https://www.facebook.com/shelleygraffmusic
Nicki Harris (California)
​is an ordained Temple of Diana Priestess of the Guardian Path. She is a graduate of the Spiral Door program and has served as a teaching assistant for the program. Nicki is a member of the Westside Threshold Choir singing at the bedside of the dying and is co-facilitator of a Los Angeles area women’s singing circle inspired by the work of Kay Gardner and Shelley Graff. Nicki regularly serves at Temple of Diana Grove rituals and is the current president of the Temple of Diana Board of Directors and Chair of the Daughters of Diana Gathering Committee.​
Carla Ionescu, PhD (Canada)
Dr. Ionescu is a distinguished scholar, ancient historian, and Artemis expert, whose insights have shed light on the mysteries of Artemis in antiquity. Her pioneering work with The Artemis Research Centre and The Goddess Project podcast is expanding the way we understand the ancient world.
As a leading Artemis expert, Dr. Carla Ionescu has published several papers and authored a recent book titled “She Who Hunts – Artemis, The Goddess Who Changed the World”, becoming a respected authority on the subject.
The Goddess Project podcast, another brainchild of Dr. Ionescu, serves as a captivating exploration of ancient goddesses and their relevance to modern times. Through this podcast, she introduces listeners to the multifaceted aspects of these ancient deities, offering fresh perspectives on their significance in contemporary culture and spirituality
Explore Carla’s latest research, immerse yourself in episodes of The Goddess Project podcast, and delve into the mesmerizing world of Artemis through the lenses of a dedicated expert. Join Dr. Ionescu as she unravels the mysteries of antiquity, revealing timeless wisdom and empowering narratives that continue to resonate with humanity across the ages.
Dena Joy (Nevada)
Dena Joy has been facilitating ritual her whole life in one way or another. Her first class with Ruth “Our Sacred Bloods” in 1994 and she finally felt home on this planet. She then took all of the classes she could at Circle of Aradia and also finished the Cella program as well as Spiral Door. At the same time, she was a professional singer/dancer who travelled the world. Her passion IS life and the sacredness of Life in being connected to Goddess. Since it is all Goddess…Dena Joy was able to put all that she loved together into one path, a path that is ever changing and shifting as life is. In holding space for Womyn to heal and grow…whether in the depths of grief, the brilliance of joy or anything in between. She can use many tools to assist Womyn on their personal journeys through transformation. Such as Sacred Dance, classical Pilates, Breathwork, Aromatherapy, facilitating personal ritual, as a Sacred listener/transformation guide, and in straddling the worlds for many births and many deaths. Her Mantra to share with others is, Love yourself…….Change the world. It is her honor to serve the world as the Priestess of the Spiral of HER divine Love!
Sara Macaluso (California
is an ordained Temple of Diana priestess and graduate of/teaching assistant for the Spiral Door of Women’s Mysteries. Sara has been doing ground archery for 15+ years, having first picked up a bow at one of the earliest Daughters of Diana gatherings where archery was being offered by her mentor and friend, Falcon River. In 2019 she fulfilled a “bucket list” goal by taking a clinic in mounted (horseback) archery and quickly fell in love with the sport. Since then, she has continued to train and compete in mounted archery, most recently placing first in her division at the “Mayhem on the Mountain" national ranking competition hosted by Hidden Creek Ranch in Frazier Park, CA. Sara is a Level II archery instructor and active member of Poseidon’s Horse Archers.
Judith Martin-Straw (California)
Judith has been teaching yoga since 2002, with a focus on breathwork. She has long experience with hatha and has just recently earned a certificate in kundalini. She regularly does classes and private clients in Culver City. Judith is a writer, yoga teacher, mother and witch who lives in Culver City. She publishes a daily news site - CulverCityCrossroads.com - and writes freelance journalism, poetry and short stories as well. She has been involved with the Circle of Aradia since the 1980's and the Temple of Diana since its founding. She has done rituals with Starhawk, Z. Budapest. Ava Park and Ruth Barrett and was formally initiated by Kerry Cerridwyn. She is a graduate of the Spiral Door (LA #2) and the mother of two daughters - an artist and an actor.
Janet Minerva (California)
Janet has been a member of Circle of Aradia in Los Angeles since 1995, and a member of Temple of Diana, and a 2017 graduate from the Spiral Door Women’s Mystery School of Magick and Ritual Arts. She is a ritual drummer and facilitator who views ritual drumming as providing energy to the circle and support for the facilitators and attendees. For Janet, “ritual drumming is not performance, but enhancement, where the drummers are in sync energetically with each other and with the facilitators and center-holder. It is sacred work that also happens to be fun.”
