Introduction
Since Keys to the Open Gate was first printed, women have made much progress in the political, economic and personal spheres. Since 2016, awareness of patriarchy and the limitations, both inner and outer, imposed on women has come into the national consciousness as never before. At the same time, with certain groups, misogyny has encouraged men to strut around, snarl and grab.The powerful #MeToo movement brought awareness to this situation in different organized religions, most notably the Catholic Chuch although in Buddhism, several prominent male leaders were confronted with years of sexual abuse and forced to step down. At the same time, women teachers have flourished, many as ministers, rabbis, elders or leaders with their own retreat centers. May they continue to expand and nourish the feminine principle upstream of women's spirituality and help to bring sanity, kindness, and balance back into the world in their unique fearless ways.
To keep updated on different issues pertaining to women's spirituality, your best resource is Google, Bing, or the search engine of your choice. Below are just a few of the many links mentioned in recent searches to help get you started.
Women's Spirituality: General
ONLINE:
Many spiritually oriented sites now include a range of different articles about women, but the sites below are more tightly focused:
Mommy Mystic
This eclectic list of favorite women’s spirituality books, is divided into 4 categories: Mind, Body Spirit, Women Mystics, Memoir/Spiritual Journey, and Fiction. The site owner writes:
"I like books that focus on the practical issues of women’s lives and spiritual journeys, or that highlight women who found their way to mystic truth within the world’s major religions. I have included links to the author’s websites where possible."
Women's Spirituality - Ushering in the Sacred Feminine
Excerpt from an address on the future of Goddess Spirituality in Australia given by Shekhinah Morgan at the opening of the 'Goddess In Australia Conference 2006- Women Remembering click here Excerpt
feminist.com 20 years of Women Changing the World: This content rich site includes wide-ranging lists of lists, including women's spirituality. The site provides other resources including forums and a mailing list.
Especially see: Inner Space: The Spiritual Frontier by Margot Adler
https://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/insp/inner.html
“ The whole area of women's spirituality is wide open, and many of us are seeking within and with each other to discover what our spiritual paths really are. There is a tremendous sense of excitement and at the same time a floundering for handles and stories which we can identify with. One of the things that has become clear to me is that this process of discovery is something communal, it is fed by communication and conversation. The stories of women in this book can provide us with fuel for our search. The strength and determination of these women working within a patriarchal system can help us to articulate our own struggles, to see some choices and possibilities that are open to us. We can evaluate the psychology and philosophy of these teachings and their effectiveness for women. ”
Lama Tsultrim Allione
from her book Women Of Wisdom.
https://www.taramandala.org: site of the retreat center headed by Lama Tsultrim Allione, one of the first Westerners to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun. Her resent book Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine represents years of the deep knowledge Lama Tsultrim has accomplished over the years. After she disrobed and raised a family, she has continued to devoted her life to dharma, especially as it embodies the feminine. The site also features a newsletter, schedule of retreats, courses of study, training programs, and an online store.
Books:
In addition to Tsultrim Allione's Wisdom Rising: Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine, here are a few reading suggestions. Link to Bibliographies for more.
Foremothers of the Women's Spirituality Movement: Elders and Visionaries Nov 9, 2015
by Miriam Robbins Dexter and Vicki Noble
Women's Spirituality: Power and Grace, 2011
by Mary Faulkner and Patricia Monaghan
Four Centuries of Jewish Women’s Spirituality: A Sourcebook (HBI Series on Jewish Women Dec 28, 2008
by Ellen M. Umansky and Dianne Ashton
Women, Spirituality and Transformative Leadership: Where Grace Meets Power Oct 1, 2011
by Katheen Schaaf and Kay Lindahl
Sisterhood is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium , compiled, edited, and with an Introduction by Robin Morgan (Washington Square Press, a division of Simon and Schuster, March 2003).
