Beginning Again: Centering Motherhood as the Cornerstone of a Resilient Society
- Mara Silveira Carneiro
- Jun 11
- 25 min read
Labor and Mothering
IAMAS Conference, June 14-17, 2026
Concordia University, Montreal, QC
Online Panel Presented by:
Marna Nemon
Mara Silveira Carneiro
Annette Müller
Sabina Santovetti
Jennifer Eva Sirel-Pillau
Contents
Structural Definition of Matriarchy: An Overview of Heide Goettner Abendroth’s Research and Findings, by Marna Nemon
Beginning Again: Re-seeding and Tending the Deep Roots of Resilient Social Systems, by Jennifer Eva Sirel-Pillau
Structural Definition of Matriarchy:
An Overview of Heide Goettner-Abendroth’s Research and Findings
Presented by Marna T. Nemon, M.L.I.S. Lecturer on Modern Matriarchal Studies, International Academy of HAGIA
Four characteristics knit together modern matriarchies from remote geographical locations while offering a fresh perspective when studying the archaeological record.
Unlike the familiar terms of patriarchy, monarchy, and oligarchy which imply ruling and societal structures that dominate with power, the “arche” in matriarchy is aligned with the “arche” in archeology. If archeology is the study of human’s prehistory, how does this term also inform a definition of matriarchy? Arche in this context invites us to consider the history of humans in the beginning, the primal element, to a time of mothers during our earliest evolution. Defining matriarchy is an invitation to uncover the ways in which the archaeological record along with a small number of extant matriarchal societies still in existence today, afford us with a lens to comprehend mothers at the beginning, not mothers as rulers. So exactly what does this mean? Through the extensive work of Heide Goettner-Abendroth, International Academy of HAGIA, we now have a matriarchal paradigm or theory of matriarchal societies from which to “inspire a complete change of perspective.” (MS Studies, xxx) In this introduction, we will explore Abendroth’s definition which states that “the necessary conditions required in order to speak of a matriarchal society are matrilineality and, in the economic realm, women’s power over distribution. At the same time, gender equality prevails, expressed in the principle of consensus and decision-making, from which no one is excluded.” (MS RofP, p. 7) Together, we will explore further what this means.
The Economic Level
The first characteristic of the paradigm is the economic level which is described as “societies of economic mutuality, based on the circulation of gifts.” (MS Studies, p. xxv) These are societies of “balanced economic reciprocity in which women manage essential goods such as land, houses, and food, and pay constant attention to balancing the economy through distribution; such an economy does not accumulate but distribute the goods by gift giving, so it can be called a ‘gift economy’”. (MS RofP, p.6)
A stunning example of the gift economy can be found in Juchitán, Mexico. Men farm; markets are run by the women. Babies stay in the market with their mothers, napping in baskets under market stalls, tended by their mother and all mothers of the market. The children of Juchitán are known for being well-fed and well-cared for. In Juchitán, women throw lavish parties as a symbol of the wealth they have brought to their communities and are able to share. Mothers are known for their ability to help their daughters start businesses of their own, and to aid in the purchase of a home for their daughter’s expanding family. Men are incredibly proud of the strength of the women they love, the family she can support, along with the communities they tend together. The women of Juchitán create and then wear some of the most intricate, colorfully decorated, and elaborately stitched clothing in the world.
The Social Level
At the social level, the second characteristic of a matriarchal society, is a societal structure defined as “non-hierarchical, horizontal societies of matrilineal kinship.” (MS Studies, p. xxv) Specifically, this means all family lineages, inheritances, responsibilities, social titles and positions, are all determined through the mother line. A “clan organization based on matrilineality (kinship in the mother’s line) and matrilocality (residence with or near the mother); at the same time the sexes are valued equally (gender equality).” (MS RofP, p.6)
The Mosuo Mothers of China, honor the matriarchal traditions of social structure that centralize women. This includes the celebration of each young with a woman coming of age to honor this powerful transition to womanhood and her gifts of life-giving with a Skirt Ceremony. During this celebration, a young girl is reborn into the dress of woman, showered with gifts, and provided her own flower room (bedroom) as she may choose now when to initiate intimate relationships and to embrace motherhood. Later, she may be chosen as the next matriarch amongst her sisters. She is not necessarily chosen for her leadership skills, but rather the sister who cares the most for everyone is seen as the most capable candidate when it is time for the current matriarch to retire. It is the ability to express care that determines and defines leadership.
