Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart
Encyclopedia
Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart (born Diana Moore, formerly Morning Glory Zell) is a Neopagan
poet
, author, lecturer, and priestess. She is of Irish
and Choctaw
Indian ancestry.
. In 1969, she gave birth to a daughter, Gail, and pursued a full-time career as a writer and a mother. She traveled to Minneapolis for the Gnostica Aquarian Convention
in 1973, where she met Oberon Zell-Ravenheart
(then Tim Zell). She moved to St. Louis to study theology with the Church of All Worlds
, where she was ordained as a Priestess a year later. She and Oberon were married in 1974. She has written, lectured and taught intermittently, co-editing Green Egg Magazine
from 1973-75. Her primary focus for eight years (1977–85) was on the establishment of a wilderness retreat center dedicated to Holy Mother Earth.
s, and Pagan and interfaith religious festivals. She co-founded the Ecosophical Research Association in 1984, an organization that explores the truth behind myths.
Oberon and Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart have appeared at over 20 Starwood Festival
s (and a few WinterStar Symposiums) over the past 25 years; because of this, there has been a Church of All Worlds presence at Starwood, called the CAWmunity, for over a decade.
In 2006 she was diagnosed with a broken spine
and multiple myeloma. She is currently undergoing a course of chemotherapy
, along with surgical and radiation
treatment.
Through the 1980s and ‘90s, Morning Glory did research, traveled, lectured and taught college courses on Neo-Paganism, the Gaia Thesis and Goddess re-emergence, on her own and in company with her partner Oberon. Her pursuit of knowledge and experience with the teachings of the Goddess have taken her on overseas journeys to the Australian Blue Mountains, the depths of the Coral Sea, the jungles of New Guinea, the ruins of ancient Greece, the caves of Crete and the Taoist Goddess Temples of China.
As a ritual priestess, Morning Glory has worked on the creation of ceremonies of every kind and scale, from simple baby blessings and rites of passage including many handfastings, to spectacular events such as the total solar eclipse at the Stonehenge replica in the Oregon Dalles in 1979, attended by over 3,000 people. In 1990, she researched and co-scripted what has become an annual modern revival of the Greek Eleusinian Mysteries. Likewise she conducted a recreation of the Panathenaia Celebration to consecrate the Athena statue completed for the Parthenon replica in Nashville, Tennessee in 1993 and 1994.
Morning Glory has been listed as a resource person and featured in many books on Paganism and its modern history, as well as various TV documentaries over the years. She is also a published poet, songwriter and prose author. She brings to all of her projects a store of songs, chants and folklore, plus a powerful vision of the reawakening of the Female Principle. Her life work has been about creating an initiation into a new cycle leading to our next stage of planetary evolution: the Gaia Cycle—a marriage of science and spirituality, ecology, feminism and sexuality.
Over the past 25 years Morning Glory has assembled an ever-growing Goddess collection of over 150 votive figurines from around the world and throughout history. Portions of the collection are used in her popular workshops at Magickal festivals and women’s celebrations. This collection reflects and inspires the work of the family business Mythic Images, producing museum quality replicas of ancient Goddesses and Gods sculpted in partnership with Oberon. (www.MythicImages.com)
in May 1990, contained one of the first modern English
uses of the term "polyamory
". She is known as a foundational member of the polyamory community, through outreach and education but also leading by example. Her partnership and marriage as one of five persons in the renowned "Ravenheart" group relationship is viewed as a real-world illustration of sustainable polyamory. She is active in the polyamorous community, having given many presentations in myriad venues, having been interviewed, quoted and made appearances on the subject, and has often worn her priestess mantle in offering support and council to members of the community on the nuances and challenges of the lifestyle. http://www.caw.org/clergy/mg
.
and other members of their group marriage
, Zell-Ravenheart runs Mythic Images, a Neopagan business devoted to creating and selling votive statuary, jewelry, and books. Much of the artwork is created by the Ravenhearts, and is based upon both historical Pagan
artifacts and original designs.http://www.witchvox.com/merchants/dt_merchant.html?a=usca&id=25381
Neopaganism
Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, author, lecturer, and priestess. She is of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
Indian ancestry.
Early Life
Morning Glory began her involvement with neo-paganism in 1968, becoming an eclectic priestess of ShamanismShamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
. In 1969, she gave birth to a daughter, Gail, and pursued a full-time career as a writer and a mother. She traveled to Minneapolis for the Gnostica Aquarian Convention
Gnosticon
Gnosticon, sometimes called the Gnostica Aquarian Convention, was a magical and Neopagan event sponsored by Carl L. Weschcke and Llewellyn Publications from 1971 through 1976, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one of the first such to be held in the United States....
in 1973, where she met Oberon Zell-Ravenheart
Oberon Zell-Ravenheart
Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is a co-founder of the Church of All Worlds, as well as a writer and speaker on the subject of Neopaganism. He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri in 1965...
