Lilith by John Collier 1887

Decoding Delphi: Reconstructing the Technology of Divination (2019)

Abstract

In ancient Greece there was an oracle so famous for her accurate, enigmatic, and poetic pronouncements that kings, generals, and pilgrims flocked from across empires to consult her. The oracle remained in operation for more than 1,000 years and counted among its supporters the philosopher Socrates and the mathematician Pythagoras. She was the Pythia of the Delphic Oracle. 

My research questions are: What were the spiritual technologies used at the Delphic Oracle? How did the Greeks understand that the Oracle worked, and what role, if any, did gender play in the successful operation of the oracle? In order to answer these questions, I explore living divination traditions from West Africa. My decision to explore African systems of divination stems from my experience of witnessing numerous divinations in the tradition of the Dagara people of West Africa over a five-year period, including my own initiation as a diviner within this tradition. 

Over the course of my exposure to Dagara divination technology, I noticed striking parallels between the Dagara tools and artifacts and chronicles of Delphic tools and artifacts. Because writers living contemporaneously with the Delphic Oracle did not discuss the details involved in the process of prophecy, we need to use living traditions to help reconstruct those that have been lost over the course of time. As I show in my dissertation, there is a scholarly tradition for utilizing comparative analysis. 

I use archaeomythology and feminist theory to provide an original interpretation, deeper exploration, and advanced understanding of those archaeological artifacts that pertained to divination at Delphi. I offer one theory of the spiritual technologies in use at Delphi and hypothesize how these technologies may have facilitated one of the ancient world's most accurate oracles. The significance of my findings is that by better understanding the spiritual science of divination at the Delphic Oracle, the modern West can better understand its ancient epistemological connection with divination and possibly reintegrate divinatory tools and practices into more of our modern life. 

Shadows In Eden: Living Lilith (2011)

Abstract

Although many people think that myths are fictional stories from the distant past that hold no value for us in modern times, in this paper I attempted to show that myths are still relevant to our lives. I have demonstrated how working with a mythological figure can inform a person’s life and assist an individual with her psychological individuation. I have used a heuristic approach to document my own work with Lilith. Using a feminist hermeneutical lens, I read religious texts that discussed Lilith in order to inform and deepen my understanding of Her and I enriched my process through the use of art-based research. I have discussed the history of Lilith, posited alternate ways of viewing this archetypal woman, and demonstrated how developing a relationship with Her can be a path to healing and empowerment. Among the other topics I have addressed are mythological and archetypal views of Lilith; how these archetypes can facilitate the integration of disparate parts of oneself into a psychologically whole individual; Jungian use of “mythological” figures as symbols of our individual psychological processes; and the ways in which I have personally integrated Lilith as my role model. This study is important because myths are encoded with a wisdom that spans across time and cultures. This thesis demonstrates one way people can use myth to transform their relationship with self and live life in a psychologically healthier way.

2012 “Lilith” in Unto Herself: A Devotional Anthology for Independent Goddesses, Edited by Ashley Horn

2024 Book Review in S/HE: An International Journal of Goddess Studies, Volume 3 Number 1 (2024)

Book: The Woman Who Married the Bear, Barbara A. Mann and Kaarina Kailo, (Oxford University Press, 2023)