The Political Level
The third characteristic, the political level, decisions within matriarchal societies are agreed upon with consensus which begins first locally in the clan house [the clan matriarch working closely with a clan delegate, often a male brother] moving outward laterally into the regional public sphere. Therefore, at the political level, matriarchies are egalitarian societies of consensus. (MS Studies, p. xxv) This structure “gives the men their own sphere of activity and social status; in most cases, this results not only in a gender-egalitarian society, but also in a fully egalitarian society.” (MS RofP, p.6)
The Kuna of Panama are very judicious in their attention to political matters making wise and protective decisions about their territory (Kuna Yala) in Panama. The Kuna Women watch their appointed leaders carefully, do not allow them to make decisions alone, and will remove them, when necessary, should they, in their elected role of congress, seek power over representing the voice of the Kuna Women. It is understood that power can be very seductive and that the responsibility to monitor is constant to ensure that this power does not compromise an appointed leader or their beautiful home in San Blas, Panama. Through the strength of deep discussion and a capacity for listening at length, community decisions are made collectively after thoughtful deliberation and consideration.
The Spiritual and Cultural Level
At the spiritual and cultural level, our fourth characteristic of a matriarchal society celebrates the spirit of all living things. Rocks, trees, plants, animals, the stars, the earth, the moon, and the human people all are sentient, all have a spirit, all are divine, all are woven into the “sacred societies and cultures of the Feminine Divine” of a Matriarchal Society. (MS Studies, p. xxv) “The belief in rebirth forms the basic notion of life on earth and in the cosmos. There are no aloof male gods, but the worldview is defined by the feminine divine in its many manifestations; it is understood not as transcendent, but immanent to the world.” (MS RofP, p.6-7)
The women of northern Africa who reside in the Kabylia region of the Atlas Mountains, have some of the most distinctive sacred practices that connect them to the land, to each other, and to the spiritual practices of their hearth, home, and the natural world that includes the spirits of their ancestors. With much ritual, the women make their own cooking vessels from the clay found in their surroundings, a process that can take almost a year. These vessels are the cookware from which all food is prepared--a process by which through heating, steam, and stirring, the entire cosmos and atmosphere is recreated in the kitchen. Every pot, hand made by a woman or her mother, is cherished. Should a sacred pot be damaged, that pot is pulverized and made again into the next vessel. The pots of the mothers live on forever bringing with them the sacredness of their generations to every meal and the daily sacred aesthetic of the matriarchal arts.
About the Author
Marna Nemon (United States) holds a Bachelor of Arts in Women Studies, a Master of Library and Information Science, and postgraduate studies in Feminist Rhetoric. She has visited a number of Matriarchal Communities in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central America. Most recently, she completed the certification of Lecturer on Modern Matriarchal Studies according to the rigorous process established by the International Academy HAGIA with Dr. Heide Goettner-Abendroth as teacher and supervisor of her work.
Bibliography
Matriarchal Societies Studies on Indigenous Cultures Across the Globe. Goettner-Abendroth, Heide. New York: Lang, Peter, Pub, 2012. (Cited as MS Studies with the page number.)
Matriarchal Societies of the Past and the Rise of Patriarchy: West Asia and Europe. Goettner-Abendroth, Heide. Peter Lang, 2023. (Cited as MS RofP with the page number.) Examples are the synthesis of many years of study, reading, and listening.
MatriHub - Reimagining Societal Paradigms through Modern Matriarchal Studies
Presented by Mara Carneiro | Co-founder, MatriHub www.matrihub.com
MatriHub is an initiative dedicated to advancing Modern Matriarchal Studies and transforming consciousness through a new—yet ancient—paradigm. Based in Brazil, our work seeks to broaden the discourse on societal structures by introducing and strengthening matriarchal perspectives, particularly within Portuguese-speaking communities.
The Crisis of the Single Story and the Emergence of MatriHub
The primary mission of MatriHub is to create space and conditions where the knowledge of matriarchal social systems—so integral for a hopeful future—can be remembered, shared, and practiced. We believe that the prevailing global crises (ecological, social, and existential) stem from a single root: the pervasive influence of patriarchal thought. This system sustains itself by being the "single story," effectively undermining alternative models of human coexistence.
MatriHub was born to directly address this imbalance, particularly in the Portuguese-speaking world where scholarly materials on matriarchal studies are scarce. While extensive research exists mainly in German and English, we aim to bridge this gap, leading a transformative paradigm shift that recognizes the historical and ongoing existence of matriarchal societies and their potential to offer solutions to contemporary challenges.
Modern Matriarchal Studies: A New/Old Paradigm for Transformation
Transforming Consciousness: Our approach is grounded in the belief that systemic change necessitates a transformation of consciousness. By exposing people to diverse ways of living, we open up new possibilities for thought and action.
Theoretical Foundation: Our work is deeply informed by the scholarship of Heide Goettner-Abendroth, founder of the International Academy HAGIA. As assistant professors at this academy, we bring a rigorous academic foundation to our practical initiatives.
