Institute of Transpersonal Psychology
Launches Center for the Divine Feminine
Receives $100,000 Gift from Anonymous Donor
For immediate release: October 7, 2005
Media contact: Tracy Byars 650-493-4430 x. 267 tbyars@itp.edu
Palo Alto, CA Robert Schmitt, president of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (ITP), announced today that former co-president Patricia (Pat) Luce is founding a new Center for the Divine Feminine at ITP.
In announcing the new center Schmitt explained that, "While the divine feminine has been a subject of research and study at ITP for several years, the center would not have been possible without the very generous gift of $100,000 from an anonymous donor, a portion of which has been directed to the program. "
"We are so grateful for the gift enabling us to do this important work," Luce said. "As Deepak Chopra has observed, more and more thought leaders are realizing what many of us have known for some time: that religious traditions grounded solely in masculine, even patriarchal values are incomplete. The feminine aspects of the divine are equally powerful and important, and they are actually necessary for healthy spiritual development."
New scholarly research delving into the evolution and significance of the ancient Goddess-centered cultures of 6000 years ago presents a picture of high cultures committed to partnership between men and women rather than the competitive warrior cultures which replaced them 2000 years later.
ITP's Center for the Divine Feminine will support the study, exploration and embodiment of all aspects of the divine feminine. The center will nurture and cultivate a healthier marriage of masculine and feminine principles in our society through education (workshops, speaker events, articles and newsletters); support of student and faculty research, opportunities for networking and communication, and practice of the sacred feminine in rituals and celebrations to add an experiential component to all traditions.