(then Tim Zell). She moved to St. Louis to study theology with the Church of All Worlds
Church of All Worlds
The Church of All Worlds is a neopagan religious group whose stated mission is to evolve a network of information, mythology, and experience that provides a context and stimulus for reawakening Gaia and reuniting her children through tribal community dedicated to responsible stewardship and...
, where she was ordained as a Priestess a year later. She and Oberon were married in 1974. She has written, lectured and taught intermittently, co-editing Green Egg Magazine
Green Egg
Green Egg is a Neopagan magazine published by the Church of All Worlds from 1968 through 1976 and 1988 through 2000, and restarted in 2007. It was created and edited for most of its existence by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart....
from 1973-75. Her primary focus for eight years (1977–85) was on the establishment of a wilderness retreat center dedicated to Holy Mother Earth.
Public Life
Since then Zell-Ravenheart has facilitated workshops at many events and festivals over the years, such as science fiction conventions, renaissance fairRenaissance Fair
A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire, or Renaissance festival is an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the United States, open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent theme parks, others are...
s, and Pagan and interfaith religious festivals. She co-founded the Ecosophical Research Association in 1984, an organization that explores the truth behind myths.
Oberon and Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart have appeared at over 20 Starwood Festival
Starwood Festival
The Starwood Festival is a seven-day Neo-Pagan, New Age, multi-cultural and world music festival presented in mid- to late July. Approximately 1,500 people attend including staff, speakers and entertainers. The Starwood Festival is a camping event which holds workshops on a variety of subjects...
s (and a few WinterStar Symposiums) over the past 25 years; because of this, there has been a Church of All Worlds presence at Starwood, called the CAWmunity, for over a decade.
In 2006 she was diagnosed with a broken spine
Vertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
and multiple myeloma. She is currently undergoing a course of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
, along with surgical and radiation
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy , radiation oncology, or radiotherapy , sometimes abbreviated to XRT or DXT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells.Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control...
treatment.
Priestess and Historian
Morning Glory identifies herself most strongly as a Goddess historian, natural loremistress and ritual priestess of the Goddess in Her many guises, connecting with both Wiccan and Pagan shamanic Magickal practices.Through the 1980s and ‘90s, Morning Glory did research, traveled, lectured and taught college courses on Neo-Paganism, the Gaia Thesis and Goddess re-emergence, on her own and in company with her partner Oberon. Her pursuit of knowledge and experience with the teachings of the Goddess have taken her on overseas journeys to the Australian Blue Mountains, the depths of the Coral Sea, the jungles of New Guinea, the ruins of ancient Greece, the caves of Crete and the Taoist Goddess Temples of China.
As a ritual priestess, Morning Glory has worked on the creation of ceremonies of every kind and scale, from simple baby blessings and rites of passage including many handfastings, to spectacular events such as the total solar eclipse at the Stonehenge replica in the Oregon Dalles in 1979, attended by over 3,000 people. In 1990, she researched and co-scripted what has become an annual modern revival of the Greek Eleusinian Mysteries. Likewise she conducted a recreation of the Panathenaia Celebration to consecrate the Athena statue completed for the Parthenon replica in Nashville, Tennessee in 1993 and 1994.
Morning Glory has been listed as a resource person and featured in many books on Paganism and its modern history, as well as various TV documentaries over the years. She is also a published poet, songwriter and prose author. She brings to all of her projects a store of songs, chants and folklore, plus a powerful vision of the reawakening of the Female Principle. Her life work has been about creating an initiation into a new cycle leading to our next stage of planetary evolution: the Gaia Cycle—a marriage of science and spirituality, ecology, feminism and sexuality.
Over the past 25 years Morning Glory has assembled an ever-growing Goddess collection of over 150 votive figurines from around the world and throughout history. Portions of the collection are used in her popular workshops at Magickal festivals and women’s celebrations. This collection reflects and inspires the work of the family business Mythic Images, producing museum quality replicas of ancient Goddesses and Gods sculpted in partnership with Oberon. (www.MythicImages.com)
Polyamory
Her article "A Bouquet of Lovers", first published in Green Egg MagazineGreen Egg
Green Egg is a Neopagan magazine published by the Church of All Worlds from 1968 through 1976 and 1988 through 2000, and restarted in 2007. It was created and edited for most of its existence by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart....
in May 1990, contained one of the first modern English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
uses of the term "polyamory
Polyamory
Polyamory is the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved....