Inspiring Models: We draw inspiration from contemporary matriarchal societies such as the Mosuo (China), Khasi (India), Zapotecs (Mexico), and Gunayala (Panama). We also examine cultural traditions in Estonia and the Brazilian Amazon that exhibit strong matriarchal characteristics.
Edutainment: Recognizing that traditional academic dissemination has limits, we employ an "edutainment" approach—using documentaries, interviews, and learning journeys to make matriarchal insights accessible and engaging.
Community and Impact: Our Patreon community offers bi-monthly live meetings and exclusive content. The impact is seen in the "emotional reset" experienced by students and travelers who discover that a future centered on care is not only possible but already exists.
In summary, the vision of MatriHub is to bring what we are learning about matriarchy into the world and into people's lives. Matriarchal social systems are built upon strong social relations, the ethic of sharing, and a worldview that all life is sacred. By coming together regularly and with intention, we are cultivating communal coherence and enhancing our capacity for empathy and attuned care. We are learning to meet problems together and to visualize a future where leadership is synonymous with taking care of everyone.
About the Author
Mara Carneiro is a co-founder of MatriHub, certified lecturer in Modern Matriarchal Studies and an assistant professor at the International Academy HAGIA for Modern Matriarchal Studies. With a background in innovation, Theory U and DeRose Method, her work focuses on the intersection of education, entertainment, and social transformation. She has traveled extensively to study matriarchal societies and is dedicated to bringing these ancestral paradigms to the modern world through audiovisual media and community building.
References
Our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/cw/MatriHub
Published documentaries:
China – Mosuo people: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9FqlmHvcD1tuImtXx9_HaD8HZSIYveQa
Panama – Guna Yala people: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9FqlmHvcD1v_LerX7EMvxTrLEPLVWCmt
Estonia – Kihnu Island: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9FqlmHvcD1tH7mId1N2m3jqJnSSX-i2V
Adichie, C. N. (2009). The Danger of a Single Story. TED Global.
Goettner-Abendroth, H. (2013). Matriarchal Societies: Studies on Indigenous Cultures Across the Globe. New York: Peter Lang.
Goettner-Abendroth, H. (2023). Matriarchal Societies of the Past and the Rise of Patriarchy: West Asia and Europe. New York: Peter Lang.
Rites of Passage, Matriarchal Values,
and the Restoration of Cultural Resilience
Presented by Annette Müller
Medicine Woman, Artist, and Founding Mama of Wild Nettle
Modern society is facing a profound crisis of fragmentation. Across the world we are witnessing declining birth rates, rising loneliness, weakening communal structures, increasing mental health struggles, and growing disconnection from nature, family, and one another. These shifts are not merely economic or demographic. They reveal a deeper cultural rupture: the loss of meaningful rites of passage that once initiated individuals into adulthood, parenthood, responsibility, elderhood, and communal belonging.
Historically, rites of passage served as the social and spiritual architecture of healthy societies. In matriarchal cultures across the world, these ceremonies embedded individuals into systems of reciprocity, responsibility, and reverence for life itself. Women’s initiation rites in particular were treated as sacred communal events because fertility, motherhood, and female generative power were understood as foundational to societal continuity.
Rites of Passage as the Foundation of Society
Anthropologist Arnold van Gennep described rites of passage as consisting of three stages:
Separation
Transition
Incorporation into a new social role
These ceremonies historically marked:
Birth
Puberty
Motherhood and fatherhood
Marriage
Elderhood
Death
They did far more than celebrate milestones. They:
transmitted cultural values
created communal responsibility
grounded identity
strengthened intergenerational bonds
initiated individuals into adulthood and service to the collective
Without meaningful rites of passage, societies lose the mechanisms through which people are guided into maturity, accountability, and belonging.
Matriarchal Societies and the Reverence for Motherhood
Drawing from the thesis “Analyzing and Comparing Rites of Passage in Matriarchal and Patriarchal Societies” by Annette Müller and Eliza Pocsai, this outline explores how matriarchal initiation ceremonies functioned as foundational cultural technologies that sustained social cohesion, honored motherhood, and cultivated resilient societies.
Among the Bemba people of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Chisungu initiation ceremony marked a girl’s transition into womanhood through ritual, dance, ancestral teachings, and communal celebration. Elder women guided initiates through teachings about fertility, sexuality, responsibility, and the sustaining of life itself. Women were revered as the vessels through which ancestors returned and future generations emerged.
This reverence for feminine generative power permeated daily life:
sacred hearths symbolized the center of communal life
serpent imagery represented fertility and regeneration
women were in charge of the marketplace and ensuring equal distribution
female initiation rites were treated as essential to the survival of the clan
Similar traditions existed among the Nayar of Southern India and the Mosuo of Southwest China, where girls’ initiation rites honored menstruation, fertility, communal responsibility, and female autonomy.