Atana Mountainash (California)
is an ordained Temple of Diana Priestess, Assistant Grove Weaver for Circle of Aradia and regularly facilitates at seasonal and lunar rituals. She currently co-teaches with Cerridwyn RoseLabrys and Hestia Bee, and holds center for monthly Full Moon rituals. Atana holds an M.A. and B.A. in European History. She loves magic, poetry, harp, trees, art, birds, herstory, dreaming, women... www.circleofaradia.org
Caterina Fiordellisi Nelli (California)
Caterina is a native of the Detroit metropolitan area, first generation Italian and has lived more than half her life in the Los Angeles area. She been a part of Circle of Aradia (CoA) since the early 90’s and facilitating for the past few decades. Caterina was ordained in November of 2014 by Ruth Barret. She has served on the board of CoA and Temple of Diana, Inc. She currently serves at The Assistance League of Los Angeles and is chairing Operation School Bell that served several thousand students last year alone in the Los Angeles School District. Caterina’s passion is ritual and finding deep meaning in all passages of life. Dear to her heart is the Croning Ritual, and she looks forward to facilitating in your diving into your unique tapestry and weaving your vision. Always In Her Service….
Kerry Cerridwen (Vermont)
Cerridwen has been on the Goddess path for 35 years, studied through Spiral Door, and was ordained Priestess of Her Wisdom almost 20 years ago. She holds a Ph.D. in Folklore & Mythology, and has published and presented ethnographic studies of Dianics, as well as researching women & religion, and new religious movements, more broadly, and also researches Celtic folklore. She currently teaches at a small college in Vermont, where she offers classes such as Fieldwork: Modern Mysticism, and Folklore & Conspiracy Theories.
DiAnna Ritola (NY City/New York)
is a Dianic Priestess and Interfaith Minister. With nearly 2 decades of experience as a counselor and educator at the intersections of feminism, sexuality, and spiritual practice, DiAnna has been both a solo witch and a community priestess, serving as clergy with The Mother Grove Goddess Temple in Asheville, NC for 4 years (2013-2017). DiAnna knows the Goddess calls us to celebrate the pleasure of embodiment, and DiAnna facilitates shedding shame, embracing touch and connection, and truth telling as a spiritual sexual female. Her book, Mismatched Luggage: Unpacking Your Sexual Baggage for Your Spiritual Journey was published in 2020 and is available for purchase. She offers counseling via Zoom to women around the world. www.diannaritola.com
Cristina Pandolfo (Sicily/Wales)
was initiated in the Dianic Tradition and officially ordained Dianic Clergy (Priestess) by the Temple of Diana (Los Angeles, CA), then founding the Dianic grove "Domina Lunae". She is a solopreneurs, creatrix and owner of "In Lumine Lunae. Herbaria Occulta", also an author, esoteric herbalist, certified Plant Spirit Healing practitioner, trained in herbal medicine, member of the British Flower Essence Producers (BAFEP) and landscape architect specialized in healing gardens and therapeutic landscape. Cristina has been teaching classes and workshops about witchcraft and female spirituality in Italy and abroad since 2010.
To know more: www.templumdianae.org
Falcon River (Michigan)
is an ordained Temple of Diana Priestess, and co-founder of Temple of Diana, Inc. She has helped create and support women's ritual circles since 1976. Falcon teaches magick, tree lore and Norse runes (bringing a feminist perspective), and other related Heathen lore online through ToD grove – Guardians of the Grove, and at women’s festivals. Falcon is an experienced archery instructor who will also be assisting with Amazon Archery this year at our gathering. www.guardiansofthegrove.org
Cerridwyn RoseLabrys (California)
started on her Dianic journey on May Eve, 1974, with the Susan B. Anthony Coven#1 and Dianic feminist foremother Z Budapest and organized her first coven in the state of Washington where she did extensive research studying world cultures and their Goddess roots while pursuing a minor in history. She earned a master's degree in counseling at USC, and joined with newly ordained High Priestess Ruth Rhiannon Barrett in the new Moon Birch Grove coven. Cerridwyn was ordained as Priestess of Ritual and Herstory on Brigid, 1981. She co-authored several seasonal rituals, some of which continue to be celebrated by Circle of Aradia. She is a graduate of the Spiral Door Women's Mystery School of Magick and Ritual Arts, and was ordained as High Priestess at Winter Solstice by Ruth Barrett in 2011, during the 40th year celebration of the Feminist Dianic Tradition in Los Angeles. She holds center as High Priestess for Circle of Aradia to this day. www.circleofaradia.org