Women, Spirituality and Transformative Leadership: Where Grace Meets Power Oct 1, 2011
by Kathe Schaaf and Kay Lindahl
The Politics of Women's Spirituality: Essays by Founding Mothers of the Movement Dec 15, 1981
by Charlene Spretnak
Celtic Women's Spirituality: Accessing the Cauldron of Life Jul 8, 2015
by Edain McCoy
Traveling with the Turtle: A Small Group Process in Women's Spirituality and Peacemaking Oct 19, 2006
by Cindy Preston-Pile and Irene Woodward
Women's Spirituality: Resources for Christian Development Nov 1, 1996
by Joann Wolski Conn
Dance of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Women's Spirituality Jul 22, 2009
by Maria Harris
Heart of Flesh: Feminist Spirituality for Women and Men Mar 31, 1998
by Joan Chittister
Soul Talk: The New Spirituality of African American Women Apr 1, 2001
by Akasha Gloria Hull
My Soul is A Witness: African-American Women's Spirituality May 11, 2002
by Gloria Wade-Gayles
Eroticism, Spirituality, and Resistance in Black Women's Writings Jun 13, 2017
by Donna Aza Weir-Soley
Embracing Latina Spirituality: A Woman's Perspective (Called to Holiness: Spirituality for Catholic Women) Feb 17, 2009
by Michelle A. Gonzalez
Rebecca Solnit: Men Explain Things to Me.
Eve's Revenge: Women and a Spirituality of the Body Mar 1, 2003
by Lilian Calles Barger
Sacred Circles: A Guide To Creating Your Own Women's Spirituality Group Feb 3, 1998
by Robin Deen Carnes and Sally Craig
Women's Spirituality: Contemporary Feminist Approaches to Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Goddess Worship, 2010
by Johanna H Stuckey
Fleshing the Spirit: Spirituality and Activism in Chicana, Latina, and Indigenous Women’s Lives 2014
by Elisa Facio and Irene Lara
Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance: Awakening Spirituality Through Movement and Ritual Jan 16, 2013 by Iris J. Stewartt Oct 30, 2001
by Queen Afua
Wicca: Align With the Divine, Become Your Own Spiritual Authority (magick, occultism, karma, women's spirituality, pagan, alternative religion, Wicca)May 7, 2015
by Maeve Finken and Victor Tarantella
The Essential Handbook of Women's Spirituality and Ritual May 1, 2001
by Barbara G. Walker
Christian
Ten Podcasts for Christian Women: https://equippinggodlywomen.com/faith/best-christian-podcasts-for-women/
Crosswalk's Top 20 Christian Podcasts Everyone Should Know About: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/crosswalk-s-top-20-christian-podcasts-everyone-should-know-about.html
Websites: 10 Awesome Websites for Christian Women
https://equippinggodlywomen.com/community/christian-women-websites/
Aug 6, 2018 - Looking for more websites for Christian women to help you grow in faith and family? Here's a list of 10 great ones you're sure to love!
Christian Women in Media Association: https://cwima.org
Christian Women in Media Association (CWIMA) is a professional association dedicated to Connecting Women in Purpose and Vision. With a national platform focused on advancing Christian women in media, our members work in the fields of TV, Radio, Internet, Film, Publishing, Music, and Arts and Entertainment. Our organizational framework promotes and provides opportunities for industry networking, professional equipping, and spiritual refreshment.
Judaism
Jun 1, 2018 - WOMEN IN JUDAISM: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY e-JOURNAL is an academic, refereed journal published exclusively on the Internet, - Jewish Virtual Library
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/women-in-judaism
Judaism 101: The Role of Women
www.jewfaq.org/women.htm
The position of women under traditional Jewish law is not nearly as lowly as many modern people think. This page discusses the role of women in traditional ...
What is it like to be a woman in Judaism? - New Statesman
https://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/lifestyle/2012/05/what-it-be-woman-judaism
May 23, 2012 - A female rabbi argues that Jewish women should not be denied an equal portion of participation.
The Role of Women / Torah 101 / Mechon Mamre
https://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/women.htm
The role of women in traditional Judaism has been grossly misrepresented and misunderstood. The position of women is not nearly as lowly as many modern ...