These societies demonstrate that cultures centered around maternal values, communal care, and female leadership were not mythology or fantasy, but living social systems that existed across continents.
Patriarchy and the Collapse of Initiatory Culture
As societies became increasingly shaped by patriarchal values alongside colonization, industrialization, religious conversion, and economic restructuring, many traditional rites of passage began to disappear or were replaced by systems rooted more in hierarchy, ownership, and control than communal empowerment and responsibility. Ceremonies that once honored girls’ initiation into womanhood, fertility, motherhood, and elderhood were gradually overshadowed by marriage becoming the dominant and most celebrated rite of passage.
At the same time, menstruation became increasingly hidden and medicalized, motherhood became privatized and unsupported, elderhood lost communal reverence, and the collective responsibility once embedded within rites of passage weakened. The sacredness once attached to birth, fertility, and female generative power was increasingly replaced by cultural attitudes that framed these processes as private, shameful, or requiring control.
The consequences of this fragmentation are increasingly visible today:
declining birth rates globally
rising loneliness and mental health struggles
weakening family and community structures
increasing social isolation and loss of belonging
The World Health Organization now identifies loneliness as a growing global health crisis linked to anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, and early mortality. (who.int)
Without meaningful rites of passage, societies lose the structures that once initiated individuals into psychological, relational, and communal maturity. As seen throughout the Bemba, Nayar, and Mosuo cultures, rites of passage were not merely symbolic ceremonies, but foundational social practices that sustained communal cohesion, reverence for life, and respect for the maternal principle itself.
Beginning Again: The Return of Modern Day Initiation
Despite this fragmentation, modern forms of initiation are beginning to re-emerge across the world. Women are gathering once again and reimagining modern rites of passage through Red Tent spaces, women’s circles, postpartum ceremonies, menstrual education spaces, embodiment retreats, grief rituals, and menarche ceremonies for young girls. Across these spaces there is a growing desire to restore what many indigenous cultures once understood deeply: that human beings require ritual, communal witnessing, and meaningful initiation in order to transition healthily through the stages of life.
Many of these modern gatherings echo the communal structures explored throughout the Bemba, Nayar, and Mosuo cultures, where elder women guided younger generations through transitions into womanhood, fertility, responsibility, sexuality, and communal belonging. Rather than leaving individuals to navigate these thresholds in isolation, these rites embedded them within networks of care, mentorship, and shared cultural meaning.
To center motherhood as the cornerstone of a resilient society is not to reduce women to motherhood alone. It is to recognize that societies flourish when the processes that sustain life are collectively honored, protected, and supported. Maternal values such as care, reciprocity, nourishment, continuity, responsibility toward future generations, and communal interdependence are not secondary to civilization. They are the conditions that make civilization possible.
In a world facing ecological, social, and psychological collapse, the restoration of meaningful rites of passage may be one of the most essential cultural tasks of our time.
About the Author
Annette Müller (South Africa) is a medicine woman, artist, and founding mama of Wild Nettle. She wrote a thesis about analyzing and comparing rites of passage in matriarchal and patriarchal societies. Annette will speak about how these ceremonies shape the roles and responsibilities of women and men, and serve as foundational elements in nurturing and sustaining a healthy, thriving society. https://www.annettemuller.love/
Bibliography & Resources from Thesis:
Matriarchal Societies: Studies on Indigenous Cultures Across the Globe, Heide Göttner-Abendroth, Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2012, New York.
Societies of Peace: Matriarchies Past, Present and Future, edited by Heide Göttner-Abendroth, Inanna Publications, 2009, Canada.
Portraits of Matriarchy: Where Grandmothers are Still in Charge, Karolin Klüppel, Yes! Magazine, November 9, 2020.
The Rites of Passage: A Classic Study on Cultural Celebrations, Arnold van Gennep, The University of Chicago Press, 1960, Chicago.
Birth as a Rite of Passage, Yolande Norris-Clark, Freebirth Society - Complete Guide to Freebirth, Module 1 - Chapter 3, 2018. https://www.freebirthsocietycourses.com/cgtf
Cesarean section rate: navigating the gap between WHO recommended range and current obstetrical challenges, Marco Parasiliti, Annalisa Vidiri, Federica Perelli, Giovanni Scambia, Antonio Lanzone & Anna Franca Cavaliere (2023), The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 36:2, 2284112, DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2023.2284112 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14767058.2023.2284112
Rites of Passage & The Rewilding of Human Nature, Kedar S. Brown, January 19, 202, Rites of Passage Council. https://www.ritesofpassagecouncil.org/fireside-inspirations/2021/1/18/thresholds-and-river-crossings-rites-of-passage-and-the-rewilding-of-human-nature
25 Rite of Passage Examples, Chris Drew, August 24, 2023 https://helpfulprofessor.com/rite-of-passage-examples/
“Indigenous Europe and Re-Membering History,” Rachelle Seliga, https://www.innatetraditions.com/blog/indigenous-europe-and-re-membering-history
Origins, Vision & Mission of the Feminine Wisdom MatriCulture School in Narni, Italy.
