WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY THE GODDESS TRILOGY is a three-hour, three part series made between 1987 and 1992 sponsored by the National Film Board of Canada.  Part 1 – GODDESS REMEMBERED looks at prehistory and evidence that goes back about 35,000 years beginning with stone age Cro-magnon culture where carved Goddess sculpture and cave paintings of 35,000 years ago are found in France. The notion of a Mother Earth creation story along with the nurturing role of women in peaceful hunter gather groups is established.

GODDESS REMEMBERED then looks at 10,000 BC to 1,500 BC. During that period there is evidence of Goddess worship presented. Before Greek culture established male warrior dominance, when the Goddess religions of the Minoans on Malta and Crete flourished.  An abundance of artifacts are presented depicting unique Goddess worship, religion and culture. The documentary then traces the ways in which the Greeks turned the traditional worship of Goddesses into the worship of male Gods.

GODDESS REMEMBERED makes a strong case for the existence of early Goddess worship during prehistory and up to recent times in Europe and other places in the world. These practices appear to be more in sync with nature and Mother Earth than subsequent male dominated religions like Christianity.

Part 2 of WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY – THE BURNING TIMES begins with the Celtic times when the notion of the Earth Goddess encountered the Romans. Initially in places like Bath, England the Romans appear to have respected the local traditions and religious believes. The healing waters from the hot springs were thought to be a gift of the Earth Goddess.

THE BURNING TIMES looks at the period when Christianity, threatened by Pagan Goddess Worship and “Wise Women” began a systematic campaign against women they branded “witches.”  The documentary presents ample evidence that over a 300 year period there was a women’s Holocaust when millions of women were killed.  The “Witch Craze” associated women’s traditional roles as healers, oracles, and nurtures with evil doings and the devil.

Using graphic art from this period and interviews with historians the documentary establishes the impact of the “Witch Craze” on the status of women every since those days. There was no room in the Christianity of that period for powerful women. All manner of things were blamed on women including plagues and failure of crops. A strong case is made for the notion that female sexuality is evil. Violence and sex are linked. Female spirituality is branded as witchcraft and connected with the devil.

Part 3 of WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY – FULL CIRCLE looks at where Goddess Worship is today.  Part three begins with story of the Great Egg, Mother Earth, which cracked open and gave birth to many children creating the Rainbow Family that spread around the planet.  The documentary interviews women who call themselves witches, women scholars, and others who have revived the notion of Goddess Worship and Goddess religions. Rural or pagan rituals, that may date back to prehistory are part of the new God Worship tradition as seen in this part of the documentary.

FULL CIRCLE explores the present day idea of creative spirituality and the divinity in every person male or female. It also looks at the Goddess in nature and Mother Earth as a way of saving the planet from destruction.

WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY – THE GODDESS TRILOGY is a well-made documentary series that presents a point-of-view in a straightforward fashion. It obviously advocates the notion of female spirituality. It presents historical information that leaves little doubt that Goddess Worship and religion centered around female divinity have been suppressed over the ages. This educational documentary sheds light on the status of women in society today as a result of history. It offers a view of women that needs to be understood in the world today.

Like many strong advocacy documentary efforts there is a tendency to present facts without a great deal of substantiation beyond generalizations.  Assumptions based on these ideas become somewhat vague in places. Speculation of prehistoric cultures and their religious practices appears to be based on beautifully carved statuettes of women that embody the traditional attitude of prehistoric people toward women. This is an interpretation of what may have been. To the credit of the documentary as a whole evidence is presented that indicates that prehistoric people did respect and worship female spirituality.

WOMEN AND SPIRTUALITY – THE GODDESS TRILOGY offers an important body of information that cannot be ignored. It makes a convincing case for female spirituality and the actual role of women in religion, life and possibly saving Mother Earth, our home, from destruction.

J R MARTIN – AUTHOR CREATE DOCUMENTARY FILMS, VIDEOS AND MULTIMEDIA — See other documentary reviews by J R Martin at http://www.jrmartinmedia.com/reviews

TRAILER WOMEN AND SPIRTUALITY – THE GODDESS TRILOGY