". She is known as a foundational member of the polyamory community, through outreach and education but also leading by example. Her partnership and marriage as one of five persons in the renowned "Ravenheart" group relationship is viewed as a real-world illustration of sustainable polyamory. She is active in the polyamorous community, having given many presentations in myriad venues, having been interviewed, quoted and made appearances on the subject, and has often worn her priestess mantle in offering support and council to members of the community on the nuances and challenges of the lifestyle. http://www.caw.org/clergy/mg
Living unicorns
She is known for the creation of the "living unicorn" created by minor surgery to the horn buds of a goat, a technique first attempted by Dr. W. Franklin Dove, a biologist in 1935. One of their "unicorns", Lancelot, toured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey CircusRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is an American circus company. The company was started when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum was merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The Ringling brothers purchased the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907, but ran the circuses...
.
Mythic Images
Along with her co-husband Oberon Zell-RavenheartOberon Zell-Ravenheart
Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is a co-founder of the Church of All Worlds, as well as a writer and speaker on the subject of Neopaganism. He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri in 1965...
and other members of their group marriage
Group marriage
Group marriage, also known as multi-lateral marriage, is a form of polyamory in which more than two persons form a family unit, with all the members of the group marriage being considered to be married to all the other members of the group marriage, and all members of the marriage share parental...
, Zell-Ravenheart runs Mythic Images, a Neopagan business devoted to creating and selling votive statuary, jewelry, and books. Much of the artwork is created by the Ravenhearts, and is based upon both historical Pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
artifacts and original designs.http://www.witchvox.com/merchants/dt_merchant.html?a=usca&id=25381
Discography
- Living Your Own Myth - lecture on cassette with Oberon Zell-Ravenheart ACEAssociation for Consciousness ExplorationThe Association for Consciousness Exploration LLC is an American organization based in Northeastern Ohio which produces events, books, and recorded media in the fields of "magic, mind-sciences, alternative lifestyles, comparative religion/spirituality, entertainment, holistic healing, and related...
- A Bouquet of Lovers - lecture on cassette with Oberon Zell-Ravenheart ACEAssociation for Consciousness ExplorationThe Association for Consciousness Exploration LLC is an American organization based in Northeastern Ohio which produces events, books, and recorded media in the fields of "magic, mind-sciences, alternative lifestyles, comparative religion/spirituality, entertainment, holistic healing, and related...
- 2006 - A Bouquet of Lovers - lecture on CD with Oberon Zell-Ravenheart ACEAssociation for Consciousness ExplorationThe Association for Consciousness Exploration LLC is an American organization based in Northeastern Ohio which produces events, books, and recorded media in the fields of "magic, mind-sciences, alternative lifestyles, comparative religion/spirituality, entertainment, holistic healing, and related...
Media
Television:- Channel 4 TV (England) (1998)
- Strange UniverseStrange UniverseStrange Universe was a syndicated daily half-hour program about paranormal phenomena. It was hosted by Emmitt Miller and Dana Adams. In February of 1997 Adams was dropped as co-host and miller became the only host. It was on the air from 1996 to 1998 for a total of 390 episodes.-External links:* ...
(1998) - A&EA&E NetworkThe A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
(2001) - The Marilyn Kagan Show (1996)
- Those Amazing Animals (1980)
- "The Devil's Advocate with Charles Ashman", KPLR-TVKPLR-TVKPLR-TV, channel 11, is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri. KPLR is owned by the Tribune Company, and is an affiliate of The CW Television Network. The station's studios are located in Maryland Heights, Missouri, in Northwest St. Louis County KPLR-TV, channel 11, is a television station...
(1974)
Articles
- Lady Chimmerly. Stranger in a super-friendly land in Salon, July 17, 1999.
- Dunn, Meghan. Husbands and Wives in Nerve, November 30, 2000.
- Firefox, LaSaraLaSara FireFoxLaSara FireFox is a writer, game designer, and a Neuro-Linguistic Programming/Patterning master practitioner and trainer. She has written and taught in the fields of spirituality, human sexuality, parenting and bipolar disorder...
(2005). "Pagan Elders Speak Out: A Visit with Oberon and Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart" in Widdershins, Vol. 11, No. 3. - Palani, Sivasiva (1991). "Thank Goddess for Pagans!" in Hinduism Today, February 1991 issue.
- Ve Ard, Cherie L. (2005). Influence of the Science Fiction Writings of Robert A. Heinlein on Polyamory.
- LaSara Firefox Interview with Oberon & Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart