Anne Gauldin aka Mnajdra

I have been following the path of the goddess for over 30 years. As an artist, I have always been interested in the mutual influence between the personal and political, private and communal, spiritual and artistic expression.

I started studying women’s ritual, paganism and Wicca in 1975 with Z Budapest in Los Angeles. I was pursuing my Masters Degree in Feminist Art and Education at the Woman’s Building. Part of my thesis was devoted to the study of matriarchal symbols in prehistoric art of Western Europe. This included a personal journey that joined Richard Demarco’s “Edinburgh Arts 1976” which brought together artists, scholars, and gallery directors from international cultures to travel through Europe juxtaposing contemporary and prehistoric art.

In 1976, I developed and taught classes including “Ritual Artmaking” and “Prehistoric Matriarchal Symbols”. I began leading full moon rituals at my home for interested students and colleagues. In 1978, I collaborated with artist Cheri Gaulke in a public performance ritual 

held in the prehistoric temples on the island of Malta. I also co- founded two feminist performance art groups, The Waitresses and Sisters of Survival. Through artmaking, these groups explored content that ranged from working women’s issues to the nuclear threat and world hunger.

In 1985, I started practicing Wicca with a group of women that formed the coven Nemesis. We continue to celebrate the holidays in private rituals that we create for each other. Our circle is composed of nine women, and we continue to teach and learn from each other. We have often extended our ritual practice to include our families and

community.

Since 1994, I annually co-produce with Ruth Ann Anderson a women’s spiritual retreat entitled Wiccan Out Weekend (WOW). This includes a woman-centered arts and meditation workshop in the city, followed by a weekend camping retreat in the mountains. We lead the participants on a journey of self-exploration, personal art, spiritual focus and community ritual.