Jewish Views on Women's Rights & Reproductive Choice ...
https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-views-womens-rights-reproductive-choice
Reform Jewish teaching is clear that men and women are equal: All parts of Jewish life are meant to be accessible to all Jews, men or women. Despite this ...
Buddhism
ONLINE:
For a general "nuts and bolts" site for dharma practitioners, please see sbdharmacircle.net
Buddhist Studies: Buddhism & Women: Position of Women - BuddhaNet
https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/position.htm
In ancient India the position of women does not appear to have been a very happy one. Generally women seem to have been looked upon as being inferior to ...
Women in Buddhism: Profiles, Conversations, and Teachings - Lion's ...
https://www.lionsroar.com/women-and-buddhism/
Sep 26, 2018 - LionsRoar.com presents a collection of our best teachings from, profiles on, and conversations with women in Buddhism. Featuring Sharon ...
The Rise of Women in Buddhism - Uplift Connect
https://upliftconnect.com/the-rise-of-women-in-buddhism/
Jul 1, 2017 - When I think about women and Buddhism, the first thing that always comes to mind is the story of Tara's vow. This story expresses our situation ..
Can Women Become Leaders in the Buddhist Tradition?
https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/.../can-women-become-leaders-in-the-buddhist-t...
Feb 18, 2015 - The relationship between gender and authority in Buddhist traditions is a contested one, and is made all the more complex by the diversity of ...
What Buddhists Believe - Buddhism and Women
https://www.budsas.org/ebud/whatbudbeliev/227.htm
Women's position in Buddhism is unique. The Buddha gave women full freedom to participate in a religious life. The Buddha was the first religious Teacher who ...
Women in American Buddhism | The Pluralism Project
pluralism.org/religions/buddhism/issues...buddhists-in.../women-in-american-buddhis...
One of the characteristics of the ongoing transformation of Buddhism in America is the visible role of women in American convert Buddhist communities both as ...
The Place of Women in Buddhism - - Alliance for Bhikkhunis
www.bhikkhuni.net/the-place-of-women-in-buddhism/
The role of women in Buddhism could be considered in several ways. We can, for instance, compare the position accorded to women in both the religious and ...
Buddhism Today Magazine: Women in Buddhism
buddhism-today.org/women-in-buddhism/
In 1993 Lama Ole and Hannah Nydahl visited Casa Tibet in Mexico, where Hannah gave a talk on Women in Buddhism.
Dharma- based print journals with online presence. They include many women teachers and writers as well as articles concerning women's particular concerns, news of the the #MeToo influence, body awareness, interviews and more.
Lion's Roar: Print Journal & Website, newletters, mailing lists. This content-rich site provides excellent articles.
For instance, see enlightenment is a-male-fantasy/
Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Print Journal & Website, newsletters. This longo-lived Buddhist journal has featured many changes in the way in which we, as women, experience, react to, learn from, enjoy, resist and/or accept (sometimes on the same day) Buddhism as it expressed itself in different forms in the West.
Islam
Women in Islam - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Islam
The experiences of Muslim women vary widely between and within different societies. At the same time, their adherence to Islam is a shared factor that affects ...
Female education · Financial and legal matters · Marriage · Dress code
Women and Islam - Oxford Islamic Studies Online
www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e2510
In Islam, men and women are moral equals in God's sight and are expected to fulfill the same duties of worship, prayer, faith, almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage ...
Muslim Women Fight to Redefine Islam as a Religion of Equality | Time
Tired of being told Islam dictates their subservience to men, Muslim women are reclaiming their religion for themselves.
time.com/3751243/muslim-women-redefine-islam-feminism/
Women in Islam | Facts about the Muslims & the Religion of Islam - Toll ...
https://www.whyislam.org/brochures/statusofwomen/
May 3, 2018 - Oppressed, inferior, and unequal – for many people, these are the first words that come to mind when thinking about women in Islam.
Major Themes - Women And Islam | Muslims | FRONTLINE | PBS
Women covered in head scarves and chadors, Islamic divorce rules favoring men, the view that women should be relegated to the private rather than public ...