Presented by Sabina Santovetti
Architect, Artist, Matriarchal Spiritual Ecologist, Founder of the She-EDE, Gaia Education Programs.
Welcome to the Feminine Wisdom MatriCulture School in Narni and its courses around the world. www.matriculture.net
We began the school by offering a new form of Gaia Education, Ecovillage Design Education for women, named SHE-EDE. First, we held the program at the Eco-Hostel in Magliano Sabina in 2023. Then, we held the program in Narni in 2024. We also held the program in Covao do Feto, Portugal. Additionally, we organized a special course in the matriarchal community of Nashira in Colombia in November 2025.
This year, we are offering a ten-month journey funded by Erasmus+. The course is called ACKnowledge: Ancient Knowledge, Modern Eco-Communities.
During summer 2026, we are organizing two events:
an online course, "THE RETURN TO THE MOTHER,"
a ten-day workshop, "EMBODYING MATRIARCHAL PRACTICES IN THE SACRED LAND OF NARNIA: IN THE WOMB OF FERONIA."
We are based in Narni, Italy, but we are itinerant. We act holistically, so many projects are in the works, and you, your dreams, and your organization could be one of them in the near future.
Women of Matriachal Societies perform on Earth what the Goddess performs in Heaven.
Our educational philosophy
Our work is inspired by profound sources, including spiritual eco-feminism, modern matriarchal studies at Hagia Academy, the maternal gift economy movement, Schumacher College, Gaia Education, the global ecovillage network, the transition town movement, and the work that reconnects. We create spaces dedicated to studying and practicing ecological and spiritual values rooted in the legacies of these movements and thinkers. The contributions of thinkers such as Heide Goettner-Abendroth, Genevieve Vaughan, Joanna Macy, Molly Young Brown, and Hildur Jackson, as well as all the wise and beautiful women who cross our path, help shape our vision of co-creating an egalitarian matriarchal society.
We learn from nature. We learn from Mother Earth. We dance with the Goddess and honor all her sacred cycles. Inspired by matriarchal spirituality and rooted in The Work That Reconnects, our workshops offer a transformative process to re-experience the world as a living, interconnected, feminine-divine reality where the body, Earth, and cosmos are part of the same relational field, not separate. Through daily movement practices, ritual exploration, and interdisciplinary research, participants are guided to:
Reconnect with their bodies as part of Mother Nature;
Experience the Earth as a living, responsive presence.
Explore symbolic and ritual languages as forms of communication with the more-than-human world.
Engage with matriarchal values (care, reciprocity, balance, and non-hierarchical collaboration).
Our processes culminate in a collective ritual of integration. Through movement, symbol, voice, and presence, participants co-create a living ceremonial space that embodies the understanding that everything is interconnected and in continuous dialogue.
We are all women activists
We are engaged in changing the patriarchal capitalist model by using education as our weapon of change. We are experienced facilitators of matriarchal, feminist, ecological, architectural, social, and spiritual studies. We teach the knowledge and skills necessary for women to design truly regenerative matriarchal communities that thrive within planetary boundaries. We empower each other as a collective to make the New Story of the Great Turning happen.
We create an embodied women’s think tank that designs better communities through collective empowerment as an egalitarian, peaceful, unified force of change. It is a space for embodied research and the transmission of women’s culture and soul. It is a place of interchange with the local community to create a more mother-caring society. We hope that this process of women’s introspection, sharing, and healing in a safe and delicate space will engender sacred social and political empowerment to facilitate the inclusion of every gender, race, and nationality, free of blame and shame, once they return to their everyday lives. In this meta-frame, women should become aware of their power and history to create a new wisdom of compassion within themselves, as a group, and in society — as maidens, mothers, and crones in service to climate emergencies. This is the new story we want for everyone.
MatriObjectives
Our goal is to raise awareness and create a new consciousness by offering a systemic approach that unifies thought, feeling, spirituality, and action to address the world’s problems. We embrace a holistic worldview, seeing ourselves as part of nature and Mother Earth in all her biological complexity. This challenges the individualist narrative of Western culture. Developing a worldview that integrates humans and nature is crucial for addressing ecological emergencies. We offer a space for healing, learning, and connection. We introduce knowledge and skills and create consciousness. Our goal is to empower women to contribute to the co-creation of an alive, ecological, egalitarian, and peaceful matriarchal society on Earth. We design new educational formats by bringing together experience in ecovillage design, matriarchal societies, feminine wisdom, activism, community building, and healing circles. These formats respond to the worldwide need for mutual support and empowerment of maternal values.
