DAUGHTERS OF DIANA GATHERING
A Gathering of Amazons, Dianic Witches, and Goddess Women
in Female Sovereign Space
2022 PRESENTERS
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.
REV. AVA (California)
Ava is Founder, Museum of Woman and The Goddess Temple of Orange County.Ava’s parents could never get it together. Her anxiety-ridden childhood was a painful series of dine n’ dashes, moving in the middle of the night to avoid paying rent, evictions, car repossessions, and phones and electricity shut off for lack of payment … even jail time. On her thirteenth birthday, she gave her parents this family lifestyle assessment: “Our lives are crazy because you’re incompetent.” She concluded with her intention: “I hereby inform you that I’m not going to live this way forever. I’m going to figure out what you can’t.” (Harsh, yes, but you know teenagers … and … well, they kinda deserved it.) That day, she began her five-decade deep dive into the metaphysical, spiritual, psychological and physical laws of living well. Traveling the world, interviewing guests on her five-year running radio show, and hosting women teachers weekly for eighteen years at The Goddess Temple of Orange County, Ava gathered wisdom from Maidens, Mothers, Queens and Wisewomen from many countries and walks of life … and now lives only to share these ideas with other women. “When women live well, everybody lives well.” – Ava
Ava@MuseumofWoman.us Website: www.MuseumofWoman.us
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 of Circle of Aradia, Hestia 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 co-facilitates Hygeia's Fountain (COA's online social/healing gathering), and teaches workshops and class series. Hestia also "moonlights" as a teacher's assistant for the online classes of Temple of Diana priestesses Ruth Barrett and Falcon River. In 2020, Hestia was honored to be asked by High Priestess Cerridwyn RoseLabrys to serve as Deputy Convening Priestess of COA and will fill in for the High Priestess, 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.
Sandy Cybele (California)
Sandy is an ordained Dianic Priestess of Inner Knowing through Temple of Diana. She has taught Dianic classes and workshops for over twenty years and is the convening priestess for monthly full moon circles through Chalice Moon Grove, a Temple of Diana grove. She loves and uses all kinds of divination tools in her classes and personal practice and is committed to empowering womyn to find and develop their own psychic skills for practical magick in their everyday lives.
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.
Atana Mountainash (California)
is the 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. Ritual and class information can be found at www.circleofaradia.org
Nicki Harris (California)
is an ordained Temple of Diana Priestess. She is a graduate of the Spiral Door program and has served as a teaching assistant for the program for nine years. Nicki is a member of the Westside Threshold Choir and is co-facilitator of a Los Angeles area monthly women’s singing circle inspired by the work of Kay Gardner and Shelley Graff. Nicki has facilitated rituals with Circle of Aradia and Wild Witches in the Woods and serves as current president of the Temple of Diana Board of Directors.
Tracie Jones (California)
attended her first ritual with Circle of Aradia on a rainy Winter Solstice in 2003. She began taking classes and facilitating soon thereafter, was initiated in the Dianic tradition and then became a student of Falcon River and Ruth Barrett, graduating from the Spiral Door program (twice because its that powerful)and then going on to assist other classes. Tracie regularly serves as a ritual guardian, is a Temple of Diana board member at large and co facilitates a monthly singing circle in Los Angeles with Nicki Harris. Some of her teachers include Marshall Rosenberg of the Center for Nov violent communication, Falcon River and Ruth Barrett of Temple of Diana/Spiral Door program, Shelley Graff~Singing in Sacred circle, Kami McBride~Plant Communication, Rebecca Altman~The Wonder sessions and Continuation somatic work, Staci Mintz of MPower meditation training, Jim McDonald~Lindera Plant energetics, Jessica Maguire~Vagus Nerve Program, Jim Donovan~sound healing, Sara Fancy of Silver Horse Healing ranch~Tabletop constellations and Family Constellation training. Her life work is centered in the Dianic Tradition, heart centered and magical communication, and empowering women to connect with and recognize their wholeness, purpose and how supported we all are by our Mother Earth.
Tracie can be contacted at mywithchenkitchen@gmail.com
Larissa Montfort (California)
Larissa Montfort is a Dianic Priestess of the Drum. She has been exploring her passion for West African, Congolese and Afro-Cuban rhythms since 1995 with many teachers, including Mabiba Baegne, Ubaka Hill, Carolyn Brandy, Catherine Veilleux, and Afia Walking Tree. She has traveled to Guinea, West Africa several times to study dance and drum with various teachers. Larissa teaches West African inspired drumming at women's events. She assisted Ubaka Hill at Michfest where she helped teach and direct the Drumsong Orchestra. She has assisted, performed with, and taught with her primary mentor Afia Walking Tree in numerous venues. She drummed in Jennifer Berezan's Song For All Beings performance. Larissa accompanies dance classes, women's rituals, and healing circles. In her own words Larissa shares: "Drumming allows me to express my joy, strength, and freedom, while serving the spirit of the music, the dance, and the empowerment of women."
Catherine Ridder (California)
is a LMFT in private practice in Pasadena since 1990. She loves wilderness adventures of all sorts and loves all things in nature. She has been co-leading trips to Crete since 1995 (and with Ruth Barrett since 2006). She loves creating experiential and transformative experiences for women. Creating empowering journeys and helping women come into their own.
DiAnna Ritola (New York City)
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 truthtelling as a spiritual sexual female. She offers counseling via Zoom to women around the world. www.diannaritola.com
Falcon River (Michigan)
is an ordained Dianic Priestess of the Guardian Path. She has helped create and support women's ritual circles since 1976. Falcon is passionately committed to awakening women to the mysteries of the guardian path, teaching practical energetic and magical skills for daily life. In 1999, Falcon co-founded Temple of Diana with Ruth Barrett, and was the co-creator of The Spiral Door Women's Mystery School of Magick and Ritual Arts. Falcon grew up in the Appalachian mountains of southern West Virginia, climbing and singing with the trees and crawling into every cave she could find. As a child, she was trained in traditional folk magic and medicine by her granny, aunt and uncle. In her early 30’s Falcon studied and apprenticed intensively with Dr. Dawna Markova, author of The Open Mind, a body of work dealing with perceptual learning modalities. For more than 30 years, she worked as a professional body worker, healer, and clairvoyant working with animals and people. She has been studying the Norse runes for over 35 years and brings a feminist perspective to interpretations of the runes and other related heathen lore. 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. Cerridwyn is also an American Tribal Style belly dancer and certified teacher of belly dance, who developed a dance troupe in New Mexico when she worked at the Pueblo reservation. She brings this expertise in the power of women's movement to her rituals and teaching.