Cakes for the Queen of Heaven - Part I "Ancient Times"
Series begins on Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 3:00pm
Interactive Online Course Series on Goddess Spirituality
In my own hunger to learn more about the Sacred Feminine and Herstory, I decided to study and teach the Cakes for the Queen of Heaven Curriculum.
Cakes for the Queen of Heaven is a religious education curriculum in feminist thealogy for adults and older youth created by Shirley Ann Ranck, Unitarian Universalist (Women & Religion, www.uuwr.org).
Part I: In Ancient Times
IN ANCIENT TIMES introduces participants (women from 16 years old and up) to ancient Goddesses, weaving their stories together with major concerns of women today.
The class will meet online every Thursday afternoon for an hour and 45 minutes, July 15 - August 12, 2010, and participants are welcome to take all 5 sessions or drop in on the theme that interests them. Please use the link to sign up for the individual sessions you are interested in.
Each class will begin with an invocation to the Goddess and comprises lecture and discussion time. I will add meditation, chant and writing exercises where appropriate.
Donation of $5 per session is requested, but not mandatory. No person will be turned away for lack of funds.
I accept PayPal payments to
or personal checks.
I look forward to sharing the gifts of the feminine with all of you!
Word to the Mother!
Magical Goddess/Magical Life
Date: Saturday, July 17, 2010
Time: 11:00am - 12:30pm (PST)
Interactive Online Playshop For Women
Hello Beloved Goddesses -
This course is structured as a hybrid on-demand and interactive online course. The bulk of the lecture is pre-recorded and you will have time to view the content before the live class. You can watch and listen to the podcast at your convenience.
Follow the sound of drumming deep into the labyrinth of your own being, your true feminine power and delight. If you've lost touch with that still place within, your center, this will be an especially sweet course for you!
Course Fee: $20 for downloadable mp3 of course material (pre-recorded in podcast-like format) and one 1.5 hour live online session. Pre-registration required.
Pre-payment using PayPal is preferred, but am willing to take personal checks :)
Who is the main goddess or feminine figure that you embody? How is she calling out to you?
In this online interactive playshop we will:
- Explore our personal and transpersonal feminine figures within the psyche through guided meditation, Shamanic vision journey (without the drugs) to the sound of the drum and writing exercises
- Transform old embodiment patterns that are unhealthy
- Connect with and embody our Inner Divine Feminine in rich, fulfilling ways through group ritual and storytelling
- Bless our bodies - they are the temples that care for us each day
We will each have a chance to take time to go within and dialogue with our inner divine feminine. If you have questions for her, you may want to write them out in advance of the class.
For the live online portion of the class, there will be a screencast on the computer and 2 options for audio. You can connect to audio with your phone or on your computer with speakers and a microphone - a headset is ideal.
Don't forget your journal or notebook to document your experiences during the workshop.
Love and blessings,
Kris
****Testimonials for past workshops****
"Your workshop on the divine inner feminine was just what my wilted spirit needed. It was thrilling to hold the ancient tradition of connecting with our ancesters in the cyberspace age of teleconferencing. Even your drumming worked over the weblines to create a safe, relaxed space. My slumbering self woke up as you shared your own experiences so I could connect to deeply to my own body with love and compassion. Through your gentle guidance I met up with one of my inner feminine aspects whose name is Esther - she had a lot to say - great advice!!. Afterwards I did some research and found the Biblical story of Esther that generated another layer of appreciation and that was completely appropriate to my current circumstance - coincidentally it was Purim, too. Can't wait for the next webshop!!"
- Joan Griffiths
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"The Living in Bliss course was truly a transformational experience. Kris's research in both western thought, and mythic traditions from around the world, provides a rich tapestry of information and viewpoints for her students to pull from, and make their own. Through guided meditation exercises and heartfelt group dialogue, I was given the necessary tools and modalities to tap into the inner-psyche and explore uncharted territories within. I highly recommend the Living in Bliss course for anyone who is interested in tapping into the wealth of insight that lies within."
-Sonny Abegaze
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"Kris' style of teaching, combining lecture, image, word, meditation and sharing of personal experience, was a successful invitation to deeper knowing within myself. I was able to easily access knowing within myself that was relevant and profound."
- Licia Berry
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I already knew Kris as a creative and soulful person before I took the Living in Bliss course, but I didn't suspect how powerful her idea was. She is the living embodiment of her own proposition: that the mythic is real, and you can use the here and now (i.e. technology) to connect with the there and then (i.e. deep memories and patterns), and integrate them into your self. She is doing it herself, and is her own first role model!
-Andrew Duncan
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Through your Living in Bliss course, I was able to confront fears regarding my sexuality and upbringing that had been brewing in my subconsious for over 20 years. The teleconference format of the course gave me both the community and anonymity I needed to share my innermost secrets, and gain the healing that I deserve.
- Jewel Love
About the instructor: Kris Katsuko Oster is Ph.D. candidate at Pacifica Graduate Institute who is completing her dissertation, "The Heartbeat of the Mother: Ritual Drumming & Re-Birthing Images of the Feminine in Brazilian Candomble." Kris received her M.A. in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2005.
Past Events
Prenatal Rhythm Workshop: MotherRhythms
Pregnancy is a time of change, celebration and profound bonding between mother and child.
Through this workshop, learn how to use rhythm to facilitate deeper bonding with your child in the womb, stimulate baby’s healthy interactivity and play, and promote relaxation of both mother and baby. Also builds community and support among mothers and serves as a safe place to express emotions and creativity. Course designed for pregnant mothers and can be modified for birth educators, doulas and midwives who wish to do rhythm work with their clients.