“The path to an egalitarian society has to combine matriarchal spirituality with politics, and with economy to create another kind of society” - Heide Goettner Abendroth
Our Demands for a Matriarchal World
1. We have a shared vision of change. We are creating a matriarchal world that is fit for women, children, and everyone for generations to come.
2. Our mission is to create matriarchal islands of sanity around the world.
3. We choose matriarchy as our political aim over patriarchy.
4.We practice consensus, which is of the utmost importance for a truly egalitarian society. Matters are decided by women and men in the clan house.
5.We demand a mother-centered society based on maternal values, where grandmothers are heard.
6.We demand a society based on needs, not power. Motherhood, which originates as a biological fact, is transformed into a cultural model.
7. We create new affinity communities based on a spiritual and philosophical relationship between members. Members are "siblings by choice" who create a "symbolic clan." These symbolic matri-clans' small clan units are the true decision makers, bringing balance between the genders.
8.We need a regenerative culture based on mutual care and love to create a matriarchal culture that is sacred, healthy, resilient, and adaptable in accordance with life on Earth and the cyclical rhythms of Mother Nature.
9.We openly challenge ourselves and our toxic system by leaving our comfort zones to take action for change and destroy the biases that the patriarchal system has created in all of us.
10. We value reflection and learning. We follow the regenerative design of Mother Nature and the patterns of regeneration and cycles of life.
11. We accept everyone and every part of everyone, working actively to create safer and more accessible spaces. Women are the mainstays of these spaces. Children are celebrated as vital to the future of humanity. Men are fully respected and integrated, but they must practice a different set of values based on mutual care and love. All other living and nonliving species are welcomed in the same way.
12. We actively mitigate power by breaking down hierarchies to promote equitable participation.
13. We avoid blaming and shaming. We live in a toxic system, but no individual is to blame.
14. We are a nonviolent network, and we believe in peace.
15. We are based on autonomy and decentralization. We collectively create the structures we need to challenge patriarchal structures.
Blessed be. Blessed be. Blessed do.
About the Author
Sabina Santovetti (Italy) is an architect, and will discuss Feminine Wisdom Matriculture School She-EDE programs run through an BestUP Social Promotion Association. Her programs connect ecological transition with modern and ancient matriarchal studies with artistic practice, social research, and participatory methodologies.
References & Bibliography
Santovetti,S., The Slow Process Of Rematriating Our Western Culture: Mothers At The Center. The Modern Phenomenon of Ecovillages and Environmental Movements and the Acknowledgement of Modern Matriarchal Studies, History and Values, Past and Present. Two Faces of the Same Coin to Save the Planet. Published by Feminine Wisdom MatriCulture School, Rome, May, 2025.BestUp APS. https://www.matriculture.net/publications/
Bibliography for our courses
Independent Publications by Women Writers Activists, Ecologists, Eco Feminists
Websites
Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) is an international network of ecovillages, administratively divided into five autonomous regions. GEN’s primary purpose is information exchange among the thousands of projects across the world that are building and living in small intentional and traditional communities in harmony with nature, as well as information dissemination to the larger world. GEN does this with seminars, newsletters, educational programs at many ecovillages, and an active website with easily accessible contact addresses of members, resource lists, and links to related activities. GEN has consulting status with the United Nations agency ECOSOC. https://ecovillage.org/
Gaia Education is an award-winning provider of holistic Education for Sustainable Development; Gaia Education empowers students across the globe to see the interconnectedness of life. Gaia Education teach the knowledge & skills needed to design truly regenerative communities, which thrive within planetary boundaries. They offer online courses, face-to-face courses, webinars, Masterclasses, and international project-based learning. Gaia Education believes that education is the biggest tool in the urgent transition to a more regenerative future, reversing the climate crisis. https://www.gaiaeducation.org/
Extinction Rebellion
Work That Reconnects Network
Joanna Macy
Maternal Gift Economy Movement Gen Vaughan
Eco-Feminism Jeanne D’Eaubonne &
Vandana Shiva
Schumacher College &
Transition Town Movement
Modern Matriarchal Studies Hagia Academy
Marija Gimbutas and Joan Marler
Matriarchy Now!
She-EDE
Feminine Wisdom MatriCulture School
Council for the Revival of Matriarchal Arts
Beginning Again: Re-seeding and Nurturing our Deep Roots for Social Resilience
Presented by Jennifer Eva Sirel-Pillau
Co-founder, Council for the Revival of Matriarchal Arts
The Council for the Revival of Matriarchal Arts is an initiative to revive the hearth, traditional arts, and matriarchal values at the heart of our homes and communities. The field of Modern Matriarchal Studies reveals that care, compassion, and unwavering regard for human and ecological dignity are the defining guideposts that shape the social, economic, political, cultural, and spiritual compass of matriarchal social systems.