Where: Private Residence, Santa Barbara, CA - Address Given Upon Registration
Date: July 11, 2009
Times: 11am - 1pm (Group Class); Set up time for individual instruction.
Cost: $20.00 per person for group class; $35 for individual instruction.
What to bring: pillow, blanket, journal, writing utencil, tape recorder (optional). Extra writing materials will be available. All drums provided. Drums will be available for purchase after the workshop.
To register, email or call Kris -
, 805-624-4361
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Living in Bliss: Discovering Your Personal Mythology (Meets 3 Times)
An Online Workshop
Sunday, 8/9/09 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM PDT
Sunday, 8/16/09 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM PDT
Sunday , 8/23/09 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM PDT
Course Description:
- Discover your personal mythology & re-create your life.
- Re-member the fragmented pieces of your early life, when you felt inspired and enlivened
- Experience a deeper connection to your soul purpose.
By studying and applying current developments in archetypal psychology and personal mythology we can begin to discern the deep archetypal patterns that drive our lives behind the scenes.
In this 3-part, online course we will:
- Deepen our awareness of our own archetypal tendencies.
- Connect with our hearts' desires through story and myth.
- Re-write our myth, our story, to help show us the path to where we want to go.
- Listen to others' stories and tell our own. Let's be inspired!
I will be your guide and witness through this process using writing exercises, meditation, mantras and breath work. Each person will get a chance to share a poem, story, song, music, collage, painting, basically any creative media they choose to share their personal mythology, during the last meeting of the course.
To get the most out of this course, please complete pre-course materials in the online library prior to our first meeting.
Gaia Fest Early Bird Sign Up
Sign up at discount prices - Expires June 1st
October 11-12, 2008,
Pacific Palisades, CA
Temescal Gateway Park
Featuring:
Margaret Starbird, Author of "The Woman With the Alabaster Jar"
Joan Norton, Author of "Mary Magdalene Within"
Karen Tate, Author of "Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations"
Aparecida, Dancer/Healer
Gaia Festival '08: Mother Mysteries
What mysteries does She have to share with you? How has Goddess revealed Herself, or perhaps concealed Herself?
Come explore legends and myths of Mary Magdalene and the Sacred Union.
Confirmed Events:
- Opening Circle and Altar Blessing
- "Revealing the Sacred Union" Workshop with Magdalene scholar Margaret Starbird
- Interactive and integrative Magdalene Circles with Joan Norton
- "Pagan Paris" Workshop with Karen Tate
- "The Gifts of the Magdalene" Dance Workshop w/Brazilian dancer and healer Aparecida
- "Rhythm is the Cure" Rhythm, dance and ritual workshop with Alessandra Belloni
- "The Goddess with A Thousand Faces" Lecture with Stephen Gerringer of the Jospeh Campbell Foundation
- When Goddesses of Love Healed the World Workshop with Francesca Gentille
- Labyrinth Walk (created by Tyr Jung)
- Drum Circle at the Fire Pit
- Open Time for Free Mini-Healing Sessions, Socialing and Shopping
- Sacred Sunday Closing Ceremony, facilitated by Karen Tate, Shelli English and Marsha Lange
Veteran's Day Community Drum Circle with Celebrities like Rick Allen from DefLeppard and other special guests. This event on November 11th (Veteran's Day) is proudly hosted by the Raven Drum Foundation and all proceeds from this event will go directly to their new Trauma and Resiliency program for our Veterans.
November 11, 2007, 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Topanga Community House
1440 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA
For directions call: (310) 455-1980
Parking is free.
Donations $30 at the door and $25 if paid in advance at www.ravendrumfoundation.org
No donation requested for kids under 12.
Drums provided for the first 200 people. To secure a drum, reserve in advance.
For more information contact:
Farzi Manizani
Raven Drum Foundation
(818) 378-8862
Women's Healing Drum Circle - February 24, 2007
An all women's drum circle designed to help relieve stress, relax the body and mind, and open the imaginal channels that we so often ignore in everyday life!
A weekly, drop in class.
No prior drumming experience necessary. Classes run every Saturday, 11:00 AM-12:15 PM.
$15 per class. Checks, cash and PayPal accepted.
Location: TBD. Please email or call Kris Oster for location information and if you need to borrow a drum - cell: 805.624.4361, email:
Note: there will not be any classes offered in December or January.
Gaia Festival West Coast
May 26-27, 2007.
Temescal Gateway Park, Pacific Palisades, CA.
Workshops | Art | Music | Film | Drum Circles | Yoga | Dance
Presenters/Workshop Facilitators include:
Karen Tate, Author of "Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations"
Miranda Rondeau, Frame Drummer/Singer/Songwriter Joan Norton, Author of "The Mary Magdalene Within"
Many More to come!
The Gaia Festival was dreamt up out of a need for re-connection to nature and our bodies. We are taught to ignore our instincts, the wisdom of the body and rely on authorities outside of ourselves. This does not mean that we don't need wise mentors and guidance from time to time, but it does mean we listen to our inner, body based wisdom first and foremost.
The weekend will feature key presenters who help transform the perception that matter is just flesh, rocks, water, objects. Matter (which comes from the Latin mater meaning "mother") is energy, and has never been separate from mind or spirit. Each participant will have the opportunity to explore diverse healing modalities through workshops and group activities, such as the drum circle and yoga trance dance, to re-connect to their inner rhythms and the rhythms of nature.
Featured at the Gaia Festival:
Screening of "Signs Out of Time" - a film based on the life and work of Marija Gimbutas. Produced by Starhawk and Donna Read, and Narrated by Olympia Dukakis.
Art Work by Tyr Jung and Scott Michael Potter. Lydia Ruyle's Goddess banners will fly!