Our activities represent a “deep roots” level of activism; like the attuned communications among tree roots within in the deep, dark, nutrient-rich layers of the Earth, where interdependent species collaborate to meet challenges and mount immune responses when necessary. We are remembering the life skills and spiritual arts of our ancestors—modalities through which earned wisdom was carefully curated and handed down through generations in songs, dances, arts, medicinal knowledge, and oral traditions, and cherished. In investing time and energy to re-learn and re-invent these precious threads of wisdom for integration into our modern realities, we are laying foundations for local agency and economy through egalitarian cooperation. In this way, we also endeavor to nourish and heal the deep soil, electrical pathways, and waterways of our own bodies. Our practice and gentle persistence is structured to recalibrate individual physiology and communal ecosystems for co-regulation and attunement with the rhythms of the Earth herself.
At the Center of our Misson: The Hearth
The primary mission of the council is to create space and conditions where warm, supportive, and resilient bonds among women—so integral for successful flourishing of matriarchal social systems—can be remembered, re-seeded, and practiced. We believe that it is the ruptures in female lines and female relations in general that have allowed corrupt authority to enter and co-opt cultural knowledge and thousands of years of women’s wisdom that is essential for women’s agency and autonomy, and in fact for human survival.
Our bodies and our life force have been repressed, exploited, and carelessly extracted from through centuries of cultural disruptions. Our traditional wisdom was erased and stolen through violent and oppressive tactics such as the genocidal European Witch Hunts. During this period, in particular, countless generations of carefully curated wisdom and experience was demeaned, demonized, and dismembered, later to be simplified and re-packaged as “science” and professional services, commodified, and sold back to us.
By contrast, in matriarchy, it is primarily the women that curate and preserve culture, lineage, and medical knowledge, providing an anchor of humane and responsible stewardship upon which resilient relations and entire social systems can be constructed.
Like scenes scratched into ancient cave walls, painted onto clay vessels, and stitched into traditional costumes, our “logo”, the symbol we’ve crafted to represent our initiative, is rich with meaning in each detail. It reminds us with a glance why we are re-imagining the ways of the matriarchal clan to meet the challenges of our time.
The central flame – Represents the hearth fire we endeavor to rekindle as a central gathering space for communal activity; a space of rootedness and human belonging. A hearth represents and catalyzes a strong metabolic fire, deep nourishment, and transformative capacity. https://matriarchalartscouncil.com/the-realm-of-matriarchal-arts-the-heart-and-earth-of-resilient-communities/
The red downward-pointing triangle represents the pregnant, regenerative womb and life-giving blood of the Mother; the human womb as well as the womb of the Cosmos, or the Earth Mother, in which we are embedded and whose water and mineral content runs through our veins.
The white upward-pointing triangle represents the male aspect of creation, the counterpart of the feminine, embodied within the womb of the Mother. The smaller size of the white triangle should not be interpreted to reflect less relative importance or subservience; it is rather a depiction of the generous embrace of motherly love for all humans. Thus, the white triangle also implies the body of humanity as it exists within the great cosmic ever-generous Earth Mother. The intimate relationship between the two triangles implies material nurturing and energetic reciprocity.
The breast-like petals encircling the hearth fire suggest the principle of original nurturance. These are inspired by ancient stone carvings that have been interpreted as recorded generations and the principle of regeneration (Goettner-Abendroth, Gimbutas); each line in the multi-layered petals representing a generation. The petals are arranged around the fire as clans gathered around a common hearth or gathering space where daily activities, festivals, celebrations, and political deliberations may be carried out. Each petal has a vulvar center point that opens to the hearth fire, the symbolic Yoni from which the contemporary generation is birthed. Thus, nine clans are gathered around the central fire in cooperative harmony, each wrapped in the embrace and imbued with the wisdom of its ancestors.
The overall image resembles a Yoni—the entrance to the maternal sacred space where new life is nurtured into being. That we each emerged from a human mother and are constructed of the water and mineral content borne of Mother Earth are facts of universal lineage. This recognition lends an opportunity to forge—or remember—a much needed sense of humane and ecological solidarity.
Key Aspects of the Council’s Mission and Activities
Seeding the relational solidarity that is required to behave like a matriarchal society.
Reviving the hearth—the communal space where everyone belongs; where food, medicine, and practical wares are prepared and shared, and where celebrations and rituals reinforce the shared values of the community.
The Women’s Wisdom Circle is where we study and dialogue about important, worldly issues that matter to us; including the history of matriarchal social systems. We study the works of deep thinkers and revolutionary scholars to challenge limiting beliefs, worn out social norms, and to recover perspectives on history (women’s, indigenous, peasant classes) we didn’t learn in school. https://matriarchalartscouncil.com/wisdom-circle-agreements-learning-growing-in-community-self-determination/
By creating practical wares with our own hands we are developing skills and direct experience for nurturing life as well as local economy based on circulation of gifts. Development of these skills is an important first step toward cultivating direct knowledge and relationship with local resources and reducing our reliance on international trade and opaque, extractive markets. Appreciating the depth of knowledge and skill required to make beautiful wares urges us to think twice before purchasing “cheap” textiles acquired from unknown markets abroad. Such handcrafts also serve as medium for restoring lineage and sharing intergenerational wisdom and experience.
Matriarchal Art gives dignity to our humanity. The term "Matriarchal Art" was coined to refer to generative activities, behaviors, and skills that spiritually and practically serve life, local economies, and human self-actualization. Matriarchal Art, by our definition, includes any creative activities that wholistically heal, nurture and care, honoring the body and spirit of the artist, the Earth, and the community. Historically, knowledge of such arts was handed down through generations, defined culture and economy, and reflected the spiritual worldview of a community. This is in dramatic contrast to modern norms of wearing corporate logos, choosing a team or political party, or having spiritual mandates dictated by institutions.
In learning to weave and spin, we engage directly with a metaphor oft associated with “spinning fate” and weaving resilient community. We work with disparate threads that are not much or especially strong on their own and rhythmically organize them into beautiful, durable fabric.
We are re-learning the art of circle dancing as a means of communal celebration, expression of shared values and emotions, nonverbal cooperation, as well as skillful practice of leading, following, and moving in unison as an integrated whole.
Ceramics is a craft in which the artisan engages directly with the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water to quite magically design beautiful and durable wares that serve life. Inscriptions on pottery, in caves, and etched upon other practical wares constitute a “secret language” among women in cultures such as the Berber in Kabylia. (Makilam, The Magical Life of Women in Kabylia, pg 5).
In summary, the vision of the Council for the Revival of Matriarchal Arts is to bring what we are learning about matriarchy into practice. Matriarchal social systems are built upon strong social relations, the ethic of sharing, and a worldview that all life is sacred. Our hearth space is where we gather regularly to explore how this can be translated into daily life for us now as modern women. Within the activities of the Council, relations among women have space to develop and flourish on our own terms, as we challenge external mandates that isolate us and put us into competition with one another. By coming together regularly and with intention, we are cultivating communal coherence. We witness and feel into the realities of one another in our day-to-day experiences, and this enhances our capacity for empathy, cooperation, and attuned care. We are learning to meet problems together, to practice the art of consensus-making, and to resolve differences of opinion with grace.
About the Author
Jennifer Eva Sirel-Pillau (United States), mother of two, is a founding member of the Council for the Revival of Matriarchal Arts (CRMA). Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as certifications in Ayurvedic Practice and Craniosacral Therapy. Her interest turned to matriarchy when it became clear in her role as a healer that virtually all chronic illnesses—physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational—share root causes that can be traced to the degradation of our social and ecological fabric. She studied matriarchal societies and matriarchal theory at International Academy HAGIA with the institute’s founder, Dr. Heide Goettner-Abendroth. Her pen name is the name of her mother’s Estonian lineage.
Bibliography
Ehrenreich, B. and English, D. (2010). Witches, Midwives & Nurses: A History of Women Healers. City University of New York: Feminist Press.
Garfinkel, Y. (2003). Dancing at the Dawn Of Agriculture. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Gimbutas, M. (1989). The Language of the Goddess. Thames & Hudson.
Goettner-Abendroth, H. (2013). Matriarchal Societies: Studies on Indigenous Cultures Across the Globe. New York: Peter Lang
Makilam. (2007). The Magical Life of Berber Women in Kabylia. Peter Lang.
Tarsha, M., & Narvaez, D. (2019). The Evolved Nest: A partnership system that fosters child wellbeing. International Journal of Partnership Studies, 6(3). Open access: doi.org/10.24926/ijps.v6i3.2244
Shannon, L. (2017). Women with Wings: Right-brain Consciousness and the Learning Process in Balkan Dance, in Voss, A. and Wilson, S. (ed) Re-Enchanting the Academy. Rubedo Press. (pp 325-348).
Five colleagues from the 7th international study course of Academy HAGIA have gathered to present a panel at IAMAS Conference 2026.
Download abouve the full paper in PDF with extra content on our presentation.
Panelists:
Marna Nemon
Mara Carneiro
Annette Muller
Sabina Santovetti
Jennifer Moiles
Moderator: Katherine Hampsten
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